Correspondence with a Demon

Chapter 26 – In the Shadows

Xemnas sighed as he gazed out of the broken stained glass window. The battle felt so long ago, but it was only the end of the second day. There was quite a lot of damage to the castle, and they had lost so many demons that day. The remaining demons were either resting in the infirmary or their rooms or trying to repair the castle. Many of them doing the repairs were injured, but then again, no demon in the castle was uninjured in some way.

The same could be said for the leader himself. He had also participated in the battle and was one of the main driving forces, but even he got injured. They were relatively minor injuries, a few scratches, but they were miniscule compared to the injuries sustained by the other demons. Although they had the healing balm to help with the recovery, the medicine does not heal stress or exhaustion, and they all still had so much to do.

Xemnas stared out into space until something caught his right eye. One of the injured demons set out to gather the debris that littered the courtyard. There wasn't a spot on the snow that wasn't stained in blood, and the demon didn't bother walking around them. He had short dirty blond hair that stood up in spikes and had bandages wrapped around his head and over his right eye. He limped as he walked and probably sustained damage to his right leg due to an attack. He recognized the demon as one of their soldiers, but he could not recall his name. He could never recall any of their names.

His yellow eyes suddenly spotted a young female demon – he recognized her as one of the maids – as she stomped across the yard towards the soldier. She had several cuts on her face, and her left arm was in a sling which didn't appear to be broken. The soldier turned and greeted her, but her right hand shot out from her side and knocked the debris out of his arms. He looked at her disapprovingly, but then she started to yell at him. Because of her emotional state, she was unable to completely retain her form. Brown ears and a tail with calico markings appeared. Her voice seemed pretty loud, because Xemnas could hear it from where he stood, but he couldn't make out any of her words despite his keen hearing.

He took interest in their interaction. The maid started to pound her right fist at the soldier's chest, making him wince. He caught her wrist before the fifth strike, which she immediately shook off. Then she lowered her head and brought her hand to her face, wiping her eyes furiously. Her cat ears drooped. The young soldier looked apologetic as he wrapped his arms around her in comfort. She protested at first and tried to break away, but his hold on her was strong. After a few minutes, she gave up and buried her face in his chest. They stood there for quite some time, talking quietly.

"It's quite touching, isn't it?" The voice echoed through the empty room, somewhere behind him. Xemnas turned his head slightly, his eyes finding a figure in the darkness.

"I suppose," his deep voice replied. In reality, he felt nothing about it. In battles and in wars, you tend to lose a lot, and when you lose a lot, it's hard to care about something. Eventually, it will be taken away. Eventually, you go through it so much that the pain becomes numb enough for you to forget you have a heart.

Xemnas sighed as he continued to watch the two demons. "How are the repairs?"

"Slow. Everyone is still recovering from their wounds, but we were able to repair part of the roof in the north wing. We have soldiers guarding each gate, most particularly the south gate, but there hasn't been any sign of them." Something in his tone implied something, but Xemnas paid no mind to it.

Silence followed. For a few minutes, there was no sound but the wind that breezed through the castle walls. What was left of them. Then the wind blew strong enough to loosen a piece of the stained glass from its position, and it fell to the floor next to Xemnas, shattering into pieces. Despite this, the leader remained where he was, keeping his eyes on the couple as they went back inside with the soldier's arm around the maid's shoulders.

"May I be honest, sir?"

Xemnas remained silent but gave a slight nod.

"Why did you allow Sora to guard that girl?"

That demon should know the answer to that. He was there during that meeting. But Xemnas knew that the real question was hidden among those words. The real question was why he allowed his successor to be in a very close proximity with a human. It heightened the danger and increased the risk of a demon losing his or her sanity.

"How much of Sora do you know?" Xemnas asked.

From his silence, Xemnas knew that the demon was taken aback by the question. A few minutes of silence lapsed before he answered.

"I suppose I don't know him well at all," he said, immediately catching on that there was something to Sora that no one else knew about.

As it should be, Xemnas thought. He geared himself up for what he was about to say, for the next few words out of his mouth will help determine which side this demon was on.

"You are already aware of his family history, so I understand why you would have some doubt about this decision," Xemnas said quietly.

"Yes, and I would have thought that you would be more adamant to have Sora stay here…"

"Indeed, that would be the case. However, Sora is a…special kind of demon. It is not only due to the fact that he is a lion that I chose him as my successor, but it is because he possesses a special quality that is quite rare in this day and age, a quality that I've only seen once before. While his younger siblings are highly sensitive to humans and their essence despite the high amount of demon blood they carry, their older brother mysteriously seems to be…impervious to their effects. Not many know this little fact, and I would prefer that it would stay that way. I trust that you will keep it to yourself?"

"I would never repeat a word of this." This, Xemnas knew to be a lie, but he remained silent.

"May I ask another question?" the figure asked.

Further silence from Xemnas meant that he was waiting for the demon's question.

"Why did you not send someone to chase down Number 13? Surely, you know how dangerous it is for a demon with his kind of condition, given his family history."

Xemnas smirked. This was the real question the demon wanted to answer. The leader turned around, his hands locked together behind his back. "I sense anger in your words, Number 11."

Marluxia stepped out of the shadows. He wore his black cloak as if he was ready to leave at any time for a mission. From the way he moved, Xemnas can tell that he, too, was still recovering from wounds that the brother of his eventual successor inflicted. His eye was still swollen, and his faces had a few bruises here and there. From the way he stood, Xemnas could tell that the demon suffered from a broken rib or two. But on the fox's face, there was an expression that spoke of determination to get something done, and revenge reflected in his eyes.

There was also something else reflected off of those eyes and was gone the next second. Xemnas made a mental note of that.

Marluxia did not have to voice his need for revenge. Xemnas could already see it in his face.

He turned around and looked outside again. This time, he looked towards the horizon, which was stained blood red from the setting sun. It was an appropriate color after all that had happened.

"Do you know why I assigned you to guard that girl in the first place?" he asked.

"Because I am the most capable demon," he replied, confident.

"No," Xemnas turned his head, looking at the pink-haired demon through the corner of his eye, "Because I believed that you would keep that girl safe, that you would keep her hidden. You are not meant to fight, Number 11. Fox demons are not capable of heavy combat. They are more known for their remarkable stealth." He looked pointedly at Marluxia's injuries, which made the fox demon's eyebrows furrow in frustration.

"You are also in no condition," he simply said.

"I am fully aware of my injuries and my flaws," Marluxia replied with a slightly sarcastic tone. Xemnas shot him a look as a warning. His temper has become quite short these days.

"I apologize for my tone," Marluxia bowed his head in forgiveness. "I am only frustrated that I could not fulfill my duties as expected."

Xemnas waved his hand dismissively. "If Roxas had not intercepted you, I believe you would have fulfilled them."

"Then please let me go after him and get her back," Marluxia proposed.

"No," Xemnas said without a thought.

This came as a surprise to Marluxia. "Why?"

"Because you are too emotional at the moment to take on a mission. Rest up, recover from your injuries, and perhaps we shall see," the leader answered. He emphasized the word "perhaps."

"Emotional?" the pink haired man cried. "Wasn't Roxas' interception also an emotional act?"

"My patience thins, Number 11. Watch your tone. Do not make me repeat myself," he warned.

"But sir-"

The air seemed to turn freezing cold as the white haired demon turned around to face him fully. He shot him a look that shut him up. Already, his hands were transformed into claws, and short rounded ears stood on his head. A white lion tail was swishing about, and his yellow eyes narrowed into slits. Xemnas was beginning to transform and could attack the fox demon at any moment, perhaps permanently silencing him. This, Xemnas thought, would end all the plans and future troubles, but it would not deal with the main problem, the important one. It was better to nip the weed at the base instead of the tip. That was what Xemnas intended to do.

Marluxia drew back a little. He obviously knew that he was pushing Xemnas' boundaries and waited in silence as the leader calmed down, his demonic features gradually subsiding.

The leader could also tell that Marluxia was very impatient to get his say, and when his tail disappeared – which was the last of the features to subside – Marluxia wasted no time in continuing their conversation.

"The more I rest, the harder it will be to track them down," Marluxia continued. His voice was low, but his tone was filled with intent and impatience.

"You are very adamant about this," Xemnas said. He heard a thump in the distance and growled lowly. Marluxia did not seem to notice the sound.

"Foxes are capable of holding a deep grudge," the fox demon replied. "They are also known to be quite vicious whenever the time calls for it."

They are also known to be quite deceptive, but Xemnas did not voice it.

"Be that as it may," Xemnas fully turned around and stared down at him, "My decision still stands. You will not go after Number 13 and the girl."

"Even when I'm recovered?"

"Even when you're recovered."

He saw that this decision still did not suit Marluxia. The fox still held a deep revenge and a mysterious determination in his yellow-green eyes.

The fox sighed frustratingly. "If that is you're decision, sir," he said, his anger still prevalent in his tone. He bowed deeply and spun on his heel. He walked briskly right out the door and closed it with a little too much force than necessary.

Xemnas sighed and turned to look back out the window once more. His ears picked up on a thump that came from the exact location from where Marluxia stood.

"I'm surprised that he didn't notice me even after I intentionally made a sound. He usually catches onto my scent faster than anyone else, even when I'm hidden," said a deep voice.

"It only proves a theory, but it does not clearly explain the true reason for his actions," Xemnas replied. It also does not explain the origin of it all, but Xemnas kept that piece of information to himself.

"No kiddin'. He must be really far gone if that essence is messing with his senses. I guess it was a good thing that Roxas intervened after all."

It was more like an unexpected diversion to his plan. However, seeing as that Xemnas did not expect how far along Marluxia was, it was a good thing indeed that Roxas had intervened.

"Do you really think that the whole Vexen thing was to get us off of the real traitor's tail?" the figure asked.

"It was too structured and too perfectly timed and was therefore the most likely theory."

"It could have fooled me."

Silence followed soon after. The sun was quickly setting, and the darkness was almost upon them.

"May I ask a question?"

Xemnas sighed. "Go on." He wasn't sure if he was up to answering any more. He already answered a lot today, and his patience was already wavering.

"How did you know that Marluxia – I mean, Number 11 – was the real traitor?"

Xemnas closed his eyes, massaging his temples. He could feel a headache coming on. "He may have been able to maintain his act in the beginning, but even he would buckle under pressure. He's beginning to get sloppy, and perhaps he's become too intoxicated with power that it is heavily impairing his senses."

"There's more to it than that, isn't there?"

"Apparently so. He wouldn't have disobeyed me otherwise. No, there is a hidden agenda, a more underlying plan. What that is…is yet to be discovered."

"And I take it that this plan involves the humans and…the marked ones?"

"It would seem so." It was most likely more than that, more so than what Xemnas initially thought. The problem most likely ran even deeper than just the marked ones.

He didn't suspect that the traitor was going to be this close to the inside group, and he was very concerned that the main problem, the underlying cause to all of this commotion, was going to heavily impact their way of life and probably the balance that they have been maintaining. But for the purpose of maintaining order among the demons, he had to keep these thoughts to himself.

He did not even know why he was answering this demon's questions so easily. There was no real benefit to it other than serving as motivation. He supposed that it was due to stress and exhaustion. Once again, he massaged his temples, trying to ease the oncoming headache.

"So what would be the next plan of action, sir?"

"Keep a close watch on Number 11. He will no doubt go after them despite my orders. Do not kill, only observe. Make sure you are well hidden."

"And if he manages to kill Roxas – I mean, Number 13 – and take Naminé?"

"If that were to happen, you are to continue to follow him and see where he takes her. The minute you find that location, you are to report to me immediately." The leader turned around to face the demon. "Is that clear, Number 8?"

The spiky redhead stepped out from his hiding place. The setting sun illuminated his face and revealed a pair of mischievous green eyes and purple reverse triangular tattoos under both of his eyes.

"Roger that," he smirked.

To Be Continued…

Author's Note:

Too short? I think it's fine after all the action we got from the last chapter. :) It's time for more set-up, and hopefully, we'll see some more action (and more fluff) from the next chapter. I'm planning on it!

So I want to thank all of my readers, but I would like to especially thank all the lovely reviewers that spent some time to write me a review. Even if they were a few words, they gave me encouragement. Many thanks to: Misoso, AlyssTwilight1784, Random Fandom, CaptainJas, Q-A the Authoress, Versilvalia, lizzyytx33, lazyyness, OMGBloodyHellFire, NightRaven13, Dennou Writer, and Xion-puppet. You guys are awesome!

Thanks for reading! See you guys at the next update!