I wanted to go ahead and reiterate that I DO NOT OWN KINGDOM HEARTS.
Just so we're clear. I also want to apologize if some of the character last names upset you, fan-people. They're fake (obviously), I made them up. Don't know what the canon last names would be, so if you've got a correction, feel free to submit it through a review.
Also~ want to shout out to my FFN buddy MidnightSchemer13! You're awesome :D Thanks for reviewing. Also thanks to sonicdisney ^^ You guys are sweet like gingersnap cookies!
Even stood for some time in silence, regarding the spot from which Zexion had vanished, as if expecting the boy to reappear any second.
Finally, with a heavy sigh, Even went to the window and closed it, shutting out the blasts of cold air which had considerably lowered the temperature in the room. He went to the hearth and stacked a few logs inside, then struck a match and held it to the coal pile beneath the logs. In a short time, a cheerful fire blazed within the fireplace, dispelling the cold and casting dancing shadows across the walls.
Even climbed back into his four-poster bed, lying on his back and staring once more at the canopy above him. He did not sleep; how could he have? At every turn, the memories returned to haunt him. He saw clearly, from an outside perspective, the hurt and bitter betrayal on Yumi's delicate face. He had done that to her, with no more than a mere few words.
How could I have been so foolish? he thought to himself.
A sudden rumbling roused him from his mental agonies. It sounded as though some beast were right outside his curtain, growling menacingly. Even imagined rows of sharp, pointed teeth, dripping with saliva, waiting to tear into his soft flesh.
"FEE!" boomed a sudden loud voice. Even jumped in fright, nearly tearing the curtains from their frame.
"FI!" the voice continued. "FO! FUM!"
What nonsense is this? Even wondered. Slowly, he peered out from between the curtains, and was met with one of the oddest sights he had ever seen.
Sitting in his armchair was a man of massive proportions, a veritable mountain of a human being. His arms, legs and torso bulged with muscle beneath his simple black coat, which was stretched tight over his immense frame. The man's face was twisted into an expression somewhere between a scowl and a puzzled look, and his shock of orange-brown hair stuck nearly straight up from his scalp, making him look as though he had just been struck by lightning.
Surrounding the man, though Even could not even begin to guess how it had gotten there, was a humongous feast. Plates of every sort of food one could imagine were arranged out on the floor around the armchair, sparkling and glittering in the firelight.
"I smell—oh, this is ridiculous," the man said suddenly. "Hisame! I know you're behind those curtains, now open up!"
Slowly, his arms trembling, Even shoved aside the curtains and faced the huge man.
"Wh-who are you?" he asked shakily.
"I'm called Lexaeus," the giant replied. "I'm the spirit of Christmas Present."
Another spirit, Even realized, his heart sinking in despair. He was not looking forward to another journey, not after what had happened with Zexion.
Looking for something, anything to distract himself, Even glanced down and caught sight once more of all the food lying on the floor.
"What is all this?" he asked. "Where did it come from?"
Lexaeus picked up a bunch of grapes and plucked one off, fingering it speculatively. "From the heart," he finally answered. "These are the fruits of generosity, which you have long denied your peers."
Even's eyes narrowed. "Generosity?" he exclaimed indignantly. "Nobody's ever shown me any generosity!" Angrily, he reached down to grab an iced coffee cake, his eyes flying wide again when his hand swiped right through it.
"You've never given them any reason to," Lexaeus replied simply. "And yet… there remain those with enough warmth and light in their hearts to care even for somebody like you."
Even glared at the spirit, vexation bubbling in his gut. "Hah! No friends of mine, you can be sure of that!"
"We'll see," Lexaeus replied calmly.
Suddenly, the entire room began shaking violently, as if an earthquake had decided, at just that time, to strike. Even fell to his knees, grasping at the bedpost to keep from sliding across the floor.
"What's happening?" he shouted, clutching the wooden post with white knuckles.
That was when a huge rock smashed in through the window, coming to rest right beside Lexaeus on the floor. Instantly, the trembling ceased, and the only audible sound was the keening of the night wind through the new hole in the wall.
Lexaeus walked over to the bed, and in one quick move, his massive left arm seized Even's torso and dragged him off of the bedframe. Lexaeus hoisted the smaller blond man onto his shoulder, Even's head hanging down on one side and his feet on the other.
"Let me go!" Even screamed, kicking and struggling. Lexaeus ignored his pleas, however, making his way over to the rock. The large man hopped onto the boulder, standing firm and planted as if he were part of the rock. The trembling started back up, and Even closed his eyes once more, gasping when the boulder jerked forward under them. He was sure they were about to fly right out of the window.
When nothing happened, he opened his eyes once more to see the boulder floating serenely along in the chilly night air, himself and Lexaeus perched atop it as it glided.
This time, Even did not speak, he merely shut his eyes again and waited for the ride to be over.
The boulder eventually touched down in a rutted, dingy side street in the poorest part of town. Lexaeus hopped down with Even still slung over his shoulder, setting the blond man down roughly on the uneven cobbles. Even stumbled a bit, still a touch wobbly from his second airborne ride of the night.
When he'd gotten his feet under him, Even straightened and looked about, taking closer stock of his surroundings. Most of the lights in the houses around were out, giving the alleyway a dark, claustrophobic feeling. Even didn't like it; it felt like the tiny dwellings were encroaching upon his own personal space.
The window of the house they had landed directly in front of, however, was lit by a dim, flickering golden light. The light cast shadows onto the lane similar to the ones which had danced on the walls of Even's chamber, but these seemed more sinister somehow; more eerie, like the shadows cast by the flames of Hades.
"Where are we?" Even asked uncertainly, his eyes darting from side to side with nervousness.
In answer, Lexaeus took him by the collar and marched him right up to the grimy window, shoving his face against the glass. Even was forced to peer into the small dwelling, his cheeks pressed so tightly to the windowpane that they felt nearly glued in place.
Within the house, a family was just sitting down to dinner, though the time outside must have been at least ten P.M. The man at the head of the table removed his hat, exposing a raggedly cut head of pale pink hair. With a start, Even recognized the young man as Lumaria, his employee at the counting house. Beside Lumaria sat a young, pretty woman with short blonde hair, neatly combed and pinned beside her ears. Around the table at two other places sat two small children; a boy with his mother's blond locks and huge chocolate-brown eyes, and a girl who sported her father's pink tresses and round cerulean orbs.
Lexaeus nodded, seeing the recognition and realization on Even's face.
"Yes," the large man said. "This is the home of Lumaria, your overworked, underpaid subordinate, and his family. Arlene," he pointed to the blonde woman, "works her hardest every day, cleaning and scrubbing and trying to cook meals enough to keep her three children alive."
Even raised a puzzled eyebrow. "Three children?" he asked. "I see only two."
Lexaeus's expression was grim, and his silence was almost more unbearable than an explanation would have been. Even turned back to the window, wary and almost frightened of what he might see.
From a small, crooked side doorway, previously unnoticed by the blond-haired watcher from outside, limped a small, pink-haired boy. His left leg was twisted unnaturally, and he supported himself with only a thin wooden crutch, fashioned crudely from a tree branch. He paused on his way to the thin table, bending double and beginning to shake and hack with violent coughs and tremors. Although the noise was not audible from outside the window, Even found himself wincing in sympathy for the poor child. His suffering must be unbearable.
Arlene quickly hurried to the boy's side, raising him in her arms and murmuring soothing words into his ear. His coughing continued for a few more moments before gradually subsiding into merely the occasional tremor. Gently, Arlene carried him to the table, sitting down with him in her lap. Beside her, Lumaria was placing a tin plate on the table. Even gaped in shock as he beheld the contents of the plate: one sad, thin turkey leg, a tiny pile of peas, and a single orange carrot.
"Surely they have more food than that…" he murmured, not sure whether he intended the statement for Lexaeus or merely for himself. Looking closely, he spied a cauldron bubbling over the meager fire in the hearth.
"Hah," he said in satisfaction. "There. Over the fire."
"That's your laundry," Lexaeus replied coldly. Even's satisfaction dissolved into something cold and heavy that settled into the bottom of his gut.
"T—tell me," he said, feeling every word like a weight on his tongue. "Tell me, please… what is wrong with that poor boy?" In Arlene's lap, the pink-haired boy was attempting to sit up, but seemed unable to manage it, slumping back down into a limp heap in his mother's arms.
Lexaeus released a heavy sigh. "Much, I fear," he said. "If nothing changes for this family in the near future… there by the table will stand an empty chair where young Lu once sat."
Even felt an icy hand grip his heart as he realized what Lexaeus was saying.
"Then… you're saying…" he began slowly, his voice wavering and cracking, "young Lu will… will…"
A sudden tremor prevented him from finishing his sentence. Lexaeus's grip on his collar released suddenly, and Even collapsed to his knees, scrambling up again just as quickly, ignoring the wet and icy patches soaking into his nightshirt. Frantically, he glanced around for any sign of Lexaeus.
The huge man had disappeared. Even was alone.