Chapter Two
Wild is the Wind
In Which a Breeze, a Pebble, and Their Shadow Meet the Traveller
--
Following their first real encounter, Terra often woke up early in the days following Xehanort's awakening to change his bandages in the morning, while he was still sleeping, so he wasn't terribly bothered by the discomfort; she'd occasionally try a Cure spell when he was awake to numb the pain, which worked in varying degrees of success. She'd then bring him some breakfast and wake him up (if he wasn't already), and then perhaps tell him what was going on in the town and read to him from an interesting book from either her own or her father's collection.
Thankfully, he was healing quickly, due to the ointments her father said to apply to his damaged skin that he had helped create with the Moogles and one of his older apprentices, Even. Every day, she saw more of his real skin color when she replaced the bandages on his limbs and torso; a rich, exotic brown color, like coffee mixed with cream, which she had only seen patches of on his mostly-unburned feet. The healthy skin slowly appeared and spread like water on a napkin, almost. As for his hair, much of it was still burned away (even his eyebrows, which she teased him about sometimes), leaving his scalp peeled and bald, but she was sure that the mystery of what color it was would be resolved once the skin had healed with the rest. At the moment, she thought it perhaps was black, or maybe blonde, like her father's.
There wasn't a day that she imagined what would cause such horrible burns on him, much less how he could survive such a horrible ordeal. It was pretty certain, at least to her, that had her father not found him, he would have certainly died. She thought of that fateful night as she tended to him one particular morning; she had been horrified, at first, at the charred, pathetic, red-and-brown creature in her father's arms, and avoided being around the study where he was being kept as much as possible, out of irrational fear. As the days went on, her father's medicines began their work; she found herself sneaking into the study and looking at him out of curiousity, the bandages making him look decidedly less frightening. Ansem had caught her there not long before the boy had woken up, and she agreed to help with the bandages starting the following day; he woke for the first time later that evening. After that day, she changed his bandages and fed him a potion twice a day, to aid with the healing. Honestly, she was relieved when he woke up and was able to have conversations; it was rather boring just watching a sleeping boy, even though she would entertain herself by imagining what his unscarred face would resemble, in her mind. It often see-sawed between hideous deformity, to ethereal beauty, and left her wondering even more about the day when she removed the bandages on his face, and nothing but pure skin lay beneath. Would the face match his exotic name, or would it match the utter strangeness of it?
About five days following his awakening, Terra had left him to nap in the afternoon sun, while she went to the Gainsborough Bakery to get some pastries for lunch. He had really been enjoying her visits in the morning and evening, and Ansem occasionally came by to take some time out of his research and listen along with them and share some conversation. They were kind people, and intelligent ones, at that, but he really appreciated the knowledge that they brought the most. Everything in this new place, this new world, was unfamiliar, and each new fact and experience entered his brain like a sip of cool, refreshing water. He liked learning things, a fact that Terra observed in the joyful look on his face whenever she told him something he hadn't heard before; she figured it out fairly quickly, and thought to bring history or science-related books for him, but they were boring, so she decided not to. A much more logical option, she reasoned, was to wait until he was well enough to hold a book on his own. Then, well, he could study his little heart out, if he wanted to (she hadn't much doubt in her mind that he would.)
But regarding the people he had met so far, it had been somewhat sparing; he only spoke with Ansem and Terra, and heard about people named Gainsborough, Strife, and Highwind through her, but he wished to actually meet them. Terra promised to bring him out as soon as he was healed enough, but he craved visitors as much as he wanted to be able to read a book on his own. He also wondered that if Ansem had a daughter, then he must also have a wife, but he hadn't heard anything about her. He asked Terra, but she simply ignored him and stated it was none of his business to know, and that was that. She said it with a venomous tinge in her voice, and Xehanort decided he wasn't to bother her about it; from her avoidance of the subject, the way she stated it, and the absence of the person herself, he came to believe later on that she was dead. All the more reason not to delve, he thought.
Thoughts like these bounced around in his head, on that warm day, where he lay on the bed by himself, somewhat hungry and rather bored.
In an instant, the afternoon became much more interesting.
He heard the door creak open and glanced to see if it was Terra with lunch, but found there was nobody there. Somewhat disappointed, he averted his gaze to the ceiling again to daydream, but a slight, barely noticeable sound near the door brought his attention back to the entrance.
"Who's there?" he asked, looking at the door again, but not seeing anything. There was no reply, but he continued. "Who's there? Terra, is that you?"
More silence. Somewhat annoyedly, he wrinkled his non-existant eyebrows and spoke again. "Who's there? This isn't very funny!"
After yet another period of quiet, when there was a crash as two boys around his own age came tumbling from behind the door. One of them was skinny, like he had been stretched out by pulling on his head and feet very slowly over a long period of time like taffy, with reddish-brown hair and thick, rather oafish eyebrows. In contrast, the other was somewhat overweight, with a face that hinted at a square chin and black locks, and was currently sitting upon the other.
"Oww! Elaeus, way to go and ruin it!" he complained, trying to free himself. "Gerroff me, you oaf!"
"Sorry..." the other boy said solemnly, collecting himself and backing towards the open door.
"Who are you two?" Xehanort asked. "Are you...wait, are you Elaeus and Dilan?"
"Yeah, how'd you know?" the redhead asked, brushing himself off and attempting to look much less ruffled than he was.
"You called the other one Elaeus, right?" Xehanort said, and the boy in question nodded. "Terra told me that there were two apprentices, Elaeus and Dilan, and they were around the same age as me. You both work for Ansem, right?"
"That's right," Elaeus said, smiling a little; his voice was deep for someone his age.
"Miss Terra told you 'bout us?" Dilan said, and Xehanort nodded slightly, somewhat suprised that he called her "miss."
"A few times, I guessed it was you. So you're Dilan?" he asked.
"Yep, m'name's Dilan," he said, shrugging his shoulders a little and trying to look nonchalant, "an' this lump here behind me's Elaeus."
"Hi," Elaeus said shyly, waving his hand.
"Nice to meet you, both," Xehanort said pleasantly. "Umm, if you don't mind me asking, who's that behind the door?"
"Wha-? You noticed him?" Dilan said, somewhat surprised.
"Ahh, so I'm not just seeing things," Xehanort said, a somewhat crafty tone in his voice. "Who is it?"
"Haha, looks like you caught me!" a somewhat drawling young voice said, and a face popped into the doorway, a pair of brown leather goggles poking out of of the puff of blonde hair growing out of his head. "Name's Cid, Cid Highwind! Nice t'meetcha!"
"You too! I think I heard about your father, actually, through Terra!" said Xehanort, somewhat happy to recognize a name. "Richard?"
"You mean Dick?" Dilan said, somewhat laughing.
"Miss Terra's been talkin' to you 'bout my old man, eh?" Cid said, laughing a little bit, while entering a little more. "What's she said?"
"Umm...she's just mentioned him a few times, is all," said Xehanort a bit sheepishly. "You...okay with that?"
"Okay with it?" Cid said, and laughed a hearty laugh. "You kiddin'? I'm fine with it! My pop's not the nicest guy out there, but what the heck? Taught me everythin' I know!"
"Sure did," Elaeus stated, smiling a little.
"Dude, what're you doin'? Get back on guard duty!" Dilan snapped, seeming to notice something.
"Ah! Right!" Cid said, and ducked outside the door again.
"Guard duty?" Xehanort said curiously.
"Miss Terra didn't want us to visit," Elaeus explained. "She said we should give you some quiet."
"To hell with that!" Dilan said, crossing his arms. "You're okay with us being here...right?"
There was a silence as Dilan cast a fiery gaze towards him, and Xehanort replied.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine!" he said quickly, even though he meant what he said. "I actually wanted to have some visitors; I'm not really in the shape to go out and see everyone, if you know what I mean."
"Yeah, I can see that," Dilan said. "Status, Cid?"
"All clear so far!" Cid replied from the hallway.
"Terra's not too fond of me, y'see," Xaldin explained, "but I work for Master Ansem, so at least I'm cool with him. And heck, at least it's Terra that's mad at me. You should see how Master Ansem treats Locke!"
Cid laughed in the hallway, while Xehanort adjusted his head a little. "Who's that?" he asked.
"Friend of Miss Terra's," Elaeus explained. "They've been friends for a long time, but Master Ansem doesn't like him very much."
"Why is that?" Xehanort asked.
"He has a habit of borrowing things and not returning them," he replied.
"Not returning them? He steals 'em!" Cid's voice said from outside. "The guy's a freaking klepto!"
"I...see..." Xehanort said slowly. "Is he a good person, though? What's he like?"
"He's pretty cool," Dilan said, placing his hands behind his head. "Don't trust him with money, though."
"That's for sure," Cid agreed.
"Ahh, then perhaps I should meet him sometime," Xehanort said cheerily.
"No doubt Miss Terra's gonna introduce you," Dilan said matter-of-factly. "She's already told him practically everything about you."
"Us as well, that's why we came up to visit. We're awful curious about you," Elaeus said, approaching him. "Miss Terra likes talking about you, she thinks you're really something."
If Xehanort could blush, he would. Unfortunately, bandages covered his cheeks, which were too scarred at the moment to show anything anyways.
"Oh, she does?" he said, somewhat shyly.
"Yeah, the cat's meow, or the Moogle's mog, or whatever," Dilan said, and laughed. "Talks all the time about that weird look in your eye whenever she tells you stuff...how does she do it, Elaeus?"
"I think kinda like this," Elaeus said, and leaned forward with his eyes wide and his mouth hanging open a little in demonstration.
"Nooo, nonono, it's not like that," Cid said, who had peered in to see what was going on. "It's more like this."
His eyes even wider than Elaeus, his mouth made a slight "o" shape, while he dug his hands in his pockets and leaned forward, balancing on his heels. Dilan burst into laughter, while Elaeus chuckled a little and glanced at Xehanort to see if he was laughing too. Xehanort let a few laughs slip, a slight smile on his face.
"Hehe, he likes it, he likes it!" Dilan said, noticing Xehanort's expression. "The guy can take a joke, all right!"
"Ahem...just who are you talking about?"
Terra stood in the doorway behind Cid, a paper bag in her arms and a rageful look on her face.
"Uh-oh..." Elaeus said sheepishly. "We're in trouble."
"Well, I'll say!" Terra said, putting the bag on the desk and marching past Cid to Dilan. "What are you doing in here? I thought I told you to leave him alone!"
"Terra, I-" Xehanort began, in protest, but she didn't notice as Dilan began to argue with her.
"We wanted to pay the poor sap a visit!" he said. "The dude hasn't had anyone to talk to at all! Come on, give him a break!"
"He needs the quiet!" Terra retorted, screaming in his face.
"Umm, I don't really think-" Xehanort said, but was interrupted again.
"If I say he needs quiet, he does!" Terra said, practically shouting in Dilan's face. "For your information, Xehanort's got burns on most of his body! It takes quiet to stay out of pain that long!"
"Terra, I don't think-" said Xehanort, but Dilan retorted.
"He doesn't care, do you, Xehanort?" he said.
"Don't go asking him! You barely know him!" Terra replied.
"Actually, we've been talking with him the past few minutes..." Elaeus said quietly.
"He's right, y'know!" Cid added.
"Stay out of this, you two!" Terra snapped, and they were silent. "Why in the world do you want to see him anyways?"
"For your information, Princess, we were curious!" Dilan replied, "an' we thought he needed some male companionship! Anything wrong with that?"
"Male companionship...?" Xehanort echoed, but was ignored yet again.
"Oh, honestly!" Terra said annoyedly. "Male companionship? You've got to be kidding me!"
"If I might say something, I really don't care either way if-" Xehanort began.
"STAY OUT OF THIS!" Dilan and Terra shouted at him, and continued to bicker together.
"Oh my," Elaeus said. "Looks like this has gotten ugly..."
"It was ugly the moment Miss Terra came up here," Cid noted. "Sorry fer all this, Xehanort."
"It's okay," Xehanort said, as Terra lobbed an insult about Dilan's eyebrows at him, for the argument had gone from Xehanort and his right to silence to physical traits.
"You guys should listen to yourselves, you sound like children," a small, unfamiliar voice from the doorway said. Immediately, everyone looked and saw a small boy standing there of about 9 or 10 years old, with unkempt black hair and unassuming, yet jaded, violet eyes.
"IENZO!" everyone, sans Xehanort, complained.
"Hey, who are you to talk? You're only 9!" Dilan retorted rather loudly. "Just what are you doing here, kid? I thought I told you to leave us alone! Haven't I told you enough?"
"I wanted to see Xehanort, too," he said plainly, "an' for your information, I'm gonna be 10 in the winter."
"Ienzo, I told you not to come up here...I told everyone," Terra sighed, walking up to him and leaning forward a little to be at a closer level with his short stature. "I figured at least you'd be able to follow directions."
"I know, but I heard that Elaeus and the others were going, so I followed 'em up here," he replied.
"Ienzo, you know we don't really don't like that," Elaeus said gently.
"I know," Ienzo replied, "but I was gonna keep an eye on you guys so you didn't do anything mean or something."
"Riiight," Dilan said. "Goody two-shoes..."
"Does it hurt much?" Ienzo asked Xehanort unexpectedly, leaning past Terra's body after giving a quick glare in Dilan's direction. "The burns, I mean."
"Huh?" said Xehanort, somewhat surprised. "No, not really. Terra gets me potions, they help a lot."
"Ah...I was gonna ask about that," Dilan said thoughtfully. "Heard that you're burnt worse than a...a..."
He stopped and thought for a moment, unable to come up with a suitable analogy.
"Whatever it was," he said, dropping the word, "it sounded like it would hurt really bad."
"The ointment's helping, isn't it?" Ienzo said, striding past the rest of the teens in the room and standing at Xehanort's bedside. "The stuff being put on the bandages?"
"I suppose," Xehanort replied.
"I was there when they made it, Master Ansem and Even," he said, tilting his head a little, like a kitten might do when a shiny bauble is dangled in front of it. "It was blue, and it glowed, when they put it through the synthesis machine..."
"Ienzo!" Terra said, interrupting him by grabbing his arm and lifting him off the floor a little. "You've been in the lab again, haven't you?"
"Nobody notices I'm there..." he said, glaring at the floor a little dejectedly. "I don't tamper with anything while I'm there, either! I just watch!"
"You know my father says you can't be in there; not until you're 13, Ienzo!" she said, sounding almost like a big sister or a mother. "It's for your safety, you know that!"
"I know! But that's a long way off..." Ienzo said. There was a long period of silence, before Terra realized that Dilan and the others were trying to sneak out of the room, unnoticed.
"Hey! Get back here, get back!" she shouted, letting go of Ienzo, who stood as before. Amid the scuffling behind as Terra and Dilan began fighting again, he spoke to Xehanort.
"You like seeing how things work, don't you? Learning things?" he said softly. "When I told you about the ointment, you got that look on your face like Miss Terra says you do. Are you gonna be Master Ansem's apprentice?"
Xehanort slightly tilted his head to look at the small boy, whose eyes defied his age. What was he getting at?
"I suppose I am," he replied, the most logical thing in his mind to do. "At least, I hope to."
"If you do..." he began, and Xehanort's breath hung in his chest; what was this kid going to say?"
"...could you please, please, pleaaaase synthesize me something? Pleaaase?" he said, the serious look on his face melting into a picture of pathetic beggery. "Just a bracelet or a charm or sooomething! Even and Braig won't do anyyything for me, and the others aren't good enough to make stuff just yet! So pleease?"
Xehanort burst out laughing as Terra returned, dragging Cid and Dilan by their ears into the room, Elaeus meekly lumbering behind.
"What's so funny?" Dilan and Terra said at the same time.
"Ienzo, you're a silly kid," he said, smiling. "Sure, I'll see what I can do."
Ienzo grinned. "Kay! Thanks a bunch! See you later, Xehanort!" he said, and began hopping out of the study.
"Wait! Why don't we all have lunch together? I'd like some proper company," he said cheerily. "Anyone up to getting some more food?"
"I'll get some stuff from my mom," Elaeus said, grinning. "Be right back!"
"Hoo-doggies! That sounds like fun!" Cid said, slapping his knee and laughing merrily, as Ienzo ran out behind Elaeus. "Y'sure you're all right with this? I mean, Miss Terra said-"
"I don't care, really!" Xehanort laughed. "Sit me up, please, Terra! I'm in the mood for some jokes and good company!"
And so, they shared the afternoon, eating some of Elaeus's mother's delicious cooking and Mrs. Gainsborough's excellent pastries for dessert, their conversations peppered with minor spats between Terra and Dilan, and Xehanort having the grandest time of all.
--
So we have some new
characters from Kingdom Hearts introduced, at last! Do you know who
they are? ;)
Was synthesized items all that Ienzo had on his
mind? Or was it something more sinister, like Xehanort had thought?
More notes for you all.
:
- Richard Highwind is
originally from an earlier Final Fantasy...do you know which one:)
There are definately more cameos to be found in later chapters, so
look forward to them!
Next
- Chilly, Cream, and Children
