Chapter Three: Emotionless

"Ugh...what happened last night?" Lea groaned, rubbing his head. Only then did he remember...

The Heartless. They had come to Ais's home,and started banging on the door...and he had been at his friend's house at the time...

"Ais?" He shouted, scrambling to his feet. They were outside an old mansion, but how...?

"Quiet down." Came the muffled reply. Ais was lying flat on his stomach, hands clutching his face.

"You okay?"

"The Heartless." He growled. "They got my face."

Lea resisted a snide comment and instead said, "Let me see."

Ais removed his hands, revealing a nasty X shaped scar...

***

"Axel?"

"He's gone deaf in his old age."
"Shut up Demyx. Axel?"

"Hellooo?"

"Anyone home?"

Axel snapped out of his trance, staring around. "Wha?"

"The meeting's over." Roxas said, staring at him strangely. "Anything the matter?"
"He's zoning out, for some reason." Xion agreed.

Demyx, Roxas, and Xion all looked at Axel oddly.

"Erm...nothing. I'll see you guys later, I'm kinda tired." He said hastily, heading toward his room.

"You should do that." Xion agreed.

"You look really tired." Roxas added.

"We'll cover for you!"
"When did you join our little friendship circle?" Roxas asked Demyx, raising an eyebrow.

"Ever since I was tired of getting my butt kicked by Larxene."

***

Instead of going to bed, Axel headed up the steps towards Saix's chamber. He hesitated, then knocked on the door.

"What are you doing..." He muttered to himself.

Saix opened the door, looking...well...expressionless at finding Axel there.

"Hello, Axel."
"Hey. Um..." You're really gonna ask this creep? "Want to go to the Clock Tower?"

Saix raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"Just...because it'll be like old times. C'mon."

"I have better things to do." Saix said flatly. But his eyes flicked around, a familiar sign of indecision that Axel had come to recognize.

Axel sighed, rubbing his hair. "Be that way, I guess. Don't know why I even bother."

He turned, and grinned to himself when he heard Saix say, "Axel."

He turned around, wiping the grin from his face. "Yeah?"

"I'll go. Later. I know you go to the Clock Tower for the sunset with Xion and Roxas. I'll be there when the sun has fully set."

"Great. See you."

Axel grinned hugely to himself. Maybe the serious minded Ais was still in there somewhere, even though...

***

"I can't remember..." Ais croaked, staring numbly at all the blood on his hands.

"What?" Lea asked in confusion.

"I know you...but I can't seem to remember..." He groaned, running his hands across the cuts...

***

Darn, it was those two cuts that had affected a large portion of Saix's memory, and was probably what made him so emotionless. However, Axel was still "anxious" to see if his friend had remembered anything else over the years. So when Roxas and Xion left, he stayed behind. The sun vanished and stars appeared. The instant the moon hung low in the sky a portal swished open, and Saix emerged from its depths.

"Reminds you of home?" He said in his calm, flat voice.

"It does." Axel agreed. He grinned, handing Saix an ice cream. Saix stared, then rolled his eyes and took it, though he didn't do anything else.

"Any more memories coming in?"

"Many have come since then."

"Mind telling me what?"

Saix's lips twisted into a smile. "A lot of them are comprised of you somehow saying, 'got it memorized?'"

"Really? Wow. I'll give you another. Got it memorized?"

Saix rolled his eyes again. "So childish. Even without emotions."

"Takes one to know one."

"Did you just spear me with that old phrase? Shame on you."

That sounded more like the person Axel had used to know.

"Since you came all the way out here, I owe you one. Let's talk about whatever you'd like, like we used to..."
Saix was silent for a long time. Then:

"Do you think we'll get out hearts back?"

"That's all we can hold on to." Axel replied.

"But do you-"

"Yes. I do. We'll get it back sooner or later."

"So optimistic."

"So pessimistic."
Silence.

"Say, Saix, any particular reason why you're Xemnas's second in command?"

Saix dropped the ice cream bodily off the tower, where it hit a man in a hat and suit.

"That was a waste."

Ignoring him, Saix said, "The Superior and I are of a very similar train of thought. Whilst you..."

"Didn't jump onto the 'need more hearts' bandwagon?"

Saix narrowed his eyes. "That is not an accurate description. But yes. We need more hearts, for only with hearts will we be complete. And we must do whatever we can to get them."

Axel watched Saix, bristling, fangs bared in a humorless grin, lighted by the moon. The power hungry eyes of his former friend were riveted on the glowing orb.

"Y'know...I don't know why I tried. I guess the person I was looking for isn't in there. Or if he was, he's been taken over by Saix."

Axel stood, opening a portal.

"Whenever Ais feels like talking, Lea is ready to listen. Whenever Saix wants to talk..."

He left then, leaving Saix alone.

***

"What's wrong with you lately?"

"Whatever do you mean, Axel?"

"And why are you calling me that? Even when it's just us, you don't call me Lea."

"Because Lea had a heart, we are just-"

"Shells. Nobodies. I know. But there's this change in you I can see, and it's just getting worse every passing hour."

"Perhaps it's you who needs to change."

"Perhaps. But if that's the case, I'll remain the same joking Lea for the rest of my existence."

"Still strong minded."

"Of course. Or I wouldn't be here, would I?"

Axel faced Saix from across the room.

"I know you. You joke and laugh but your mind is always two steps ahead. What are you planning?"

"Nothing. At the moment." Axel replied.

*

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