Author's Note: Thank you so much for checking out my XigbarxOC fanfic! I have so much planned out for this story and I've really been enjoying myself. This is the first time I've written something solely for myself in a long time, and its helping me rediscover my love for writing and story-telling. I'm sorry if it seems a little slow at first, but a lot of adventures await the new pair!
"Fine. I do want to know your name. I'd also like to see the face of my valiant hero, while you're at it."
That was exactly what he had hoped to hear from her. "I thought you'd never ask, babe."
With one hand, the man pulled the hood off his head, and Reina was shocked to see that the face underneath the hood didn't exactly match the lighthearted, teasing voice he carried. He looked completely different than what she expected, and she wasn't sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing.
With lightly tanned skin, the man looked to be a good deal older than her, and he had a slender face and a jawline sharp enough to cut through steel. He wore a cocky grin on his face, and a dark, menacing scar was woven from his left eye down to his chin. A black eyepatch covered his right eye, but the eye she could see had seized her attention more than his patch. His left eye was as vibrant and yellow as the petals on a sunflower, but there was nothing else about him that was bright and colorful except for his golden eye. As soon as his hood was off, he had pulled his long ponytail out from the back of his hood, and it hung freely down his back. His hair was unusual mix of black with gray streaks, and her first guess was that he was probably in his late 30's, or possibly even early 40's. With his hair pulled back, Reina could see that his ears were pointy, kind of like an elf's, and it was hard to tell if he was even human, or perhaps some sort of mythical, humanoid creature she had read about in books as a child. Vampire was the first thought that came to mind, but his teeth were nice and straight; no sharp fangs to cause concern.
The most shocking part about him wasn't that he was an older man with rough, almost brutish features with his scarred cheek and eyepatch, but it was that he was hot. Incredibly hot. If there was one thing about Reina, it was that she wasn't used to being around a man that exuded an aura of such intense, sexual energy. The moment his snakelike eye locked his sights on her, she could feel a few butterflies spreading their wings in the pits of her stomach. Their wings needed to be clipped and clipped fast if she wanted to be able to continue holding a normal conversation without stuttering or tripping over her words.
Reina was silent for a moment, taking in the sight of her unexpected savior. Just seconds ago, she had flung herself up against him to try and retrieve the journal from his grasp, and if she had known that he had been hiding such a gruff yet irresistibly handsome face, she might not have thrown herself against him so easily. He looked kind of like a ruffian or someone that had gotten into quite a few intense fights back in the day, but the air of danger he radiated somehow made his physique more enticing to her. Everything about him was intimidating, especially that devilish smirk of his face, and Reina struggled to react accordingly to his grand reveal. Her throat had tightened as they had a heated staring contest with eachother, and for the second time that day, she forgot how to speak.
"Oh, no. Don't tell me…" The man feigned a concerned expression as he ran a gloved hand over the top of his head to smooth down his hair from where the hood had made a few silver strands stick up. "Your mysterious hero is even better looking than you could have ever imagined, and now you're speechless. It's okay, you wouldn't be the first lady to be lovestruck by my good looks. Take all the time you need to drink in the sight of me. I don't mind waiting."
He had broken the awkward silence and in turn eased the tension that had been rising through Reina's body. That arrogant statement was enough for her to realize she must have been gawking at him, and an embarrassed blush flashed across her cheeks. How could she have let herself be stunned stupid by his dashing good looks and forget just what kind of a guy he really was?!
"What?! Not a chance!" It wasn't often that she found herself in the presence of someone tall, dark, and handsome, and she hated that he had been able to read her like a book and tell she had been checking him out in a not-so-subtle manner. She struggled to come up with a coy explanation for her staring, and her gaze settled on the black eyepatch on his face which struck up an idea for an excuse. "I was just in shock to learn that there are pirates all the way out here in Wonderland. Yeah. That's it. Pirates. I thought they only lived in tropical areas. I was just kind of caught off guard. That's all."
The man's brows furrowed with her comment before his cocky smirk began to drop. "Huh? As if I'm a damn pirate. What the hell gave you that idea?"
Nice recovery! He might have been good-looking, but that ego of his was in desperate need of some deflation. She wasn't about to let him know that she had been caught off guard by his attractiveness; his head didn't need to get any bigger.
"The eyepatch! Duh!" She pointed to her own eye that mirrored the one on his face that was covered.
He scratched the back of his head. "You know, it's not nice to call a guy who just saved your ass a "pirate" just because he's got an eyepatch. Now if I had a wooden leg or a hook on my hand, I'd give you that, but an eyepatch alone isn't enough to cross me off the Pirate Bingo, dollface." If he had truly been offended by her statement, he wasn't letting on. His one yellow eye was sparkling with amusement, conveying the laughter he was trying to hold back. For a guy who looked pretty intimidating with his facial scars and choice of attire, he had a pretty relaxed personality which made it easier for her to continue casually talking with him.
"Well, now that I've seen your face," Reina cleared her throat, ready to change the subject. "I would like to know your name. It's only fair since you now know mine."
The man thought for a moment as he lightly tapped his chin with his finger. "Hmm…It's Chad von Burgerweiss."
"Chad…Von Burgerweiss?" The disbelief on her face was prominent as she squinted her eyes at him.
"Ha ha ha, no," the dark-haired man shook his head as he laughed at his own joke. "But since you gave me a fake name, I thought I'd return the favor."
Ah, so he had realized that Mary wasn't actually her name. Reina had always been told she wasn't the best liar, but that had never really been a bad thing until now. While she didn't want to give this strange man too many details about herself upon just meeting him, she hoped there was little harm in revealing her name.
"Fine. You win," the brunette grumbled as she tucked away the journal once again before swinging her bag over her shoulder. "It's Reina."
The man met her introduction with a dazzling smile, pleased to finally know the name of the maiden he had just went out of his way to assist. "See? That wasn't so hard, now was it, Reina?" The way he said her name in a smooth, breathy voice made the butterflies in her stomach begin to swarm together even more. "Of course, you shouldn't be alarmed if I keep calling you princess. For some reason, that nickname suits you."
Just like that, the butterflies were crushed as her stomach began to twist into knots uncomfortably instead. "W-What? No, it doesn't. That's absurd. Nothing about me is princess like at all. You must be out of your mind, ha ha ha…"
'No way…There's no way he could know my true identity?'
Only a few people back home in Traverse Town had known Reina as the daughter of Ansem the Wise, the former princess of Radiant Garden. She hadn't been seen as royalty in almost eight years, and most ordinary individuals didn't even know about the existence of other worlds outside their own. There was a small chance he could have realized who she was or where she had come from just by her giving him her first name. He had promised her earlier that he hadn't read through the journal she carried around with her, and even if he did, it was doubtful he had gotten the chance to thoroughly delve into the contents long enough to see that it was written by none other than the once sage king of Radiant Garden. The whole "princess" thing had to be a coincidence, especially since he had been calling her that even before she told him his name.
The man in the coat paid little mind to her nervous laughter and went on to finish his introduction instead. "My name is Xigbar, but honestly, you can call me whatever your pretty little heart desires as long as you say it over some drinks later."
Reina's heart didn't get a chance to skip a beat at his obvious proposition since his outlandish name stood out amongst the other words he spoke. "Xigbar. Xigbar?! You expect me to believe something as stupid as that is your real name? I thought we agreed no more fake names!" She pouted, crossing her arms over her chest.
"It's not stupid or fake, thank-you-very-much." He grimaced at her insult before relaxing his shoulders and dropping his chin back down in admittance of defeat. "But, I see your point. It is a weird-ass name and I can't say it's the name my birth parents gave me or anything. Even so, it's definitely the name I've been going by for years now. Take it or leave it." No introduction was finalized until the ritual of shaking hands was complete, and he firmly held out his hand for her to take.
It would have been impolite not to shake his hand, but as soon as his large fingers curled around her palm, he briskly brought her hand to his lips so he could brush a quick kiss along her knuckles. A daring move like that had taken the young woman completely by surprise, and she could feel the heat rising to her cheeks as soon as his golden hues met with hers.
"Now, let's get back to the topic of those drinks. I know a great place where it's Happy Hour twenty-four seven." He had released her hand just as soon as his lips completed the gentle kiss, but Reina found it difficult to slow the pace of her heart down and roughly jerked her arm back to her side. She wasn't using to having anyone flirt with her so incessantly, and she fought the urge to rub the spot where he kissed her with her other hand since she wasn't sure if her skin was, in fact, tingling from the light brush of his lips or if it was just her overactive imagination.
There was only one thing Reina knew for sure at that moment and it was that she needed to get away from this guy as soon as possible. Everything about him reeked of danger yet he was oh so enticingly charismatic. That spelled trouble for a girl like her, she decided, and this wasn't the time to be enjoying a drink with a stranger she had met in the woods just because he was giving her the kind of male attention she had never really received before. She couldn't afford any distractions, especially a distraction that came with something as deadly as the laser arrows she knew he was concealing.
"Sorry, I think I mentioned before that I'm a little tied up at the moment. I've got some things to do. But, thank you. Have a great rest of your day," she said while bowing her head politely, hoping that would be end of things and they could both go on their merry little ways.
"Come on, baby. What's the harm in one drink? It's not too far at all. Like I said before, I'll even be your personal bodyguard until we get there. What do 'ya say?" He pressed, not giving up that easily.
Being polite wasn't working. He was too damn stubborn. She had to jab him right in the ego if she wanted him to take the hint. "I'll be honest. I'm not into older men. I have no desire to go out drinking with someone who looks old enough to be my dad's age."
"Woah, old enough to be your dad?! Ouch! Talk about a low blow!" Xigbar's shoulders slumped forward just a bit as she shot him down a second time, but he still wasn't ready to be down for the count just yet. "I'm pretty sure you and I are closer in age than you think, sweetcheeks. You're probably, what, thirty years old? Twenty-nine, maybe?"
Beyond shocked at his assumption, Reina had the sudden hankering to pick up a rock and chunk it at his head. "I can't possibly look that old! I'm twenty! Unlike you, I'm not sporting any gray hairs!"
He was chuckling again with a smirk that mirrored that of the Cheshire Cat. "Twenty? Really? My bad. I guess you just seem kind of mature for your age, but I guess I was wrong. Even so, don't count me out just because of the age thing, Hot Stuff. I guarantee you that with age comes great experience, if you catch my drift."
She didn't like the way he was looking at her if she was a piece of meat, and the way he flashed his perfectly straight teeth while he smiled made her even more nervous than before. There was a strange, feral hunger in his golden eye, and for the third time, she tried to excuse herself.
"Sorry, Xigbar—Sheesh, is that really your name? Chad von Burgerweiss was actually better- I really, really need to get going. So thank you again for saving me, and enjoy your exploration of Wonderland, or doing whatever it is that you brought you to this place!" This time, Reina completely turned her back on him and started to walk away. She decided that no matter what he had to say next, no matter what flirty comments he threw in her direction, she wasn't going to turn around or even acknowledge him. She had wasted enough time as it was; the First Key of Radiance was waiting.
"That's too bad about the drinks," he called out after her while she was still within earshot. "The really great place with the drinks I was talking about is called the Mad Tea Party. Looks like you're going in the opposite direction, though, so I guess I'll be heading there alone for some good ole' fashion Earl Grey. You take care now, princess, and don't get too lost."
She shouldn't have stopped. She really shouldn't have stopped.
"Did you say the Mad Tea Party?" She asked, fully giving into his taunt. If this was a trap, she was walking straight into it.
Xigbar hadn't stopped grinning since she turned back around. "I know this probably doesn't help my case as a "stalker", but I couldn't help but overhear you saying that you were looking for the Bizarre Room that was just past the Mad Tea Party. Lotus Forest can be a bit of a maze, but it just so happens that I had passed by the tea party earlier so I know exactly where it is."
"You were eavesdropping on my conversation with myself?!" Her jaw dropped as she could feel herself slinking further and further into another pit of embarrassment. That was definitely a habit she needed to work on.
"These bad boys aren't just for looks." He pointed to his pointy ears as if she'd be impressed. "I can hear a pen drop from a mile away."
Huffing, she crossed her arms and looked away from him. "Glad to hear those big monstrosities on the sides of your head aren't just for show." She wondered if maybe he had overheard her talking to the Cheshire Cat, too, and if so, that meant he had heard her blabbing about the Five Keys of Radiance to her furry friend. He hadn't said anything about them yet which made her wonder if he had missed that part of their conversation, or if he was trying to pretend like he didn't know to cause less suspicion. She needed to be prepared for anything.
"Big monstrosities? I've noticed most girls find them pretty sexy. You know, like a sexy, ethereal elf or some shit. But clearly your taste in men is off. Let me guess, you're more into rich, haughty blonde princes from faraway kingdoms. Just because I didn't swoop in riding on a noble steed doesn't mean I'm any less charming than those hoity-toity asshats. But enough about that," Xigbar pretended to yawn lazily as if he was already getting bored of just hanging around talking. "Do you want me to take you to the Mad Tea Party or not? I don't mind showing you the way. Plus, I'd have your back if any more Heartless show up. It's a win-win situation for you."
Did he really think she was going to follow him into the depths of the woods after all that?! Her taste in men wasn't any of his business. Princes were overrated; she was definitely into the bad boy type but there was no way she was going to reveal something as personal as that to him. She preferred the kind of guys that were rough around the edges, but on the inside were soft as teddybears. A man who didn't play by the rules of the law but would still go out of his way to help anyone in need. Her other close friend, Aerith, had a few romance novels in her book collection she had let Reina borrow in the past, and she had no one to blame but those books for her unusual taste in men. Not that she had ever met a guy in real life like the love interests found in those novels. Save for maybe Leon who she could only ever see as just as a friend because of his broody personality and inability to hold a compelling conversation that lasted more than two sentences, there weren't many eligible bachelors in Traverse Town. Come to think of it, Xigbar himself might have been the closest thing she had ever come to comparing to her fictional crushes, but only in the looks department. His personality-complete with unfiltered rudeness, arrogance, and sass-was nothing like the cool and mysterious "bad boys" she had often read about. He definitely wasn't her type. Not at all.
"I appreciate the offer, but I can handle myself on my own. Although I am grateful for you pointing me in the right direction!" Reina had already turned on her heels, heading in the direction Xigbar had motioned to seconds before. She walked right past him once again without giving him a final glance. "I'll see you on the flip side, Chad von Burgerweiss. You take care of yourself now! Buh-bye~!"
She half-expected him to try and stop her, or maybe sling another snide remark in her direction to get her to stop. Surprisingly, he just let out an exasperated sigh. "All right, then. I can take a hint. If you think you'll be fine on your own, be my guest, princess. Just remember that I said the first time was free. If you end up needing my help again, I may not be feeling as generous as I am now. I can guarantee my services will come with a price."
Good thing she wouldn't be needing him again then. Reina knew when to walk away from trouble, and everything about Xigbar was trouble. From his delightfully rugged looks to the smoothness of his sensually taunting voice, Reina had a feeling that nothing good would have come from her sticking around him any longer than necessary. He would only end up being a distraction for her mission, something she couldn't risk doing, and there was no time for detours. She still couldn't resist throwing a glance at him over her shoulder to see if he was still maybe watching her leave, but to her surprise, he was nowhere to be seen, like he had just vanished into thin air.
Good riddance.
Reina wasn't sure how long she had been walking in the direction Xigbar had motioned to earlier, but as the grass beneath her feet grew taller, and the canopy of the trees surrounding her grew thicker, she couldn't help but wonder if maybe he had tricked her and sent her in the wrong direction on purpose. She wouldn't have put it past him; he seemed like a real joker who got a kick out of messing with people. But if he had been telling the truth, shouldn't she have found the tea party by now? It was hard to tell if it was getting dark because the sun was setting, or if the trees were so thick in this section of the forest that they were blocking out the sun's rays. It was probably getting late either way. She had been stuck in Wonderland most of the day, and there was no telling how much more dangerous this place would get after dark. Time was of the essence and she needed to hurry up and get out of Lotus Forest.
"Maybe Xigbar's directions weren't the issue. Maybe I'm just directionally challenged and could get lost in my own bathroom if given the chance," Reina mumbled to herself. Catching herself before she could say anything else embarrassing out loud, she remembered that Xigbar had easily been able to overhear her talking to herself when she thought she was alone earlier, and there was a good chance he had been listening in when she spoke with the Cheshire Cat. For all she knew, he could have still been watching her from the shadows, waiting for her to slip up and need his assistance again. He had mentioned that it would cost her something if she needed him to step in and rescue her again, but what could she possibly offer a man like that? Seeing as how he was clearly a pervert, she doubted that anything he wanted from her would be anything but utterly sinful. She had only been in his presence for a few minutes, but she could tell he had undressed her with his mischievous gaze multiple times. Normally, something like that could be almost flattering that someone had found her to be that attractive, that compelling, since she had always viewed herself as a bit of a Plain Jane back in Traverse Town. This wasn't the time to dwell on such things, though. The guy was a total weirdo, scarred face and all, and it was better to just not think too much on his words and forget she ever met him.
But…What if he didn't want something sexual from her? What if he had been insinuating that he would ask something else of her, something far more intense than just a date? Her hand reflexively reached into her bag to feel around for the journal, and she immediately received a sense of comfort upon tracing the edges of the book's spine. She still wasn't sure how Xigbar had managed to swipe it from her bag without her realizing it earlier, and there was also no way of knowing how much of the conversation he had heard when she chit-chatted with the Cheshire Cat earlier. She had pretty much told the striped cat why she was there in Wonderland in the first place, and if he had been following her around, there was no way he didn't know about the special object she was looking for by now. Could he have maybe been curious about the Five Keys of Radiance? What if he was using her as a tool so she could find the key first, then once she had it, he would steal it, the book, and her own Keyblade away while her guard was down?
Anything was possible. She couldn't trust anyone here, especially not a creepy stalker dressed in black who liked to spy on people.
A weird chirping noise made Reina freeze in her tracks, and she realized she was no longer alone on the forest path. It could have been a bird since the sound of the squeaks were coming from above, but the thick leaves of the trees made it hard to see high up. Eventually, the bearer of the noises revealed itself as a floating red mushroom flew down from one of the tree limbs, its big, beady eyes staring right at her.
The emblem on its chest gave away its identity—another Heartless. This one didn't look like the Shadows or Soldiers and appeared almost smaller and more harmless. It looked like it was wearing a yellow, pointy hat, and it bobbed up and down in the air, making cute noises like it was a squeaky toy.
No longer underestimating the threat of a Heartless, Reina quickly removed the pendant from her neck and called forth the Keyblade to grasp the hilt tightly in her hand.
If anything good had come from meeting Xigbar-besides the obvious fact she'd have been dead by now if he hadn't have showed-it was that she felt more determined than ever to become a better warrior. He had said that a person who wields a Keyblade is normally chosen, and not just anyone has the power to wield one. That must mean that she, of all people, had to be special, or at the very least, possessed some strong, unique hidden power that even she wasn't aware of yet. She needed to be confident that she could slay her enemies and dismantle the beliefs instilled into her that she was somehow a lousy magic user or pathetic fighter. Her insecurities would only hold her back, and now that she was staring in the face of danger again, it was time to put her body to the test and successfully defend herself this time!
Reina didn't wait for the Heartless to strike first. She ran headfirst at the tiny critter levitating in the air before swinging the sharp end of the blade at her target. The metal ridges collided with its body, and it let out a squeak of pain, almost like deflated balloon. Considering how cute the little guy was, Reina almost felt bad for hurting it. Her sense of pity immediately vanished as it retaliated by hurdling a ball of fire in her direction. Reacting on impulse, Reina held up her key like a bat and swung at the flaming sphere like it was a baseball, countering it right back to the Heartless.
Reina could smell toasted marshmallows as the thing erupted into flames caused by its own attack. The fire didn't seem to actually injure it, unfortunately, but it was temporarily stunned and gave her a new opening. Rushing at the Heartless at full speed, Reina jabbed her blade at the little spitfire until it exploded into a dark cloud, finally gone from this world.
Reina panted for a moment, a bit shocked at how she managed to defeat a Heartless so quickly on the first try without getting hurt. "I did it?" She asked out loud to no one in particular. "Oh my gosh, I actually did it! HA! Take that, Xigbar! I knew I'd be able to handle myself!"
A slow clap from behind her made her jump, and Reina snapped her head around to see the very man she had directed her statement to.
"Color me impressed, princess. And here I thought you'd be grilled up like a steak in seconds," he praised her, continuing to clap. "And hey, it looks like your sports skills finally paid off! I'd say that last hit was a homerun."
She should have known that creep was watching her from the shadows! It should have made her mad that he was still cryptically stalking her, but at least she got to prove to him that she wasn't as useless as he thought she was.
"See? Told you I didn't need help!" Like a kid, she stuck out her tongue at him. "I'm perfectly capable on my own."
"Oh, I'm sure you are. I bet you'll be able to take on any Heartless that comes your way. No matter how small, or how big." Sarcasm was oozing from his tone as he leaned against a nearby tree, arms crossed over his chest as he waited for her reaction.
"You bet!" The Keyblade wielder smirked. "Also, why are you following me? Don't you have something better to do, like your own top secret mission?"
He had been waiting for her to ask something like that. "I'm actually doing it right now. So don't mind me; just keep drawing the Heartless to you. You'll make my job a lot easier if you do."
"Drawing…the Heartless to me?" She asked, thoroughly confused by what he meant.
Xigbar wordlessly reached forward and pointed a finger in her direction, confusing the brunette at first. He was actually pointing behind her, Reina soon noticed, as she followed his gaze over her shoulder to where a large, round Heartless was towering over her from behind. He was at least twice her height and had a big, fat belly that resembled a drum. Definitely the goofiest looking Heartless she had seen so far, and also the biggest.
"You've got company, sweetheart. But, hey, don't let me stop you, Ms. Almighty and Powerful Keystick wielder. I'm sure you've got this in the bag."
Reina didn't have time to respond to his snarky attitude as the Large Body jumped up in the air to stompy it's massive feet on the ground, causing a sonic boom to erupt all around him. The force of his jump had thrown the brunette back, and she fell right on her rump by Xigbar's feet. The man with the ponytail just casually stared down at her with his one eye, having not been affected in the least by the monster's attack.
Reina grunted as her butt began to ache from the impact of her fall, and she was slow to get to her feet.
"Well? Aren't you going to fight back?" Xigbar asked, a bored expression on his face as he watched her cling on tightly to her Keyblade.
"I'm working on it!" She hissed back. Before the fat Heartless could spring into another attack, Reina jumped into an offensive stance and raced towards it first. She reared her Keyblade back before slamming it against the monster's stomach. Unlike the other Heartless, the blade didn't connect with soft, squishy flesh. Instead, hitting its stomach felt like she had just hit a large gong with a mallet. The ricochet knocked her back and had Xigbar not moved in to break her fall, she would have landed painfully on her rear end again.
The marksman had been there with his arms open to catch her, and Reina crashed against his broad chest. Landing against him was a lot better than falling to the ground, but she flinched as soon as she felt a pair of hands grip her onto her hips to help steady her balance.
"I'm not gonna' lie. Watching you fight is the cringiest thing I've ever laid my eye on. Good thing I'm here, though."
"Thanks, but I don't need your help, remember?" There was a harsh bite to her tone that came off ruder than she had intended, but she was more ticked off at the Heartless for getting the better of her twice now than she was at Xigbar. He had kept her from falling on her ass again, so it was hard not to be at least a little grateful for that.
"Large Bodies are stronger than the average Heartless. You have to attack its back. It will deflect all attacks directed at its stomach," he advised, hands still firmly holding both of her hips as her back continued to press against his chest.
"Thanks for the tip, Xig, but I assure you I can handle this," the feisty woman replied as she pulled herself away from him.
Xigbar couldn't help but let a smirk spread across his lips." Xig? So we're close enough to have nicknames for each other now, Rei? I'm flattered."
While she would have loved to give him a good kick in the shin for that, the Large Body was demanding her attention by bringing a large hand down onto his massive belly, making a loud thumping noise like a base drum. It then rushed at her, this time determined to knock her out using the full force of its stomach. Xigbar was gone in a flash, disappearing out of range, leaving Reina to fend for herself.
She leapt out of the way in the nick of time, a gust of wind flushing by from the velocity of its speed. Unable to put the brakes on itself, the heavyset beast tripped over its own feet and fell face first into the ground. Its back was wide open, the perfect opportunity for Reina to strike, and she fully seized the moment and began to wildly beat at its back with her Keyblade.
She kept slashing and chopping away at the Heartless like he was a chunk of meat she was trying to carve into sashimi until it finally couldn't take any more damage. It exploded into a giant cloud of smoke, leaving behind a few glowing green orbs that popped out of its body like candy spilling out from a pinata. Reina knew the green orbs would restore her health and stamina if she touched them since she had watched Leon and Yuffie take down their fair share of Heartless that had once invaded Traverse Town. She bent down to pick one of the neon spheres up and instantly felt a warm a rush of energy flow through her body, revitalizing the energy she had expended during her past two fights. There didn't seem to be any more Heartless in the immediate area so it was safe for her to retract her Keyblade at the moment, returning the necklace to its rightful place around her neck.
"Not too bad, kiddo. Your form could still use some work, though." Xigbar was soon appearing right in front of the Keyblade wielder to give her a brief nod of praise, but having him unexpectedly materializing right in front of her made her nearly jump right out of her skin.
"JEEZ! Don't sneak up on me like that!" She held a hand over her heart to help slow it down after he scared the daylights out of her.
"You're a jumpy little one, aren't 'ya?" He took a step back to give her some room to catch her breath. Scaring people with his techniques was just one of his many specialties.
When Reina had first met Xigbar, she had noticed right off the bat that he was impeccably quick-footed and could move from place to place in the blink of an eye. However, the more times she saw him move about, the more she wondered if he was just lightning fast or if maybe there was more to it.
"How do you keep doing that?" She asked, the curiosity being too much for her to hold back.
"Do what?" He cocked his head to the side.
She wasn't sure how to put it into words, but she gave it an attempt. "You know…That thing where you're in one place one minute, and then in a different place the next."
"Oh, you mean this?"
Before Reina could even blink, Xigbar had vanished right before her eyes only to reappear right behind her. For his own entertainment, he decided to pucker out his lips and blow against the back of her neck. The sudden rush of cool air on her flesh made the girl flinch, and several goosebumps prickled up as she sharply turned around.
"YES! That!" Her hand had flown up to rub against the back of her neck where his cool breath had once been, and it was clear he was eating up her reaction by the way he laughed at how easy she was to startle.
"Awesome, isn't it?" He bragged before once again blinking out of sight. Although he couldn't be seen, his voice was still carrying through the area as he continued chatting with her. "I have the power over space. I can bend and distort space to my will, enabling me to teleport wherever I please."
A wave of discomfort washed over Reina as her eyes quickly darted all around her, searching for any signs of Xigbar's presence. She couldn't detect him with her eyes yet she could feel him almost all around her, taunting her with his airy voice. He was somehow everywhere at once while also being nowhere at all. She thought he was blowing on her neck again as a sudden breeze picked up, but when she turned around to spot him, nothing was there.
"I'm a pretty skilled gunslinger on my own, but I can create spatial rifts to help me make sure I never miss a target. Nobody stands a chance against my Arrowguns, and they don't call me the Freeshooter for nothing."
She could feel him watching her every move, and his chilling voice was making her regret ever asking him about his ability. "Okay, okay, I get it. You can show yourself now." There was a bit of shakiness in her voice as she began to slowly turn around in circles, constantly on the move in case he materialized behind her again to try and scare the shit out of her.
"Oh, and I can also do this…"
The area around her suddenly grew still. She could no longer hear his voice, and that alone was enough to freak her out even more. Five seconds ticked by. Then fifteen. Then thirty. That was a long time to wait for him to show off his next parlor trick, and by this point, Reina wasn't even sure she wanted to know what else he could do.
"Okay, Xigbar…You're seriously freaking me out."
There was no response.
"Stop fooling around. I don't like jump scares!"
Still no answer.
Reina's eyes were constantly on the move, hoping to locate him before he could jump out of the shadows at her and take a few more years off her life, but there were just no signs of him anywhere. Could he have maybe found a way to turn invisible? That wouldn't line up with his spacial distortion ability, but at this point, anything was possible when it came to Xigbar. He could have had the power to grow a second head for all she knew.
A few dark, feathery strands of something soft fell in front of her face, tickling the tip of her nose, and she swatted them away as a reflex, thinking it might have been a bug. The thin strands just fluttered back down in front of her face, and then it dawned on her.
It was hair.
Reina didn't even need to look up to know what was going on, but she humored the man anyways as she tilted her head back, only to see her stalker grinning down at her. He had completely turned himself upside down above her, his gray and black hair giving away his location as his ponytail swooped downwards like a thin, velvety curtain.
"Boo." He said as soon as their eyes met, his voice low and flat.
Well, at least he hadn't exactly jumped out at her out of nowhere, but seeing him hang upside down in the air with a wicked grin stretching across his face was still an unsettling sight. His feet weren't connected to anything but he was able to levitate himself above her, defying the laws of physics by all accounts.
"You must be fun at parties," Reina grunted, pretending to be unamused by his parlor tricks so he would maybe get bored of showing off and be serious for a moment. She wasn't sure her heart could take any more surprises by this point.
In one, final dramatic move, Xigbar did a somersault in the air before landing in front of the young woman, beaming with pride. "Aw, you're no fun. You have to admit that's pretty badass."
"My dad's best friend was a talking mouse that could do flips in the air," she rolled her eyes. "So honestly, I've seen cooler tricks."
Xigbar laughed at her comment, not even the least bit insulted that she thought a talking mouse was somehow cooler than the fact he could hop through wormholes anytime he wanted. "See? This is why I like you! You've got spunk! You don't find that in a lot of women these days." He patted her back in a playful manner, but he had put in a little too much force and nearly toppled her over with his smack.
Reina let out a loud huff as she steadied herself. "You don't know a lot about personal boundaries, do you?"
"You'll get used to it," he reassured her, that same, shit-eating grin appearing on his face again.
"No, I won't," she curtly reminded him. "I'm on my own from here on out. Got it? So stop following me. I just handled several Heartless on my own so I think I can take it from here."
Xigbar brought up a hand to rub his temples before releasing a deep, exasperated sigh. "Look, sweetheart, I don't know why you keep playing hard to get. You know you need me, and I can't help but think you'd really enjoy my company out here if you gave me a chance to help you."
"I'm not playing anything! You're the one who keeps playing all these mind games!" She really didn't appreciate his stubbornness. He just wasn't getting it through his thick head that she wanted him to leave her alone. Her patience was growing thin, and she couldn't help but wonder if all men from other worlds were this persistent. "Why are you so hellbent on helping me, anyway? I told you that I can't offer you anything. I don't have money and I don't have anything of value on me."
The hand massaging his forehead dropped back to his side as he examined her out of the corner of his eye. "I already told you. You're making my job a hell of a lot easier by drawing the Heartless to you. If I stick around you, I'll be able to finish my mission by sundown."
Well, that sure as hell didn't make any sense. "What do you mean? I'm not drawing anything to me."
"Not on purpose, obviously. But this is what they're after." He reached forward slow enough not to alarm her so he could touch her necklace, fingers curling around the key pendant that hung loosely down her neck. Reina froze in place as he carefully cradled her treasure in his hand. Xigbar was making it difficult for her to look away as he captured her gaze in his, watching her face contort with uneasiness at his closeness, but the girl made no sudden movements and remained perfectly still.
"The Heartless are drawn to the power of the Keyblade. As long as you have it in your possession, they'll never stop pursuing you. Their goal is to extinguish all forms of light and to destroy the hearts of those whose paths they cross. The Keyblade radiates more light than anything else in this world, so they wish to crush the wielders and steal the power themselves. You aren't any exception to this, princess."
He seemed to know an awful lot about the Keyblade even though he said he didn't have one of his own. He could have just been toying with her, ready to make another wisecrack at how gullible she was to believe everything she heard, but there were no signs of playfulness in his stare. The volume of his voice was lower than usual, and she could feel goosebumps rising up on her arms despite the overbearing humidity of the woods that had been making her sweat all day long until now.
"How do you know all this?" She asked timidly. Her heart had started to pound again, and with his fingers still holding her necklace in his gentle grasp, she wondered if he could feel the rhythm of its beat against his knuckles.
"You're not the first Keyblade wielder I've met," he told her. His face was unreadable, completely void of emotion, as he finally released her necklace from his hold to let it fall down her against her chest once more.
Reina took in a deep breath to help her digest this sudden influx of knowledge, her mind now plagued with worry. As long as she had the Keyblade, it seemed like the Heartless weren't going to leave her alone. This apparently benefitted Xigbar and his mission in some way, and she was just about to probe him for more answers until another portal to the darkness opened up in the air behind him, bringing forth four more Large Bodies. He didn't need to look to know that they were there; the expression of fear on Reina's face giving it away as she looked right over his shoulder.
"X-Xigbar! There's more of them!"
"There will always be more of them." His carefree attitude was gone, replaced by a cold, almost empty stare as he waited to see what she would do next.
"They'll just keep coming for me and my Keyblade?!" She shouldn't have needed another confirmation but had asked for her one anyways, her eyes widening just a bit more as three more appeared around them, bringing the number of Heartless around them to six. This wasn't the time to be asking questions, the threat of the darkness looming all around the two of them. Instinctively, she took a step towards Xigbar as one of the fat Heartless began to inch towards them. The man she had been trying to avoid was now providing her a small sense of comfort in the heat of danger. He had helped her before, caught her when she almost fell, and even told her how to defeat these unknown enemies. Any previous grievances she had about his presence was gone, and she was relieved to have someone as strong as him on her side. Even with the Heartless closing in on them, she didn't feel herself overwhelmed with fear. She had a safety net because of him, knowing that he wouldn't let her be killed, and it gave her the courage to stand her ground.
Her Keyblade was summoned once again as she tore off her necklace, prepared to fight the six giant monsters surrounding them. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Xigbar simply standing there beside her, making no motion to draw the weapon of his own to assist her in battle. He knew she could barely handle one of the Large Bodies, so she felt at ease knowing he was there to lend a hand, so it was only a matter of time before he brought out his guns and blasted them all away.
Except, he wasn't there anymore.