Title: Mission Impossible
Author: Ladya C. Maxine
Rating: T
Summary: see chapter one
Warnings: see chapter one
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters. I am not making any money off of this. I write only to entertain.
A/N: a fair number of fanfics mock Xemnas (or, as they love to call him, Mansex); making him out to be a sort of screwball character when Xemnas is actually a serious and respectfully dangerous individual. And since it's the shenanigans of the others that will take center stage in this fic I'm writing him as a (no pun intended) straight character.
I usually stick to one point of view (POV), but in this story there can be multiple POV's per scene.
Xemnas was just putting the final touches on his latest chart when there came a knock on the door.
"Enter," he said, not needing to ask who it was.
Every one of his underlings had a different way of entering his office, mostly through extravagant or loud gestures. Seeing how this had been a simple two knocks, without any explosions or crashing waves of water (he'd have to remember to address Demyx on that habit), he knew it could only be Saix, and was proven right, as usual, when the Diviner stepped in and quietly closed the door behind him, taking care to be as least intrusive as possible.
"Such a good little second-in-command," Xigbar would joke to Xemnas whenever Saix was brought up in conversation. "He's more loyal to you than your shadow, and twice as silent."
With the loss of Vexen, Lexeaus and Zexion, Saix was now the 4th most senior operative in the Organization, but why everyone was so quick to assume that Saix to be the second-in-command wasn't clear. For sure, Saix was competent and loyal to the cause, but he had no interest in leading anything, not even missions with the others. Saix was a follower, not a leader.
"Status?" Xemnas asked, returning to his paperwork while Saix stood before his desk.
"We are all accounted for. Number II returned before me. He did not make it out of there unscathed, but I saw no serious injuries," Saix reported. "The others, however, seem to be getting restless. They were discussing something they obviously did not want me to hear, though I could detect nothing harmful to the Organization. I suspect it to be nothing more than a misdemeanour in the making."
In this, Xemnas trusted Saix's observation to be correct. The Diviner had proven himself more than capable of weeding out the unfaithful among their ranks: he had immediately singled out the traitorous Marluxia and Larxene the day they arrived, and had he not been warned Xemnas would have never known of the two audacious neophytes intent until it would have been too late to stop them from completely ruining his plans.
"Leave the rest for now," he said, holding out a hand. "Your report."
Saix handed him the papers he'd brought in. Abandoning his calculations, Xemnas flipped through the stack.
"I'll need the sector overview as well," he said.
A second file was placed in his waiting hands.
"Moving on," Xemnas said, closing both and pushing them to one side. He would have to get to them once he had the time. "The last report on Atlantica was insufficient; Demyx spent almost all of his time singing with the merpeople. Send someone back there because we need those statistics."
"If I may make a suggestion, Superior. IX knows Atlantica better than anyone else; it is only his bad habit of straying from his objective that needs curbing. Perhaps it would be best to send someone else along with him? III, for example, could easily keep IX's mind on the task."
"Very well," Xemnas said, distracted as he searched his cluttered desk, shifting through old charts and maps in search of the leather-bound book in which he kept record of every world excursion. "Heartless control status?"
Saix opened his own book and went down the list.
"Agrabah is teeming with Fat Bandits. My Berserkers can easily counter their bulk. Number II has dealt with our resident hive, with minimal injuries. The Underworld is showing unusually active Heartless activity. Seeing as IX won't be available, VIII could take his place, though perhaps we should wait a couple more weeks to see whether Hades handles the population down there himself."
Xemnas nodded along with what the Luna Diviner said, but was still looking for the book. He was just about to search his desk again when the elusive book was held out to him.
"It had fallen off your desk, sir," Saix said.
Instead of taking the book, Xemnas tossed the other a pen.
"Make note of the upcoming missions," he said. "And who does that leave?"
"II, X, XIII and myself."
Xemnas sat back in his tall chair and thought long and hard before a cruel smile graced his tan face.
"What is the one world Xigbar hates the most … ?" he wondered out loud, though he already knew the answer.
Saix blinked, then nodded.
"He'll be leaving for the 100 Acre Woods by the end of this week."
"For two weeks," Xemnas added. "Luxord is due back in Port Royal to continue searching for the Isla de Muerta. However, after that he must pay a visit to Deep Jungle. And I think Roxas is ready for his first solo mission. Send him somewhere safe, like Traverse Town; he can stock up on a few supplies."
" … And me, sir?" Saix asked.
"These," Xemnas nodded at a tall stack of papers, "need reviewing. I want them back on my desk by tomorrow."
Paperwork was the pet peeve of most of his subordinates, but Saix accepted the task without complaint and gathered the reports.
"Anything else, sir?" he asked, arms full.
"That will be all for now."
Xemnas didn't wait for the other to leave before returning to his own papers, but less than a couple of minutes later there came another knock, which he didn't recognize as Saix's, though he had a good enough idea who it could be.
"Enter."
The door creaked open and a blond head peeked in.
"Good evening, Superior."
Xemnas' immediate response was a glare. Not at Roxas, but at the suspicion that the reason why the boy would come to him was because he was in trouble, possibly sent by Xaldin or Luxord. Sitting back in his chair, Xemnas laced his fingers together and motioned with his head for the other to come in.
"Number XIII," he acknowledged loftily.
Roxas gulped. He was still shaken after almost running into Saix back down the hall. Having never encountered the Diviner outside the meeting room, he'd panicked, expecting the older Nobody to read him like a book and figure out their plans. But Saix had merely told him, in his creepily calm way, that the Superior was busy and that Roxas was to make the meeting a brief one. Roxas had walked away from that encounter convinced that this was all a bad idea.
Now standing before the Superior, Roxas was convinced that this was a very bad idea. Why didn't their leader look so happy to see him? He hadn't even said or done anything yet!
"S-Sir," he said, trying to remember what Axel had trained him to say. It was hard to think, however, when the Superior was looking right at you with those bright orange eyes.
Seeing the boy fidget, Xemnas took some pity on him, knowing that, whatever had happened, it wasn't Roxas' fault.
"Where is Axel?" he asked instead.
"We haven't done anything wrong!" Roxas almost shouted, wincing when the Superior narrowed his eyes. "I mean … I-I … "
Xemnas studied the boy, trying to understand his odd behaviour.
"If you are not here to be held accounted for any wrongdoing, then why are you here?" he asked. "I'm very busy right now."
'Stay cool … Stay calm … Stay cool,' Roxas chanted to himself, and it worked somewhat. "I know you have lots to do, sir, but I was just wondering if you could tell me more about us."
"Us?"
"The Organization, sir. And Kingdom Hearts."
It wasn't a outrageous request, Xemnas supposed. Roxas was still young, so it was a given that he'd have questions. On the other hand, the boy had asked very few questions so far, mostly content to just follow Axel around and learn from him. The only other neophyte who'd come to him seeking more knowledge about them and their cause had been Marluxia …
Roxas swallowed nervously when a stony look came over the Superior's face.
"I know it sounds weird, coming to you after so many weeks," Roxas said, going on the defensive by taking the initiative, "but at first I thought I'd pick it all up as I went along. I was wrong. It's a lot more complicated than that. At first, I didn't want to bother you by asking questions, but I … You are the Superior, so you know everything there is to know, and everything that the rest of us don't need to know. I tried asking the others, but Xigbar and Xaldin told me to mind my business; Axel doesn't care what we're doing, as long as he has fun doing it; Demyx tried to explain things, but ended up confusing himself; and Luxord offered some useful information, but he's a latecomer, like me."
The boy's argument was sound.
"Very well," Xemnas said. With a wave of his hand he summoned a chair over and motioned for the boy to take a seat. "What is it you want to know?"
His feet barely touching the floor, Roxas couldn't believe that the plan was actually off to a promising start. His objective wasn't really to learn anything about the Organization. They (and by 'they' was meant 'everyone but him') were hoping to get Roxas closer to the Superior during these conversations.
Luxord had made an insightful point: the one to make the "first move" would have to be the Superior. If the Superior, through all manipulation and coaxing, were to dub the Diviner as his 'special buddy', Saix would not protest their leader's decision, even if he were against it. Simply put: they'd have to get the Superior interested in Saix first before they could try it the other way around.
Things seemed to be going alright so far, but Xaldin had already drawn up escape routes, in case it all went straight to heck.
"I don't remember anything about the time when I had a heart," Roxas began, "but I heard that you, Xigbar and Xaldin do, and that you were the first to become Nobodies through experimenting and something about keys and hearts … and … "
The Superior's eyes were gleaming. It wasn't an angry gleam. Nor an insulted gleam. It was a proud gleam, the scariest of them all because that particular gleam could mean only one thing: the Superior was about to go into a long and boastful speech.
"It was not just about keys and hearts, Roxas," the Superior said, resting his elbows on the armrest and lacing his fingers on his stomach. "What I accomplished back then was a breakthrough never witnessed in the history of Hollow Bastion. As a mere apprentice, I went much farther than my cowardly mentor, King Ansem, ever did. But I am getting ahead of myself. My memory does indeed go all the way back to a very young age, an age when I still had my heart. I was but a lost child who the king took in after … "
'Axel, you owe me big time,' Roxas thought, slipping a little lower in his chair as the Superior spoke.
Despite having thrown poor Roxas to the speech-happy wolf, Axel did have a heart. Well, technically he didn't, but if he did then he'd probably use it to the same effect. He did think it would be too much of a demand to have poor Roxas deal with Xemnas and Saix, so Axel had decided to help the kid out a little. With Roxas being tortured to the brink of insanity by the Superior's life story, Axel thought he'd pay Saix a little visit and see what he could get from the Diviner.
"Nooooo! Why meeeee?" Demyx begged, as he was dragged down the corridor. "Axel, this is so unfair!"
Okay, so he wasn't going to actually do the talking, but at least Axel was looking out for Roxas' best interest.
"Man, talk about chicken with a capital C," he rolled his eyes, gripping Demyx's hood with both hands.
"Then why don't you go to talk to Saix?!"
"Because."
" … Because what?"
"Because I'm your superior."
"That's so totally lame!"
"But it's true."
Besides, it wasn't as if he was putting Demyx in any danger. Yeah, herds of behemoths fled at the sight of Saix, but Demyx had a secret weapon. He just didn't know it, and no one would ever tell him because then they'd never be able to exploit it as effectively and selfishly as they did now.
Demyx was untouchable.
There were no rules that exempted the Nocturne from bodily harm, and it wasn't as though Demyx was that good in battle he could fend off anyone. Oh no. The Nocturne's secret weapon was that he was nice. He was just so freakin' nice all the time! They'd tried—oh how they'd tried—to be as mean and nasty to the guy when he first arrived, but, even as heartless beings, they soon discovered that being mean to Demyx was like of kicking a lost, starving puppy who was just trying to be your friend.
And even Larxene, who'd tried to make coats out of a whole batch of puppies, and who bullied little kids just to see them cry, and who once teleported a poor old lady to the middle of nowhere and left her there to starve to death, just to see how long it would take, never found it in her to do so much as even smack Demyx.
The problem was that Demyx didn't take offense. He didn't seek revenge. He didn't plot. He didn't try to blackmail, poison, torture or otherwise make life a living hell for anyone. Demyx, when confronted, would look up with big eyes, his lower lip trembling, and go into an endless pleas for forgiveness, promising that he never meant to do whatever he'd done and that he'd happily take over all the missions and chores for the next month, just to make it up to them.
It was no fun, getting angry with someone like that. It was impossible!
Several serious attempts had been made to at least punch the guy. In the end, Marluxia managed to deal the worst blow, a very shallow cut to Demyx's arm, but could not muster up the will to continue when IX burst into tears. And to think the pink-haired bastard had had no qualms in trying to take over the Organization …
Anyway, Demyx didn't recognize the golden ticket he had here. Even the Superior would just roll his eyes and wave the Nocturne away whenever Demyx screwed up.
Not even Saix (Saix!) could harm Demyx, which was why Axel was now dragging the other behind him as he searched for a certain sitar-smashing, music-intolerant Diviner.
"What am I going to say to him?!" Demyx asked, trying to grab a drape or pillar; anything to anchor himself with. "Axel, you've so got the wrong guy! I'm going to get all tongue-tied and Saix is going to get angry and he'll kill me!"
"Members don't kill each other."
"You killed Vexen!"
"Jeez, are you guys gonna hold thatagainst me forever?"
"But, Axeeeellll, I don't wanna do this!"
"Here we are!" Axel said cheerfully as they turned the corner to find the large doors that led to Saix's chambers.
"I'm gonna die … I'm gonna die … I don't wanna die … I'm gonna die … " Demyx whimpered as he was pushed ahead, towards the doors.
"Remember what I told you," Axel whispered as they approached.
"B-But—"
"And don't give anything away."
"But—"
"And if things start to go bad, by all means, do panic and blubber."
"But—"
"See you in the lounge," Axel smirked and gave the door three solid knocks, which echoed through the silent hall like gunshots.
Before Demyx could even get out another 'But', Axel disappeared in a swirling vortex of darkness, just as the door opened. Glowing yellow eyes glared out of the gloominess of the chamber, and they were fixed squarely on Demyx, who was close to wetting himself.
"Uh …Erm … H-h-h-hey, Saix! H-How y-ya doing?"
Saix was already suspicious. He'd heard VIII's drawling earache of a voice out here, and the fact that the redhead had then buggered off and left one as incompetent as IX behind meant that VIII was up to something he knew would earn him severe pain at Saix's hands. Whatever VIII's plans were, they were bound to piss Saix off, so the coward had sent IX in his place, knowing that, like everyone else, Saix was not inclined to attack IX. He'd been tempted to once, but IX bursting into tears had been enough to snap Saix right out of his Berserker mode.
"What is it?" he asked the Nocturne, who was almost wringing his fingers off his hands.
"Huh? Oh … you see … heh heh … ummm … "
"Has anything been broken?" Saix asked, witling down the possibilities.
"N-n-no … "
"Has anything turned up in an inappropriate place?"
" … No … "
"Has anyone been accidentally banished to another world and you cannot find a way to get them back?"
"No."
"Did you bring that three-headed beast from the Underworld back here?"
"No," Demyx said, fondly remembering Cerberus. That had been a neat pet. Too bad it kept using Marluxia's garden as a doggie litter box. And Cerberus was a big dog … Marluxia had been really mad about that: Demyx still had the scar on his arm to prove it.
"Anything relating to heartless?" Saix went on.
"Nope," Demyx said, growing somewhat comfortable with the questions game.
"Anything relating to Kingdom Hearts?"
"Nuh-uh."
"Anything relating to your poor show during missions?"
"Hey, now, that's not true, I—" He gulped when Saix glared. "Uh, no, it's got nothing to do with that. Actually, um, I'm here to … Er … shoot. Hang on." He dug into his pockets and pulled out a slip of paper, the instructions on which he read out loud. "'Engage target in pleasant conversation. Should target fail to respond, coax him out by bringing up Kingdom Hearts.' Okay, I can do that … So … How's it going, Saix?"
"IX, if you have nothing worthwhile to say, go make yourself a nuisance elsewhere."
Demyx quickly consulted his cue card, but that's all the advice he'd been given.
"A-Actually," he said, improvising, "there was something else. What I … Well, what we really want to know is … is everything alright with the Superior?"
Saix notched his head slightly, piqued.
"Why would there be concern for the Superior? He is in no danger."
"No, he isn't, which is a good thing, believe me! We don't want anything bad happening to him at all … but that's why we're kinda worried. Don't you think he's … changed over the past couple of months?"
Saix narrowed his eyes. It sounded to him as though the others were doubting their leader, the one who they were meant to be putting all their hopes and trust in. Why this, all of a sudden? This group conspiracy … This mutiny …
Demyx whimpered when Saix released a very low, very threatening growl.
"He is our Superior, just as he's always been and always will be," Saix said, stepping forward to glare down at the Nocturne. "Do you no longer recognize him as our leader?"
"Wha—No! No, no, no, no!" Demyx said, waving his hands. "That's not it at all! Just … Oh man, I'm so bad at this … Er, I didn't mean … We want him as our leader. He brought us all together and gave us a purpose and thanks to him we might get our hearts back. We wouldn't want to replace him, period. Honest! But that's why we were also thinking that … Don't you think that, ever since the whole Castle Oblivion thing, the Superior is … I don't know … not the same Superior he was before Castle Oblivion?"
Saix stepped back, not much appeased but more thoughtful. When he looked Demyx in the eyes, though, the other visible shivered.
"Everything changed after the failure of Castle Oblivion. The Superior sent XI and XII there for the exact purpose to keep them away from operations here. Having suffered such a blatant betrayal, can you blame the Superior for being more cautious?"
"Not really, but the chores and missions we've been getting ever since—"
"The Superior is risking what little he has left to complete Kingdom Hearts," Saix hissed, grabbing Demyx by the drawstrings of his coat, bringing the other in dangerous proximity of his fangs. "He did not have to take in us neophytes, nor waste precious time training us, teaching us, but he did, and he continues to do so. Without him, we will eventually fade back into darkness and truly become nobodies. Without him, we will never regain our hearts. In return, the least we can do for him is follow his orders without complaint and contribute what we can to our goal. Now, if you cannot do something as simple as that then you are nothing but a freeloader and a liability, and you know I do not tolerate liabilities."
Sweating, Demyx nodded, and was released with a shove.
"And tell VIII that the next time he wants to tell me something, he tells it to my face," Saix said, "instead of sending his lapdog to take the blame."
Saix then slammed the door in the other's face. His fine hearing heard the retreat of clumsy feet as IX stumbled away. Once he was certain the other was gone, though, Saix sighed, leaning with his back against the door.
He did not doubt the Superior. He did not. Not after all the Superior had done for him. He would never follow another; never pledge his allegiance to anyone but Number I. The Superior had answers to questions no one even knew to ask, and already he had achieved so much, despite having started from nothing, as nothing. Without fail, Saix would dispose of anyone who threatened the Superior, even if it meant a further reduction of their numbers.
Why … ? Why couldn't the others see that? Surely, II and III had enough sense and faith in their leader to know as well as Saix that they would succeed. They'd finish what was started years ago, and then …
Saix walked over to the window and looked up at the heart-shaped moon hovering behind thin clouds. Its pale yellow magnificence sang to him, louder and more beautiful than any other moon. There was the Superior's promise. It was right there for all to see … yet still beyond reach.
'One day,' Saix thought, longingly staring at Kingdom Hearts. 'One day, I will get my heart back. One day, I will be free from the darkness, and I will bask in the light of the moon once more … '
"Hey, lil' dude, how'd it go?"
Roxas, still trying to shake off his lethargy, almost lost his balance as he looked up at where Xigbar was strolling across the ceiling. Directly below the Freeshooter, Xaldin had finally gotten a chance to play a 'real' card game with Luxord while Axel watched the Lancer's slow and agonizing defeat from the comfort of the couch. Roxas dropped down next to Axel, still in a blurry trance.
"Radiant Garden … Heartless … ice cream … Ansem Reports … basement … secrets … explosion … "
"Gave you the whole background story, did he?" Xigbar laughed, jumping down to lean against the back of the couch, grinning at the dazed teen. "I'd feel sorry for ya, but better you than me."
"… Talking mouse … worlds … Gummi ships … dark portals … research … illusions … "
"Hey, snap out of it," Axel said, shaking the other's shoulder.
"Long speech … Wouldn't stop talking … Couldn't fall asleep … Always watching me … "
"You'll get used to it," Axel assured. "Next time—"
"Next time?!" Roxas snapped out of his stupor. "There's no way I'm doing that again!"
"Look, the worst is behind you now. The Origin Story is the worst; the rest is bearable." Axel said, grinning along with Xigbar, tempting Roxas to smother them both with a cushion. "At least now we know you can approach him. And once Demyx … "
The name had barely left Axel's lips and Demyx dragged himself into the room, supporting himself with a hand on the wall. With uneasy shuffles, he made it to the couch and collapsed on Axel's other side.
"You left me," was all he could say to Axel. "You left me there to die."
"You made it out in one piece."
"Barely! He almost ripped my face off just because I said we were worried about the Superior!"
"Perfect."
"Perfect?" Roxas asked, wondering what it would be like to see into Saix's head.
Scary, was the first thing that came to mind.
"Saix's a psychiatrist's worst nightmare, but he ain't stupid. When it comes to the Superior, he's pretty predictable: he's protective. Must be some doggie instinct he brought over from his other life, but now that he knows that some of us are beginning to question the Superior's actions, he's going to keep a closer eye on the Superior to make sure we don't try anything funny. I think it's time we gave the two of them some alone time," Axel said, standing. He began pacing the length of the couch while Xigbar copied him, pacing the ceiling directly above him.
"But they're alone most of the time," Demyx said, only just starting to get his shaking under control.
"He means alone together," Luxord explained, shuffling the cards fancily.
"A mission is as good a chance as any," Xaldin said, contributing his first useful idea for the day.
"And who, exactly, has the power to send the Superior on a mission?"
"No, Xaldin's on the right track," Axel said, green eyes filled with blinding glee. "We can't send him on a mission … but he can send himself on one!"
"And coincidentally pick Saix to go with him? Not even Luxord could guess the chances of that happening," Roxas said, quickly looking over to the Gambler, lest he'd offended the man. But Luxord was pensive.
"Perhaps … " he said, ice blue eyes studying his cards on the table before him. He picked up the king of hearts. "One can never give a king orders. If he wishes something to be done he has his subordinates do it for him. However … " He put down the king and with a swipe of his hand removed every other card from the table. "If there is no one available to carry out his orders, he will be forced to do them himself."
"So … we have the disappear?" Demyx asked, sharing wary looks with Roxas.
A grin so sly graced Axel's face that one would think him to have been possessed by a demon.
"Nah," he said silkily, "we can't just abandon this place. However … any of you ever heard of a little thing called 'group hangover'?"
Tbc …
Read & Review, please.