Med Time.
Working at the psych ward wasn't as bad as Roxas thought it was going to be; it had been nearly a week since he first came here and he was actually enjoying his time with his new friends. Granted, Larxene and Axel still kind of scared him but there was nothing he could do about that since it was just a part of their personalities, and Demyx was fun to be around with since they both shared a love for music. Roxas even asked him what it was like to be able to 'see' the things he could hear.
"So what does music look like to you?" The younger blond asked curiously, leaning over Kaori so he could listen to his friend properly.
"It depends on what kind of music I'm hearing, really," Demyx answered honestly, "Every type of sound that I hear is attributed to a certain colour. For example - when I hear or play happy music I see orange. It's like a stream of ribbon moving around in the air, the kind that those dancers wave around on stage or something. If I hear angry music or angry noises like someone yelling I see jagged lines, like the kinds you'd see on those heart monitor things except that they're red instead of green."
"Why the hell didn't you tell Axel or I any of this?" Larxene demanded, and the blond flinched.
"Well, you never asked."
"Whatever." The only female rolled her green eyes and returned to scribbling shapelessly on her piece of paper with a red crayon.
There was a click of the door opening, and a nurse walked in. "Roxas Takashi?" She was holding a tray of tiny paper cups, the kinds that hold the ketchup at fast food restaurants.
"Ooh, it's med time." The youngest blond heard Axel chuckle as he rose from his seat.
Roxas approached the nurse and raised an eyebrow when she handed him the tray. "It's your responsibility to hand your patients their medication," She explained curtly, "I'll be coming here with this same tray every three days, and you'll be distributing them according to the labels on these cups." She gestured over to her arm, where a plastic bag full of water bottles was hanging. "Make sure they drink so that the pills go all the way down, and when they're finished tell them to open their mouths so you know they actually swallowed them."
"Uh, alright. Thanks." He spun around and returned to his friends, who were chuckling at him. "Er, d'you mind helping the fresh meat out?"
"No problemo," Larxene swiped at a random cup; Roxas squinted at the name scrawled on it and sighed in relief when he read her name, "This is mine." She plucked out a few tiny capsules and popped it into her mouth. She grabbed one of the water bottles from the plastic bag and downed half of it in one gulp, smacking her lips when she was finished. "This prevents me from breaking out into a gruesome yet very creative killing spree." She smiled sweetly, and he gulped. "Oh yeah." She opened her mouth and raised her tongue; the pills were gone.
"My turn, my turn!" Axel laughed and reached for his own cup, downing the pills and the other half of Larxene's water bottle. When he showed Roxas that he really did swallow his medication he turned towards the musician. "Your turn, Dem."
He didn't look as enthused. "I hate taking these."
Roxas' brow furrowed. "Why?"
"Well," Demyx frowned, resting his elbow on the sofa's armrest and leaning into his palm, "I actually like seeing things. I get to see the world from a different, maybe even better perspective than everyone else. It's not everyday people get to see sounds, y'know?" He then added in a smaller voice, "And it's not like I'm doing anything to hurt anyone."
"Aw," Larxene threw an arm around the musician's shoulders and pressed her cheek against his, "You think you're not as sick as everyone else. How admirable." She laughed when he glared at her and pushed her away. "Just thinking out loud, Demi."
"Look," Roxas picked up Demyx's cup and stashed the pills away in his pocket, much to his friends' surprise, "I'm not gonna make you take it if you don't want to."
"Wait, what?" Demyx gaped at him; Larxene and Axel's expressions were not very different.
The youngest blond shrugged as he proceeded to force Kaori into taking her own medication. "You've made a good point. I mean, you're not hurting anybody with the things you see; in fact you're fascinating people - me for example. What's the point in trying to cure yourself when you're fine with the way you are?"
Axel chuckled and ruffled the blond's hair. "I knew I'd like you."
Ten minutes later Roxas had managed to give all of the patients their medication; none of them proved to be any sort of hassle since they were all quite lifeless to begin with, so all he had to do was just pop the little pills into their mouths and pour some water in.
"Huh, that wasn't so bad." He shrugged as he stared down at his tray; an eyebrow quirked upwards when he realized that there was one cup left. "Wait, did I miss someone?"
"Hm," Larxene picked up the tiny cup and squinted at the name scrawled on its side; her face fell and her eyes dulled, "Oh - I almost forgot about her."
Axel snatched it from her hands and Demyx leaned over his shoulder to read the name. "I never knew she was in our room."
"That's because she's never sane enough to be kept with the rest of us." The pyromaniac smirked, and Demyx 'ah-ed' in understanding.
"But wait - if she's not around why does Roxas have her meds?"
The youngest blond set the tray on the table and grabbed the cup back; he noticed that there were a lot of pills inside, way more than the others. This wasn't a good sign. "Who are you guys talking about?" He asked slowly, warily; did he have a deranged serial killer assigned to his lounge?
Right on cue the door swung open and two nurses walked in holding a girl by the arms like they were guiding her. Roxas' head tilted to the side; the girl was very small and thin, and unlike the other patients she was wearing a white dress with a skirt that ended just above her knees. She also wasn't wearing any shoes.
Huh, she doesn't look like a deranged serial killer - but then again in most horror movies the innocent-looking girl was always the culprit...
"Her," Axel jerked his thumb over to the girl; the nurses were gently easing her into a seat by the farthest table, "She's what we call a special case."
"Special case…?" Roxas murmured as his eyes narrowed over the strange girl; her flaxen hair was flipped over her right shoulder and her wispy bangs fell over her large, half-open blue eyes. Her skin was sickly pale, like she had never been under the sun in her entire life. Her petite face was void of all emotion as the nurses stuck a crayon in her hand and pushed a blank piece of paper in front of her. Roxas glanced at the cup and read the name written on it. "Nami...né?"
"Maybe you have her profile." Demyx suggested, pointing towards the boy's jacket.
"Why can't you guys just tell me what's wrong with her?"
"We're crazy, remember? You can't believe everything we say." Larxene simpered, and the other two laughed alongside her. Roxas rolled his eyes and pulled out his profiles, shuffling through them for a few minutes and frowning when he couldn't find what he was looking for.
"Weird - I don't have it," He gestured to the cup in his hand, "But I do have her pills."
"Hm, maybe you can talk to Ansem about it afterward," Axel lightly pushed the younger boy forward, "Now go and do your job, Mister Volunteer."
"Er, will she talk back to me?" Roxas eyed the blonde girl skeptically; she was staring into space with her crayon in her hand, but the page in front of her was still blank.
"See for yourself." He heard the smirk in Larxene's voice, and he sighed. He slowly stepped towards the girl, his heartbeat thudding spasmodically in his ears with every closer step. When he was close enough he pulled out the chair next to her and sat down.
"Erm, hello," Roxas greeted timidly; he inwardly cursed himself when Naminé continued to stare idly into space, "I don't think I've ever seen you before. I'm Roxas, the new volunteer." He could hear Larxene, Demyx and Axel snickering in the near distance and he suppressed the urge to turn around and give them a rude hand gesture. "I'm here to give you your medication, by the way." He pushed the small paper cup towards her hand and pulled out a water bottle from the plastic bag.
"You're gonna have to force it in, Roxas," Larxene approached him and leaned against the table with her arms crossed over her chest, "The little witch never really talks to anybody," She spun around, leaned in and traced the younger girl's jawline with an index finger, and though she was so close Naminé continued to stare straight ahead as if nothing was going on, "Don't you, little witch? No one here's good enough for you, right?" The older blonde leaned back and smirked. "Thought so."
Roxas didn't like the way Larxene was acting around the strange young girl but he chose not to say anything about it since Axel and Demyx didn't. He pursed his lips as he raised the cup and brought it towards Naminé's mouth. "Naminé," He called as he slowly reached for her chin, "You have to take-"
He stopped when he felt a cold hand on his wrist. Naminé was staring back at him with the same half-open-eyed, expressionless stare. "I can do it," Her voice was very quiet and somewhat indignant as she gently pried the cup away from his grasp. Even Larxene was surprised when the small girl popped the pills into her mouth and drank her water. She pushed the cup back and gave Roxas the tiniest of smiles.
A strange tingling made itself present in the pit of his stomach when he saw her smile, and a hot blush crept onto his face. "Oh, well that's good," He chuckled nervously, "Less work for me."
"You're kidding me," Larxene laughed sinisterly, throwing up her hands, "What makes him so special? When the fuck was the last time I heard you talk? Two months ago?"
"Larxene," Axel had approached them and placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder, but she shrugged him off, "Cut it out, will you?"
"Shut up and let me finish." The sadist moved forward to grab Naminé's chin with her thumb and forefinger; the younger blonde's eyes widened in fear and she tried to wriggle away from her grasp, but the older girl was much too strong. Roxas, Demyx and Axel even tried to help but Larxene only kicked them away. "Just 'cause you're the most fucked in the head around here doesn't mean you get all the special attention," She sneered and the younger girl cowered childishly, "They shoulda just left you where they found you."
"That's enough, Larxene." Axel finally pulled her away from the poor, trembling girl, shaking his head. "God, why can't you hold your fucking tongue?"
"Don't touch me." The blonde glowered before stomping out of the room. Axel gave Roxas an apologetic look before dashing out to follow her.
Naminé had drastically changed moods: she went from stony and emotionless to cowardly and defenseless. She grabbed Roxas' arm and buried her face in it, whimpering like a terrified animal. Roxas frowned and awkwardly wound his arms around her middle, trying his best to comfort her. "Er, don't listen to her," He frowned as he wracked his brains for something to say, "She doesn't mean it, really - it's just the way she is." He turned towards Demyx. "What the hell was that all about, and why did she keep calling Naminé a witch?"
The musician frowned at the sobbing girl, rubbing the back of his head. "Larxene has a fondness for tormenting other people - people that are incapable of fighting back, more specifically. I think she's secretly envious of the patients who get more attention from the staff so she picks on them to make them feel small: she calls them names, puts them down, y'know - typical bully stuff, just ten times worse since she's sadistic and all." He sighed and sat down on the chair next to Roxas. "Naminé's very sensitive to the things people say, even when she doesn't show much of a reaction. It's hard when Larxene's around 'cause she always bullies her; Axel always tries to fend her off but it's really hard to fight against someone like Larxene - even I'm scared of her sometimes."
Roxas gave his friend a sad smile. "I can't blame you - when I saw her for the first time I thought she was gonna murder me right then and there." He noticed that Naminé's crying had ceased somewhat, and he glanced downwards. "Are you feeling better, Naminé?"
She hesitantly pulled away from him, sniffling and rubbing her eyes with her knuckles. She nodded and swiveled around in her chair, returning to her crayon and piece of paper like nothing happened. Roxas raised a blond eyebrow, and when he heard Demyx chuckle he turned around in his seat to face him. "Is it normal of her to do that?"
"Sort of, yeah - except for the whole hugging part. She doesn't really like being touched, so when she grabbed you like that it was kinda surprising." The musician shrugged and gave the blond a smile. "I think she trusts you, Roxas."
"Really?" He ruffled his hair as another blush reddened his cheeks, "But I've only met her today."
"Well, it's gotta be something," Demyx shrugged again, "She's never done that to any volunteer or doctor before - not even Ansem can get her to speak when he wants her to, and you got her to say a full sentence!"
"But I never asked her to talk," Roxas frowned, "She spoke on her own." He eyed the clock on the wall and noticed that his time was nearly up. "Ugh, I better get going - I don't want to miss dinner again."
"Alright," Demyx scratched the side of his head, "I'll see you tomorrow, Roxas."
"Bye." He shoved his hands in his pockets and began to make his way out of the room, but then a soft, nearly inaudible voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Bye, Roxas." He whirled around and gaped at the small blonde girl waving in his direction, and he flushed and waved back wordlessly. He heard Demyx chuckle before closing the door behind him.
"Hey, Zexion?" Roxas addressed the young intern when he approached the front desk five minutes later; when the grey-haired boy looked upwards he continued, "Do you think I can have a quick word with Ansem for a few minutes? I have something to ask him."
"I'm afraid you can't at the moment," The intern frowned, "He's busy with some research, but I think you can come in tomorrow when you're finished your volunteering for the day."
Roxas felt a little disappointed that he couldn't find out more about this Naminé girl now, but at least he had the opportunity tomorrow. "Alright, that's fine then. I'll see you tomorrow, Zexion."
"I'll tell Ansem to expect you. Have a good day."
Naminé plagued the blond boy's thoughts the entire drive home; for some reason he really wanted to know more about her and what her condition was. He had a feeling Demyx and the others knew, but why weren't they telling him anything?
"Oh, you're home," His mother greeted him warmly when he arrived home, "Dinner's waiting for you so you head into the kitchen. Wash your hands first."
"Where're Sora and Xion?" The blond asked as he turned the tap on and reached for the soap.
His mother paused for a minute, as if she had to remember where her other two children were. "Upstairs - unlike your food they couldn't wait for you."
Roxas chuckled as he dried his hands off with the dishtowel. "Of course." He moved to sit at the table and his mother sat across from him, and they ate in silence for a few minutes.
"So how's the volunteering coming along?" His mother asked suddenly.
"Oh-" The blond smiled to himself as he reached for his glass of water, "-it's actually not that bad. The patients that I'm working with are, er, interesting."
"I hope you mean that in a good way." She chuckled, and her son chuckled alongside her.
"I do - they're nice to talk to and everything," He shrugged, "And they really help the time pass faster." After taking the last bite of his dinner he stretched his arms and clamped a hand over his mouth to stifle a yawn. "Man, for some reason I'm always exhausted after volunteering."
"Really? I hear you move around a lot at night." His mother commented suspiciously, and he raised an eyebrow at her words.
"Huh, odd. Maybe I just move around a lot when I sleep." He rose from his chair and placed his dishes in the sink. "Anyway, I'm gonna take a short nap before doing my homework. Later, Mom." He dashed up the stairs and sighed in relief when he finally arrived in his room. He collapsed on his bed like he always did, but the second he came in contact with the mattress he heard a dull thud and a slight cracking noise. Raising an eyebrow, Roxas turned around to see what had fallen down, and he groaned when he eyed the broken picture frame on the floor.
It was an old picture of him, his brother and half-sister enjoying a day at the beach. They were around ten years old at the time; Roxas was giving his brother bunny ears while the brunet was grinning like nothing was going on, and Xion had her two fingers up in the victory sign. The blond had no idea why he had this picture when he most likely had tons of other, more recent ones lying around somewhere; he shrugged and pulled the photo out of the cracked picture frame and placed it on his desk before cleaning up.
Yawning again, he sat on the edge of his bed and rumpled his hair; sleepiness was pressing down on his eyelids and he felt like he was going to pass out any minute. This was odd; he never felt this tired ever since a few years ago when his mother forced him and his siblings to go to some weird summer camp. Shrugging it off, Roxas stripped down to his boxers and pulled the sheets up to his shoulders before blacking out for the night.