DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN KINGDOM HEARTS, I JUST OWN THE CHARACTER CONCEPT FOR JULIET AND THE PARTS OF THIS PLOT THAT HAVE NOT BEEN USED PRIOR IN THE KH OR FF GAMES


~**Hidden Schemes**~


"You know, Juliet, life is about risk."

Oh boy.

"You never quite know the hand you'll be dealt, but once it's been given, you can't change it. It's simply-"

Don't do it. Please don't do say it.

"-the luck of the draw."

FML.

"Think of it as though you are a gambler," Luxord continued in that awful psuedo-wise way of his, his accent rounding off each word as if he was reading straight from the Bible. Given he was a chronic gambler with a drinking habit and a penchant for hitting on ladies, I highly doubted any of these words would make it past a list of what not to do in the Good Book. "You only have so many cards in a deck, you know. Fifty-two. And at any given moment, you could hold the ace, the king, or the three. Though when considered, the ace is, depending upon the game you choose to play, the strongest card, the three has it's own properties at well. Weak it may seem, it is not a lost cause. If anything, it makes for a good throw-away when you draw another, allowing you to keep what you need."

His eyes sparkled with delight as he sank into that gambler's daze of his, but I was just sinking into despair. For the life of me, I couldn't keep up with this conversation. If there was a point to be made, he was losing it with all of this card talk. And yet... he continued.

I grimaced.

"Say you're playing the game 31! The point of the game, you should know, is self evident- reach 31." Um... Thirty-one what? Cards? Points? Shots of whisky before I die from misery? "The trick is that all of the cards must be of a matching suit to make 31!" Again, thirty-one what!? "Now somebody who believes he has the highest to 31 can knock at any given moment! Meaning everyone receives a final turn to make it as close to the 31 without being the lowest!"

I blinked.

"Such is life!" he exclaimed with grandeur, a flourish of his hands as though he was standing before a crowd of black-jack professors or some equally ridiculous thing. "At any moment there could be a knock, and maybe you do have the lowest hand. And you have one final turn to get a high amount or relinquish a coin to the pile! There's always an opportunity to draw higher! Make the best of it, Juliet! Don't let the cards beat you down! Sooner or later, if you hang in enough, you'll have 31!"

I picked my head up from where I had been leaning against a couch in the Grey Area, staring blankly at his rambling. "All I have is a headache. Besides, how can this be relevant at all when you manipulate time to get the higher hand?"

Whatever he was preparing to say next froze on his tongue, and he stood there like a gaping fish with one hand suspended in the air, finger up. I couldn't help but smirk as I rose from my seat and summoned a portal, signaling this conversation was over.

"Looks like I won this time, love."

I left him there and disappeared into the chilling mist of the Dark Portal. The darkness that swallowed me whole left me breathless and apprehensive, even if it was over in just seconds. Light hit me like a tidal wave, almost painful to my eyes after that awful abyss, but I welcomed it with relish and basked in the warmth that began to thaw my body. Traverse Town, though a perpetual night, was still so much brighter than Dark Portals. The meager street lights alone were like the light of day after darkness such as that.

Finally getting my bearings, I smoothed down my curls as much as I could, cursed the humidity, and decided it was about time to start shopping. I had a party to organize.


In search of Vexen, the trio stormed through the halls with Saix at the lead. The Chilly Academic might have been the eldest member, but it did not give him rights to go around manipulating the youngest members of the organization, and certainly not twisting a situation that the second in command had been a witness to, of all things. Irritation was mounting by the minute the longer that Saix stewed over the facts- the kind of irritation that seemed to claw up his spine and burn at the base of his neck, the one that made his eyes flash and his fists clench for his weapon. How dare someone undermine his authority!? How dare someone deliberately sabotage the members and, worse yet, dare to think they could keep Saix oblivious of the ordeal when he himself had been present? It was disrespect, purely put, and he would have none of it!

Now is not the time, he silently reminded himself, doing his best to stave of his Berserker mode.

Coming upon the Grey Area, they found a stunned Luxord standing in apparent shell-shock, staring blankly at the window that lead to darkness beyond. It might have been humorous to see his glassy state, but Saix grit his teeth and scowled at the older man.

"Where is Juliet? Were you not to have a conversation with her?" A clear threat could be detected in the venomous hiss of his tone.

Luxord jolted in surprise and spun around to face Number VII. It was apparent that he hadn't expected Larxene or Axel to be present as well. Especially given the... extenuating circumstances that led to quite a rift between Axel and Saix. The gambler cleared his throat and smoothed out his uniform before speaking in that cryptic way of his.

"Ah, yes... We did have a conversation."

Saix arched a fine blue eyebrow then clicked his tongue. "And?" Larxene cocked her hip and crossed her arms, giving Luxord a pointed look that demanded he get on with it after he took an extended pause.

"And... It was a... draw?"

"Number X!" Saix roared, rage burning in his amber eyes. What was wrong with these people? Could they not complete a simple order, something as easy as speaking to a teenage girl!? Everyday was an uphill battle, and lately, it seemed even less was being accomplished. "Leave your annoying card puns at the door and do something productive, if you cannot even make someone at least fifteen years your junior see the error of her ways!"

Another voice spoke, drawing present company's attention to the moogle. "Ha. As if you could ever make that little heathen admit to her mistakes. Why, she should have never been allowed to join our esteemed organization to begin with! She's done nothing but cause trouble, and she is just that, nothing but trouble!" The grating voice held an edge of smugness that rubbed Saix the wrong way. In fact, all of it rubbed Saix the wrong way: tone, words, and the icy smirk that curled the thin lips.

"Number IV," Saix spat, "Just who I was looking for. I knew you'd come here to prepare for your mission. As it stands, that will be canceled and Demyx will be taking your place. You and I will be having a conversation."

Vexen's glacier eyes widened at that, obviously taken aback by the caustic tone and the underlying command. Tentatively, he stepped away from the moogle and nodded at the trio, though he shot a glare at Axel to remind the member of his continued distaste for him. Saix ignored this and motioned to the couches, though he remained standing. Sharp clicks of standard-gear boots tapped across the floor in a steady and slow timbre. The eldest member, guarded, moved slowly towards them, and the Berserker was beginning to lose his patience. That was one virtue he couldn't afford to lose, now that his emotions were back and were hard enough to control as it were.

Finally, Vexen seated himself before the trio, his gaze traveling from one glare to another, ending his study once he stared into the swirling amber eyes of the second in command. "What is this about?" he snapped, his tone as cold as his element.

"You," Saix growled, holding out an arm to keep Larxene back from where she had prepared to pounce, and even Axel grabbed her shoulders to remind her not to fight, "have made quite a mess, and I'm sure you are feeling rather proud of that fact. However, you seemed to have forgotten that eventually, everyone, including myself, would be made aware of that very mess. You lied directly to Juliet to drive a wedge between herself and Zexion. While I dislike both of them together and applaud your refusing Number VI to continue this little romance-" Larxene gasped at him and sprang forward with her kunai flashing, but he sidestepped her and allowed Axel to draw her away. But not before the pyromaniac had a chance to shoot Saix a scathing look for his words,"-I cannot approve of your methods. And I will never approve that your distasteful scheme was a direct insult to myself."

"Is that what this is about!?" a sharp voice hissed. Axel shook his head in disdain, disgust clear in his emerald eyes. "Your pride? And here I made the mistake of thinking you were concerned about Juliet. Seems I make the mistake of confusing your affection for your arrogance quite a lot, doesn't it?"

The words stung Saix more than he expected them to. His past with Axel was admittedly a rocky one that still gave way to tension even now, but it seemed that since their emotions had returned, at least some progress had been made. Obviously not, he thought with a wince, if Axel still held a grudge over being overlooked by the Luna Diviner during their early days in the Organization XIII. Even so... he hadn't expected that to be used against him now.

Of course he cared for Juliet... But he couldn't just admit that now to Vexen as it would show weakness. The eldest would see it as a reason to deny the superior member the respect he deserved.

"Now is not the time," Saix muttered under his breath, and accordingly, Axel scoffed at him and scowled. For a brief moment, he considered trying to appease the man, at least for now, but he turned away to Vexen with a little reluctance and continued. "This is about Vexen's manipulative games he has played. And you, Number IV, will answer for them. Starting with admitting the truth of what you did to both Juliet and Zexion."

The scientist had remained grudgingly silent the entire time, but he started at this and howled in defiance, "That's-that's utterly preposterous!"

"SILENCE!" The members simultaneously flinched at the booming roar, all leaning away from Saix and staring at him in mixed levels of apprehension. "You will do as I say! There is no room for debate on this matter. You have shown your foolishness, Number IV, and you will face the repercussions that you deserve. If I hear that you have disobeyed my orders, you will answer to the Superior! Do I make myself clear!?"

Vexen sneered, "Perfectly."

"U-uh, Zexion left just a moment ago, as did Juliet..."

At once, four heads snapped to stare at the Gambler of Your Fate, seemingly surprised that he was still standing there.

"Ugh," Saix groaned, "Just what I need. Two unruly neophytes running around unsupervised in the midst of a fight."


I really hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you thought in a review please, please, please!

Also, I apologize if there are any grammatical or spelling errors. I don't have the motivation to reread this and check for them ':)