Tainted But Beautiful
Part 2: The Secrets
14. Xemnas
Pairings: AkuZeku, Zemyx, AkuRoku, AxDem, minor onesided VexZex
Rated: M
Warnings: Vampires, vampires, vampires...uh, yaoi, AU-ish-ness, abuse, noncon, rape, graphic scenes, character death, overall weirdness.
Summary: Axel is a powerful vampire slayer who's captured Zexion, a vampire, as his pet. What Axel doesn't bargain on is Demyx, his former student, developing a strong attraction to Zexion...
Notes: Again, another quick update. You can probably expect quick updates up until chapter sixteen, after which I'll go hibernate for the winter, meaning study for the SAT. We shall see, we shall see.
Anyway, this chapter contains Demyx and Zexion's reunion, so we'll see how that works out...as well as some very unexpected people showing up in the first scene...but no more suspense and on to the chapter proper!
Somewhere in a dark room, amidst labyrinths of halls in a warehouse by the sea, three individuals were holding a very...unusual...meeting.
Xemnas, the Superior of the Coven of Thirteen, sat behind a metal folding table, emanating confident serenity. His hands were linked together, his orange eyes glinting with a strange, deeply-satisfied light. Even in the dim light from a single bulb on the ceiling, his long silver hair shone brightly in the dark, contrasting with skin that was not death-pale like that of most vampires, but a rich shade of brown. His clothes were dark, simple; an open trench coat over a turtleneck. Despite the rigidity of his position, and the fact that he was a vampire, he seemed to be exuding life--a deep energy from the very core of his being. A dark energy that seemed to invigorate him, his every slow and dramatic gesture, and made him the most easily noticed of all three in the room.
Across the Superior sat another vampire, almost the polar image of Xemnas--he was slim and pale, and young-looking, appearing only around his mid-teens. His hair was silver like Xemnas's, but shorter, and his eyes a piercing shade of blue-green, with cat-like pupils and a feral, alert light, in contrast to Xemnas's more serene expression. The vampiric youth was, like Xemnas, clad in a black trench coat, though his was tightly buttoned. He seemed ill at ease, impatient, constantly shifting in his folding chair and alternating shooting expectant looks at Xemnas and the third figure.
The third figure was an older man, looking much physically older than both the Superior and the other vampire--in his late forties, or maybe even early fifties. His hair was white-blonde, and cropped short, including a neatly-trimmed beard. His eyes were blue, sharp, glinting with a strange amused light as if the proceedings were but a game he was intrigued in. Unlike the other two, he wasn't wearing a black trench coat, instead dressed in a sober, three-piece charcoal-gray suit and tie. In fact, by all appearances the man could have been any lawyer or banker or businessman or other such professional...and the rosy tint of his skin hinted that he was no vampire.
"An unusual proposal," said Xemnas. "And one, unfortunately, that I'm not quite willing to accept..."
"Why not?" said the other vampire, looking annoyed but sounding expectant. "You're obviously not averse to forming...odd...alliances. If the smell of this place is anything to go by..." He pulled a disgusted face at that, as if to make his disgust even clearer to Xemnas.
"It smells perfectly fine to me, young man," said the bearded man in a rich voice with a prominent British accent, smiling in a patronizing way. "If, of course, you don't take into account the punget aromas of raw sewage and rotting fish..."
"I beg your forgiveness, Mr. Luxord," said Xemnas, the slightest hint of a cold smirk twitching at the corners of his lips. "I'm not too fond of the seaside setting myself, but for now, these headquarters will have to do. Until better accomodations come."
"Oh, no, it's no issue at all," said the man--said Luxord, the banker who provided so many funds for vampire slayers--with a casual wave of his hand. "I understand how stressful it must be for you, my dear Superior. Gathering together all the covens, forging alliances...the last thing you need is for a mere human banker to start complaining about your headquarters!"
"Don't speak about yourself that way, Mr. Luxord," said Xemnas, his smirk widening infestimally. "You are no 'mere' banker. In fact, out of everyone--human, vampire, other--pledged to my cause, you've contributed the most. I would never have been able to get as far as I have if it wasn't for your support..."
Luxord just laughed in a pleased but self-aggravandizing way as well. "Such high praise, coming from you, Superior..."
"Speaking of alliances," interjected the other vampire, sounding irritated, "what do you say about my offer? Superior Xemnas? If you want more allies--besides turncoat human bankers--"
"'Turncoat', young man? Really, that is rather severe--"
The vampire just spoke over Luxord. "--then you'll consider the offer we're making. Imagine what it'd be like, having the aid of Sephiroth--surely you'd agree he's one of the most powerful vampires to have ever walked the planet?"
"That may be true..." said Xemnas, his silver eyebrows knitting closer together in concentration, steepling his fingers, "but at the same time, I only forge alliances with covens. Not individuals."
"There's not just Sephiroth. There's me, Loz, and Yazoo; and once we find her, Mother, too," snapped the vampire, his eyes narrowing, looking even more irritated.
"Ah, and what use would I have for the aid of the remnants of a pureblood family?" said Xemnas, arching an eyebrow, the gesture slow and theatrical as his every gesture was. "Do believe me, young...Kadaj, was it?...that I would not be as apprehensive if there were more than four of you. For my purposes...I would prefer an alliance with a powerful coven, consisting of vampires who are not all related to one another."
"That might be difficult to find, now, though," said Luxord with a satisfied little chuckle. "Is there a single coven that isn't under your control?"
"There are more than thirteen covens in the world, Mr. Luxord," said Xemnas serenely, and turned his strange orange eyes to the ceiling.
"But the thirteen under your control are already the most influential in the world. The Northern...The South-Central European...the Eastern European...the Chinese...the Indian..." said Luxord, drawing each name out for emphasis. "There are other covens out there, certainly, Superior. But most likely they're nothing but loose hodgepodge collections of vampires who've banded together out of temporary self-interest. Why not consider the young man's offer? If you wish to build as wide a coalition as possible, then there's certainly little harm in allying with a family. Or rather, what remains of one."
"On principle, I would refuse..." said Xemnas, also drawing his words out as Luxord had, but out of exaggerated pensiveness in his case. He still did not look down from the ceiling, though it was rather uninteresting save for the fact that it was leaking.
"On principle, Superior Xemnas," snapped back Kadaj, "you wouldn't associate with human bankers, either. Or nasty feral dogs."
Luxord laughed at that, while Xemnas turned his gaze down from the ceiling to meet Kadaj's eyes, his expression unreadable. "Saix has been...a valuable ally for me. I will not have you speak of him in that manner."
Kadaj shifted forward in his seat, looking ready to protest--but then sighed and shook his head and said, somewhat grudgingly, "All right. Forgive me, then, Superior Xemnas."
"Of course, of course," said Xemnas almost breezily, as if he didn't much care for Kadaj's apology. "And as for Luxord..."
"I wouldn't consider myself an ally," said Luxord with a dry little chuckle. "More like the sort of person who prefers to cover all of his bases. I'll freely admit that the only person I am out for is myself. It's out of enlightened self-interest that I've chosen to aid Xemnas, at the same time that I pretend to be loyal to the slayers. A dangerous game, true, but then again, the most entertaining games are the ones with the highest stakes."
"I see," said Kadaj, though he looked somewhat perturbed. "Weird attitude for food to have, though..."
If Luxord--or Xemnas--was offended at all by Kadaj referring to the banker as "food", they didn't get a chance to express it. Moments after Kadaj spoke, the door to the chamber opened, and a vampire stepped in--a pureblood messenger.
"Superior," he said, pausing and stiffly saluting in the doorway. "I bring a report from the leaders of the Northern Coven."
"The Northern Coven...?" Xemnas stood, the movement slow and stately, but with an taut urgency hidden within--almost like a spring tightly coiled. "It must be important, if it's enough to interrupt a meeting between two of my allies, one current and one potential..."
Kadaj frowned a little, but his eyes widened--obviously pleased that Xemnas was at least considering him a "potential" ally.
"Well...well, Superior..." said the messenger, looking nervous--and his gaze lingering for a moment on Luxord, taking in Luxord's warm-with-life skin, the blood still pulsing within him. "It is important...you see, Superior...the Northern Coven...they've found a traitor."
"A traitor?" Now of all of Xemnas's attention had been absorbed by the messenger. Ignoring his two companions, he approached the messenger, his steps as slow and deliberate as ever, his coat swishing with his every powerful movement. "What sort of traitor...?"
"An incubus, Superior," said the messenger, looking nervous as Xemnas approached but never breaking his salute. "He might have sold some inside information to one of the prominent slayer families..."
"A slayer family?" Xemnas's interest was piqued now, if the way his eyes narrowed and his hands curled into fists was anything to judge by. "This is truly...well, then. I must see this traitor--and deal with him appropriately. Mr. Luxord, Kadaj--you may go now. As regretful as I am to cut our discussion short for today...the matter of a potential traitor must be dealt with urgently. I will send each of you summons after I am finished with the traitor, so we may continue our negotations as quickly as possible."
With that, he swept imperiously out of the room, coat trailing behind him, looking for all the world what he claimed he was--the Superior, leader of the most powerful coven in the world, confident and fully prepared to deal with one measly traitor of an incubus.
"Please...Superior...I was captured, Superior, I was captured and held prisoner, you must understand--but I didn't tell him anything--I promise you, Superior..."
Zexion cowered on his hands and knees before the Superior, forehead pressed to the floor and trembling in terror--terror of the pain he knew Xemnas could inflict. Would inflict. Nothing mattered to him anymore...not even the veneer of dignity he'd always been so careful to maintain. Nothing mattered except pleading to the Superior for mercy, the barest hint of mercy, he had to he had to--
"Who, I ask, gave you permission to seduce the heir to the La Monte family?" The Superior's voice was as slow and deep as Zexion remembered it, as cold, as terrible, as merciless...the same voice that always haunted Zexion's nightmares, no matter how hard he tried to shake its presence off...
"N-no one Superior--forgive me--I didn't--it was w-wrong--"
"Forgiveness, little incubus, is for those who deserve it." Xemnas's voice, cold and heavy with disapproval, was enough for Zexion to cease his miserable attempts at begging for mercy.
"Superior..." was all he could manage, in a low, mortified whimper.
He was terrified, damn it. So scared he could barely move, could barely even summon up the oxygen to force words from his lips. The fear had taken root in his mind, erasing everything--even the hurt and anger at Lexaeus's betrayal. Even his resolve to find Demyx had almost been quashed by the force of the animalistic terror that had overwhelmed him...that had always overwhelmed him, on the previous occasions--few and far between--where he'd been summoned in for an audience with the Superior.
And always, those times...at least Vexen or Lexaeus or both or any other vampire would have been with him. And those times, the Superior had mostly been clipped, formal, delivering orders to the vampires accompanying him. It had never before been like this, with Zexion alone and the sole subject of the Superior's rage...the fear was worse, so much worse, a hundred times worse than before--
He didn't know what was going to happen to him. What punishment the Superior could possibly have in store...or even if he was going to emerge from this alive. And Roxas, he wondered about his servant, too, who'd last been quarantined on his own inside the Northern Coven...had he been taken to the main coven as well? No doubt, Roxas was going to be killed as well; it was just standard practice for all the servants of a traitor to be killed along with the traitor himself.
No...I don't want to die. Not here. Not now. I can't die. Not when Demyx is...not when Demyx...I can't die. Not before I find Demyx. Not before I apologize to him...not before I make things right.
"Little incubus, I expect you to tell me everything that you refused to tell the leaders of the Northern Coven," Xemnas was saying as he paced back and forth, back and forth, in a room he must have been using as his office. "Everything about what you were doing during the two months you went missing. The two months that you were the slayer La Monte's captive. Tell me everything...and do not leave anything out."
With a sudden dread jolt, Zexion realized that Lexaeus wasn't the only one who had betrayed him. So Vexen, too...
He'd expected it. But it didn't hurt any less.
"Superior..." He gulped, trying to collect his wits, and went on again. "I...ah...I crept into his window that night...I'm sorry...it was just open and it looked so tempting and--"
"Did it not strike you, little incubus, that it could have been a trap for one of your kind?" The Superior's voice was heavy with disapproval, so much so that Zexion flinched, as if he'd been lashed at. "Naive as you might be...surely even you must know that many slayers leave open windows as traps. Although I don't think you must have realized it then, caught in the moment as you were..."
Zexion was to afraid to even summon up the usual indignity he felt when addressed as such by another vampire--as if the only thing he should care about was sex. But now, instead of the retort he would have snapped at Vexen, he could only manage a mumbled, "Yes, Superior. I'm sorry, Superior."
"No, you're not," said Xemnas, a hint of amusement sliding into his terrible deep voice. "But no matter. Continue, incubus. What happened after you crept into the slayer's window?"
"I...ah...I t-tried...to...to...you know, Superior..." He took in a deep, shuddering breath, struggling for the courage to continue. "But he...he...he saw through and he...before I knew what was happening, he..."
It was almost too much, too much for him to say. He could still remember it, with a clarity as if it hadn't happened months ago but was happening right now...remembered the tide suddenly turning as he bent over Axel, planting soft kisses down the slayer's neck and whispering low, seductive nothings...remembered Axel grasping him by the wrist and hurling him down to the bed with startling force...remembered Axel bending over him, unmistakable lust burning in his brilliant green eyes...remembered the feeling of foreboding that had pressed upon him when he realized what was happening...that he'd lost control...
Zexion had almost been able to forget. Almost, that first night...the first night when Axel had established his dominance over Zexion. The first night of countless nights...
"He mastered you." The Superior's voice, flat and emotionless, cut like a knife through Zexion's panicking thoughts, and Zexion was surprised by how much easier he was able to breathe, now that the Superior had been able to put in words what Zexion had been terrified of explaining...
"Y-yes, Superior."
"But you didn't tell him his name, now, did you, little incubus?" Still the amusement. Still the disapproval...
"No, Superior." Zexion tried to keep the trembling out of his voice. "He...he mastered me the other way..."
He didn't need to tell Xemnas what "the other way" was. He was sure that Xemnas already knew...could infer it from the multiple bandages on Zexion's face, his neck, his wrists, the backs of his hands...could perhaps even infer it from the way Zexion had moved, conscious of trying to walk with as little pain as possible.
But in a strange way it made Zexion feel relieved. The punishment he'd get for having been mastered the other way would make this punishment appear piddling. Not that this punishment wouldn't be painful, would perhaps even result in his own death, but...
"Speaking of which...what is your name?" Zexion jerked, a little startled by this request--why would the Superior want to know the name of a mere incubus?--but recovered enough to stutter out an answer.
"Ienzo, Superior."
"Ienzo...I see. Well, Ienzo...after the slayer La Monte mastered you, what happened?" Xemnas had lowered his voice, made it kinder, more cajoling...which was even worse than his cruelty.
"He...ah...he kept me prisoner...in his basement chambers..." stammered Zexion. "In a cell...he locked me up with silver chains...and...he kept me there for two months...having his way with me..."
He shuddered, remembering it...remembering it all...remembering Demyx...but no. He would not tell the Superior about Demyx. No matter how much it horrified him inside to lie to his Superior...he couldn't let Xemnas know. Because if Xemnas did, he would...
No. Zexion could not think about it. Couldn't think about what would happen to Demyx if Xemnas ever found out...
"And that is all? Explain how you escaped, Ienzo."
"I...ah...he...the slayer, Axel, he took on a student. A boy from the streets. And that's how I...I mean...one day, after the slayer was particularly cruel to me...the boy came in to see me. He seemed to be...ah...feeling...ah...sorry for me. I used that to my advantage. Using the powers I could...and my own acting skills...I manipulated him." It was becoming easier now, telling the story. He felt more confident; Demyx really wasn't essential to the narrative and that was a good thing, it'd make his lying seem less conspicuous. "I manipulated him into coming close to me...close enough for me to bite him. I stopped the transformation halfway, because I needed him to retain some of his intelligence...I took him to the slayer, and made the boy kill the slayer. And then...I left."
It was a rather lame way to conclude, but he couldn't think of anything better to say. He just continued pressing his head to the cold floor, and hoped that would be enough...enough to appease the Superior...
"So that's why you have a half-made servant...hmm. So, during your stay with the slayer...you never told him anything?" The Superior's tone was deep, as always, and unfathomable, as if he was lost in thought.
"No, Superior. Nothing. I assure you. I told him nothing, nothing about the coven, nothing about you, I promise you, I'm telling the truth..."
"And I suppose I shouldn't have any reason to doubt you," said the Superior, still sounding pensive.
"No, Superior, absolutely none," said Zexion, barely able to hide his mounting relief--he was going to get out of this, the Superior would believe him, would believe that he was faithful and then it would be fine and maybe he'd still get punished a little for having tried to seduce Axel in the first place, but nothing as bad as death...
"Then tell me, Ienzo..." And suddenly, the Superior's voice fell into a low, insidious hiss, enough to cause Zexion to jerk his head up and stare in cold shock at the Superior, looming tall and unfathomable above him--
"Tell me why I don't believe that's the entire truth."
And before Zexion could comprehend what was happening, a rough hand had snatched his collar in a strong grip, and yanked him forcibly to his feet. Head spinning from the shock of it all, Zexion squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to look into the Superior's eyes, not wanting to see the cold fury he was certain would be etched on every line of the elder vampire's face...he knew, he knew...what an idiot he'd been, thinking he could hide everything...
"Look me in the eye, Ienzo." The Superior's voice was dark, heavy with disapproval.
"S-Superior..." But he couldn't protest--how could he disobey his Superior's orders? So, reluctantly, he eased his eyelids open again, his vision a blur at first but reassembling into the Superior's dark, furious visage...into the disapproving light burning in the elder vampire's deep orange eyes... Zexion felt his stomach lurch, and was surprised he hadn't fainted yet. He'd never, ever before been beheld with such cold fury. Not from Axel, whose anger was hot and all-consuming, so that it controlled him and made him a predictable being, susceptible to his volatile emotions.
No, Xemnas's fury was on a completely different level. It was cold as ice, sharp and penetrating, and he was in complete control of it. He could use his fury, instead of his fury using him. He could use it to punish Zexion beyond any punishment Zexion had ever received before. Axel, in his blazing anger, could hurt Zexion. But Xemnas, in his icy anger, could do so much more.
He could break Zexion, thoroughly, and so completely there would be no pieces left to pick up afterwards.
"You will tell me the truth now, Ienzo. The entire truth, and you will not hide anything from me. Is that understood?"
Somehow, Zexion managed to jerk his head into a nod, and feebly whisper out, "Y-yes Superior."
"Good," said Xemnas, sounding satisfied. "Although...for insurance's sake..."
Zexion realized, with a flash of horror, what the Superior was going to do a second before it happened. He'd never witnessed it before, only heard of this mysterious power the coven's leader, possessed--the power to reach into any vampire's mind and pull forth the truth--
He felt a heavy hand, cold as ice, press against his forehead, the fingers digging into the skin of his temples, most certainly leaving bruises behind. Zexion wanted to protest, wanted to make some noise, some tiny show of defiance--but his breath was stuck in his throat and he couldn't think, it almost felt like more than just the weight of the Superior's hand was pressing on him, that it was the full weight of the Superior's entire being, his entire dark disapproval--
Then, Zexion lost himself. Lost himself to pain, deeper than any pain he'd ever felt before, deeper than the pain of Axel's blows and intrusions, deeper than the pain of losing Demyx, the pain of having been betrayed by his two best friends--this was a pain that slashed deep into the core of his very being, forced unwilling memories to the surface of his mind--
As if in a haze, he saw...he saw Axel, smirking confidently at him that very first night, as Zexion bucked and struggled in a useless effort. More images, floating through the fog of pain, coming quicker now--Axel, slapping him hard, disapproval in his eyes--
A blonde slayer with a foolish but earnest smile, sitting on a stone bench beside Zexion, trying to hold a friendly conversation with him...then of Axel, fury burning in his countenance as he dragged Zexion away from Demyx...then of Demyx writhing in pleasure as Zexion serviced him...Demyx pinning Zexion to the bed, mastering him...Demyx apologizing to Zexion, kissing him...
Demyx holding a broken and beautiful butterfly, speaking words about love, his eyes burning with the same earnestness he always put into his words...
Demyx's hands around Zexion's, kissing him over and over again, drowning Zexion in a haze of pure pleasure...
Demyx tracing Zexion's coven tattoo with an idle finger, as Zexion spoke of Xemnas, his Superior...
Demyx, dangling from the grip of a powerful vampire with sadistically glinting purple eyes, while Zexion hid like the coward he was...
And then nothing. Then, Zexion fell to the floor with a muffled thump, mind ringing, pain still coursing through his every nerve...while the Superior loomed above him, expressionless, radiating cold disapproval.
The truth had been revealed. The entire truth. Zexion had nothing to hide, now. All of his sins, laid bare on his soul, and there was nothing he could do to retract them, now that the Superior had seen.
"I see," said Xemnas, his voice slow and flat--but his dark fury was more than evident. "So that is what you have been keeping from me, Ienzo...a human slayer. Imagine that. Looking at you, I wouldn't think that you were the type..."
Zexion said nothing to this, just squeezed his eyes shut and lowered his head, not bothering to hide the stinging wetness gathering behind his eyes. He could do nothing. Nothing but wait for his own death.
"But this is a rather...serendipitous discovery," continued the Superior, seemingly speaking to himself, pacing up and down the room now, his eyes to the ceiling. "Who would have thought it...? The same human..."
To Zexion, Xemnas's words were mere nonsense. Mere delaying. He was going to die anyway, so why wouldn't the Superior just get on with it...? He almost opened his mouth to say something of the ilk, but managed to contain himself in time.
And then the Superior his said, his voice low but sounding strangely pleased, "Go, then. Summon him." Zexion jerked his stare up, confused--was the Superior speaking to him?--but then saw that the Superior had summoned one of his familiars, a large black-winged bat, and had sent it flying out of the suddenly-opened door. So the Superior was calling another vampire, but why...? He didn't need any witnesses to kill Zexion, did he?
Zexion even voiced his confusion, before he could think to hold his tongue. "Superior--what are you--"
"Silence, Ienzo." The fury in the Superior's voice lashed at Zexion like a whip, and he fell appropriately quiet again, training his eyes to the floor and wondering, and fearing...
To his surprise, the Superior continued to speak, sounding pensive and delighted at the same time. "Ienzo, I really must thank you for the peek into your mind. It's given me an...inspiration...as to how to punish you."
"Superior...?" Zexion dared to look up, giving the Superior a querying look, but Xemnas just laughed it off with a slow, deep, insidious laugh.
"You'll see, Ienzo. Oh, you'll see..."
To say that Demyx was "uncomfortable" would be an understatement.
He was...well, he was aching all over, the tight ropes digging into his skin and chafing quite uncomfortably. His legs felt were numb and heavy as leaden logs, and his body was beginning to ache from being bound in the same position for so long.
Not to mention...
He needed to pee.
It was a stupid realization, but it was all true. Demyx needed to go the bathroom some time soon, or...well, he didn't like the thought of peeing in his pants, not here, not how. Because then he'd be sitting here stewing in his own piss, which was not a pleasant thought at all. But still...the urge was near overpowering. He doubted that he'd get a reprieve anytime soon, because no one had come for him yet and anyway, vampires didn't need to pee. Did they even have toilets in this...this here...wherever this was?
Just as Demyx was seriously beginning to contemplate, well, going right then and there...the door to the chamber burst open.
"Hey! Finally, someone's come! What're you all gonna do with me, why don't you tell me now 'cause I really, really, need to use--"
"Silence," said Saix, his voice as cool and dispassionate as always. Demyx glared up at the blue-haired...not-vampire not-human...who merely gave him a bored glance. But then Demyx's indignity gave way to surprise, when Saix approached him with two steps and sliced the ropes binding Demyx with a single motion of his hand.
"Whoa--huh? What? Hey!" cried Demyx, staring in dumbstruck surprise as the ropes fell like limp snakes to the floor around him. Inertia kept him glued firmly to the chair, still in the same position he'd been bound in for the past...who-knows-how-many hours.
"Get up," said Saix, still sounding utterly disinterested in the proceedings. Then, before Demyx could protest, Saix's hand shot out and tightened around Demyx's forearm, jerking the slayer to his feet with startling strength. Demyx stumbled as pins and needles shot through his numb legs, barely able to keep his balance--but Saix didn't care, just continuing to jerk Demyx along after him while Demyx protested loudly.
"Hey--seriously--where the hell are you taking me--? The bathroom? Huh? 'Cause I really gotta go--"
Saix remained silent the entire time, to the point where Demyx felt that he was railing at a wall. A wall that was still dragging him along, grip as tight and unmerciful as a metal vice. Demyx was sure that Saix was leaving bruises, but doubted that Saix cared--he only seemed to care about taking Demyx wherever the hell they were going. Demyx didn't know where. It seemed to him that they were heading down yards of long, winding dark hallways, passing no one, the air cold and whispering against Demyx's face.
And then, after what felt like an eternity of silence from Saix and ranting from Demyx, the blue-haird man paused before a door.
"Bathroom?" said Demyx, though this was a foolish thought. No way Saix would be considerate enough to take Demyx to the bathroom of all places...no doubt, there was something dark, and dangerous, lurking behind the door...
...like Xaldin, maybe. After all, Xaldin hadn't started "playing" with Demyx yet...
The instant the thought struck him, Demyx began contemplating ways to escape, his mind working rapid fire--but there was nothing he could do about Saix's pincer grip around his arm. So he could do nothing to stop Saix when Saix undid the latch on the door--and with a rough push shoved Demyx straight into the room.
Demyx almost fell over, still unaccustomed to walking on his own, due to the pins and needles still shrieking their way up his legs. He managed to regain his balance on time, throwing his arm out to catch himself on the wall, at the same time that he heard the door slam shut behind him. So he was alone in here...alone, with only--only a vampire for company. A vampire that was probably Xaldin, ready to play with his newest toy...
Heart thudding a staccato against his rib cage, barely daring to breathe, Demyx slowly lifted his gaze from the floor. What he saw made his heart stop dead with a cold jolt, and him to take a step backward, mind singing with surprise.
"Zexy...?"
Zexion hadn't recognized the sea-salt and ocean-breeze scent at first, as it had been masked by Saix's heavy (and putrid, in Zexion's opinion) musk. So he'd been completely caught off guard when the door to the Superior's office opened--and Demyx came stumbling in.
It had to be Demyx. No one else. He would never be able to mistake that messy blonde hair, the wide blue eyes, the earnestness in the boyish features. Demyx, bruised and covered with dried blood, but Demyx nonetheless--standing foolishly before the door and looking as startled as Zexion felt.
"Zexy...?" he'd said when he had entered, his eyes widening as he took in Zexion standing near the back of the room (though further behind him was the Superior, leaning on the very wall). "Zexy...what are you...what is...oh damn it, Zexion, I'm so glad to--"
And before Zexion could stop Demyx, the blonde slayer had launched straight at Zexion, barreling with a speed that the vampire hadn't known he possessed, and threw his arms around Zexion's neck.
Zexion reacted instantly to that, driving his knee into Demyx's stomach and stumbling back, trying to throw the slayer's heavy, choking arms off of him--but despite the knee to the stomach, Demyx didn't move, but clung even more obstinately, burying his face into the crook of Zexion's neck. From this position, Zexion could feel all of Demyx--all of Demyx's heavy warmth, the softness of Demyx's hair tickling Zexion's cheek--
And Demyx's blood. The smell of the blood, throbbing regularly through the slayer's veins with each beat of his heart...
"Stop it, Demyx! Get off of me!" snarled Zexion, struggling again to throw Demyx's arms off, but failing. He could barely think, not when Demyx was so close to him--when the intoxicating scent of Demyx's blood was making him feel lightheaded-- "Get off, damn it!"
"Zexion, oh, Zexion, Zexy," groaned Demyx over and over again. It almost sounded like he was sobbing, but Zexion didn't think so because he didn't feel anything wet, like tears. "Zexy...I didn't think you'd come, seriously, I thought you hated me--"
"Please, get off," hissed Zexion, his hands rising to Demyx's wrists and again trying to pry them off, but it was no use...Zexion, having always lacked physical strength, just didn't have it in him to pull Demyx's oppressive weight away from him. Behind him, he could hear the Superior's low chuckles, and that just made the situation even worse... "Get the hell off of me! I'll be more than happy to catch up with you when you get off. Just get off!"
Demyx finally seemed to get the picture, slowly lifting his face from Zexion's shoulder, his arms falling back down to his sides. When Demyx looked back at Zexion, Zexion couldn't help but take a step back in cold shock--shock at the hurt shimmering in Demyx's bright blue eyes.
"Demyx..." he said quietly, realizing with a jolt what Demyx had construed Zexion's words and actions as meaning.
But then the hurt look was gone, replaced by a cold stoicity that nonetheless didn't mask the lingering misery in Demyx's eyes. When Demyx spoke, his voice was cold, but hid a faint quaver. "Oh, but of course. I shouldn't get my hopes up. Of course you hate me still. I'm sorry about that, Zexion."
"Demyx--what are you--I don't hate you," protested Zexion, struggling to block out the smell of Demyx's blood--but it was so inviting. He hadn't had a meal since that woman on the ship, and now he realized he was paying the price. He wanted to tell Demyx to run, but the words were stuck in his throat, and for a moment he was unable to think of anything...only of the blood, so thick and lovely and red, pulsing and pulsing through Demyx's veins...
"It's all right, Zexion. I shouldn't have been dumb enough to think I was in love with you in the first place," continued Demyx, still in that cold-but-quavering voice. "You were right, back then in the park...I was just confused. Confused and stupid. Stupid. That's just the way I am, isn't it? I know you think I'm the biggest idiot in the entire universe. I know it."
"I don't--!" protested Zexion, forcing himself to breathe so he could speak. The instant he did he wished he hadn't. The smell of Demyx's blood assaulted him again, causing him to take an unconscious step closer, and then another...
"That's good, Ienzo." For the first time, the Superior spoke, his voice deep with morbid satisfaction. "Eat your fill. Am I not a considerate Superior, allowing you a feast such as this...?"
Zexion grit his teeth, resolving to block out anything the Superior said. But the words continued ringing in his head, echoing dully...Eat your fill...a feast such as this...he knew what the Superior was doing. What Zexion's punishment would be.
He would not die. Demyx would--by his hand.
No, damn it. No, stop, don't. It's Demyx, you can't eat him! He's not food! Furious thoughts coursed through Zexion's mind, but they were weak, pathetic whimpers when compared to the Superior's low and silky voice, egging him on...
"Come, Ienzo. Eat. I know you are hungry. Your meal is waiting for you. Won't you eat...?"
Demyx, for his part, was now staring wide-eyed at the Superior, looking almost as if he was seeing a ghost. No, not a ghost...but a man he'd before seen only in portraits and sketches in history books...a man who had walked the Earth at the time of Napoleon and...
And was most definitely not a vampire. At least in Demyx's schema.
"Zexion..." said Demyx, his voice small and strained. "Who is this?"
"The Superior," mumbled Zexion, lowering his head. How else could he explain it...? "Xemnas."
"A pleasure to meet you, Demyx," said Xemnas, an ironic smile on his face, his eyes glinting with a sadistically pleased light. "Ienzo certainly thinks about you...quite a deal. He's very fixated on you, did you know that? Something about your blood must excite him..."
"Huh? What? Who--Ienzo?" Demyx glanced wildly around, looking so confused and lost that Zexion almost just wanted to...wanted to return the hug that Demyx had initiated, wanted to tell Demyx that it was all okay and he was going to deal with everything, that Demyx needn't worry...but it was a foolish urge. He couldn't. Zexion knew he wouldn't be able to control his instincts if he did that. He had to hold back, had to try his hardest to block out the scent of the blood circulating through Demyx's body, inviting him...
"Demyx," said Zexion quietly. "Please, Demyx. Listen to me--get out of here. Run. Get as far away from me as possible."
"What!" Demyx's attention snapped back to Zexion, and he looked offended now. "Oh, I see what this is. You hate me now, so--"
"I don't hate you, you idiot!" snarled Zexion, now becoming irritated at how obtuse Demyx was being. Demyx knew vampires...surely he must be able to see the raging bloodlust in Zexion's eyes, the way that Zexion was barely managing to hold back from springing at Demyx and sinking his fangs into the vein quivering so delightfully on the slayer's neck... "Just get out of here! Run! Before I eat you, damn it!"
"Oh, so now you wanna eat me?" More rage entered Demyx's voice, matching Zexion's. "What was all that about me not being 'meat'? Bunch of bullcrap, I guess, like everything--"
Demyx's rage was beginning to terrify Zexion. He'd never...never...seen Demyx so angry before. Never. And worse, all of that anger, all of that disapproval, was directed straight at Zexion, piercing the incubus like a burning arrow. Zexion just didn't know what to do, what to say, to make Demyx's rage abate...to return Demyx to the the cheerful, smiling boy that Zexion knew. Nothing he said could work anymore; it was impossible to think of the right words when his every instinct was raging for that blood, the rich sweet blood beneath Demyx's skin. Everything he said, Demyx would just misconstrue...
"Eat him, Ienzo." The Superior's voice cut through Zexion's panicked thoughts, and against his will Zexion turned to face the Superior--to see the disapproval now shining in the elder vampire's orange eyes. "Do not be so ungrateful. I've taken the time to bring you a treat, and you won't even consume it?"
"S-Superior..." whispered Zexion. He couldn't block out the Superior's words, the Superior's orders...he had to...had to...had to...
But he couldn't! It was Demyx. He could not eat Demyx. He would repeat this over and over again in his mind until it overpowered the Superior's low, insidious words. Eat him. I can't! It's Demyx. I can't eat him. I can't. Eat him. You must. I can't!
"Eat him, Ienzo. Eat the slayer. You know you want to."
"Yeah, go the hell ahead and eat me! See if I give a shit, Zexion! Huh? I'm waiting!"
No. Not Demyx. I can't eat him. Not Demyx.
No matter what the Superior said. No matter what the Superior commanded him. No matter the punishment he would receive. He had come all this way, in search of Demyx. He would not give in to his instincts at this last second and devour Demyx like a thoughtless animal. He was better than that, different...stronger... He had said to Demyx that Demyx was not meat. Now was the time to test that.
It was hard, though...so hard when the Superior's voice, so silky and cajoling, was ringing in his ears...so hard when the scent of Demyx's blood pulled at him like a lure, made him step closer even as he tried to pull himself back...hating himself, fearing himself, but moving closer anyway, while Demyx's issued defiant challenges and the Superior continued ordering him, "Eat him, Ienzo. Eat the little human..."
It was getting too much for Zexion to bear. He was almost upon Demyx now--all he would have to do was spring, bear Demyx down to the ground with the element of surprise, and then bite Demyx where the vein on his neck twitched so invitingly. And then...he'd be able to lap up all the blood, all of Demyx's blood, hot and steaming and fresh and gushing out, staining Demyx's pale neck and his shirt, sating his burning hunger...
There was fear in Demyx's eyes now, even as outwardly he continued to put on a show of defiance, continuing snapping, "C'mon, Zexy, what're you waiting for? Eat me up!" But he had started backing off now, as Zexion approached, and he couldn't hide the way his eyes had widened, ever-so-slightly...
Stop! screamed Zexion's conscience, or as much conscience as he could claim to have. But the ravening hunger within him, and the Superior's voice behind him, were stronger than that tiny, quavering gasp, and against his will he obeyed, taking another step...and another...and another...until he'd backed Demyx into a corner. Now Demyx was making no effort at putting on a rebellious show, instead breathing hard and pressing himself further against the cold concrete wall, his eyes wide.
"Zexy--Zexy--c'mon, Zexy, you don't mean it, I mean, you must hate me, I get that, but you don't wanna eat me, do you? Do you?"
I don't.
And with a flash, he realized what to do.
Just as Xemnas's voice rose to a shouted order, "Do it, Ienzo!" and Demyx fell silent, a resigned looking coming to his eyes--Zexion fell to his knees, took a deep breath, and sank his claws into his forearms.
Instantly, the overpowering, intoxicating smell of Demyx's blood was gone--no, not gone, but just overwhelmed. Overwhelmed by another scent, darker and heavier than Demyx's sea-breeze presence, a smell of blood, and darkness, of bitterness with a trace of something light and sweet, like violets--
Zexion's own scent. His own blood.
He was surprised he hadn't thought of it sooner. The instant he'd done it, pierced his skin with his claws and watched the blood, dark and red, flowing out, staining his shirt sleeves, the all-consuming hunger had vanished. Now, he was absorbed in the smell of his own blood--a smell that repulsed him, food-wise. Sweet as humans' scents might be, vampires loathed above all the smell of their own blood. No one knew why that was, but there was just something, some primal instinct, within every vampire that caused them to recoil at the heavy dark scents of their own unholy blood.
His head cleared now of the fuzz of hunger, Zexion looked up, meeting Demyx's shocked gaze. He even managed a slight, ironic little smile which Demyx only returned by gaping. Behind him, he heard the Superior hiss in disapproval, but Zexion found--to his surprise--that he no longer cared what the Superior thought.
It was starting to hurt, where he'd pierced the skin and sent rivulets of blood running down his pale skin, but the pain didn't bother Zexion. He'd felt worse...much worse...would probably be feeling worse after Xemnas punished for that...but who cared, that was all in the future--for now, he was safe, he hadn't killed Demyx...
"Zexy..." whispered Demyx, staring down at Zexion as if he had never truly seen Zexion before. "Zexion...what did you..."
"So that's what you've chosen to do, is it, Ienzo?" The Superior's voice behind Zexion, dark with disapproval, startled Zexion out of his daze, and he whipped around to face the Superior, despite not wanting see Xemnas's anger. Xemnas remained standing in the very back of the room, his expression unreadable--but a palpable anger shining in his eyes.
"Superior..." he whispered, straightening up and wiping some of the blood off his arm with a somewhat nervous gesture, seeing how bright the red stain was against his own pale skin. Despite himself, he couldn't stop trembling--he was going to get punished for this, punished beyond any punishment he'd ever received before. And regardless of his previous bravado...
...he didn't want that.
"So you don't wish to eat now," continued the Superior, still in that tone dripping with heavy disapproval. "Never mind that. You're hungry, Ienzo. I can see that. You will want to eat...eventually. You will give in to your hunger. No vampire can resist for long."
"Superior...?" This time, Zexion's tone was querying, and he cast the Superior a nervous look--especially as the Superior moved away from the wall, walking in his slow, graceful manner almost like gliding, to the door.
"Locked in a room with a human, Ienzo," said Xemnas, and now when he spoke a note of insidious delight had slipped into his voice. "Every vampire's dream situation, is it not...?"
And with that, he shut the door behind him, with the very audible sound of the padlock clicking. Zexion stared after where Xemnas had left for a long time, realization slowly dawning on him. And he knew from a part of his being that transcended everything--all feeling, all instinct, all emotion, all reason--that Xemnas was right. The distraction with his own blood was just that--a distraction. Eventually, the lure of Demyx's blood, and the strength of his own hunger, would overcome the repulsive smell of his own blood, and...
He didn't want to think about it. So he just stood there, staring at the door, trying not to think of Demyx...Demyx still huddled in the corner, watching him wide-eyed, speechless...Demyx, whom Zexion had come all this way--had killed--for. And now that he was here, with Demyx...
He just didn't know what to say. There were too many thoughts running through his mind, and he couldn't put a single one of them into words.
Ha ha...no, Kadaj's appearance isn't going to mean that Sephiroth will show up. It was just a fun random thing, because of my abiding love for the SHM. So don't expect more on the Sephiroth tangent.
The next chapter, "Clear", is my favorite chapter so far and also what I feel is the most intensely Zemyx-y one too. It contains the first really Zemyx sex scene I've written for this story (you can't count chapter five...), and is just, well, you'll see. Here's the preview:
He pressed slowly in the kiss, not wanting to miss a single second of--of this. Of Demyx. Of Demyx's beautiful sea-salt, ocean-breeze scent, overwhelming him, but in a different way than before. A different hunger, stirring in a different place. His hands buried into Demyx's hair, while Demyx's hands tightened around Zexion's waist, and together they ravished each other's mouths, drinking in each other's flavors, Zexion lost in a din of sensations he couldn't quite comprehend but knew he enjoyed as Demyx's tongue moved within his mouth.
See? Zemyx goodness. And yes, I realize I've been neglecting Roxas...but he'll make a glorious comeback in chapter sixteen, that I promise.
Remember to send a review after you read!