Salted wounds
Xigbar did not enjoy his current company.
Normally, Clavius entertained him. But when one languished in a solitary cell, with no-one but a boring, disbarred attorney on the opposite end of the corridor, the choices remained few and far between.
However, he still preferred anyone, but the grinning, golden eyed farce of a saint towering over him.
"I am going to kill you," Vanitas spat, "in the most painful way possible. I'll stuff my hand down your gullet and rip your throat out when I get tired of your screaming." Mold filled the cracks of the stinking, solitary cell. "You murdered Zack." Vanitas' pressed a thumb against Xigbar's adams-apple. "Who ordered you to kill him?"
A barred window set high into the cell let in slanting beams of sunlight. A figure leaning against the wall shifted uncomfortably.
The thumb jamming his throat dug in painfully and Xigbar gasped for breath. Vanitas smirked and applied more pressure, threatening to suffocate the scarred man. "Can't..." he rasped, "speak." He attempted to swallow but a stabbing pain accompanied the action. "I wasn't following orders-"
A sharp chop cut off his words and he coughed violently. Clavius may be amusing; but Xigbar's good humor evaporated. If he could get rid of the chains chafing his wrists, the KBWA would find their precious Black Saint dumped in an obscure corner of the cosmos, the body riddled with holes too numerous to count.
Damp chilled the floor, no personal furniture accessorized the solitary cell and new bars replaced the old, rusted ones before the current occupant moved in. Ill at ease with the way Vanitas handled the defendant, Justice scowled when Xigbar's head yanked back, a rivulet of blood dribbling past the corner of his mouth.
"Stop," he commanded, faltering when Vanitas turned, eyes glittering murder. "We need to question him on the events on the day of the murder. If you handle him roughly," Apollo gulped, "he will make things difficult." He crossed his arms nervously, the bangle mercifully loose. Apollo hoped the temperamental Clavius won't use him for target practice next.
Slowly uncurling his fingers from Xigbar's lapel, Vanitas stepped back, boots scraping the brick ground. "He's all yours, senior."
"I'm not your senior," Justice mumbled. He will never get used to Vanitas. Taking a deep breath, he brushed dust off his shoulder and took a long, searching look at Xigbar.
The man's eyes shone gold. A thick scar ran upwards from his chin.
Mr. Wright arrived late to the agency this morning, his apathetic grin tight. The scathing comment Apollo cooked in his mind promptly evaporated when the boss placed a plastic folder on the table and asked Sora to defend the client.
"I... I refuse." Sora pushed the file away, expression hardening in resentment. "I don't think you know but he... the defendant, Xigbar, is guilty of murder. He killed Vanitas' mentor," he stammered. "You can't expect me to defend him, it goes against everything the agency stands for." Sora loudly slurped his tea and ignored the stares sent his way.
Sinking into the red couch opposite the young attorney, Phoenix rubbed his temples. "I understand, but you must defend him. Please."
A coil of fear strangled Apollo's, he perched next to Sora, his bangle biting his wrist.
"I'm not in a position to negotiate," Phoenix elaborated. "You are to get Xigbar the non-guilty verdict."
From the opposite end of the corridor, Apollo could almost feel Mr. Gavin's eyes drilling holes in his back. Wrinkling his nose from the damp reek, Justice extracted a questionnaire from his waistcoat pocket, Sora's neat handwriting spilled over the pages.
"You can't deny your guilt in this murder." Apollo shivered when Xigbar grinned in agreement. "Were you under orders when you murdered Zack Fair? The KBWA and Organization XIII operates on a delicate state of arrangements. According to the KBWA, the Organization breached their trust numerous times." Justice waited for Xigbar to offer a comment, however, the convict remained infuriatingly silent. "Tell us what happened on the day of the crime."
The defendant laughed, the sound of nails on a blackboard. "Do you know anything about Zack?" he wheezed and Vanitas bristled. "He was experimented on, where do you think he got his radiant eyes? He doesn't need a telescope, Fair and his lackey can see perfectly in complete darkness." Vanitas dug his fingers in his elbow, refusing to let Xigbar crack his composure. "Fair is a super soldier, injected with all kinds of things which makes him... not human."
His smile cut his face when with a howl of unadulterated rage, Vanitas launched at him. The chair toppled under their combined weight and hauling the silver chain cuffing Xigbar's wrists, Vanitas looped it around his throat and pulled. Apollo let him, averting his eyes when the convict gagged in pain.
"Why should we defend him?" Apollo demanded. Mr. Wright's rigid stance bothered him. Trucy too, nervously tugged her glove. "I understand you have good reasons, but it doesn't mean we should roll over and accept whatever you tell us to do." His mien softened when Trucy flopped next to her father. "Please trust us Mr. Wright."
The clock ticked loudly in the lounge. Phoenix cleared a space on the coffee table and placed photographs. The images froze the blood in Apollo's veins.
"Is... is someone stalking me?" Sora asked, horrified. He snatched a photo from the table before Apollo could take it.
A red dot on Trucy's forehead.
"I can't go into specifics, taking the case was not my choice." Phoenix sighed and Trucy protectively hugged his arm. "The government is not keen to let Mr. Braig languish in jail, he develops weapons." A pink card peeked from his grey tracksuit pocket and he hastily shoved it in, not meeting Maya's concerned glance. "I'm sorry to place this burden on you."
Bright blue eyes blazing angrily, Sora crumpled the photo. "I'll... I'll get the non-guilty verdict." The tea lay on the cart, forgotten. "I'm sure Vanitas will understand."
Said twin pinned Xigbar's neck between his thighs. Apollo did not smile like Vanitas, but an undercurrent of satisfaction coursed through him when the defendant struggled to free himself.
"Are you willing to talk? Or should I cut your vocal cords?" Vanitas tilted his head. "No use for a voice if you aren't going to use it, uncle," he sneered.
Darkness pecked Xigbar's vision. So much potential in Vanitas, it's a shame...
"No one ordered me to kill him." Xigbar rubbed his bruised throat. "Can I get some water?" he requested and received a backhanded slap. The wet cold in the cell ached his joints and sticking pains corkscrewed in his bones. "Zack was on an investigation and he got a little too close for comfort on the projects the Organization wanted to keep secret, therefore I decided to..." he paused, "give him an early leav... mpfh!"
Vanitas jammed his fingers in Xigbar's mouth. The man kicked desperately when heat seared his gullet.
"Vanitas... please stop this." Alarmed, Apollo fought to keep his voice from shaking. "Don't."
"Is it wrong to want to murder someone so badly?" he asked and wiped his fingers on his jeans. "He's making fun of Zack," Vanitas growled. "He's making light of-"
"I respected him," throat scorched, Xigbar cut in. "Fair is a bio-weapon, a super soldier, someone who fascinated me from the moment we met." Every word burned like acid. "I murdered him without a fair fight; if it pleases you Clavius," long, matted hair obscured Xigbar's face, "if Fair and I clashed in battle, I don't think the outcome would swing in my favor."
He moaned miserably when Vanitas slugged him in the ribs.
The detective hopped excitedly. Her surroundings destroyed the very notion of science.
Tired of dragging her from anything snagging her attention, Sora maneuvered Ema away from the riveting display of the dark corridors. He developed a morbid fear of the portal room and his scars tingled unpleasantly. Skye obstinately sought an explanation for the dark corridors and lowered her pink, luminol glasses to better appreciate the stained glass colors rippling in the domed enclosure.
At the Gummi ship hangar, she chattered about the hazards of exhaust fumes. None of the engineers donned protective gear and Ema snarkily lectured them about safety while everyone humored her. A ship roared to life. She squeaked in surprise and sniffed the air.
"The exhaust fume smells like cherries?" she rhetorically questioned.
A grey headed teenager punched keys in an old fashioned flip phone and out of the blue, a giant, jet engine materialized in the middle of the hangar and slowly drifted to the concrete ground below.
Why is she tagging along?
Following her to make sure she doesn't accidentally get squashed by a stray gust of magic, Sora herded Ema to their Gummi ship. "The KBWA is full of surprises," he lamely explained when she scrutinized the battered craft. "They have space... underground." He arranged his muffler when the pilot descended from the cockpit. "Are you sure you want to come with me to a different world?" Sora fretted. "What if the atmosphere… what if you get vaporized?" he hysterically considered.
"Nonsense." Ema munched on a snackoo. "You can see magic, but either than that, there is little fundamental difference between us." Cid passed them. "We all breathe oxygen, so the atmosphere on the other micro-planets will be of a similar chemical composition," she mused. "This is exciting," her blue-green eyes gleamed gleefully, "I'll be able to investigate how crime scenes are preserved on other planets!" She renewed her vigorous munching. "What are we waiting for?" she impatiently pouted, "let's get going."
An hour later and already exhausted from her enthusiasm, Sora sat in the Gummi ship and closed his eyes. Ema gasped theatrically and the harness squeaked with her movements. The ship accelerated and shot into the bewitching depths of space.
The vast cosmos, nebulous from debris and dust, streaked by. Half asleep, Sora gripped the arm rests, dazzling colors from a shower of candy yellow stars played under his eyelids. Ema squeezed his forearm in fright when a cannon blasted at an invisible creature.
"All this happens in space?" she whispered, taking care not to wake the sleeping attorney. Stray tendrils of cigarette smoke crept from the open cockpit and glowering at the insensitive pilot, Ema draped a sheet over Sora. He snored softly.
A gentle bump on his bed irritated Sora and he groaned at Vanitas to stay away. The acrid tang of smoke assaulted his dreams and Sora jerked awake, back of his hand smacking against Cid's stubbled jaw.
"I'm... I'm sorry!" he stammered in apology and the pilot grunted in response. "We won't take long. I hope," he muttered and descended into eerie land of Hollow Bastion.
10:05 p.m.
Hollow Bastion
Castle
Bleeding colors swirled in the windows. White turrets of stone suffocated in the parasitic grip of bronze machinery. A waterfall thundered in the opposite direction and queasy, Sora swallowed several times before timidly stepping off the Gummi ship and on to the mystical, floating rocks. He held his hand out for Ema, who gaped at the edge of the plateau.
"If I fall, will I die?" the detective questioned seriously and Sora wiped his sweaty palm once more before lacing her fingers with his. She jumped from rock to rock, sighing in relief when they landed on a platform. Ema whimpered in surprise when the stage lifted and hugged Sora for dear life. "This world is so beautiful," she softly declared as the gates swung apart, "and the same time, so mysterious and sad." Skye boldly strode in, shoes clicking against the sandstone ground.
Stray heartless scurried to investigate the newcomers. Lagging at her heels, Sora lobbed fire at them. Orange outlines crisscrossed his vision and he instinctively dodged the jutting edge of a tangerine wall. A colorful monster materialized before Ema and blind to it, she charged while Sora squeaked at her to stop.
The heartless lunged for her with tapered claws and panicking, Sora summoned Kingdom Key. A broad, familiar sword cleaved the heartless and it vanished into a puff of charcoal, glittery smoke. Skye screeched to a dead halt, eyes wide at the sword wedged between her feet.
"Careful," Cloud intoned and clipped the sword on its magnetic hitch, "there is an increase of heartless." He led a mute Ema and a tense Sora up a flight of bronze stairs, their reflection distorting on the polished metal. "The crime scene is further up." Strife hiked the seemingly never ending flight of stairs and the detective panted. "Should we take a break?"
Magical platforms hummed on threads of purple light. They moved across broken balconies or whirred up, to the top of the castle.
"Can't," Ema puffed as she struggled to keep pace, "we go on those?"
"They are teeming with heartless," Cloud blandly replied without looking.
Waiting for Ema to catch up, Sora leaned over the railing. A sea of water, dotted with tiny platforms, unfurled below. The spires of the castle twisted beneath him, alternating bands of bronze and stone peeking from a fog of lilac steam.
"What does he mean by heartless?" Ema whispered and discreetly stowed a random rock in her overflowing lab coat pocket. She squinted at the empty lifts. "There is nothing on them, right?" A pall of lightning struck the ground in front of them and she jumped. "Where did that come from?"
Mauve clouds drifted across the sky. "Heartless are monsters which steal hearts," Sora explained. He lingered at a dozen stained glass windows, each panel depicting previous Keyblade Wielders. "Only those with second sight can see them," he added. "Strife is clearing the way for us." Sora flicked a fira at a helmed, navy blue heartless jerking erratically towards them and Ema gasped.
"You... you can conjure fire?" A speck of fear flashed in her eyes, quickly replaced by awe. "Do you use a sort of flammable liquid?" she demanded. "Your hands are damp."
It's nervous sweat.
"I can conjure thunder too," flattered by her interest, Sora timidly bragged. "Vanitas can use all types of magic."
The company veered into an arched corridor and Sora paused.
A stained glass window depicted a figure who was unmistakably Ventus, holding the Kingdom Key. A halo of golden light and a crown framed his spiky hair. The boy's eyes were solemnly cast downwards and two knights flanked him. Another boy to his left, hair in dove-white curls; and a girl on his right, long hair plaited into an ebony wreath atop her head.
How old is Ven?
"At this rate," Cloud joined Sora in observing the windows, "you won't be able to investigate properly. It's very late in Los Angeles," he informed and politely stood aside as Sora tore his gaze from the panels of history and continued to an open atrium.
The blood seeped into stone, mere reddish streaks after the passage of time. Whipping out her magnifying glass and forensic tools, Ema pored over the evidence and Sora searched alongside her.
They found a single, long strand of hair. She scraped bloodied flecks of pavement and stored the powder in clear bags while Sora trailed an odd pattern on the floor. He rounded a corner, mouth parting in astonishment at a piece of perforated stained glass.
Weird. It holey like Swiss cheese but the glass isn't broken?
Neat holes gouged the pavement, faint scorch marks around the perimeter. On his knees, Sora rubbed the sandstone bricks and sniffed his thumb, no gunpowder.
"Did you find any bullets?" he asked and scowled when Ema hurriedly stashed a piece of bronze pipe in her empty snackoo bag. "There is no gunpowder residue and I lifted a palm print off the pavement." Ema nodded distractedly. "Detective," Sora grumbled, "we didn't come here to sightsee."
She threw a stale snackoo and it bounced off his forehead. He pressed his lips into a thin line when Cloud subtly snickered.
"I'm not sightseeing," Ema announced, hands on her hips. "This is advanced science." She pointed to the intricate maze of pipes climbing the side of a tower capped in silver tiles. Emblems embossed the walls. "The steam keeps the air moist for us to breath, it also acts as a preservative. See, the crime scene is perfectly intact." She smiled widely. "I didn't find any gunpowder residue-"
Did you search though?
"-Or bullet casings. But all this evidence," she leaned her cheek in a palm, thoughtful, "will only make it difficult for you to get your client a non-guilty verdict won't it?"
Wishing Ema kept her mouth shut, Sora stiffened when Strife turned, his eyes evoking the endless depths of despair. "What do you mean by getting the non-guilty verdict?" he lowly demanded and stalked closer, a head taller than Sora. "Xigbar is responsible for assassinating more than a dozen of our operatives and he always escaped punishment, till now. So what..." he towered over the attorney, "is this nonsense about non-guilty verdicts? Do you think Clavius will approve of this?" Only one emotion rolled off Cloud.
An infinite, contagious sadness. It showed in his blank expression, in the way he involuntarily grasped the Buster sword.
Please don't bring my brother into this.
"Vanitas... Vanitas will understand-" Sora began.
"He won't," cut in Cloud. "He won't," the blonde repeated, poison dripping from his words.
Arms irascibly crossed over his chest, he prowled to the edge of the balcony and stewed. The Black Saint had it easy, his Keyblade wielder status allowed him to remain in the KBWA's favor despite him breeching rules. Months following Zack's death, Cloud woke at random times of the night, his ribs aching from depression. The color in the world faded one by one, and when he deliberately bumped into Aerith, on the pretext of work, her overly bubbly personality annoyed him.
Why cry and then convince the world you are alright?
A coat rustled next to him and the detective offered him a handful of chocolate snacks. "Sora... We have our own problems." Not letting the blonde man intimidate her, Ema tossed the snackoos in her mouth when Cloud simply stared. "The case is out of our hands." She recalled the image on the coffee table, at the movies with Athena, chewing caramel popcorn. Someone photographed them from high up and it frightened her. "Mr. Wright would never take a case like this."
"Why is he taking this one?" Cloud challenged. "Did your boss have a change of heart?"
Wisely out of the way, Sora continued gathering evidence. The heat of Cloud's slow fury seared the air.
Shoving her luminol glasses up her forehead, Ema glared at the stoic man. "You can fight can't you?" Bewildered by the question, Strife nodded uncertainly. "Well we can't." She aggressively chomped a fistful of snackoos before continuing, "I've never pointed a butter knife at anyone in my life and you walking around with that hunk of sharpened steel on your back scares me." She lifted her chin defiantly. "The entire agency hangs at the mercy of Xigbar's non-guilty verdict," her blue-green eyes flashed helplessly, "they are my family. I don't want my family to be threatened." She grabbed Cloud's coat. "Do understand."
Silence, broken by the whistle of steam escaping the pipes. Sora loitered at the stained glass, ears perked for the single sided argument to die down.
Brooding, Cloud leaned over the railing, mako enhanced eyes following a flood scampering way below. The detective refused to leave and shoveled snacks in her mouth as if she had an endless supply. "Are you going to keep on eating like a horse or do I get some?" he asked and she scrunched her nose delicately.
Zack had a way with the girls, Cloud did not.
Dumping her remaining bag of snackoos in his gloved hands, Ema whirled around and in a noticeably better mood, resumed poring over the crime scene with Sora. Gingerly nibbling on a snack, Strife joined them.
Ema converted him to her religion, Sora lamented.
The KBWA operative retrieved a sleek smartphone from the pockets of his silver trimmed leather coat and handed it over. "Photographic evidence," he clarified. "Xigbar uses arrow guns." A picture of said guns loaded onscreen. "The projectiles are pure energy," crunching sounds punctuated his speech, "so no residue. The window didn't shatter because the arrows function like high intensity lasers," more munching, "it burns through everything." The aroma of chocolate wafted off Cloud. "You will find Zack's mission report in there."
Downloading the evidence, Sora glanced through pages and images, so much stacked against his client.
"You only find scorch marks," Strife said, "and they prove nothing." He paused to chomp on a single snackoo. "I forgot the autopsy report at the KBWA, fetch it from Leon tomorrow."
The sound of two people munching in tandem raised Sora's blood pressure.
According to the report, Zack arrived at Hollow Bastion to confirm the presence of a 'Cornerstone of Light' whatever the heck that is. He investigated the castle at Leon and King Mickey's request but the circumstances surrounding the investigation remained obscure.
Evening spread across the sky. In scarlet light, Hollow Bastion appeared more hollow and lifeless. The pipes constantly sniffled and shiny metal smothered the castle, like it's alive, Sora thought, when new piping climbed across a stretch of stone.
Cloud rose and cradled the sword on his back; he helped Ema from the ground and extended a hand to Sora. "We need to leave," he said. "It's impossible to stay here once the sun sets, the plains are full of heartless." He gestured to the waterfall where a seething mass crowded the escarpment with pulsing, black bodies.
"I don't see anything," Ema frowned, peeved at her lack of second sight. "Don't you have special glasses which allows me to-" she broke off. "Your eyes glow?" she excitedly grabbed Cloud's lapels for a closer inspection.
In the background, Sora kneaded his temples. An opaque castle superimposed Hollow Bastion, outlines intensifying in the waning light; he complained under his breath, mentally urging the detective to hurry up.
"Hmm... interesting." Skye tilted Cloud's chin and a mortified blush seeped in his cheeks. "Would you be interested in donating your body to science?" she raved, glasses sliding down her nose. "Is this a special type of contact lens or?" she broke off, muttering excitedly.
Prying her surprisingly vise grip off his collar, Strife rubbed his eyes. "It's mako taint," he explained warily. "We must leave," he forcibly began his downward march, "any later and you will have to spend the night in Hollow Bastion."
Intrigued by the glowing irises and mind galloping over possibilities and theories, Ema smoothed her olive green waistcoat. "I don't mind," she jubilantly announced.
I do.
Strife escorted them to the rising falls, hacking through the stray heartless barring their way. Mist dampened their clothes and casting Salvation, Sora cleared the low level monsters crowding around the Gummi ship and screeching for a piece of Cid. The pilot swore vehemently, apologized for his crude language and fired the engines before Sora and Ema properly scrambled on board.
"Aren't you coming?" she demanded, afraid of losing Cloud. The roar of engines drowned her words. A rock toppled out of her pocket. "How are you going to get home?" Genuine concern furrowed her brows.
The Gummi ship lurched in the air and Sora shrilled at his co-worker . She reluctantly reclined in a rickety seat and clipped the safety as the doors slammed shut.
"Don't worry about him," Cid reassured, ramming the ship into a giant, thrashing heartless. He spun the wheel and the vehicle did a barrel roll while Sora and Ema screamed for dear life. "Pipe down!" Highwind griped. "I can't hear the heartless over yer screaming!"
Bright flecks of light dotted the skies and Cid grinned toothily as the ship gained altitude.
Piqued by the strange phenomenon, Skye plastered her face at the windows. The specks grew in size, punching through cloud cover.
Irises narrowing, Ema faltered, "Are... are those meteors?" A space boulder hurtled past, trailing flame and cracking the window with heat. She refused to move away while Sora coped by ignoring everything and playing space invaders on his phone. "Where did they come from?" Her brain drew a blank. "Why are they falling now? If one of them hits us," she inhaled in alarm when another rock narrowly missed the tail engine, "we are all going to die aren't we?" She nervously fiddled with her glasses.
"Nah." Cid chewed on an unlit cigarette. "He knows what he's doing. Steady there Miss," he warned before the ship swerved erratically. Sora leaned out of his seat and snapped back while Ema haphazardly slid into the cockpit. "The meteors won't hit us."
"He… Cloud?" Ema crashed next to Cid. The atmosphere shimmered, masking definite shapes, blurring edges and lines. "He can summon meteors?" Her mouth hung open. "Is he..." her voice dropped into a conspiratorial whisper, "is he human?"
Game Over! Sora's phone played a mocking fanfare.
"The KBWA operatives defy logic," Sora sagely muttered, stomach twisting anxiously for the upcoming case. You'd have a field day with them. He rummaged in his pockets for an emergency ration of peanuts and finding none, settled for a power nap.
He slunk out of the solitary cell, smoldering like a red hot coal and doggedly followed Apollo. Keeping clear of Cell 13, Justice emerged to late afternoon sunshine and rotated his bangle. The defendant offered a flimsy alibi, which contradicted his previous testimony and half of the day wasted with two psychopaths, Apollo worried for his sanity.
A cab halted before them. The driver's jittery grin slipped off his face and with a squeal of tires, the taxi zipped down the road, leaving the acrid tang of exhaust fumes behind.
Casting a sideways glance at the menacing Clavius, Justice sighed when Vanitas frightened off another driver.
"I should've killed him," Vanitas snarled under his breath and furiously kicked a discarded soda can rolling on the pavement.
Tensions spiking, Apollo crossed the road. "You do know your brother is defending Xigbar; don't you?" The message came late and the moment he read it, Vanitas hurled his smartphone at the convict's head, it missed and shattered against the wall. "I'm sorry. There is nothing we can do, both you and Sora are targeted by a third party and the KBWA does not have enough authority to meddle in these affairs," Apollo continued, keeping a brisk pace in case the young man suddenly strangles an innocent passerby in his palpable rage. "Mr. Wright doesn't want anything to happen to us... and you wouldn't want anything to happen to Sora would you?"
Of course not! Vanitas kicked a plastic bag out of the way.
"Want to stop for ice-cream?" Justice paused abruptly. Pink and pale orange streaks splayed on the pavement, no heat in the sunlight. Despite this, his skin burned like it was set aflame. "Any flavor… you... want?" he awkwardly muttered when Vanitas slumped on an iron bench, head lowered in his hands.
A tub of strawberry ice-cream sweated next to him. He didn't like strawberry.
"Is it wrong to want to murder someone so badly?" Vanitas dug into the freezing confectionary with a wooden spoon. He sniffed. "It's not fair, why does someone like him," he crumpled the tub, "get to walk free. Get to be innocent when he is responsible for so many deaths?" He shoveled the ice-cream in his mouth and irritably wiped his sleeve across his face, smearing it with tears. "Does me wanting to kill him make me a despicable person?" Vanitas demanded, watery irises darting to Apollo.
The raven haired twin cackled madly and hammered Xigbar with his huge key of a weapon.
"Does it make me a despicable person?" Vanitas insisted, fisting Apollo's rolled up sleeve and the attorney seized. "You're afraid of me." A sly smirk curled the corner of Vanitas' lip. "Heh," the smile melted as quickly as it appeared, "you probably think I'm low. Amoral." He crowed and people scuttled away. "Don't you? I want Xigbar's head on a plate." He licked his lips. "Don't you ever get such thoughts? You want something so badly, so desperately you are willing to do anything for it?"
Trees swayed in the breeze, dried leaves fell in showers, spinning to the concrete below. After a spell of rainy and cold weather, autumn spun the other way, ushering a week of sweltering hot days. Above, the skies darkened, prelude for a disaster waiting to unfold.
Using a tissue, Apollo brazenly wiped the corner of Vanitas' mouth, hoping his fingers won't end up under the young man's teeth. "I don't think you are amoral," he said. "Though, you aren't helping anyone's opinions when you carry on like a ranting lunatic. Of course even if you want something very badly," Apollo blinked when Vanitas plucked his vanilla soft serve cone out of his grasp, "there are lines you don't cross." The tub of strawberry ice-cream lay forgotten. "Why are you eating my ice-cream?"
"I hate the strawberry flavor," Vanitas flippantly replied. "You can get me a blueberry cheesecake swirl next."
"...I honestly don't understand what goes on in your head," Apollo admitted. His bangle remained suspiciously inert.
The cone disappeared faster than anticipated and Vanitas ran a gloved hand through his messy hair. "There are lines I'd never cross," he solemnly declared. "I don't want to make trouble for myself... or Sora. But ever since I joined the KBWA, some of their policies make my blood boil, the unfair rules. Their secrecy and lies. They say they pride themselves on transparency," Vanitas cursed, "but it's only enough to make you believe what they do is right.
"Yeah… and why are you telling me this?" Justice mumbled drily. "Discuss these things with your brother." He stirred the strawberry ice-cream into a melted gloop, recalling his argument with Mr. Wright over the confidential files. The black haired twin was surprisingly delicate. "I think I understand how you feel."
"I didn't think you'd be the murderous type." Vanitas stopped sniffing. "I'm glad you understand me." The smiled threatened on the edge of madness.
Evening brought along chilly winds. Shadows lengthened on the pavement and cars flooded the road. People rushed home. Vanitas fell asleep on Apollo's arm and massaging his shoulder to get rid of the pins and needles sensation, Justice endured the strange looks and mellow smiles sent his way. He partly regretted his decision to comfort the crazy Clavius and when anyone stopped to take a photo, he patiently explained to curious pedestrians that no, the young man wasn't sick.
He simply napped on a bench, in the middle of a busy intersection, crushing an arm under the weight of his head.
Pale stars peeked across the evening sky. The traffic eased and the city shifted into low gear. Couples wandered the tree lined avenues, young mothers congregated around iron benches, swapping gossip over colorful strollers. Self-conscious of Vanitas drooling on his sleeve, Apollo nudged him awake. Clavius groaned incoherently and slid on Justice's lap before blearily waking up.
"I had a weird dream," he muttered. A passing couple giggled affectionately at them. "It's this late already?" he patted his pockets for his phone, swore and checked his watch. "I wonder if Sora's home already, time passes differently in other worlds."
"Get off my lap," Apollo seethed and Vanitas grinned coyly at him. "I need to return to the offices. I have a lot of paperwork and evidence to cover."
Stretching, Vanitas exhaled, rubbing the salt crusting his lower eyelashes. "I want to help," he offered and the senior attorney swallowed a long suffering sigh. "I'll do the filing," Vanitas declared and Apollo's bracelet shrunk. "I... I won't get in the way."
You don't want to be alone.
A yellow taxi screeched to a halt and Apollo slid in with Vanitas. "You can sit in a corner of my office, try not to break anything," his tone mellowed when Clavius nodded absentmindedly. "And about Xigbar," Justice tiptoed on eggshells, "he will get what's coming for him. Don't let him consume you."
Vanitas said nothing, the streetlights reflected in his glassy irises.
Caged
Dusk
Olympus
"I'm I ever going to die?"
Startled by the ominous question, the dice fell from Aqua's fingertips. Ventus moved his counter on the command board, his expression serene.
"I'm so old, I don't even know my proper age," he continued. "I can't recall the people I killed or the wars I fought. Isn't it disrespectful to the dead?"
The thought of Aqua and Terra dying, drowned him with an icy terror. Best not to think about it. But such thoughts creep in, in the forms of nightmares and sudden realizations. Aqua aged slower than most, though inevitably, she will die.
What is death? What lay beyond life?
"I wish I could die," Ventus rolled a six and the dice tumbled off the table. "Sora says I'm a murderer, his words hurt me." His shoulders slumped. "I think I was a murderer from a long time ago and I don't remember." Ven lost interest in command board. "I don't want to forget you and Terra too."
Aqua hugged him and for once, he did not squirm in protest. "We will live on in your heart," she smoothed his hair. "We will always be with you," she pressed her cheek against his head.
"No you won't." Ventus gripped her clothes. "One day I'll wake up... a hundred... a thousand years later and my head will be empty. It's like this all the time. I won't remember."
One day, you and Terra will mean absolutely nothing to me.
A/N: Blueberry cheesecake swirl was an ice-cream I liked. As for Ema, I may have veered off into Hanji Zoe personality territory there but it was fun to write her as such.
Once again, read and review, donate your thoughts to science.
...Is anyone reading this thing? Is this dead? Am I posting this for nothing? Should I stop pestering people?