Chapter 1 - Remember Me?
Where did the Keybearer's memories say he lived? Ah yes, Destiny Islands....Those pitiful scraps of land.
Marluxia saw no beauty in nature now, all had been lost with his transformation into a Nobody years ago; no longer did he feel the gentlness of a soft breeze brushing his face or the warm caress of the sun. His indoor garden at Castle Oblivion was the only thing that made him feel like he had a heart; he worked tirelessly, making sure each flower gew perfect and no weed invaded this perfection.
But it wasn't enough, it would never be enough.
Without a heart, one feels empty...cold. Nothing could satisfy the thirst for emotion; to feel happiness, love and even sadness.
All we wanted was to have our hearts again...and we were slaughtered like animals! Could the Keybearer even cope with the *idea* of no emotions? No warmth? To do everything every single day for eternity with nothing but *memories* of emotions?
No, he has no idea.
He lost his heart, but it was only temporary.
The Assassin stood up straight from pruning his roses; it had been two weeks since he returned and already his body was sculpted with lean muscles. There was still something...feral and hunted about his face, like a lion in a cage; his hair was still long but it was tidier after being forcibly combed. He was recovering fast.
Time to visit Sora, and leave a clue to my re-awakening.
Marluxia smirked as he stepped into a portal, reappearing in the dead of night under the shadow cast by the moonlit paopu tree; the air smelt of Hibiscus flowers and Honeysuckle, the calm waves lapped gently against the shore and unusual shells dotted the sand like stars. The Assassin tucked his hair into his cloak and pulled up his hood.
Best to remain unrecognizable. For now.
The Keyhole to the world was elsewhere but it would be too predictable to leave a clue there; instead, Marluxia's interest was directed at the paopu tree he stood by. He crouched down by the base and pressed his hands on the ground; at once, thick brambles curled up and around the trunk of the unusual tree in a choking vice grip. Each end of a vine of bramble bore a glittering black rose; a sinister sign.
Black roses by themselves signify overcoming a long journey; but sprouting from brambles....they mean suffering.
Satisfied, Marluxia made to teleport back to Castle Oblivion but stopped - what if Xemnas was still in charge? Wouldn't the Superior order for the Assassin's execution for trying to take over the Organization? His mind drifted to the room in the Castle That Never Was which showed who in the Organization was alive or dead; surely his would be glowing brightly now?
And how in Kingdom Hearts am I going to re-awaken Larxene?
Marluxia quickly glanced around the beach and then teleported to the World That Never Was; he ran towards the huge white castle, keeping in the shadows of the deserted skyscrapers. He pushed on the doors experimentally only to be immediately thrown back by a pusle of light. Pain racked his body and clouded his mind; he grimaced and shook his his head, trying to clear it.
A seal made by the Keyblade; I've broken one before, would I be able to do it again? Unlikely, but I can always try.
Marluxia pushed himself to his feet; how had he broken the seal last time? Anger? Can one feel anger without a heart? No, but the memory is just as effective.
He thought of Axel's betrayal; he thought of his colleagues going out of their ways to undermine his scheme; he thought of Sora destroying his closest colleague and finally he thought of Sora destroying him. Marluxia closed his eyes and channelled all of this anger into Dark energy.
A shockwave ripped through the air; it pinpointed the Light seal and completely obliterated it almost immediatly. Marluxia blinked.
I have the power to counter the Keyblade?
The familiar burst of energy that came with these shockwaves raced through him; he wondered if this energy had the power to bring Larxene back because surely, if this power came with revival then she would have it too.
And we would be unstoppable!
Hold on, if the Castle was sealed...Then Xemnas must be dead! If only the Keybearer knew he had saved me a task.
The thought would torture him, how amusing that would be to watch.
Not wanting to waste the energy, Marluxia sprinted into the Castle and up the stairs to the room with the Portal Stones, as he liked to call them.
They were more like gravestones now.
Xemnas? Dead. Xigbar? Dead. Xaldin? Dead. Vexen? Dead. Lexaeus? Dead. Zexion? Dead. Saïx? Dead. Axel? (Marluxia spat on this one as he passed it.) Dead. Demyx? Dead. Luxord? Dead. His own? Glowing brightly. Larxene? Dead, unfortunately. Roxas? Not even there, the boy must have merged with Sora somehow.
The Assassin pushed down his hood and pulled his hair from his cloak; he placed both hands on top of Larxene's portal stone and tranferred the exhilerating energy flowing through him into it. Once all of the energy was transferred, Marluxia felt exhausted like he had after the first time he used it all up; he heard a fizzle of electricity and took a couple of steps back, taking his hands off the portal stone. Good thing he did, or he was sure he would have been fried by the electricity that pulsed strongly over the surface.
A few minutes past where nothing else happened, Marluxia used this time to summon a Dusk and order it to fetch a spare Organization uniform for the Savage Nymph. Once he had it, he waited patiently with the uniform tucked under one arm; it was unwise to rush Larxene, if she was coming at all. His patience was rewarded, soon the Portal Stone expanded and a void opened in the centre.
Larxene stumbled out, lost her balance but was quickly caught by Marluxia who was distressed to see her looking as haunted and skeletal as he had been. Her hair was longer too, he noticed, down to her lower back with the two antennae like strands longer too. It took a moment for him to realize that this was a slightly awkward position and that Larxene was smirking at him with her eyebrows raised; he set her back on her feet and handed her the uniform, turning away politely as she got dressed.
"Marluxia...?" Larxene enquired a few minutes later once dressed.
The Assassin turned to see her looking at him curiously, he was doing his best to hide the memory of happiness bubbling inside him.
It worked!
"Welcome back, Larxene." he said with a small smile.
"Did Sora not destroy you?" she wondered, looking over his slightly different appearance.
"He did, but as a very strange denouement - I retuned." Marluxia explained.
"And you brought me back." she said it as more of a statement than a question.
"Yes." he nodded.
"How the crap did you do that??" she exclaimed, curiously but not angrily.
"Energy. Don't you feel it, Larxene?" he tilted his head as he said this, watching carefully.
"I want to kill Sora." she whispered dangerously.
Electricity flashed around her and her shockwave became almost more powerful than his had; he crossed his arms in front of his face and braced his legs against the force, but the shockwave, coupled with his earlier exhaustion floored him. He lay there, breathing heavily.
"The energy." Larxene breathed, eyes wide "Oh looky, Xemnas is dead; that makes you leader, Flower Man." she grinned, looking down at him "Wonders never cease."
Marluxia smirked and stood up "I guess so, but what is a Leading Flower Man without a Leading Electric Nymph to keep him in line?" he quipped.
"A useless Leading Flower Man." she retorted, still grinning. "Anyway, back to serious matters, is Sora still breathing?" she asked, smile fading.
He nodded, unsmiling too.
"He won't be for much longer..." she hissed, eyes flashing malevolently.
"Come, let us return to Castle Oblivion; this castle has no...finesse." Marluxia offered.
They teleported back to their castle; Marluxia proceeded to his garden and Larxene to her quarters. While he was waiting for Larxene, Marluxia checked each of his plants individually for any weeds that might have grown in that he hadn't noticed before. It was then, while he was looking around that he was struck by an unexpected flashback of his Somebody life.
~*~*~Flashback~*~*~
Lumaria breathed in the mixed exotic smells of his garden, smiling; there was nothing better than watching new bulbs open and flourish in the warm sunlight of Radiant Garden and he seemed to have an uncanny skill in making the flowers grow almost perfectly. He picked up a trowel and began digging out a stubborn weed that had been invading the apricot roses; gardening helped him ignore the whispering...
"Poor, poor Lumaria....Teased at school because you loved flowers, and now as a grown man you run to your garden at any free moment..."
"Shut up..." Lumaria growled, clutching his head.
"You think that will make it stop? Look at yourself, you obviously misread your vocation; assassins aren't florists, Lumaria."
"I said shut up!!!" he roared, springing to his feet.
"You okay, mister?" a small girl asked tenatively, looking through the wrought iron fence at Lumaria.
"Yes...yes I'm fine, thank you." he replied barely paying attention, he was shocked by his loss of control.
He raced back inside his house and shut the door, breathing hard; he stayed still until he was sure he had his temper under control. On impulse, he went to his study and checked his emails - there was one from his boss; he typed in the security code to access the email and absently ate an apple from the fruit bowl by his computer as he read.
Lumaria,
I have a target for you if you are interested; in the very town you live in a fancy dress party is about to take place this evening at 8:00pm. Ther owner, a known gambler by the name of Ludor does not want anything to go wrong; he contacted our group and told us to dispose of a young woman who stole a great deal of money from him.
The woman's name is Relena, she is of a small and slight build with pale skin, and is about your age; she has short golden blonde hair and blue-green eyes. A defining characteristic would be the two strands of hair that fall in front of her face.
Relena will be at the festival wearing a black strapless evening gown, wait until she leaves and follow her to the hotel where Rould is staying. Kill her in any way you see fit.
Be cautious, reports of mysterious black creatures have been circulating around Radiant Garden.
Guildmaster
Lumaria raised his eyebrows; he had heard of the black creatures, rumours were going round that they were the products of some strange experiments that had been taken out by a group of apprentices who were currently missing. He hadn't seen any for himself but the whispers in his head had started around the same time the apprentices went missing...
Shaking that thought away he stood up, tossing the remains of his apple into the bin; he had the perfect disguise for the fancy dress party that went with his preferred method of elimminating targets. Lumaria checked his watch - it was 7:00pm, plenty of time to prepare; he opened his wardrobe and pulled out a set of black hooded robes which were frayed at the edges. He got changed out of his jeans and casual shirt into the robes, pulling up the hood so it hid his deep blue eyes in shadow - tonight he was the Grim Reaper.
After pulling on a pair of thick black boots and securing a belt around his waist he crossed the room to a large display case which held a scythe; the handle was dyed black and had a strange vine pattern stretching up it, curling around the shining, solid steel blade. Lumaria took the scythe and headed to the kitchen where he slipped some healing potions into a pouch on his belt - no sense in getting hurt.
Lastly, he took a red rose from a vase on the dining room table and carefully secured it next to the pouch on his belt - it was his mark, he always left a red rose on the bodies of targets after he killed them, wishing them peace in the next life. Finished, he checked his watch again - 7:30pm, he'd better start heading to the party.
Lumaria locked his front door and began walking to the centre of town, scythe held loosely in one hand - no need to alarm anyone. When he got to the site of the party, people were already crowding in dressed in a variety of weird outfits; soon a man - who Lumaria presumed was Ludor - stood on top of a tall platform in front of the town hall and everyone went quiet to listen.
"Hello I'm Ludor your humble host - I declare this party started!" Ludor shouted happily in an accent which Lumaria couldn't place.
Everyone cheered and began either talking, dancing or eating from the buffet as the music started up; Lumaria scanned the crowds carefully with a trained eye, but wherever he looked he couldn't see Relena so he sidled up to the buffet and pretended to be getting some salad while really keeping watch.
"Looking for someone, Mr. Reaper?" a feminine voice questioned innocently from behind him.
Lumaria almost jumped a mile but kept his cool as he turned around, stopping in shock when he saw it was his target Relena who had spoken. The description from the email matched her perfectly, right from the hair to the strapless dress; she raised her eyebrows and he realized he hadn't answered her question.
"I was simply observing all the interesting costumes." he replied, just as innocently.
"Really? I was under the impression that you were...." she trailed off and took a step towards him, standing on tiptoes so her mouth was near his ear "...an assassin." she whispered, drawing back and smiling mischeviously.
"What makes you say that?" Lumaria countered with a charming smile.
"Your whole posture radiates Killer, and a highly trained one at that - so don't go playing innocent games with me, assassin, I know why you're here." Relena's tone turned dangerous at the end and her eyes narrowed. "And I can tell you, you won't be able to kill me so you can tell your bastard Guildmaster where he can shove his contract."
Oh she's good, very good, he thought while he pondered a reply "I don't intend to fail my contract, the Guildmaster gets very...displeased with assassins who fail their contracts" he said at last in a matter-of-fact tone.
"Well I'm afraid you'll have to suffer your Guildmaster's displeasure, sir assassin." Relena answered with an air of mock formality.
Lumaria laughed - if only he'd met her under different circumstances! An idea popped into his head, what if he killed Ludor instead? Blood would be paid, and his Guildmaster wouldn't punish him; it was disrespectful, but it would be such a shame to kill such a fascinating woman as Relena.
"My lady, perhaps we could discuss matters over a dance?" he offered politely, holding out his hand.
Relena smiled "I'd love too, but Ludor seems to be leaving the party now, I have a score to settle with him - I never stole his money." she explained "I can see by the change in your denamour that you've decided against killing me." she noted, looking at him.
Was he really that easy to read?
"I'll kill Ludor instead." he said simply.
She gave him a strange look "Does it not bother you? Killing people?" she wondered, frowning slightly.
"My lady I am an assassin, I have no emotional attachment to those I kill." Lumaria explained solemnly.
"Good, we can work together then - follow me." Relena said brightly.
"Bad idea, Lumaria..."
~*~*~End Flashback~*~*~
"I look terrible." Larxene's voice interrupted his thoughts.
"You will recover fast." Marluxia said quietly, turning to face her "I've only been back two weeks."
"What's up with you?" she demanded irritably.
"Nothing....Just thinking." he answered with a finality in his tone that made it clear he wasn't going to elaborate.
"Whatever." she rolled her eyes and flopped down underneath a small apple tree.
Marluxia sighed and returned to pulling out weeds slightly viciously; this stony silence continued for about half an hour until-
"Coming back...Looking like some whore going for size zero, it's so disorientating." Larxene muttered, loud enough for Marluxia to hear.
It wasn't an apology, but it was the closest thing to it he was going to get out of her; he slowly sat down beside her, resting his head back against the trunk of the tree. He chose his answer carefully, thinking it through before saying it.
"I think...Destiny does not just affect people with hearts; I think we're all part of something big, part of Fate but I also think we have free will, a choice to follow whatever path we wish." Marluxia paused and glanced at Larxene before continuing "For example, either of us could just give up if we wanted and live like we were normal humans; my point being, what if our destiny fortells us either perishing or triumphing over the Keybearer? Would we be able to stray form that destiny? What if our destinies are completely different? What if one of us is destined to die and the other isn't....?" he trailed off, fiddling absently with a blade of grass.
He felt Larxene's eyes on him and began to wonder what she was thinking; he had just spoken some of his innermost thoughts to someone who presumably takes life as it comes, rather than dwell on destiny. He expected her to laugh and tell him he worries too much, what he didn't expect was for her to actually answer him - which is what she did.
"I think....We choose our own destinies, Marluxia, you chose to follow me that day - you remember? You decided not to try and kill me." she pointed out, thens snickered "Who knows? Perhaps things would have turned out much different if you had actually died that night, Lumaria."
Marluxia laughed, he'd said it before - memories of emotions were just as effective.
"Oh if I had died; I think, Lady Relena, you underestimate me." he teased, grinning.
"Luxord- I mean Ludor, would've so got his ass kicked if we'd had the chance." Larxene quipped, smirking.
"Hell yeah." he agreed.
It felt good to get back to their usual playful banter.
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I imagine that when Marluxia and Larxene talk to each other in private, it's a sort of semi-flirtatious banter. XD
The flashback was fun to write :D
Longest chapter I've ever written. Ever.
Review please, my lovelies. ;)
