Come to my study at exactly twelve noon. I wish to speak with you. Let no one follow you.
-X.
Aqua's feet werepractically gliding over the floor as she hastened towards Xemnas' study that afternoon. Her heart pounded rapidly, and her cheeks glowed pink. So excited was she that she didn't even bother to pay attention to whether or not she was being seen.
"What does he want?" she asked herself.
When she finally saw the ever-familiar door of Xemnas' study coming up in front of her, and her feet slowed down to a steady walk as she approached it. She stopped when she reached the door at least. Very gently, the then rapped against the hard surface and waited for a reply.
"Enter."
Aqua swung the door open and, a few seconds later, she felt her heart gradually break into a race as her eyes fell upon the Lord Superior. He had his back to her with his hands held behind him, and his eyelids were shut closed in contemplation as he stood before the crystal ball in his study. Looking at him curiously, Aqua wondered what he was thinking about, and if it was her he was thinking about.
The door closed loudly behind her. Moments later, she caught him turning his head slightly over his shoulder, and their eyes met at last. Aqua blushed pink as blue iris crossed with red iris. Shyly, she looked away from him, chuckling quietly to herself. "Xemnas," she said in a half-whisper as she diffidently brushed a stray section of her fringe away from her eyes.
Xemnas slowly turned fully around, facing her. "Aqua," he murmured. "I've been expecting you," Then, wagging his finger in a hooklike motion, he beckoned for her to draw nearer to him.
She obeyed, taking daintly, hushed steps towards him. Aqua bowed her head in deference of him, the bashful, demure smile and blush still resting on her lips and cheeks. "How do you do?"
"Well, thank you," he replied. "And you."
"Very well, my lord."
"Please, it's Xemnas."
"Forgive me, I could not help myself."
Xemnas' lips broke into a smoky grin.
And then she looked up at him earnestly. "Xemnas?"
"Hm?"
"Did that night—that night—really happen?"
Xemnas paused for a moment before answering, "Yes. It did."
"And that kiss … was it real too?"
He walked up to her slowly. "More real than I could ever be."
"What are you saying?" Aqua asked as she felt Xemnas' gloved fingers slide beneath her chin.
Xemnas let out a short muted laugh and leaned closer to her, allowing his brow to press against hers and the tips of their noses to brush against one another. "I don't exist, remember?" he said, and he drew her lips to his.
The kiss felt almost as wonderful as the first, and perhaps even more. It mesmerized her and sent every part of her body into a rapturous trance. Losing all sensations of the world around her, Aqua closed her eyes and returned the embrace. Mindlessly, her hands moved to Xemnas' shoulders, gripping them tightly so that her fingers dug into the fabric of his frock coat. Xemnas' own sturdy hands moved south, securely clasping around the narrowest part of Aqua's slim waist. Enthralled by Xemnas' touch, Aqua moved closer to him, and so did he, their kiss growing more and more impassioned with every passing second.
Aqua suddenly felt her feet moving backwards until a hard wall was pushing back against her. At the same time, she felt Xemnas pulling her closer to him still, to deepen the kiss, as if the now already fervent affection both of them were exchanging between themselves and were sharing with each other wasn't enough for him. The blood in her head and her heart began to race, and still very much lost in their embrace, Aqua briefly wondered if Xemnas, being so incredibly close to her, could hear how loudly her heart was beating because of him, as it always did.
She didn't dare to pull away from him, for this moment was too perfect to put to an end—too perfect to spoil. But of course, all good things must come to an end, and though her heart told her not to break away from Xemnas, Aqua forced herself to, and she slid her finger between her lips and his, effectively ending their embrace. They gazed at each other with wide eyes, breathing heavily as they tried to catch their breath.
"Aqua …" Xemnas said breathlessly, quietly. He laid his brow against hers, and closed his eyes.
"Xem …" Aqua whispered. She wrapped her arms tightly around him. "You exist to me …"
"I've never felt anything as strong as this before," Xemnas murmured, enveloping her in his own arms. "Not even as a human."
"This the first time you've ever felt this way before, isn't it?" Aqua asked.
He nodded. "I'm afraid so."
Aqua cast a compassionate gaze at him while tightening her arms around him even more.
"There was once a time I told myself that the heart is made up of only of anger, rage, and hatred. I never imagined that within the heart, there existed a feeling much stronger and more powerful than those. This feeling … love—it puts those other feelings all to shame. Oh, that just comes to show how much I realize that in the little I know of the heart, I have misjudged it. But you—you've taught me …"
"I've taught you so much more," Aqua finished for him.
"Indeed you have."
In silence, they remained where they were, holding each other in one another's arms and basking in each other's company in the dimly lit study. The Lord Superior then leaned forward and wrapped his hands around the upper half of her arms, and pulled at her. Getting the hint, Aqua reached out and laid her hands over his broad chest, faintly feeling the muscles that lay beneath his clothing.
My lady …" Xemnas murmured. "My beloved …"
"Xem …" Aqua whispered, trying to say his name.
Xemnas sighed quietly as he moved his lips near the surface of Aqua's brow. "I don't suppose you are wondering why I have called you here?"
Aqua's eyelids fell over her eyes and eclipsed her irises as the heat of Xemnas' breath wafted over and hit her sensitive skin, causing her to shiver in enthrallment. "I have been curious why you wish to see me." She opened her eyes. "So tell me, why?"
"Well …" he began slowly, "I have summoned you … because there is something important that you must know."
"And what would that be?"
It was then that the tenderness that glossed over his red irises morphed into stern seriousness. It was a transformation that took Aqua by surprise and the new look in his eyes gradually wore away the playfulness in her countenance.
"Xemnas?" she asked with anxious softness.
Xemnas did not immediately reply, but when he did, uncertainty tainted his bass-like voice. Exhaling under his breath, he tightened his hold of her waist. "Aqua, would you climb over mountains if doing so meant loving a Nobody like me?"
"Of course I would," she answered. "But why do you ask?"
"I ask only because there may be mountains we'll have to climb just to be together."
"What do you mean?"
"When one is the leader of the Organization, and lord of all the Nobodies, there are certain … expectations … that one must meet – that I must meet."
Aqua gazed at him in earnest. Catching the perplexed nuance in her countenance, Xemnas willed himself to be direct with his next response.
"Aqua," he said in a low, husky voice, "If you desire to be mine, then you must consent to be in a relationship of secrecy with me."
Aqua's eyes fell blank and her lips parted in surprise. "What?" Bewilderment seared through her face. "Why?"
"Let us just say that I'm a rather … private … man who prefers not to publicize the more personal affairs of his life. You know by now how it is to live amongst my subordinates. Nothing escapes anyone's eyes and ears in this castle. That, and also simply that if it were discovered that I took in a woman from the Realm of Light as my mistress, it would cause a scandal."
"How so?"
"You need not know of the intimate details. But, it is complicated. And given my position and the priorities that come with it, there are certain things … certain pleasures … that I must forfeit in order to dutifully serve as leader and lord of the Organization and of the Nobodies."
His words made Aqua pause for a beat, and her brow furrowed slightly. "A relationship of secrecy …" she mused quietly.
Xemnas curled a finger and brought it beneath her chin, tilting her head and eyes upward to align with his line of sight. "If this is something you cannot agree to, then you are free to turn it down. But Aqua, love, please, please know that I have to have you. I'm mad for you."
The seductive promise of Xemnas' words sent tingles searing through Aqua's nerves as he spoke. She raised one of her hands and placed it against Xemnas' cheek. "Xem …" there was an unexpectedly downcast nuance in her voice.
Xemnas then gazed at her with an even greater seriousness. He dropped his hand from under her chin and it fell back down to her waist. "So what will it be, Aqua?" he asked. "I pledge you my love and affection, my faithfulness, my devotion, my trust, my companionship, my time, my attention, and all the pleasure you could ask for. But you must keep our love a secret. That is what it means to be mine. Is this still what you want?"
Aqua held her breath. She never realized that loving Xemnas was more difficult and complex than she'd imagined. Were the members of the Organization really that judgmental? Was it really that unacceptable and wrong for a human to love a Nobody? She could see how that would be a problem with those of the Light, but it was more difficult to see how such a situation would matter to a nonbeing who was incapable of feeling.
The secrecy of their relationship would certainly be inconvenient and unideal, but, her love for the Organization leader burned greater. That, and, Aqua had to admit, there was something enthralling about a secret romance.
"I want you," Aqua finally said. "I want to be yours very much. If secrecy is what is required of me to be with you, then I promise I won't tell anyone about us."
She saw a look of calm relief flash across Xemnas' features when she said this.
"Thank you, love," he said. "And really, this is for the best."
Aqua sighed quietly. "I only wish loving you could be so much easier. I never realized how complicated it actually was."
"Everything's more complicated when you're a Nobody, love, and when you're the leader of Organization XIII." Xemnas took the hand that Aqua had laid on his cheek into his own large hand. "But don't fret, I shall find a way to make this work out."
"So will I," she said hopefully. She tried smiling. "After all, I do know that when the heart loves, there is always a way to make that love known, no matter what stands in the way."
"Then, let your heart lead you to me," said Xemnas as he pressed his lips onto the back of Aqua's hand.
"I will," Aqua whispered as the kiss the Lord Superior planted on her hand made her blush and her skin tingle.
Xemnas dropped her hand and moved behind her, where he gathered her into his arms once more. "Oh, Aqua …" he nuzzled his face into her cheek.
Aqua smiled and closed her eyes as she felt him breathing softly onto her sensitive skin. "My lord …" she gasped as she felt his hands begin to slide down to her hips. "I am yours," she murmured, "And you are mine." She then looked over her shoulder, facing him. With their faces in close proximity and their lips only a breadth's length apart, she leaned towards him and captured his mouth with her own. Receptive to the kiss, Xemnas pressed himself tightly against her, eliciting a soft moan from her. About a minute passed before they pulled away from one another.
"I must go," Aqua said apologetically.
"Must you go now?" Xemnas asked in disappointment.
"Yes, I must," she replied, "But oh when will we see each other again?" She turned around and looked at him imploringly.
"Tonight," Xemnas answered, managing a tiny smile as he spoke.
"Where?"
"Meet me at the Altar of Naught. I'll be there, waiting for you. And if you don't come, well, then I shall come to you."
Aqua laughed quietly in amusement. "No, I'll come," she said. "I promise you I will."
"Then until tonight, I bid you farewell." He kissed her hand again.
Aqua smiled, and pulled away from Xemnas. She stole one last glance at him before she slipped through the doorway and was out of sight.
…
"Are you sure, Terra?" asked Ven.
"Aqua said that the wayfinders symbolized an unbreakable connection among the three of us, Ven," Terra explained. "So if Aqua's still in the Realm of Light, our wayfinders should spark the light in our hearts, allow the Door to Light to reveal itself to us, and lead us back to Aqua. Do you understand?"
Ven paused for a moment of contemplation. "I guess we could try it out. Only, how exactly will our wayfinders make the Door to Light reveal itself?"
"Why not simply believe in the light in your hearts?" King Mickey suggested. "After all, sometimes, simply believing is just enough!"
"Are you sure, King Mickey?" asked Ven.
"I wouldn't be telling it to ya if I knew it didn't work!"
"So then let's try it out," said Terra. He took out his wayfinder and held it in his hand. "You ready, Ven?"
Ven nodded. "Right!" He pulled out his own green wayfinder and held it tightly in his hand.
The two boys closed their eyes, trying to delve deep into their hearts, find their inner light, and implore it to guide their way back home.
"Uh, guys? Fellas? I think we have company!" Mickey's alarmed voice said suddenly.
Terra and Ven opened their eyes, and through the visors of their helmets, they saw a large black monstrosity of a Heartless with giant yellow eyes and a large gaping heart-shaped hole in its abdomen staring down at them.
"Heartless!" Terra cried out, and he summoned his Keyblade, as did Ven.
"Come on, Ven! Let's take this guy out!"
And the two of them charged into battle.
A/N: The affair has officially begun. Let's see how it goes ;)
Next chapter will be up soon!
-gt²
