Lexaeus blinked slowly, but he couldn't tell where he was from all the bright colored dots dancing in his vision frantically and a massive pain emanating from the back of his head and all over his back. He shook his head furiously, confused. He was still in that cave... but where was Xigbar? The last thing he recalled was Xigbar's horrific screams and roaring from an unknown beast. What... if Xigbar was dead? Roxas would be distraught beyond all belief. He could imagine how the boy might feel if he found Xigbar dead... and how Zexion was feeling. Zexion was the love of his life, the most precious person in the entire universe to him. He was sure Zexion was too worried about him dieing, but the schemer had a knack of never saying a word, even to him... And they were in love. He groaned as he tried to move despite the pain and his bones and muscles shrieking in protest, but he promised to both Xigbar and himself, that they were going to get back to the people they loved, no matter what. He got to his feet, quivering as he felt his back for any broken bones, but he didn't feel anything except cuts and bruises; His chest was another story. He gently unzipped his tore cloak and felt his chest, but he had to hold in a deep scream as he touched a bone jutting from his chest, nearly breaking the skin, and blood was caked around his stomach where there was a gash. Lexaeus had to sit back down, he could get even more serious injuries if he moved around, even if he yearned to. Zexion and he had a long relationship, and it would devastate the schemer if he got worse, or even died, but with Xigbar and Roxas... they were in love and they hadn't even been able to be together; everything was against them and they were just hurting inside. He wanted them to have a chance.
Lexaeus looked at the clean bones around him, everyone of them sucked clean of flesh and muscle, all white but cracked in various places; This cave was like a graveyard, or rather... a bone yard. He nearly gagged as he was hit with the stench of blood. All his senses had returned... maybe it was the slime? It was possible that it had some sort of sense nulling agent inside it, which might explain why they were out cold... but didn't he already know this? Lexaeus could barely remember anything besides Xigbar's screams of anguish and before that, vines coming after him. His head must have been hit hard which probably meant that his short term memory was gone, at least for now... He could even have head trauma such a concussion, so it wasn't safe to move, which meant he couldn't check on Xigbar, if he was alive...; The screams left nothing to imagination. Their only chance was for someone, anyone, to find them, someone not with in league with Xemnas; That would mean he could be murdered for betraying Superior directly, and lying. Lexaeus' vision was steadily clearing, and his adrenaline was dwindling finally, the lesser pains becoming evident as he saw the small... burns?; They couldn't be from bone fragments... maybe the vines had acidic properties, and burned him.. The burn patterns matched where Lexaeus thought the vines might have wrapped around with him, and whatever had burned him has disintegrated his pants and cloak where the vines must have been; He had studied forensics of all kinds in his spare time. If the vines did have acidic properties, and since he didn't get those burns when they were being dragged, the vines probably secreated the acid, which might be one reason why Xigbar was screaming; That meant acid burns, and if they were deep enough, they could get infected, and considering how grotesquely filthy the cave was, who knows what he could get.
"Goddamit..." Lexaeus have a low curse as the pain became infuriated now that his adrenaline was gone. He didn't have anything to rinse burns with, no clean water anywhere near... Nothing clean to wrap the wound in either... He only hoped that maggots weren't inhabiting the area around him. Lexaeus' brow furrowed as he heard a echo from deep within the cave. There were no animals or Heartless... and the monster was most likely gone... so it must be someone from the Organization. Lexaeus close his eyes, biting his lip; 'Please let it be Zexion or Roxas, please...' The echoes were growing louder, but it was hard to tell, they were so faint and they could be so many tunnels. All he could do was wait.
II~XIII~II~XIII
Painful hours passed by for Lexaeus, just sitting and waiting, bleeding, but he found a way to tear some parts of his boxers off at the end of of the leg holes, pressing them against the large wound on his chest; He didn't have any water to cleanse the burns, and regular fabric could stick if it wasn't damp. His heart was beating in his chest furiously as the footsteps and yells uncreased. He heard his voice.
"Lexaeus! Xigbar! Are you in here!" Demyx... it was Demyx... Zexion had to be with the sitarist, and Roxas could be with them. Help.
"Zexion! Demyx! I'm here!" Lexaeus used all his strength to yell at the top of his lungs, clutching his stomach as he did so, yell morphing into a groan.
"We're coming! Hold on!" It was Roxas' voice this time!
"Which tunnel are you down?" Marluxia was calling now.
"I don't know! Follow my voice!" Lexaeus yelled even louder, hoping the echo could send them down the right path. They were going so fast when they were dragged... he had no idea which way they went, but his guess that there were more than one tunnel was correct.
"We're going to have each one of us go down a tunnel! Roxas and I going down the left, Demyx and Marluxia down the center!" Zexion spoke back to him, and he could hear the joy in his voice, yet he was fearful.
"O-Okay!" All four of them were there, so that must mean they were against Xemnas as well... Lexaeus wouldn't have suspected Marluxia, but then again, Marluxia was loyal though he always had contempt for Xemnas and Saix. Zexion was with himself, Roxas was going with Xigbar... so that must mean Demyx and Marluxia were together. Surprising, but he didn't mind as long as they were good to each other; Lexaeus never realized that he was like a father to the members he did like and tolerate. He almost felt like crying because Xigbar could be okay... only... he didn't know what happened to the sniper. If the man was severely hurt... could Roxas stomach seeing it? If the blond couldn't, he might have have to restrain him, even with his injuries; Lexaeus was prepared to do that for Roxas. Footsteps from his left from down the cave's corridor increased in volume, from walking to frantic running. His tired eyes focused on Zexion who was dashing up to him, kicking bones from his path and smiling, a rare thing for the schemer to do, with Roxas right behind.
"Oh Lexaeus... Lexaeus.." Zexion crashed down next to the hero, wrapping his arms around the man's muscled neck, placing frantic kisses to the man's face and neck, breathing into his precious lover's neck. "You're not dead..."
"D-Don't worry about me.. please... X-Xigbar n-needs help, last thing I-I heard was s-screaming..."
"Okay.." Zexion nodded."Lexaeus is down the left tunnel!" Zexion was prepared. He took bandages and gauze from his cloak pocket, and handed them to Lexaeus.
"Where's Xigbar?" Roxas said in a frenzy, cerulean eyes wide in distress and fear, yet joy was a underlying tone. He found Xigbar... he really found them, but he was hurt. Roxas gave a fearful gulp as he exhaled, heart slamming around in his chest, trying so hard to calm himself. He... he knew that it was a high chance that Xigbar was hurt, he expected this... He could do this.
"J-Just be careful, Roxas. Steel yourself, you don't know what you might see." Lexaeus murmured, coughing as Zexion didn't attempt to help him; They both know that the wrong movement could impair him worse.
"I will.." Roxas was quivering as he breathed slowly, Demyx and Marluxia approaching from the left. The pink haired man walked up to Roxas, placing a hand on the teenager's shoulder.
"I'll go with you, Roxas."
"D-Demyx, wet the b-bandages and then p-put them on the b-burns..." Lexaeus informed the sitarist who called up a stream of water from nothingness.
Roxas was nearly hyper ventilating as Marluxia followed him down the short tunnel towards another curve; It felt like the longest road in is life. Each step was like wading quick sand, and his body felt like it was a thousand pounds. He kept his gaze towards the bone covered ground, but when he looked up, it looked like the curve was a million miles away, and luminescent green light was coming from the curve. Lexaeus grunted deeply as Zexion and he pressed the wet bandages against the burns on his legs and chest, caked blood wetting and soaking into the thin fabric; It hurt but he could take it. Demyx pulled bandages from his pockets, handing them to Zexion before strumming his sitar to call water onto them; Vexen had given them bandages for emergency wounds that couldn't wait.
"Lexy, you'll need stitches for the wound on your stomach, and I can tell your ribs are broken..." Zexion informed Lexaeus quietly. "Did you see what attacked you?"
"No... but the vines were what abducted us. I know they're attached to a larger creature, most likely a Heartless." Lexaeus gave a soft groan but a kiss to his nose made him feel a little better despite the pain.
"Are the bandages good? I'm gonna get Vexen, okay? He's on standby, waiting for us in his lab," Demyx said as he opened a portal, hopping through it.
"Good-" Lexaeus was cut off by a deafening scream; Roxas.
"XIGBAR! NO, PLEASE, NO! Xigbar! XIGBAR! OH GOD, OH GOD! N-NO, PLEASE! X-XIGBAR! No, put me down! Put me down! I have to help him, please, LET ME GO! XIGBAR, XIGBAR!"
Marluxia came around the corner, struggling to keep a frantic, weeping Roxas from returning to Xigbar's side, only because Roxas didn't need to see the man's extensive wounds. Roxas was screaming at the top of his lungs, tears spilling from his eyes like waterfalls, and he was kicking and scratching the assassin's shoulders as he was forced away from the man he loved. Vexen had heard the screaming and ran into the cave along with his portable stretchers, green eyes wide. Demyx and Zexion was staring at each other in fear and confusion, then at Vexen, then at Marluxia and Roxas; Lexaeus could only shake his head.
"I should... have warned... Roxas... Demyx, get him, please..." Lexaeus coughed, clutching his legs where the burns were.
"M-Marluxia, p-put me down, p-please! PLEASE! Don't t-take me away from X-Xigbar! P-PLEASE M-MARL-LUXIA! PUT ME DOWN, PUT ME DOWN! PLEASE! " Roxas begged, weeping. He was beating Marluxia's back with his fists, clawing at the man's rose colored hair, pulling strands out derangedly, shaking his head back and forth as he screamed incoherent statements in rage and fear. If Marluxia didn't let him go, Xigbar could die! He saw all the wounds... the wounds... All the blood... He couldn't handle it! He had to get back to him, he had too! His eyes were so blurred with tears that Marluxia... didn't even look like Marluxia, just a obscure figure of pink and black. He was sniffing as he sobbed, hyper ventilating which caused him to cough uncontrollably through his tears, attempting to suck in breaths but he barely could. He didn't try to wipe the spit dribbling from the corner of his mouth.
"I can't do that..." Marluxia growled as Roxas pulled a tuft of his hair out, back of his head stining but he wouldn't say anything; The tiny pain couldn't compare to what Roxas was experiencing.
"LET ME GO! P-PLEASE, LET ME GO, PLEASE! X-XIGBAR! XIGBAR! XIGBAR! X-XIGB-BAAARRR!" Roxas kept screaming Xigbar's name wildly, and Marluxia knew he would have bruises on his back, but it was a small price to pay. He finally reached the group, where Roxas was laid out on a stretcher by Marluxia and Vexen and strapped down, for his own safety. The teenager fought against the restraints deliriously, shouting curses. Vexen and Demyx tried to hold him, but soon, Roxas began to stop struggling. The distraught boy fell unconscious, reddened eyes slipping shut as his head lolled to the side.
"Demyx, Zexion, take Roxas into my lab, then come back here." Vexen ordered hurriedly, and Demyx and Zexion nodded, lifting a out cold Roxas through a portal. "Marluxia, we'll go get Xigbar. Lexaeus, Zexion and Demyx can help you into my infirmary."
"Yes, I'll be fine-"
"There you are, you son of bitch."
"Who's... that?" Lexaeus ground out, brow furrowing.
"Axel..." Marluxia snarled, summoning his scythe which he had previously de-summoned so he could grab Roxas. He ran off down the tunnel where Axel's shadow was suddenly splayed across the wall. "Vexen, let's go!"
"Right." Vexen's expression changed into anger, summoning his cerulean blue tower shield, Frozen Pride, and snatching his second stretcher and running with it behind the assassin. Bones were crunched beneath their feet as they pounded down the cave. It didn't take long for Vexen and Marluixa to reach the corner at their pace, skidding through bones and kicking up dust as they reached the corner, where they found Axel was standing over... Xigbar... . Even the Graceful Assassin couldn't handle the site, vomiting all over the ground in front of him and falling to his knees, scythe dropping to the ground and coughing up fluids, gagging as a second wave came but he barely managed kept the food down, and Vexen could only stare at the extensive wounds in pure, unadulterated horror. Xigbar was laying there... The sniper looked like had been torn apart by a million serrated blades, blood splattered across the cave walls coated with thick white and green slime, and most of it in a pool around what resembled the man's body. His chest open for all to view, ribs either completely gone or jutted from the bloody mess in a sea of blood and slime. He was still breathing... one lung inflating in the sea of blood but... the other was completely gone. Blood was still pooling from his body, and there was so many acid burns on his legs that nearly all the flesh and most of the bone was stripped clean, burned away, and his intestines were shredded like paper, some parts hanging off rocks on the walls or laying in the pool blood around him; One leg wasn't attached anymore, resting in the blood a few inches away from it's owner. Maggots were feasting on flesh from his left arm which was surprisingly still intact, while the other was bend into such a contorted shape, barely attached by tendrils of muscle. His missing eye, the scar tissue was gone and replaced with what was healed arteries, resembling the day he lost it. Across his face, under his where the eyepatch might have been, were massive, deep gashes going down to his jaw bone and exposing the inside of his mouth, and trailing from through the missing eye down to his neck, where a river of blood flowed from liberally. Another cut was on his forehead and there was so much blood coming from it that Xigbar's hair was drenched in blood, silver turned into a horrid shade of crimson red. His eye was wide open as if frozen in shock, as he was gasping as blood bubbled from neck and upper torso where chunks of flesh were missing. Bubbling crimson was dribbling from the corner of his mouth as well as thick, green slime dyed pink from the blood. Where Xigbar's scar was... most of the skin was missing. Most of Xigbar's organ were gone, either missing completely, resting in the pool of blood with bite marks splayed on the tissue, or... smashed against the cave walls.
Bleeding arteries were protruding from a open hole in his left arm where maggots were currently eating at the flesh, and some of his fingers were lost. Bite marks where on his arms, legs, and chest, one taking most of Xigbar's left thigh, and massive jagged lacerations were laced on his side and back, any organs near them ripped apart and blood squirted from severed veins. Tiny claws had made slashes through his lips; It seemed like blood was coming from everywhere. Marluxia was stunned, convulsing involuntarily as he gasped, then Vexen's gaze slid from Xigbar's mutilated body, to Axel who stood in the crimson, clutching Xigbar's still beating heart, squeezing it every few seconds to make the sniper's blood spill from the vital organ and run down his arm; The stretcher fell to the ground. Axel gave a demented smirk, letting a chuckle bubble up from the pit of his stomach.
"See Xiggy? Roxas can't have you..." Axel licked his lips in a psychotic manner, dragging a finger along the quivering organ that was slowly dying out because of its lack of a host.
"R-Ro...x-xa...x-xas-s..." Vexen physically and metally cringed at Xigbar's garbled, broken... almost strangled tone, blood bubbling from the gashes on his neck as he attempted to speak, remaining lung palpitating... not to ask for help... but to call for Roxas..
"Just die, you stupid one-eyed piece of shit... Roxy is mine..." Axel snarled softly. Then, he squeezed the heart until his fingers dug into the organ and blood rushed from it, and the organ shriveled up from the lack of blood. The pyromaniac let it fall to the ground; He stepped on it, squishing it into the bloody, slimy, ground, and Marluxia stared up at the man in horror.
"Axel, get away from Xigbar... right now. I order you as a superior member!" Vexen commanded, inching closer to Axel, who scoffed at the academic, rolling emerald eyes with contempt.
"Oh why don't you just shut your fucking mouth, you old bastard. I can't let him leave, so Xigbar's going to have to die here..." Axel cackled derangely, and Vexen saw tears pricking at the corner of the man's eyes; He had never seen Axel cry, not once. Was all this over Roxas? It had to be... but Axel couldn't have inflicted Xigbar's wounds. It would have taken him hours, and he had just appeared as they had found the two... He had been tailing them the entire time, and the rain had masked his footsteps.
"Axel, get away from Xigbar." Marluxia spoke, wiping his mouth. He growled and took his scythe in hand, getting to his feet slowly. He shook, tired from his nauseau, but he was ready. Xigbar wasn't his friend, or even a acquaintance, but... that man wasn't all bad, and Roxas didn't deserve to see Xigbar like this, and have no chance with the sniper. Demyx and he... had found true love. He stopped believing in Xemnas the second he fell in love with the sweet blond. He... couldn't describe the exhileration and joy he found being with Demyx, and he... it was hard to admit it, but he wanted Roxas and Xigbar to feel that... Everyone regarded him as vain and arrogant, even sadistic at some point, and most of the time, it was true, but deep down inside... he was a little different.
"I can't do that, Marly. I love Roxas... Xigbar has to die for our love. He does." Axel drawled, folding his arms as he walked around Xigbar, whose eye followed him.
"St-st-sta-stay...w-wa-way... f-from... R-R-Ro-Rox..x-xas-s...l-lo-lov-ve...h-hi-hi-him..." Xigbar croaked, but he couldn't turn towards Axel, body failing him. He let out a loud scream when Axel kicked his side, boot slamming directly into a open wound, and Marluxia rushed at him. His scythe came down skillfully on Axel's shoulder, slicing down the pyromaniac's chest, and crimson splashed onto his scythe, face, and body. Marluxia's expression was solemn, yet infuriated; He knew had to hit Axel before he attacked, but... the fire wielder provoked all of them. If he hadn't have hit Axel, he could have killed all three of them. Marluxia heard running behind him, and he turned. Demyx and Zexion approached them, but then the blond saw Xigbar and he screamed at the top of his lungs in horror. Marluxia's face softened as his boyfriend threw up, almost falling to his knees, but the assassin's quick reflexes let him catch his sobbing boyfriend while Zexion could only shake his head.
"Marluxia... take Demyx away.. When you come back, help me move Xigbar..." Vexen trailed off as he shifted his gaze to Axel, who lay bleeding on the ground, both Xigbar and his blood mixing into a massive pool. Blood ran from the torso length cut, but Vexen made no move to help the pyro.
Marluxia frowned. He disliked taking orders from Vexen more than anyone in the Organization, but this wasn't the time for petty differences. He opened a portal and escorted Demyx through, returning a few seconds later.
"You can lay here bleeding until I come back, when or if, I do at all." Vexen hissed, de-summoning his tower shield. He unfolded the stretcher, adjusting it to fit Xigbar's tall height. The man as nearly, breathing so labored that one had to look close to see the bare movements of his lung. This was one time, Vexen was thankful that high Nobodies could only be killed by the Keyblade...
"I'll help you," Zexion said softly.
"We'll need Marluxia as well... If only Lexaeus could-"
"I'll... help. It hurts... but I can take it..." Lexaeus had made his way through the portal, against Zexion's wishes. He clutched his chest, then his azure eyes locked onto Xigbar, who barely met his gaze through fluttering eyelids. He had expected something like this, considering the screams. Marluxia appeared behind the much taller man, scythe gone and Demyx most likely on a hospital bed.
"Now, what we'll need to do is get him on the stretcher as fast as possible.. Zexion, take any extra bandages you have and wrap them around as many wounds as possible. Then, we'll try and put him onto the stretcher with as less pain as possible." Vexen ordered, moving the stretcher right next to Xigbar despite the blooding; Axel just watched them through empty, souless orbs. He could't even growl, his chest was aching so badly... He couldn't help but let himself succumb to dark slumber. Xigbar was screaming and groaning as Zexion wrapped bandages around his chest and legs as quickly as he could.
"Zexion, muffle some of his screams... Xemnas..." Lexaeus warned his boyfriend as Vexen, Marluxia, and he surrounded Xigbar, who's eye was completely closed; He wasn't screaming anymore...
"C-C-Ca-ca-can...t-t..." Xigbar ground out, but he couldn't fight the slumer anymore.
"He's lost alot of blood. Now that he's going unconscious, we can get him on easier..." Marluxia spoke, as Zexion moved to Xigbar's head.
"All together now, we're going to lift him and then place him on the stretcher...One... two...three!"
At Vexen's count, Lexaus took Xigbar's legs, Vexen his left side, Marluxia his right, and Zexion holding Xigbar's head steady as possible. He was lifted only a few inches off the blood soaked ground, then laid on the stretcher gingerly; If he had been awake, the screams would have haunted them all... They were silent as Zexion opened a portal behind Lexaeus, who backed into the portal and onto the flat, metal flooring of the infirmary's emergency room, Vexen, Marluxia, and Zexion groaning softly. The stretcher was moved directly next to the single table in the floor, and Zexion gently... oh so gently pulled the mutilated sniper onto the metal table. A unconscious Xigbar was laid on the table with any fuss, blood instantly staining the tabe; The stretcher was throw away, Vexen and Zexion moving to the station in the left corner of the room, hurriedly clothing themselves with scrubs, gloves, facial masks, and hair caps.
"Go, Lexy...It must hurt..." Zexion said softly as he approached the table where Xigbar lay, pulling a rolling tray of tools and potions with him.
"It does..." Lexaeus finally let out a long groan of pain."But it's a small price to pay..."
Vexen and Zexion began to work on Xigbar, using curative magic, as Lexaeus silently exiting the emergency room with Marluxia behind him.
Kingdom Hearts, help Xigbar... and Roxas.