Author's notes: I just want to say something really quick here... THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! to all of you who read this, and to all you wonderful dear people that have reviewed or faved this.. thank you so much! I'm so happy that so many people like this! I'm just so happy I could burst and spew happiness all over ya! mwah ha ha... that's so gross... anyway, yus! Thank you so much... now I think I better cut back on the late night Dr. Pepper and watching Princess Tutu... it makes me freaky giddy.
Recap of chapter 7
Meanwhile, much further down the hallway a certain unconscious musician was slowly starting to wake from his slumber. Demyx leaned forward with a loud groan escaping him; clutching the towel Larxene had pillowed his head with in one hand as he tenderly rubbed his aching forehead with the other. He blinked, trying to bring his eyes into focus as he pulled the towel up into his lap and stared at it blankly. The haze that seemed to fog his mind finally cleared as he examined the towel, it was covered with spots of blood. His blue eyes widen with horror as he pulled his gaze from the towel to the puddles of blood across the floor and yet another discarded towel a few feet away.
"This… blood…. And this… this is Larxy's towel!!! And that's… That's Mar Mar's!!!" Demyx jumped to his feet, frantically looking around, "SAIX!!! SAIX!!!" He stopped calling, tears starting to well up in his eyes, "NO! MY SITAR ATE THEM ALL!!!" He screamed running back toward the stairs.
And now...
Chapter 8: The Haunting
Demyx stood, still holding Larxene's bloodstained towel in his hand as he took a few wobbly steps back towards the stairs. His mind was reeling from the scene he had awakened to; he didn't know where to go or what he should do now. He just stood, staring blankly down the hallway. He reached up with one hand and nervously ran his fingers through his mussed hair. It still felt sticky from when Marluxia had smeared honey into it earlier. Without too much thought, he dropped the towel to the floor and cupped his hands together in front of him; a bubble of water seemed to form and grow out of thin air, floating just above his open palms. He then bent over and ran the water through his hair, letting the bubble burst and fall to the ground in a splash.
He stayed hunched over, hair dripping, as he stared down at Larxene's towel and the puddle of water that now mixed with his own tears, "What should I do?" He picked back up the towel and held it close as though he was trying to protect it as he continued to slowly stumble to the staircase.
A thought suddenly hit him, 'It's morning now, if I could get help, and show them this mess, they will HAVE to believe me.' He broke into a dead run for the stairs, but another thought suddenly stopped him dead in his tracks, 'But Saix was trying to tell me something…' His mental conversation with no one paused as he stared down the dark staircase, 'he honestly thought my Sitar wasn't the problem. So what then? If it's not my Sitar, then that means something else is doing this… some creature maybe… maybe it even took control of my Sitar…' Demyx twitched, looking around as though someone had just called out to him and he wasn't able to see where the sound had come from, 'I'll have to be careful…'
A few moments later the Melodious Nocturne was leaning against the wall in the stairway, he could almost swear that he could feel something pounding in his chest but knew full well that it was impossible. He slid down a few more steps, flattening further against the wall as though he was trying to sneak up on someone or something round the corner. His mind was racing, trying to recall what had led to his being alone in this sort of situation. Once again his mind wandered over the last scene he could recall. Larxene and Marluxia were arguing, while Saix seemed to be loosing his patience with them both. After that, things got fuzzy and then that's when he woke up. He glanced down at the towel in his hand; a whimper escaped him as he forced himself to continue.
There was a sound, echoing in the hallway, forcing Demyx to fall completely silent not even daring to breath. It sounded like heavy, tired boots across the marble floors. Or perhaps it could even be the slothful trudging of some hideous dreadful sitar possessing monster. He did notice that the steps sounded off somehow, they were making a sort of scuffing sound as though the being that was coming nearer was limping or having a bit of trouble walking. Demyx leaned further into the wall, wishing he could somehow just disappear into it.
It wasn't long before a black figure rounded the corner of the stairway; a man judging by the deep weary groan that was escaping beneath his shadowed hood. The stranger suddenly coame to a screeching halt and nearly jumping out of his skin at the sight of Demyx pressed against the wall with his eyes scrunched tight in fear.
"DEMYX!!! What in the name of Kingdom Hearts are you DOING lurking around in dark corners like that!?!"
Demyx suddenly recognized the stranger's voice and opened one of his tightly closed eyes to confirm the source of the voice. "XEMMY!!! THANK GOODNESS!!" he launched himself at the Superior, nearly knocking him off his feet, the force of the encounter throwing Xemnas' hood back to reveal silvery hair and tired dark rimmed yellow eyes.
"Erm… Demyx…" Xemnas started to try and pry the distraught musician off of him, but faltered as Demyx continued to wail. Number Nine's dark words catching his attention and forcing him to listen.
"EVERYONE'S GETTING KILLED!! First it was Axel and probably Roxas since they're ALWAYS together, and now Larxene, Marluxia, and Saix are gone!!! There was blood everywhere and Larxy and Mar Mar's towels were the only thing left!!! What should we do?" Demyx cried as he slipped down to his knees, still clinging to Xemnas' waist.
"First of all, let go…" Xemnas shooed him off and then stepped back, limping slightly as his leg threatened to give out. Demyx noticed the odd movement and looked up at his Superior questioningly, "Now tell me, what has happened? What is this about blood?" Xemnas straitened, hiding the pain that was now shooting up his leg and settling into the middle of his back.
Demyx stared at him blankly, inwardly going over all the reactions that he had received from everyone else he had told about his Sitar, "I… um… You won't believe me… nobody has so far, and they're all dead now."
Xemnas' eyebrow arched, "Try me…"
"My Sitar… ate them…" Demyx bluntly stated; searching the other's face for any sign of what he was afraid would come next.
Xemnas slowly closed his eyes, and then turned and started limping up the stairs. Demyx was startled, he scrambled to his feet and started to follow, "Xemmy, wait! Where are you going?"
Xemnas paused and sighed, "Demyx, I don't have time for your games right now. Just go tell Axel to knock it off or face disciplinary actions…"
"But… But… Axel's…" Demyx stuttered only to be cut off.
Xemnas glanced back over his shoulder, his yellow eyes were cold and piercing, "I have had a very rough night… Now take your silly little game and go else where with it."
Demyx fell silent and watched as the superior left him alone once more, he turned sat down on the bottom step, "Well at least he didn't ask what I had been smoking…" He sat for a moment and then turned to look back up the empty stairs, "Why was he limping?"
Once more Demyx's overactive paranoid mind started to whir into all sorts of scenarios, "What if he knows what's going on… He knows my Sitar ate them, and maybe it nearly got him too… that's why he's limping! That's why he didn't ask me what I was smoking! Because he believes me but can't say anything for fear of my Sitar's wrath!" He paused mid rant as an image of Saix's face flashed across his mind, "Poor, Saix, why didn't he believe me… If he had only believed me maybe he wouldn't…" Demyx shot to his feet with more determination, "I can't let anyone else get eaten! I need to get help!"
There was a sudden loud noise from the floor above; it was something like that really annoying squeak sound wet shoes make across linoleum followed by a loud 'THUNK' and then a yelp of pain. Demyx turned and stared up the stairs, suddenly remembering that he had rinsed out his hair leaving a large puddle of water near the top of the stairs. He fingered his damp hair unconsciously just before breaking into a dead run for the little kitchen where he had first told Saix the whole story; the only thing worse than a crazed sitar would be the Superior's wrath.
Meanwhile, near the kitchen a dark swirling portal of shadows opened and then closed, leaving Axel and Roxas standing near the door way. Roxas sighed, "So, uh… Why didn't we use the portal sooner?"
Axel blinked, remaining silent for a few seconds, "Because… someone could have sensed it…"
"Liar, you just didn't think of it. You get your sick kicks from almost being caught don't you!" Roxas slugged him in the arm and then left him for something more important, "I'm hungry… I want toast…"
Axel was still rubbing the sore spot inflicted by his best friend, "OUCH! You little jerk… and that is NOT the reason! You just don't have any respect for the art…"
Roxas ignored Axel as he entered the kitchen and nearly walked strait into Xaldin. The taller nobody stepped back and looked down at Roxas, "What was that?"
"It was just Axel being stupid…" Roxas snorted and pushed past him.
"I didn't mean him, I meant that yell…" Xaldin glanced out the door as Axel walked in.
Axel patted him on the cheek and snickered, "Nuthin', you're just going crazy."
The smirk quickly faded when Xaldin held the tip of one of his spears threateningly close to his nose. "Don't get funny with me, unless you want this jammed up your nose and lodged in your small pathetic brain."
"Point taken…" Axel nervously laughed and slowly backed away.
"uuuugh… That was a bad pun too, stab him Xaldin…" Roxas called over his shoulder as he opened the fridge and glanced around, he paused or a moment and stared at something before pulling out a can of whipped cream as a strange sort of smirk quickly passed over his lips. Then he moved on to one of the cupboards, searching for the real sustenance he craved.
Xaldin didn't say another word to Axel; he just turned back to the counter and picked up the milk he had left when he had been distracted by the odd sound. Roxas glanced out of the corner of his eye, watching as Xaldin poured a big bowl of cereal. It wasn't so much that man was eating cereal that caught his attention; it was what kind of cereal he found odd. "Xaldin… you're eating Demyx's Lucky Charms?"
"They're magically delicious…" He stated flatly as he turned with his precious bowl and went to sit down.
Roxas chuckled as he closed the cupboard he was looking in and then started to reach for the next one, only to be interrupted by a warning from the Nobody that was now devouring some pink hearts and blue moons, "Careful, that cupboard is jammed full… some stuff fell out on Luxord."
"Yeah whatever" Axel leaned over Roxas and flung open the cupboard door before Roxas could stop him. The next thing they both new a large opened bag of flour toppled over and landed square on top of Axel's head, showering them both with white powder.
Between the unison coughing and sneezing, Xaldin allowed a wicked smirk to streak across his face, "I told you…"
"You set that up, I know it…" Axel snarled over his shoulder, sneezing suddenly and sending a cloud of white floating into the air.
Xaldin shot Axel a very scary death glare and then turned back to his marshmallow stars, "No, contrary to what you think… Not everyone gets their petty kicks from duping fools." He snorted.
"He just called you a fool…" Roxas elbowed his friend right in the ribs, edging him on towards a fight.
Axel snarled and then started to take a threatening step towards Xaldin, but a strange sound stopped him. It almost sounded like snoring. He looked down at Roxas, who returned the same curious look.
The sound was coming from the other side of the room, from the small couch that was arranged with its backside to the little table Xaldin was currently occupying. It faced a small Tv that was put in the little kitchen area in order to keep the larger entertainment room free of food that would most likely spill and stain the new white carpet Xemnas had ordered.
"It's Zexion…" Xaldin stated flatly, knowing perfectly well what was on both their minds.
"Well I can understand falling asleep in front of a Tv, but all night?" Axel pondered, aloud.
"I don't think so… Zexion is more of a reader, and besides the Tv isn't even on." Roxas added.
"He came down about an hour ago… He said that there was some sort of yelling and it woke him up." Xaldin turned, eyeing the two, "You wouldn't know anything about what's been going on around here, would you?"
"Us? Why should we know anything?" Axel looked a little too innocent while Roxas just shook his head, also looking too innocent to be truthful.
Xaldin snorted, "Yeah, I bet. You're just a bunch of perfect little angels aren't you?" He pushed back from the table and then walked over to the sink, setting the bowl down with a slight clatter. "You know sooner or later you're going to catch it. Someone is going to finally have enough and you're going to get a taste of your own for a change." And with those foreboding words he turned to leave, coming to a sudden stop when a smaller Nobody slammed right into his chest.
"Watch where you're going, Nocturne… You should know better than to run in the hallway like that." Xaldin grunted as he walked past Demyx who was now sitting on the ground holding his head.
Demyx shook his head, clearing the little bubbles of confusion from his senses, "XALDIN!!! You've got to help me!!" the smaller Nobody yelled bringing the other to a short pause.
Xaldin chuckled, and then continued on his way down the hallway; "If you want to play, your two little buddies are in there…" he nodded for the kitchen and started walking away. "Get them to play with you; it might keep them out of whatever mischief they're planning."
Demyx stood up nervously rubbing his hands together, "But Axel and Roxas were…" he paused, thinking over his words, "but they were eaten…"
Xaldin stopped in his tracks, slowly turning and giving Demyx the ol' where-you-born-a-nutter-or-just-became-that-way-overnight look. "What are you…" he was startled suddenly by the death glare Demyx shot him, causing him to pause mid sentence, "…talking about?"
Demyx sighed; relieved that it didn't turn into the question he thought it would be. "Well…"
Meanwhile, Axel and Roxas had heard the discussion; a chuckle broke the silence in the room quickly followed by Axel's quiet voice, "Demyx thinks we were both eaten by his Sitar… heh, I was wondering what happened with him…"
Roxas nodded, "Axel, maybe we should let him know we're ok… I mean you know how he is. What if he has some sort of mental breakdown?"
"All in good time little buddy…" Axel paused looking back at the couch and then over at his little friend, "But first we have some business to attend to… before anyone else shows up… while there are no witnesses." The wicked little smirk returned as he tip-toed quietly to the back of the couch, Roxas right behind him, a horrified expression on his face.
Roxas grabbed him by the sleeve, shaking his head, trying to tell Axel to let this one go. But it was useless. No matter how many times Roxas tried, he knew that things would always end up going the way that Axel wanted them to. So when the younger Nobody was met with the usual mischievous smirk he just sighed giving up with out too much of a fight. He may as well have fun with it instead.
They crept up on the couch, peeking over the back down on the sleeping form of Zexion. His silvery grey-blue hair had fallen back near his ears, revealing more of his 'angelic' peaceful face than either of the other two had ever seen before.
"awww… isn't he cute… sleeping so innocently… you wouldn't think he'd be the type to have blackmail dirt on every one in this Organization would you…" Axel leaned to the side, barely even whispering the words to his friend.
Roxas glanced over at Axel, the fear of the mighty Schemer brand vengeance being pushed to the back of his young mind as he locked eyes with the taller Nobody. Once he had Axel's attention, Roxas then looked down at the whipped cream in his hands, silently suggesting the ol' whip cream smear prank. Axel shook his head 'no' and then pulled the mighty Sharpie Pen of Doom out of his pocket with a quick wink. The classic whip cream prank would result in the victim waking from their once peaceful sleep, catching the pranksters right away. This wouldn't exactly be the best thing to do with a man like Zexion who had the powers of Emo and Illusions on his side.
Roxas smirked, but then it faded as he pointed at the pen and tapped his nose. It was true, Sharpies do have a distinct smell… and Zexion was very keen on scents. It would probably be enough to wake him from his sweet slumber.
Axel eyed the pen, and nodded as he pulled Roxas closer, "quickly, then we run…" he whispered into his friend's ear.
Axel uncapped the pen and then quickly scrawled something across Zexion's perfect face. Handing the pen quickly to Roxas, who also scribbled something before they both jumped up and bolted for the door.
Zexion's nose winkled, as a faint strangled moan escaped his lips. For a moment he felt a presence, some sort of Disturbance in the Force, but the terrible smell of flour and ink quickly faded. He turned in his half asleep state and then started to drift back off into his own dreams.
Axel and Roxas slid to a stop in the middle of the hallway, looking forward down the hall at a familiar face standing just a few feet in front of them. His sea green eyes widened in shock at what he was seeing before him, his bottom lip trembled slightly making it seem like he was about to break out into tears.
Axel smiled, raising a hand in a greeting gesture, "Yo! Demyx!"
Demyx let out a strangled scream and turned to bolt away, the only thing that stopped him in his escape was the door that flung open to his left, slamming right into his face and sending him sprawling backwards across the floor.
Luxord peeked around the edge of the door, "Good grief, Man… You shouldn't scream like that, I thought someone was dying out here!" he glanced up at Axel and Roxas, "Oh, you guys got nailed by the bag of flour too? Well the bathroom's free, have at it." He waived as he left.
Axel was laughing hysterically now; he didn't even stop when Roxas slapped him in the stomach with the back of his hand as he walked past to check on Demyx.
"Demyx?" Roxas called as he crouched down next to the fallen Musician, "Demyx, are you ok?"
"Aw, he'll live…" Axel groaned as he joined his friend, yet there was the slightest hint of concern that flashed across his face.
"Why did he freak out like that?" Roxas glanced over his shoulder at Axel.
Axel rubbed his chin for a second and then without warning slapped Roxas up along the backside of his head, sending a cloud of white flour floating down on Demyx. "That's why! He thinks we're dead... and the flour makes us look all pasty and ghost-like"
"WELL YOU DON'T HAVE TO HIT ME TO MAKE THE POINT!!!" Roxas yelled as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Aw, suck it up, ya big baby." Axel chuckled.
"This isn't very funny anymore, Axel! I mean look at him!" Roxas motioned towards Demyx who was still out cold and looked like he'd just run a marathon, and then been attacked by a pack of Rabid heartless after doing a few rounds against Sephiroth.
"How's that my fault, he's a clutz... He probably ran into a couple doors." Axel pouted and looked away; inwardly he was trying to reason things out so that he wouldn't feel quite so guilty about the whole thing. He finally let out an irritated grunt, shooting a glare at Roxas out of the corner of his eye. "What are you, my conscience now?"
Satisfied that he had finally pricked Axel's guilty mind, Roxas turned back and gently tapped the unconscious musician on the cheek, calling his name. Soon, Demyx leaned up on one arm and rubbed his head with his other hand, "ouchies… my head hurts…" He looked up at Roxas and Axel who were looking back at him with concern.
"Demyx, are you ok?" Roxas asked, inching closer again.
"Well that's what happens when you slam your face into a door, Stupid." Axel snorted at Demyx.
Demyx stared at them both, his eyes wide with horror at what he was seeing. It was in fact Axel and Roxas sitting there in front of him… white… as… sheets. He let out a terrified squeal and scuttled backwards until he was pressed flat against the wall, "MY SITAR DID EAT YOU BOTH!!! PLEASE DON'T HAUNT ME!!! I'M SORRY, I COULDN'T STOP IT!!! I'M SORRY!!!"
Axel and Roxas sat dumbfounded for a moment before Axel broke out into an evil fit of laughter, "CORRECT!!! Your carelessness led to this grizzly end for us…" he shifted letting his head fall on Roxas' shoulder, hiding his face as he began to sob over his 'lost life'.
Roxas sat for a moment, a dull glazed look in his eyes, "Get away from me…"
Axel suddenly straitened up, a new determination burning in his eyes as he suddenly leaned close to Demyx, "But… We're here to warn you that your sitar is out for your Soul as well, Mwah ha ha…. Got that Memorized?"
"ALL RIGHT!!! JUST PLEASE… DON'T HAUNT ME…." Demyx curled up and began to sniffle.
A loud sound echoed from the kitchen, it almost sounded like something hitting the floor and then the scuffling sound of heavy boots upon marble. A gentle yet irritated voice echoed from room a few feet away, "What in the name of Daniel Boone's sweat stained gym socks is GOING ON out there!!!"
Axel jumped to his feet, grabbing Roxas by the sleeve and yanked him back as they disappeared into a dark portal leaving Demyx curled up into a ball, hands over his eyes and chanting something about happy places.
"Can't a guy get ANY sleep around here?!" Zexion stepped out into the hallway; the only thing there was Demyx panicking in the fetal position. His irritation at being woken up yet again faded a little as he kneeled down and started to pull Demyx's hands away from his face, "Demyx, are you ok? What happened?"
Demyx let out another squeal of fright when he felt Zexion's hands on his wrist, "LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" He peeked between his fingers for just a second before scrunching his eyes tight, but then his mind suddenly registered that it wasn't Axel and Roxas before him now. "Zezzy? ZEZZY, IT'S YOU!!!" He launched himself at Zexion, nearly strangling him.
Zexion choked and struggled to free himself from Demyx's death grip around his neck as the musician cried about some really odd gibberish involving Saix, Marluxia, Larxene, Axel, and Roxas all being killed by his Sitar. "Demyx, leggo.. Demyx…" Zexion gasped.
Demyx suddenly released his captive, "Sorry… it's just… I had to make sure you were real! Everyone keeps dieing on me… or they won't believe me... And Xaldin laughed at me!" Demyx paused as he recalled the most recent let down.
Xaldin stood before him in the hallway, arms folded behind his back and his jaw set as he listened to the Story Demyx was relaying. There had been a long pause after the smaller Nobody had finished, he stood there waiting for the larger and stronger looking Nobody to say something or make some kind of acknowledgement that he had even heard what had been said. That's when the usually pensive Whirlwind Lancer burst into a fit of uncontrollable booming laughter. He turned, still snickering and walked away leaving Demyx alone and hopeless.
Demyx shook his head, trying to rid himself of the images that invaded his mind, "You have to help me Zexy!!"
Zexion scratched the back of his head, still confused, "Um…What exactly happened, Demyx? I don't..."
"My Sitar ate Axel and Roxas and now their dead and trying to haunt me I think… and Saix didn't believe me… he kept trying to tell me my sitar wasn't eating people, but he was going to help me anyway. Only we had to help Larxene and Marluxia first and now all three of them are dead… there's blood all over the upstairs hallway and the only thing left was Larxy's towel… and something happened to the Superior… I think my Sitar might have wounded him…" he sniffled.
Zexion blinked, "What do you mean everyone keeps dieing on you? Their Scent is still strong… So what's going on?" his voice was calm but still confused sounding.
Demyx was staring at Zexion, a strange sort of befuddled look on his face as he listened. Zexion fidgeted under the unnerving gaze, "What?"
"What… happened to your face?" Demyx pondered aloud as Zexion reached up and touched his cheek, suddenly remembering that scent he thought he had dreamed.
The Cloaked Schemer jumped to his feet ducking into the bathroom and pulling the door shut with a loud slam behind him. Demyx stood up while nervously rubbing his hands together as he glanced behind him; he felt as though something terrible was about to happen. He looked down at his hands, finally taking notice of the odd white powder that was all over them and down his chest. He ran a finger over his coat, inspecting the substance, temporarily forgetting his plight and Zexion's face. Yet this moment of forgetfulness was all too brief.
Despite the disturbances in these early morning hours, the Castle had been relatively peaceful, that is… until this moment. Suddenly an ear-shattering scream echoed through every hallway, rang in every ear, and shattered even more windows. The entire Castle seemed to shake from its very core as the Illusionist's voice echoed throughout.
Meanwhile, upstairs, Saix stumbled as the castle shook; leaning against the wall with one hand to steady himself during the tremor. Larxene and Marluxia fell against each other and used each other as support in order to keep from falling to the floor.
"What was that?" Larxene looked around, bewildered by the display of power.
"Surely he wouldn't have…" Marluxia gasped.
The wall nearest them split, a crack running up the surface about halfway before stopping in a jagged point as the terribly horrifying scream died. Saix straitened up, looking back at the other two. "Zexion has dirt on nearly everyone in the Organization… Including Xemnas… So of course he would be a likely hit." He continued down the hallway, to resume his search for Demyx, "but I never would have imagined that someone would be that stupid." He whispered.
End of Chapter 8: The Haunting
… I'm nearly too scared to even make an end of chapter author summary comment thingy… Dear, dear Axel… you have wrangled your little friend into doing the unthinkable against someone like… Zexion… oh his face… his beautiful face… What will happen? I fear that perhaps Organization 13 will soon be Organization 11 in the distant future…
