Chapter 36 – Forgive Me, Zexion

As Lumiere turned the other corner, Roxas and Xion immerged from the shadows of Beast's Castle's interior. "That was close," Xion breathed, still grasping Roxas' hand tightly. Roxas just let out a nervous laugh. Xion turned to face Roxas completely and smiled, her blue eyes shining. "I'm so glad you're my partner, Roxas. It makes me feel stronger."

Roxas grinned. "It makes me feel stronger too, Xi. But…come to think of it…it wasn't always like that."

The smile on Xion's face dissipated and she nodded, knowing what Roxas was referring to. "Which reminds me…I hope we go to Agrabah soon. And I hope we can talk to Larxene soon too."

"Oh right!" Roxas realized. "Man, I almost forgot about that."

"We also forgot that the day after out beach trip we were going to prank Xigbar," Xion informed, nodding gravely.

Roxas slapped his head. "Gee, Xion, I'm sorry!" he apologized. "I just keep forgetting things."

Xion put her hand on number XIII's shoulder. "Don't worry, Rokusy, I'm forgetting them too. We've just been busy with other things, like worrying about…well you know."

Roxas nodded. Suddenly his lips curved into a smile. "Rokusy? Xi, how do you come up with these nicknames?"

Number XIV let out a giggle and she playfully nudged her friend. "Silly!"

Roxas was about to return the favor when a few Bulky Vendors flew past them. The two immediately summoned their keyblades. "Heartless!" he exclaimed, and he started to race after them. Xion was right beside him, creating the perfect Heartless exterminating team.

Not too far away from where the two younger Nobodies were engaging in combat, in a small room, sat Namine. She had followed the pair again, but this time rather than spying, she just sat in a chair and drew pictures. She was currently working on a picture of herself and Roxas fighting the Heartless inside the walls of Beast's Castle. She had given up almost all hope that Roxas would ever be hers, but she still had an ounce of expectation left. And so she drew.

"This is better than being in that castle," Namine told herself as she worked. "Marluxia is upset with me anyways." She paused to take a good look at her work in progress. "Well tonight I'll show him this drawing. He may be proud of me again." A wistful sigh escaped her lips as she stared down at the Roxas she drew. She could hear the grunts and battle cries he made while fighting from the hall, and she once again yearned for him. "Those excited blue eyes…that sandy hair…that adorable smile…why does the replica get him?" Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by a soft tapping sound. Curious to see what was causing the noise, Namine looked over her shoulder. When she caught glimpse of the passer-byer, she couldn't believe her eyes. There, waddling across the floor, was a teapot! It even had a face!

As soon as the teapot noticed Namine, it stopped. "Well hello there," it said. One could tell by its voice that it was female. "I didn't know we had company."

"I-I'm sorry!" Namine stuttered, still shocked. "I-I followed my friends here."

Oddly enough, the teapot smiled. "That's all right, Deary. Welcome to Beast's Castle. What is your name?"

Namine stared for a bit longer, still amazed by the fact she was talking to a teapot. "N-Namine."

"Nice to meet you Namine," she said with a slight bow. "My name is Mrs. Potts."

Namine forced herself to smile; frowning would be considered rude. "Well nice to meet you." A stretch of awkward silence followed, Namine intently observing the animate teapot. At length, she spoke. "S-so…have you always been a teapot?"

Mrs. Potts shook her spout. "Oh no, only after the curse," she replied.

Namine looked puzzled. "The curse?"

"Yes, but that's a long story," the teapot answered, dismissing the subject. "So, what are you doing here?"

She looked down at her sketchpad. "Oh…just drawing," she responded with a shrug.

"Oh, may I see?" Mrs. Potts asked curiously. She started to hop up, hoping she could catch a glimpse of it.

Namine let out a sigh, too kind to refuse. She reached down and held her sketchpad at the teapot's level.

After observing the drawing for a few moments, the teapot spoke. "It's very nice. Who's that you're fighting ants with?"

Namine felt her face redden. "His…name is Roxas," she replied slowly.

"He looks very nice," Mrs. Potts commented. "Must be a nice friend."

At the mention of the word friend, Namine began to feel guilty. "Well…not really," she answered quietly.

"Oh?" the teapot asked, raising an eyebrow.

There was a moment of reluctance before the girl in white explained. "No…he's friends with a black-haired girl…who I'm jealous of."

Mrs. Potts sighed and shook her spout disapprovingly. "Jealous always ruins a friendship, or in this case a chance of friendship, my dear," she told her.

"I know…" Namine replied, nervously rubbing her arm. "If you want to make a friend, you have to be a friend, right?"

The pot nodded. "You're on the right track. And…have you ever stopped to wonder that this boy may not be your prince?"

Namine looked up and blinked. "Huh?"

The pot shook her spout again. "Deary, do you really think you'd have to work hard for your prince? Did you ever consider that he may ride into your life on his own? Not to be presumptuous or anything…"

There was a moment of silence while Namine pondered. "Well…I never really looked at it that way before…"

The pot turned around and started to hop away. "Come, we'll talk about it in the breakfast nook. I'll even make some of my famous gingerbread tea."

Namine giggled as she stood up. "Okay. I'd like that."

Vexen sat on one of the counters in his lab, going over some paperwork. Bills to be exact. He had his reading glasses on and a shocked expression on his face. "Look at this month's water bill! Oh, the superior will not be happy about this..." He then glanced around quickly before speaking his mind. "Maybe, just maybe, the superior will be so furious that he'll turn Demyx into dusk! I mean, we all know that he's the one responsible for this water bill." Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by a faint humming noise, coming from outside his window. Vexen got up and approached the window, curious to find out what was going on. When his eyes spotted the noise-maker, he was shocked. There, under his lab window, was a strange blue creature with no legs, washing itself with the hose. It was also humming a tune called "Arabian Dream".

"You!" the scientist exclaimed, pointing his white-gloved finger at the creature. It immediately jumped and looked up.

"Oh hello!" it said, waving its large blue hand friendlily at number IV.

"Turn off that water!" Vexen demanded, pointing at the faucet.

It looked at the hose and then back up at Vexen. "But your kids used up all my water a few weeks ago. Are you their father?"

Vexen stepped back. "What?" he asked, horrified. "I don't have any children!" The blue creature shrugged and continued washing himself with the water. "Hey!" the Chilly Academic scowled. "I said turn the water off! The bill is high enough already!" But it just kept washing and humming, paying no attention to the angry scientist. The veins on Vexen's forehead began to pop out. "TURN IT OFF!" he shouted, throwing his lab goggles down at the blue thing.

"Fine, fine," it reluctantly agreed, turning the water off. It then stooped down, curiously picked up the goggles, and left.

Vexen was about to yell after it about returning the expensive goggles when he heard his patient moan. He immediately turned away from the window and was at the side of his lab table. "Zexion?"

Zexion was tossing and turning on the cold, hard lab table and mumbling in his coma. "R-Riku…R-replica…"

Vexen raised an eyebrow, wondering why Zexion was having dreams about his Riku replica. He then noticed how cold the cloaked schemer looked. "I'll get a blanket from the storeroom." Then, slightly hurrying, he left his lab.

Zexion did not cease tossing and turning for quite some time. He looked as though he were engaged in combat. Finally when he started to quiet down, a visitor appeared.

"Zexion?" Lexaeus asked, appearing at the doorway. When he saw that his friend was still in a coma, he entered the lab semi-cautiously. "Still unconscious…I wonder if there's anything I can do." He stared down at number VI's partially covered face and sighed. "Forgive me…Zexion." Suddenly there was an overwhelming shock in his head, causing him to almost lose balance. As he gripped onto the lab table, the room started to spin violently and his vision blurred. All of a sudden he heard voices.

"Too slow."

"You are the Superior's- ….Forgive me Zexion. This was a fight I should not have started."

As Vexen walked down the halls en route to his lab, he whistled a tune that had somehow drifted into his head. In his arms were a few blankets he had picked up from the storeroom. But as soon as he arrived at the doorway of his laboratory, his jaw dropped.

"Oh no!" the Chilly Academic exclaimed. Lexaeus now lay on the ground next to the lab table. "Now I have to take care of two of them! What's happening to the science crew?"