Chapter 6
Rivalries
Silent, watchful and patient, Even stood by the open window. A breeze, refreshing in the recent heat, played across his face and rustled his long, loose hair. He barely seemed to notice. He was intent on watching the blue beetle that was crawling across his hand.
The beetle had flown in on the breeze, and Even had paused from his work, easily catching it. Now, he studied it, let it crawl across his hand and see what it would do. He had never seen an insect like it before.
Even was careful with the insect. He stroked it to calm it down, and murmured to it. He had never understood why people insisted on killing "bugs." After all, they were alive, and so fascinating. They never hurt anyone. They were simply misunderstood.
Satisfied, he gave the beetle a final pat and set his hand down on the windowsill. The beetle crawled off. It spread its wings and took off into the summer air. Even sighed. And watched it go. He hoped he would have time to catalogue it.
"Good flight, friend," he murmured.
He turned back to the piles of reports stacked on top of his desk.
ooo
For the past few days, Ansem hadn't been around much, leaving Even to edit his reports, clean up around the lab, and do whatever else had to be done. Even was happy to oblige; he was fiercely loyal to his master, and he loved science. But over the past few days, it had become tiresome. The other apprentices helped, but since he was the one most driven to get the job done, he had done much of it himself.
This was not a new trend. Even did a lot of the work when Ansem was around. Part of him didn't mind, but another part of him was frustrated. All this work was taking the fun out of the science he loved. He hardly ever had time to work on his own projects anymore.
'It's because Master trusts me,' he convinced himself. 'I've been here the longest, I'm the most responsible.'
Though he was only the second oldest, Even had been in the castle longer than Dilan, Ienzo, Elaeus or Braig. He had been apprenticed to Ansem as a twelve-year-old and had quickly grown to respect him. Ansem was the leading scientist in the kingdom. Even was proud to have such a mentor… and yet.
He shook his head. If he kept distracting himself he wouldn't have time to catalogue the insect or finish the reports. He glanced at the stack of reports one last time, then reached inside a drawer in the desk and pulled out a blue notebook. He opened it and flipped to a blank page. It was filled with detailed, labeled sketches of insects, complete with a small paragraph about each one. Even picked up a pen and sat down. He knew he wouldn't have time to do a full sketch, but he would at least be able to jot down a few notes. He dipped his pen in an inkwell and prepared to write.
"Even!"
Even was so jarred that the pen slipped from his fingers and clattered to the floor. He swore and bent to pick it up. The sketchbook fell to the floor beside the pen. He swore louder.
From the doorway, Elaeus whistled.
"You ought to watch your language, Even."
Even stood and set the supplies on the table.
"What do you want?" He said with a glare. "This had better be important."
Elaeus shrugged.
"The importance of my message, Even," he said mischievously, "depends upon your point of view."
"Just spit it out," Even sighed.
"Master wants us in his study. You coming?"
Elaeus grinned at him. He knew that Even admired Ansem.
"Of course I'm coming," Even said resignedly. "Just let me tidy up a bit first."
He began to scoop up reports, notes, and other scraps of paper and organize them into neat piles.
"I'll help," Elaeus volunteered.
"I'm fine," Even snapped.
Elaeus ignored the outburst and grabbed a wad of papers.
"So," the young man said. "What's on your mind, Even?"
Even slipped some papers into a folder, and set the folder in a filing cabinet.
"Who said anything was on my mind?"
"No one. You just seem kind of…" He watched Even slam shut the filing cabinet drawer, "…stressed out."
Even looked over at Elaeus. To his surprise, he felt a sudden outpouring of gratitude toward his fellow apprentice. Elaeus really did have a good heart.
"I…" he started to say. He felt a headache coming on. "I'm just a little tired. I'll be fine."
"No you won't," Elaeus said seriously. "You look awful."
Even smiled. There were large, dark, circles under his eyes, and lines on his face that hadn't been there before.
"Oh…" he scratched his head, "do I?"
Elaeus groaned, took him by the shoulder, and steered him into a chair. Even sank into it gratefully.
"You rest, I'll finish up," Elaeus ordered.
"It's fine… you don't have to."
"I'm going to."
Even sat and watched Elaeus file. He himself was surprised by how tired he felt. Every muscle in his body seemed to throb. He gently massaged his shoulders and winced. He really needed more exercise. He looked back at Elaeus.
"Um, you do know how to file those, don't you?" he said nervously.
Elaeus was stuffing folders with abandon, and putting them into the cabinets upside down. Even winced again, but not from pain.
"I can file them just fine," Elaeus replied as he put a folder full of paper inside another folder full of paper, "This is a communal lab. I use the system too."
"Well, it might be better if you would just… CONCENTRATE!"
Elaeus had involuntarily knocked two stacks of paper to the floor. Even leapt from his chair and began to gather them up.
"Oops…" said Elaeus.
"Shoot…"
"Even," Elaeus said calmly, "you have got to chill. Master won't mind if things are a little messy. He's not exactly organized, is he?"
Even sighed.
"But someone around here has to be. And that person's me. Master trusts me, after all."
He put the paper back on the desk and rubbed his forehead. He definitely had a headache. Elaeus gave him a concerned look.
"Even, you're stressed because you feel like Master doesn't appreciate you, right?"
Even didn't reply immediately. He bit his lip.
"Well…" he finally said, "yes, a little. I just…" he struggled to think of what to say. "I just feel like he still thinks of me as an apprentice, though now I'm technically his assistant since I'm over twenty.
"Way over twenty," Elaeus joked.
"Whatever. I just wish he'd see me as a fellow scientist."
Elaeus walked over and put a hand on his shoulder.
"I see where you're coming from," he said. "You do more work than any of us. And you are a good scientist. A really good scientist."
Even looked up, surprised at the compliment.
"Thanks."
El nodded seriously.
"It's true. But, I don't think you should assume right away that Master doesn't appreciate you. Master is…" he sighed. "He's a really great guy, but he does have a tendency to get wrapped up in his own problems and ignore other people. Maybe… maybe you should talk to him."
The older apprentice looked away from his friend and towards the open window. He considered what he'd said. He supposed Elaeus was right.
"I'll do it," he said quietly, then more loudly. "We're done here, let's go."
He stood and turned to leave.
"You're not going to finish up?" Elaeus asked.
Even shook his head.
"I'll do it later. Come on."
He strode from the room, but looked back at his friend.
"Uh… thank you, Elaeus."
Even left. Elaeus shook his head.
"You're welcome."
ooo
"All right, Xehanort," Ansem said seriously. "Are you ready?"
Xehanort nodded.
"I think so."
They stood in Ansem's study, both of them stiff and nervous. Xehanort, decked out in a new suit and tie, could hardly keep still. He fidgeted and pulled at his tie, his mind racing. He was about to meet the king's five apprentices. It would be the first time that he had met anyone other than Ansem or Krista, at least as far as he could remember. They were about his age, and he was worried. These men were probably much more intelligent, talented and knowledgeable then he. Would they judge him? Mock him? Laugh at him? After all, he hardly knew anything about manners or etiquette. He would probably make a stupid mistake and embarrass himself.
"Don't worry, Xehanort," Ansem said, noticing the other man's behavior, "I'm sure my apprentices will like you. You'll all become fast friends; I know you will."
Xehanort nodded. Unlike him, Ansem seemed excited as opposed to nervous. A smile lit up his face. He paced across the room, sometimes sitting down, sometimes jumping to his feet. It was dizzying to watch.
"But Ans… Your Majesty," Xehanort corrected himself. "What if they don't like me?"
Ansem paused in his pacing and gave the young man a sharp look.
"Of course they'll like you. I just said they would, didn't I?"
"Yeah… but what if they don't?" he said. "I mean… um… do they usually like strangers?"
Ansem thought a moment.
"Well…" he said. "Elaeus does, but Even can be a bit standoffish, I suppose. Braig likes to tease, though he's usually good natured about it, and only gets out of hand sometimes. Dilan doesn't really like strangers, he's very careful about whom he befriends, and I never can tell what Ienzo's thinking." Seeing Xehanort's look of horror, he said quickly. "But, they're really all very, very nice young men."
"Uh-huh…"
"Xehanort," Ansem said firmly. "I think you need some ice cream. I'll get you some. What flavor?"
"I don't know what ice cream is."
"That's all right; I'll think of a flavor for you."
Ansem rushed off.
Xehanort heaved a sigh and sat down in a wooden chair. Ansem was incorrigible. He was a kind man, but Xehanort was steadily finding out that he was also not the easiest person to talk to.
Xehanort shook his head. Ansem. He was difficult, but Xehanort really was glad he'd met him. Without Ansem, he wouldn't have any friends in the castle. The apprentices didn't exactly sound like a promising bunch. He sighed again. This was going to be difficult.
No sooner had Xehanort thought this than he heard a knock at the door. He sat up straighter. Was that Ansem back with ice cream? Or was it… no. It couldn't be. Horror washed over Xehanort. They couldn't be here yet. Not now. Not without Ansem here. What would he do?
The door burst open. Two men stood there. One didn't look much older than him, and had long black hair and cold blue eyes. He stood behind the older man, who had gray hair, a scarred face, and an eyepatch. This man spoke.
"Hey, Master? What'd you wanna see us about…?"
His eyes drifted over to the chair where Xehanort sat.
"Hey, who're you?"
Xehanort stood quickly. Were these men some of the apprentices?
"Um…" he started, "I'm…"
"No one's allowed in here except us," the scarred man said loudly. "You should get out."
"His Majesty…" Xehanort sputtered. "His Majesty asked me to come. He wanted me to meet his apprentices."
"Yeah. Sure he did," the man said coldly. "You should get out of here, loser."
Xehanort tried to speak, but the black-haired man got there first.
"Calm down, Braig," hee said calmly, "We don't know that he isn't telling the truth."
"I am telling the truth," Xehanort said.
"Yeah, but since we don't know, how can we trust him?" the scarred man said, ignoring Xehanort.
"Hey, would you listen to me?" Xehanort snapped.
"No need to get angry," the raven-haired man addressed Xehanort calmly.
"Yeah, who do you think you are anyway?" the older man, Braig, cut in.
"Isn't it obvious?" said a new voice.
The three men turned towards the door. Two more men stood there. The one who had spoken had long brown hair, and the other was large and muscular with frizzy red hair.
"He's the man Master and Ienzo found walking in the Great Maw," the brown-haired one continued. "He's the man who may be an off-worlder."
The two original men, and the muscular one, looked back at Xehanort. Braig narrowed his eyes.
"That true?" he asked sharply. "You're the guy?"
"Yes," said Xehanort, meeting his gaze squarely.
"See?" said the black haired man, rolling his eyes at Braig. "I told you not to jump to conclusions, Braig."
The muscular man stepped into the room with an excited look on his face.
"Wow," he breathed. "You're the off-worlder?"
He grabbed Xehanort's hand and shook, squeezing his hand painfully. Xehanort winced.
"I'm Elaeus," the man said with a grin. "I'm honored to meet you."
He let go, Xehanort moved his sore arm gingerly.
"Thanks. I'm Xehanort."
"Dilan," said the black-haired man, stepping forward.
"Braig," Braig said sullenly.
"Even," said the brunette. "It's a pleasure."
Xehanort nodded at each apprentice, forcing a smile. Things were going okay; he just hoped he wouldn't mess this up. Ansem still wasn't back with the ice cream, after all.
"Well," said Dilan. "It looks like the gang's all here, except for Master and Ienzo. Where are they, anyway?"
"I don't know," said Elaeus. "I haven't seen Ienzo in awhile, actually. I think he's shut up in his room. I'm not sure about Master, though."
"He," Xehanort cut in, "he went to get ice cream."
Dilan rolled his eyes.
"Master and his Ice cream," he said with a sigh, "he sure does love that stuff."
"Yeah," said Braig with a laugh, "remember that time when he ate all the ice cream in the fridge in one night?"
"Uh-huh," cut in Elaeus, "and what about that one time when he…"
Elaeus launched into a long story that the other apprentices seemed to be familiar with. They laughed and chatted, adding in details Elaeus may have forgotten. Xehanort just listened quietly, unsure of exactly what the story was about and feeling left out.
But Xehanort wasn't the only one not paying attention to the story. Across the room, Even, the tall, brown-haired apprentice, was quiet. Noticing that Xehanort was watching him, he looked up. Their eyes met for a moment, before Xehanort looked away.
"Hey, Xehanort?"
Dilan's voice jarred Xehanort back to reality.
"Uh-huh?"
"We were wondering," he said "Where do you come from, Xehanort?"
"Yeah," said Braig. "You really from another world?"
Xehanort stiffened. What should he tell them?
"I…"
He was saved from answering by Ansem.
"Ah!" he cried after spotting the apprentices. "You're all here! I assume you're getting introduced, making friends and the like? Wonderful! Would anyone care for some ice cream?"
He indicated the jars he carried in the crook of his arm. The apprentices exchanged looks and shrugged, then went forward to accept the ice cream. Ansem handed each apprentice a cone, except for Braig, who was lactose-intolerant. He handed Xehanort a cone with light blue ice cream. The young man stared at it.
"Oh," Ansem noticed Xehanort's staring, "It's Seasalt. My personal favorite."
"Seasalt?"
"It's salty and sweet at the same time," he explained, "Try it. It's good. Besides, I don't often let strangers eat from my personal store of Seasalt ice cream."
Xehanort was skeptical, but he obliged and gave the ice cream a tentative lick. His eyes widened. It really was good.
Ansem nodded knowingly.
"See?" he said. "I knew you'd like it."
Xehanort smiled; smiled his first real smile since he had left the infirmary. Ansem smiled back. Across the room, Even turned his gaze to the floor. Xehanort looked away from Ansem and over at Even, who continued to stare resolutely at the floor. Ansem didn't notice, and turned his attention to the other apprentices.
"Wait," said Ansem, "Where's Ienzo? Does he know we're meeting?"
"Maybe not," said Elaeus. "I'll go get him, if you want."
"Good idea. Go on ahead."
As Elaeus left, the apprentices and Xehanort took chairs and organized them into a circle.
"Sit here, Xehanort," said Ansem, indicating a chair beside him.
Xehanort sat. As he did, Even took the chair on Ansem's other side. When Ansem wasn't looking, he gave Xehanort a fierce glare. Taken aback, Xehanort looked away. Was Even… angry at him? But why?
"We're here!" called Elaeus.
Elaeus was back, and with him was a boy, Ienzo, probably. He was much younger than the other apprentices, his mousy hair was mussed, and his expression was distinctly grumpy. However, he still nodded at his Master when he saw him, and gave Xehanort an inquisitive look.
"Xehanort, this is Ienzo," Ansem said. "Ienzo, this is Xehanort."
The man and the boy exchanged polite nods. Ansem clapped his hands to get their attention.
"All right," he said, "as most of you know, this is Xehanort."
He nodded at him.
"Xehanort is a guest of mine, recently out of the infirmary, and," he paused dramatically. "A possible off-worlder."
"Tell us something we don't know," said Braig in an undertone.
"Wait," said Even. "What do you mean by a 'possible' off-worlder?"
Xehanort gulped. He tried to catch Ansem's eye. Tried to silently communicate with him.
'Don't tell them,' he thought, 'don't tell them.'
But Ansem didn't hear his silent pleas.
"Xehanort has… amnesia," he said slowly.
The apprentices all looked at Xehanort, who withered under their gazes. Why, oh why, had he had to tell them?
Elaeus spoke first.
"Amnesia," he said, looking at Xehanort, "Wow. I'm… I'm very sorry."
"Th… thanks."
"How much do you remember?" Dilan said gently.
Xehanort looked at the floor. His answer was barely audible.
"Nothing from before I came here."
Dilan and Elaeus looked genuinely sad, and Ienzo's face was unreadable… but Even looked skeptical.
"Wait a minute," he said. "Wait just a minute. He doesn't remember anything? How do you know he's from another world?"
"I suspect that he is," Ansem replied calmly. "I don't know."
"Well then," Even's voice rose, "how do you know he's telling the truth? What if he's a thief, or a con man?"
"Even," Elaeus said nervously, "Calm down."
Xehanort sat helplessly by, not sure what to do.
'Oh, Ansem,' he thought despairingly, 'why did you have to tell them?'
Ansem spoke.
"I may not know much about Xehanort," he said softly, "but I trust him."
He met Even's gaze. He didn't look angry, but there was firmness in his gaze. Even looked away.
"Now that that's settled," Ansem said, "I need someone to give Xehanort a tour of the castle. Any volunteers?"
After much discussion, it was decided that Braig and Dilan would give Xehanort the tour. Xehanort, who was beginning to feel tired, elected to go back to the infirmary and meet his guides after lunch. With this decided, the apprentices departed.
With a yawn, Ansem stood.
"Hard to believe it's just noon," he yawned, "do you want me to walk you back to the infirmary?"
"No," Xehanort said quietly, "I can go myself."
Ansem raised his eyebrows.
"Really?" he said, "the castle can be a place hard to navigate if you're not used to it. Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'm sure."
Ansem gave Xehanort a sharp look.
"Is there something wrong, Xehanort?"
"No," he said quickly.
"Xehanort," Ansem said gently, "If this is about… what I told my apprentices… I'm sorry. I just… I felt that it wouldn't do any good to hide it."
"It would have kept Even from being suspicious of me."
"I can't control what Even thinks," Ansem said, "in life, you make choices. You can't always control the outcome of those choices. In this case, I chose to tell my apprentices about your amnesia. I thought it would be a good idea."
"I think," said Xehanort, "that's a choice I should have made myself."
He turned to leave, than turned back.
"But," he said, "but… thanks for saying you trust me."
Xehanort strode quickly from the room.
"Hello, Master."
To Ansem's surprise, Even was waiting for him outside. The old ruler's eyes narrowed as he turned toward his apprentice.
"Even," he said angrily, "what kind of a stunt was that you pulled?"
Even's voice was calm.
"What stunt?"
"The way you treated Xehanort!" he burst out, "You treated him like a common criminal! That is no way to treat a guest in my castle, and I will not tolerate it!"
Ansem stopped so that Even could let his words sink in. Ansem's face was bright red, and his eyes shone fiercely. Even took in an angry breath.
"Why?" he said, his voice cracking, "Why is he your guest? Why is he worthy of your respect? Why when I…?"
He choked and stopped talking. Ansem's brow furrowed in concern. He came forward and placed his hands on Even's shoulders.
"Even, what's wrong?"
Even refused to meet his eyes.
"Please, Even… tell me."
At last, Even looked up. His eyes were blank. He shrugged off Ansem's hands.
"There's nothing to tell."
Than he turned and was gone, and Ansem was left alone and confused for the second time that afternoon
