Oh my GOD. D
This chapter was hell for me. It went through several rewrites, quite a bit of cutting, and a whole lot of tweaking. Still, I'm not entirely happy with it. I think I'm cramming to many important things in at once, while making them seem unimportant. Also, it's a HOOGE chapter. I couldn't find a good place to cut it into parts.
Although I want to give each member a good dose of the spotlight and show Saix's opinion of every one of them, it's proving to be quite difficult. I'm also liking how Xigbar is turning out. If anyone has read my FFVII work, they'd see a similarity between how I characterize him and how I characterize Reno.
I'm a sucker for laid-back slackers, I guess.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy. Feedback, please? A huge thanks to those who have submitted reviews. D
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters.
"I honestly hope this is less agonizing than before." Was the only form of greeting that Saix received when he entered the room. Frankly, it was more than he had been expecting. He watched the blonde Nobody peel off his black gloves and replace them with sterile latex ones. The first member of the Organization that he had met, the 'doctor', had later been reintroduced to him as Vexen. Apparently he was a scientist of sorts. Still, Saix was undecided of whether he liked this man or not.
"That makes both of us." VII commented in return, before his eyes wandered to a dark shape that hovered in his peripheral vision. It was another male lying on a table, obviously asleep. He was already wearing the appropriate black robes. "A new member?"
"He was brought in a couple hours ago." Vexen replied, setting a tray of instruments on the second, bare table. "I patched up a couple of cuts and he got dressed, but he was too tired and needed to recuperate before carrying on to meet the Superior." Saix nodded as he looked at the newborn Nobody. His golden hair was cut short, and he donned a finely trimmed goatee. Multiple silver hoops through his ears did not go unnoticed, either. He looked so peaceful, so unaware of what lay ahead.
He was not the first to arrive since Saix's initiation, either. Just two weeks ago a young man with bright red hair was taken into the ranks as number VIII. He was an eccentric fellow, who was very thrilled with his new power over fire. Saix had yet to meet the newly dubbed IX, who was apparently a musician with an affinity with water. All the members had a power over an element of some kind, yet Saix still had not discovered his own. Looking at the sleeping newcomer, he wondered what grand power he would end up having.
Vexen motioned impatiently for Saix to approach and sit on the table. Without a word, he complied. The scientist first observed the mostly healed X-shaped scar on the younger Nobody's face, then dabbed at it with a cloth soaked with alcohol. This stung a little, but Saix was unmoving. Over the recent weeks he had begin to develop a stoic nature; pain and insults were rarely dignified with a proper response. His expressions were minimal, and he had taken a firm hold of his previously savage mood swings. Of course, this was a growing mask that hid whatever was stirred up within.
"The stitches look ready to come out. Will freezing be necessary so you don't thrash about like before?" It went without saying that Vexen had held on to his first impressions of Saix. The blue-haired one shook his head and watched as the other picked up a pair of tiny medical scissors.
"No. Carry on." was all he said. Despite the scientist's prediction, VII did not move at all as he carefully snipped away the fine knots of the stitching. With expertly steady hands, he unlaced his work. There was no change in Saix's expression; he only gritted his teeth lightly when the surgical thread pulled through with some resistance. He simply closed his eyes and waited for the procedure to be over. After several minutes, Vexen straightened up, several strands of bloodstained thread having been placed beside the tray of instruments. Another series of dabs with the alcohol-saturated cloth was given, which was slightly less gentle on the tender skin than before.
"All done. Thank you, VII." Vexen stated monotonously before stepping away to remove the gloves and wash his hands. "Be careful with it for the next two weeks. After that, it will be a just scar and a bad memory."
Thanking the other quietly, Saix slid to his feet and went to exit the lab. Like he had been taught, he created a portal in the air several feet to the right and stepped towards it. Vexen's voice caught his attention before he set foot in the darkness.
"I almost forgot. Xigbar was looking for you, VII. It did not seem urgent, but I thought you should know."
With nothing else than a nod, Saix left the lab. He would not seek out Xigbar quite yet; the stealthy Freeshooter would track him down if he had something important to say. Instead, he stepped through the darkness with little hastiness only to step out through a second portal right outside the kitchen. His aim was still slightly off; he had aimed to end up in the room itself. Just inside, he could hear a strange series of instrumental sounds that made a soft melody.
When he first arrived to the castle and joined the Organization, Saix had been surprised to learn that there actually was a kitchen, with working appliances and food stocked in the pantry. Nobodies did not require a lot of nourishment to survive, yet almost every member ate at least on meal a day. The members rarely ate together from what VII could see, and when they did it was only a couple of people at the table at one time. Despite being a large kitchen and dining area, the room was minimal; only furnished with the necessities and having little colour.
Two other members were already in the room when Saix entered. The first he noticed was an unfamiliar, young looking Nobody with light brown hair. Said hair was styled in a peculiar fashion; spiked at the top and long at the back. He was seated cross-legged on the white counter and plucking at a blue
string instrument not unlike a guitar. Saix easily assumed that this was the musician that had recently been brought into the ranks. The music came to a stop when Saix was spotted.
"Hey there." The greeting was rather chipper, and it took Saix by surprise. The musician broke into a wide grin, but he could tell it was a slightly nervous one. Seated at the table was Zexion, the second member that Saix had met. He was reading a book of some sort and had a cup of coffee protectively close by. From what could be seen of his expression through the flipped-over locks of hair, the quiet young man was not very impressed. By now Saix knew that VI revered the concept of peace and quiet, so undoubtedly the music had grated on his nerves.
With a nod of his head towards the more enthusiastic of the kitchen's current inhabitants, Saix stepped over to the pantry wordlessly. Even as his eyes searched the shelves for something worth cooking he could tell he was being stared at. Apparently he was either interesting, or the young one was looking to start talking. Undoubtedly Zexion was an inadequate conversation partner.
"My name's Demyx. Number IX." Even without looking, Saix could tell that the youngster was beaming. "What about you?" Temporarily abandoning his quest for food, the scarred one turned his head to face Demyx.
"Saix." He stated plainly. Apparently this was not good enough, because the musician huffed and set down his instrument with an air of frustration.
"Is everyone here so dull?"
"Careful with your words." Saix replied, keeping his tone level. Despite that, he felt like he had to agree. All of the members kept to themselves and kept conversation to a minimal. Xigbar was an exception, although he seemed to get a kick out of making a nuisance of himself. Demyx cast him a somewhat hurt look when given the warning. Apparently he had not yet grasped the fact that he had no heart. Perhaps in attempts to avoid the expression, Saix turned back to the cupboard and resumed his search. Not one thing looked worth the effort needed to prepare it. A glass of water would have to do. There was a long silence, possibly much to VI's delight, but eventually the new recruit piped up again.
"Where'd you get those scars, Saix?" Perhaps following his superior's words of caution, Demyx spoke carefully and at least attempted to ask in a respectful manner. After retrieving a glass from another cupboard, Saix looked at the boy with a somewhat dangerous look. It was not so much that he took offense to the inquiry, but rather that he barely knew, himself. Zexion intervened without even lifting his eyes from the pages of his book.
"Don't delve into a Nobody's business, IX." He spoke in complete monotone. "And get off the counter."
"You're such a killjoy, Zex." Demyx said with a half-pout and resounding huff. Luckily Saix was facing the sink and not them, or else either Nobody might have caught him cracking a smile. The newbie was brave, that much was obvious.
"Zexion." was the response, spoken only just loud enough to be heard over Saix filling his glass with water from the tap. His tone was laced with annoyance. The musician only laughed. Saix had a guess that this boy was desperate to put on the facade that he actually had feelings. He could only wonder what Xemnas would have to say about it. However, as unhealthy as it was, at least he was not brooding or moody. Suddenly, Demyx emitted a loud yelp. It made Saix whirl around, and unfortunate Zexion to almost choke on the coffee he was sipping with such poor timing.
Standing on the ceiling in all the glory of possessing powers to invert his personal gravity, Xigbar grinned at IX. The youngest Nobody had vaulted himself off the counter and was now practically wedging himself behind Saix. Zexion gave an exasperated sigh.
"Xigbar, I don't think the Superior would like you scaring the new recruits like that." As he spoke, he calmly closed his book and looked up at II. The one on the ceiling chuckled, still watching Demyx with his single eye.
"Skittish little dude, isn't he?" He asked while Saix shifted away, leaving the scared young man without a meat shield. Demyx watched in a mixture of amazement and terror as Xigbar jumped down and landed on the floor. He grabbed the scared boy around the shoulders and ruffled his strange hair. "The kid's got a mullet and a mohawk! That's so awesome." He exclaimed over Demyx's whining. The musician looked rather distraught that his complicated hairdo had been nearly ruined. Saix watched while leaning a little against the counter, hiding a smirk behind his glass. If he had a heart, he might have felt sorry for the young one.
"Please, II." It seemed that Zexion was not finding the humour in this. Xigbar snorted as he let Demyx go.
"A bit grumpy today, Zexy?" He asked, the nickname spoken with a smug and teasing tone. Demyx, despite mourning the brave sacrifice made by his hair, laughed.
"Hah! Zexy!"
The thwarted Nobody simply gave a small scowl and opened his book again to resume reading. Demyx failed to hold back a snicker, and Xigbar nudged the musician with a grin. It seemed the Freeshooter had just found himself a partner in crime. Then without much warning, he suddenly turned to Saix, the silent spectator of all that had just occurred. "You!" An index finger was loosely jabbed in the quiet one's direction. "I've been looking for you."
"What for?" Saix asked, unmoving from his spot. A slight tilt of his head was the only ounce of interest that he showed. Xigbar snorted again.
"Don't jump for joy, now." He then allowed his regular grin to return. "Me and Xaldin'd like to have a word with you. Pretty important, so could you put your wild social life on hold for a couple minutes?" Behind him, Demyx was visibly holding back a laugh.
Allowing himself to smile thinly, Saix put his glass on the counter. "Are you always so fluent in sarcasm when in a good mood?" he asked, purely unruffled by the comments. Xigbar laughed curtly and formed a portal a few feet to Saix's right.
"Catch you later, kid." He said to Demyx in quick parting, giving the boy's hair one last assault with his palm. The musician smiled widely and waved with one hand while retreating back to the counter and his instrument. With that, II and VII exited the kitchen, leaving unfortunate Zexion with the excitable newbie.
Saix was taken to a central part of the castle, one that he had passed through often. It was, structurally, a series of white metal stairways and platforms that led in many different directions. Its formal name was Twilight's View. With their ability to move about using the darkness, the Nobodies rarely ever used it as a passageway. Like a large part of the castle, it was a place for private meetings for quiet contemplation. Several times Saix had retreated to the solitude of this particular place, when he grew tired of the walls of his own chambers. In the middle of the larger platform, Xaldin waited for their arrival. Even with the three of them, the place hung in an emptiness and stillness that would make anyone with a heart feel uncomfortable.
"Was he that hard to find, Xigbar?" Apparently the larger of the two was unimpressed with being made to wait.
"Chill, dude." The gunman said while waving a hand as if to dismiss Xaldin's annoyed attitude. "He's here now." He put his other hand on Saix's shoulder blade and pushed him along lightly and out of the portal.
"And what is it you require my presence for?" Saix asked while lightly shifting his shoulder away. He found himself standing before Xaldin, who silently motioned for him to hold out his hand. Reluctantly, the younger Nobody obeyed. His hand hovered there, palm down, for a moment. Just when Saix wished to ask what this was about, a bright flash of blue light flooded their vision. It was momentarily blinding, but Saix was perfectly still. When it faded, a large sword or club-like weapon hung in the air, its handle resting firmly in Saix's new grip. The weapon was silver and blue, with some accents of gold. The end was tipped with a large circular formation of spikes.
Xigbar gave a low whistle. "That'll do some damage." Saix tested the weight of the claymore carefully; it was light enough, yet heavy enough to, indeed, inflict some casualty. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the gunman grin and lean forward a little. "Like it? Xemnas insisted on making sure it suited you perfectly."
"Did he?" the blue-haired one asked with a tint of amusement while setting the spiked tip on the ground. "I'm honoured." Not even he knew whether such a statement was sarcastic or sincere.
"You can enhance its strength, just as do with your own." Xaldin added, forever straight to the point. He stood with arms crossed, giving Saix that same intimidating look as he did the very first day they had
met. Luckily it did not have the same effect as it used to. "It took a while, but the Superior believes you have proper control of your power, and decided that it is time you started using it."
"Power?" Saix was not entirely sure what III meant by this, but previous events were giving him a clear hint. "You mean the moon's influences." The statement was given a rather dry tone.
"We have seen you draw down the energy of the moon and use it to give you strength-"
"And just about go bat-shit crazy." Xigbar interrupted, earning himself two glares that might have killed a lesser Nobody. He simply crossed his arms as well and titled his head with a smirk. "Tell me I'm wrong."
Xaldin seemed content to ignore him and carry on. "Berserking is what happens when you take in the moons influences. You seem mindless, but you still fought with grace in training. You were lucky enough to learn to harness it. That is why the Superior finds you so valuable."
Saix was silent as he looked down at the wicked claymore in his grasp. Berserking. What an accurate term for it. He had hardly seen Xemnas since their somewhat violent confrontation, yet he knew that his every move had been watched up until this moment. If he had not grown, learned and changed to be the stoic and loyal being he was now, it was doubtless that he would have been disposed of.
"The Superior also insisted on picking your title, as well." Xigbar's words brought Saix back into reality, and he looked to the one-eyed Nobody with an expecting gaze. He was so late in receiving these vital pieces to his identity in nonexistence; Saix knew he was what one would call a late bloomer. Xigbar smirked again and gestured with one hand as he spoke.
"The Luna Diviner. I think it suits you quite nicely."
Diviner. Saix let out a short, quiet laugh and shook his head. He could think what he wanted about Xemnas, but he had some traces of a sense of humour. "I'd say it does, too."
"Now that formalities have been addressed, we can get going." Xaldin spoke with an air of impatience. At Saix's confused silence, the lance wielder glared at Xigbar (as seemed customary). "You didn't tell him about the mission, did you?"
The Freeshooter rolled his eye and sighed in a manner that was much too immature for his age. "Maybe I was getting to it. Get off my back, dude." How someone so laid-back was given such a high ranking was a complete mystery to Saix; Xaldin likely had a similar opinion.
"You're going to accompany Xigbar to another world, where we think the Heartless are going to be invading very soon. It will give you a chance to get some proper experience in battle, and II will see how you do controlling lesser Nobodies." Xaldin explained to VII once he was done scowling at the one-eyed Nobody. "You leave immediately."
Saix stared at the third in command for a moment, giving him a knowing look. "I can assume that we'll also be looking for an additional member?" Surely they were not chasing the shadowy pests around just to hunt them for sport. They would do what had been done several times before; stand on the sidelines and scout for a poor, stubborn soul who will fall victim to the Heartless.
But this was not graced with a response. An eruption of darkness burst between them, and Xigbar pulled up his hood before stepping through. Xaldin wished him luck rather dryly and vanished from sight. Left by himself for a moment, Saix breathed out a soft sigh and again looked over his new weapon. Luckily for him, he had no heart to dictate his conscience; otherwise he would feel horrible over what he was about to take part in. A subtle crawling of his skin kept him from falling too deep into thought. The Nobody looked up, far up, to a platform that hung high above. His senses were proven accurate as his yellow eyes set on a familiar face framed by well groomed silver hair.
The orange eyes staring down at him, although a good distance away, held none of the anger that they did the last time he saw them. Yet, they continued to appraise him, as always. The Luna Diviner stared back up for a moment at the one standing above him; every second of this meeting had been soaked in and evaluated. Wordlessly, he dismissed his claymore almost naturally without a single gesture, raised his hood, and then stepped into the darkness.
