Yay, chapter two ofthe XaldinxKairi request fic. After this, just one more to go.
Heheh. I'm particularly happy that I got to use Vexen a little in this thing. He's my favorite Kingdom Heartscharacter of all time (did I mention I liked CoM best, for some reason?), so I guess I gave him more of a part than I should have, but that's to be expected. Gotta love the man! (Or I do, anyway.)
Ramble #2 is now complete.
"Yes...that's definitely the one."
Xaldin didn't particularly like Vexen's laboratory. It was dark; that much, he was grateful for. But it was incredibly cold. The temperature had to be at least sub-zero, and Xaldin was certain there were icicles hanging precariously from the ceiling like stalactites--and snow gathering in the corners of the room.
Vexen stood analyzing Kairi, his eyes dark with concentration as he glanced down at his notes to scrawl something of importance every now and then. As expected, he was perfectly accustomed to the frigid temperature of his natural climate; he was the only person in the room whose breath didn't come out as mist. Xaldin wondered if ice coursed through the man's veins in replacement of the blood his heart would have produced. That had to be painful.
Kairi was at a complete loss; one moment, she was on the islands, confronting a stranger reminiscent of a forgotten person she once knew...the next, she was standing in the middle of a freezing room. Both men whose presence she was in looked too foreboding for comfort.
"Yeah, I know." Xaldin didn't need to be told what she looked like. He wasn't stupid... "So now what? Are you ready for the procedure, or are we going to wait?"
Procedure? To Kairi, that didn't sound good...
"Naturally, we're going to need some time." Vexen let his notes drop to the icy tabletop, neatly placing his pen atop the stack of papers. "It's dire that you make sure no one outside of the four of us knows she's in the castle, so I suggest taking her to Lexaeus immediately. As for my role in the plan, I want to work on this a bit more. ...In privacy."
Xaldin took the hint. He nodded, once again tightly gripping Kairi's arm. By now, she didn't mind; she was so cold that it was relieving to have the fabric from someone else's glove on her skin, although the man himself exuded no warmth.
"W-wait..." Kairi spoke up nervously, her eyes raising onto Vexen's. She flinched as they made eye contact. "I don't understand! Who are you, and what do you need me for?"
Vexen blinked, smiling coldly. No verbal response was offered. Kairi took it as a sign to continue speaking.
"I wouldn't mind helping you...but don't you think it would be more fair if you let me know how I can help?" Kairi was a thoughtful person; considerate towards others, and eager to help when she could, unbiased towards whoever it was who needed help in the first place. But at present, she was so blatantly confused... Luckily, her confusion distracted her from her fear.
The two Nobodies exchanged unrecognizable looks--possibly ones of disbelief--before the scientist snickered. Even her original captor seemed to smile with cruelty. Kairi didn't understand...
"You really wish to know, do you?" Vexen asked, a taunting tone to his voice. He ran a hand through his hair casually. "Very well. We plan to sacrifice you to our Kingdom Hearts. As in, you gonna die."
Kairi's eyes widened with both shock and terror. A dreadful sensation rose up from her heart to her throat, rather like fire deep within her body. Her lips formed words--or tried to--but they never came out.
Vexen waved them off, covering his eyes with his non-prescription spectacles yet again. "Bring her to Lexaeus now. I have work to do. And employ stealth," Vexen advised with emphasis.
It annoyed Xaldin that Vexen thought he needed to be told how to bring the hostage to Lexaeus. He wasn't a fool... He scowled at the scientist with disgust and drew Kairi in close to his body. A portal of shadows promptly spread out across the floor; clutching Kairi, Xaldin sank down into its dark depths, delving into the shadows.
Although the transition from one area to another occurred in a matter of seconds, Xaldin's thought process seemed to slow down in the time that lapsed; long enough for him to realize that the girl was shaking, but trying very hard not to. Against her will, she almost pressed herself tighter to her captor, as if afraid the shadows would tear her apart if she were to break the hold he had on her. The way she clung to him, this man who was only half of a stranger, made something stir within his senses; like a dusty light-switch that had been in the "off" position for years was suddenly flipped to "on." The light that issued forth was unsettlingly...blinding.
And then it was over.
The two emerged from the portal, rising up from the shiny, marble floor. Xaldin again drew Kairi tighter to himself, bending over as if the shadows his considerably taller body cast over her own would keep her concealed from any passers-by. His head twisted around as he inspected his surroundings. No one unexpected was in sight.
'Good.' He unwound his arms from her body and jerked roughly on Kairi's wrist, tugging her forward. Their walk was but a short one; moments later, they both stood before Lexaeus, whose back was to a door.
The Peaceful Giant peered down at Kairi serenely, but with a sense of detachment, before he nodded. "That is good," he noted, moving out of the way and opening the door for Xaldin to stow Kairi inside.
That was when it clicked within her mind. All of these people...or the three she just met...they maintained the same sense of familiarity, despite her never meeting them before. It left her puzzled. Kairi was determined to find out why she felt this way about them, but Lexaeus' words were the confirmation for her. "That is good." She remembered a certain laboratory assistant, long ago, who repeated this phrase habitually...
Kairi's eyes widened. Again, she went to speak--to ask them if they were really who she thought they were--when suddenly, both Nobodies' heads shot up with alarm. Xaldin growled and shoved her inside the room, quickly following her inside; he slammed the door behind them and leaned against it, his eyebrows drawn together thoughtfully.
"What's going on...?" Kairi asked, although she knew her question was in vain.
Instantaneously, Xaldin shoved his hand over her mouth to keep her quiet, panic flashing in his eyes. Kairi shut her own. His grip was still too tight; it felt like he was trying to break her face off.
With his hand still covering her mouth, Xaldin leaned up against the door, breathing silently and listening intently.
"Dude!" someone's voice sounded outside the door as footsteps came to a halt. Kairi heard it, too. "Lexaeus, my man, you're lookin' pretty buff! How's about you help me with my target practice, huh? Damn signs won't hold themselves up no more..."
Xaldin cocked an eyebrow dubiously; Kairi's facial expression, unintentionally, mirrored his. They exchanged a look of incredulity, almost as if they were on casual, friendly terms--and when Xaldin realized this, he narrowed his eyes at her and stared pointedly away to continue eavesdropping.
He heard the sound of shifting in place; that had to be Lexaeus. "Xigbar. I--"
"Yeah, c'mon man! We got some free time before our next missions, don'cha think?" There was more shifting, then the sound of heavy footfalls against the floor--then, silence.
Slowly, Xaldin removed his hand from Kairi's mouth and rose to stand. Equally slowly, he opened the door, just enough to peek outside into the hallway. They were both gone.
Xaldin raised a hand to rub at the back of his neck, then turned around to gaze fiercely at Kairi again. Her eyes were on her hands; her hands, in her lap. She looked so sad... It was like her entire heart was wrapped in despair, rivaled only by apprehension. Unless Xaldin was imagining it, she even looked, somehow...betrayed.
Xaldin shook his head and turned away, opening the door and shutting it behind him as he walked back out into the hallway. He realized that Lexaeus' unfortunate distraction meant he would have to act in his place and guard the door until the earth adept returned to his station. There was no way he would risk the brat breaking free and running away. Not when her heart meant he could regain his own.
Much to his dismay, Xaldin could hear yet another Nobody stalking down the hall. This was unusual, considering this was one of the few floors no one paid any real attention to. It made him wonder if they somehow knew what the four senior members were up to--and that troubled him. He at least hoped that whoever was approaching was someone empty-headed, like Demyx, who was incapable of suspecting anything out of the ordinary.
No such luck. Before the Nobody in question was quite within his vicinity, Xaldin caught a glimpse of pale, blue hair, long and untidy. The same blue hair that belonged to Saix.
If anything, the fact that Saix was coming only added to his troubles. Saix was clever; he was no fool. For him to linger about in a hallway otherwise unvisited by him was clearly a bad sign... And it was even more of an ill omen if Saix caught Xaldin in that very same hallway. Xaldin's participation in the plan would undoubtedly lie open for all of The Organization to see. Which was why Xaldin hurriedly--but soundlessly--forced the door open, yet again, and tossed himself inside the nearly empty room, wrenching the door shut behind him and leaning back against it with all his weight.
Kairi's eyes raised onto Xaldin's. He shook his head and motioned for her to be quiet, nodding back towards the door behind him. Her head tilted, but she complied.
Xaldin shut his eyes. He could hear Saix coming ever closer. If he opened the door, it was all over... He would inform Xemnas of Kairi's presence, and even if the grand plot wasn't revealed, they would no longer be able to make advancements on it...
Saix came to a halt. Xaldin could have sworn he was about to enter the room both he and Kairi currently occupied... But then the demon man seemed to change his mind--or maybe he was never going to in the first place. He continued on his way, the sounds of his shoes against the floor additionally fading away.
Xaldin almost felt compelled to sigh with relief. He was stunned when Kairi beat him to it, especially considering that her predicament was still as bad as it started out.
"...What are you...?" Xaldin couldn't even finish his question.
Kairi looked embarrassed. Her eyes rounded, and she held her hands to her mouth before gradually lowering them. "I'm...not sure," she confessed. "It felt appropriate..."
Xaldin kept his gaze fixed on her intently. Her very demeanor left him at a loss for certainty. It was positively confusing to him, how someone could remain civil and polite towards one who admitted they were going to deliver her death to her. She was, without a doubt, terrified--he sensed it upon her as if it were a scent. But she still gave off a steady warmth; an air of unerring kindness. Particularly conflicting was that, in the silence and emptiness of the bare room they both sat within, the warmth from her heart--a heart with no darkness--collided with his lack of one. Her light invaded his soul, reminding him of what it was like to feel for himself.
For the first time since his inception as a Nobody, Xaldin felt...relaxed.
"You're strange," he mumbled, his eyes closing over as he leaned his head back against the door. His eyelids shielded him from the confusion her unwavering kindness presented.
Kairi mistakenly believed he was referring to her last statement; ashamed, she looked down at her lap again. "I'm sorry," she whispered in a quiet voice.
The kindness was confusing him again. Kindness like that didn't exist within The Organization, and The Organization was where he dwelled, day after day, for the past five years he'd been alive as a Nobody. The fact that he was reacting to her kindness, even if inwardly, worried him. His eyes snapped open with fury. "Shut up!" he snarled. He couldn't stand it.
Evidently, his outburst hadn't been perceived by Kairi; more than that, it scared her. The way she pressed herself against the wall made her look like she was trying to drown herself in it. This pleased Xaldin; it meant less of her sincerity and more of her fear. Fear was something a Nobody could deal with. Kindness was not.
Xaldin decided it was the proper time for him to depart. He rose again, his hand reaching for the doorknob. Before he could do so, he froze.
Kairi was crying.
"..." All he could do was watch her, observing her silent tears. He almost felt ashamed... Almost. After all, he couldn't feel, or so he believed. Against his will, he turned his attention towards her. "Now what?"
Resting her head on her knees, Kairi wrapped her arms around her legs. The tears fell from her eyes to her skin. "Why do you want to sacrifice me? Is there a reason?"
Kairi, after all, was ill-informed of her situation. Nobody bothered to explain in depth why they were going to tear the heart right out of her chest; they only assumed she wasn't worth the time of day, since in a matter of days (if even that long), she would no longer be among them. Xaldin, on the other hand, saw no reason to keep information from her, since it wasn't like she could stop it.
Xaldin folded his arms behind his back, purposely turning his head from her. "Vexen told you your heart's going to become a permanent addition to Kingdom Hearts. What he didn't say is that...we have our own Kingdom Hearts. A makeshift one that we ourselves constructed. Here's how it works...the more hearts added to the collection, the stronger it becomes. The stronger it becomes, the closer it gets to being completed."
He paused, deliberating his words as his eyes fell with concentration to the floor. "We need it to become complete. And your heart...is one with no darkness. Making it the perfect candidate for completing Kingdom Hearts once we've thrown it in."
Kairi's movement, and tears, both came to an abrupt stop, replaced only with astonishment. Making their own Kingdom Hearts? "I didn't know that was possible..."
"It is. For us, I guess."
There was another pause on Kairi's part as she raised her head. "Why do you want your own Kingdom Hearts?" she asked. "Are you trying to replace the real one?"
"Not quite." He felt courageous enough to face her. It wasn't so hard as he'd anticipated, because now she looked less mortified and more thoughtful. "We are beings of nothingness. No hearts; Nobody. We believe that creating and completing our own Kingdom Hearts will enable us to become real again. The original Kingdom Hearts already rejects us...so we need to make our own."
Kairi knew something was strange about them, aside from their rough dispositions, but she never thought... Hesitantly, she stood up, bringing her hands to her chest and allowing her eyes to close. She could feel her own heart...but she couldn't feel his.
It wasn't there.
Her eyes opened again, but they were full of remorse--sympathy for him. "I didn't know..." It was terrible, to think that anyone had to exist without a heart. It literally made her feel sorrow on their behalf. If only she could say so; her captor seemed to grow angry every time she tried to say "I'm sorry."
Xaldin didn't know how to reply to that. He had to make up his own response, and even when he did, it wasn't satisfactory in his eyes. "...Now you do."
Kairi nodded enthusiastically, allowing a tiny smile to grace her features. "Okay."
This took Xaldin by surprise, as he didn't know what she was agreeing to. "Okay? Okay what?"
"I want to help; however I can."
Xaldin turned so suddenly to look at her that his braids flew around his head and smacked him in the face. Still, he didn't notice. If he'd felt any disbelief towards her in the first place, by now it was double its initial size. This, to him, was no ordinary way to react to the idea of a group of savages destroying your heart for the sake of them finding their own. How in the universe could she push aside her well-being for strangers? Strangers who didn't care what happened to her, at that?
"I think you're crazy." Xaldin raised himself from the door to begin pacing back and forth in the bare room. "No. I'm pretty sure of it. That's not...I mean..." He stopped in the middle of the floor and turned around to face her, his expression pained with confusion. "How could you?"
Her smile deepened; her eyes shone with equal kindness. "It's not right for people to go so long, suffering over the loss of something that defines them...but without being able to actually suffer." She laughed a little, as if softly reprimanding herself. "Either way, I wouldn't want you to suffer. So...if that's the way your misery can end...then I'm all for it!"
Xaldin's eyes were wide. His hands, of their own accord, kept tightening within their gloves, only to reopen. He stood directly in front of her now, towering over her; staring, almost with fear, into her mirthful eyes. Her heart was definitely unusual. Not only was its consideration for all others unlimited, but it was so strong that it affected him, too. It was like Kairi's heart, while he was in her presence, was able to lend him light; and that borrowed light, stored within his soul, managed to act like half of a heart--half of the heart's emotions. And when you've missed your heart for so long...having even half of one was refreshing...overjoyous.
Was she truly sharing her heart with him, in that respect? Was she even trying to? Did she even realize it?
Xaldin's head lowered. A proud warrior was reduced to what he truly was...lost, desperate, and more than that, stunned by the girl before him. He fell with a thud to his knees, causing Kairi nearly to jump in her place. His arms wrapped loosely around her waist... He pressed his head against her chest.
Kairi, again, was terrified; her heart was given a jump-start by the sudden display of vulnerability from the self-proclaimed Nobody. "W-what are you..."
"Shut up..." His eyes sealed, to block out the shame he felt towards himself. If the shame was gone, he could just...be.
"Let me hear...the beating of your heart. I've forgotten what it sounds like." It was so long ago...
Kairi was, at first, taken aback...and then her heart softened towards him.
She smiled, placing her hands on his shoulders comfortingly. Even a Nobody--what a horrible name that was--deserved that much.
Okay, done with chapter two! As always, constructive criticism is appreciated. Thanks for reading!