Yay! new chapter! amazingness! again, hope ya enjoy! until next time then.
Disclamer goes here: you know the drill.
Song: welcome to the jungle- guns and roses (best thing I could think of. don't hate)
Chapter 3: Exploring New Worlds
I woke up to darkness. My clothes stuck to my skin, reminding me that I had slept in my uniform. I felt hot and flustered, with my own scent very apparent in the air. My gloved hand found its way to my sweat covered forehead. My hair stuck to it and refused to pry itself away. I removed my glove as I sat up to finish the task, looking at my clock in the process. The familiar red numbers told me it was 1:46 A.M. I blinked, baffled to find that my dazed eyes were not playing tricks.
I sat in the dark for a moment, wondering why my body would wake me up at such a time. My face would have read confusion if it could have been seen. I slowly slid my legs over my still made bed and my other glove was forced off. With both of my hands now revealed, I leaned over to turn on the one lamp in my room, which was on the same nightstand as my alarm clock. The light might have been weak, but my eyes were forced shut at the sudden brightness. My head turned in the same reaction, letting my loose hair fall back to its original spot.
My eyes slowly adjusted to the light. With my vision clear, I saw my room was the same. I checked for a certain member, remembering that I had not seen him the first time he appeared even though he was indeed there. Demyx, to my relief, was nowhere to be seen this time. It looked like my guilt trip worked, not that I had doubts in my ability. I was only worried about his ability to understand that I did not wish to be woken up to an uninvited guest. I still felt pride in my achievement despite this as I got up.
I made my way to my Lexicon when my stomach solved my previous mystery. The loud mixture of highs and lows was paired with rumbling. It lasted for, what seemed to be, at least a whole minute and when the sound ended, I felt my legs weakening?. I realized that I had not eaten since the meal I made yesterday. I blamed Demyx for that, heading to the room's bathroom.
I looked in the mirror to find a messy image of myself. My hair was out of place. Some stuck to my forehead, just as I thought, and some of it was pushed in a zigzagged part. The longer strands that were meant to go on the left side of my face, had gotten pushed to the right side. The result being that the strands stuck out and separated. My eyes looked restless, the normal cobalt blue color having turned a deeper shade. It was much like a federal blue. Bags formed just under them, making me look older than I really was. The slight paleness that came from low blood sugar completed the look.
I fixed what I could of my hair in an effort to make myself look halfway decent before I walked into the wing's hallway. My legs followed the path to the kitchen. I almost didn't have to pay attention to know where to turn, which was a good thing, since I barely stayed awake going down the path. The fact that the lights were not on did not help either. My feet dragged on the white floor. My eyes hung low and my back slouched.
I was glad Xigbar or Axel didn't see me like this. Axel would make some sort of joke about my appearance that would last for just as long, if not longer, than his 'emo' insult. It would most likely become just as annoying hearing it every waking moment, instead of being insulted by it. The only positive thing would be that maybe it would motivate him to change things up. It was unlikely but not impossible,
'At least I wouldn't hear the same thing every time I see him,' I thought as I passed a corner.
Xigbar, on the other hand, has already seen me when I first wake up. I just prefer he does not see me like this as much as possible. Ever since he started babying me in the Radiant Garden castle, I've tried to pull myself together, make sure I'm neat and organized. I always thought of it as a way to show him that, even though I was the youngest, I could handle myself. That I didn't need for him to baby me as he did, nor did I need him to act like an older brother as he does now. Maybe it was because I didn't want him to see me as a child.
My brain was too dazed to really think on the subject, so I settled for opening the kitchen door. My hand found the white knob and rotated it with little energy. I barely noticed the smell of earth before I fully opened the only thing that separated me from fixing my inconvenience. It didn't occur to me that Lexaeus was on the other side until I saw his ginger hair and tall cloaked figure by one of the few ovens.
My eyes hurt again when I stepped in to the bright light. The white walls still did not help, nor did the white appliances. My feet dragged onto the tiled floor and I closed the door, rubbing my eyes in the middle of my actions. A yawn escaped my lips before Lexaeus turned to face me.
"You look lively," The tall male said sarcastically with hand movements accompanying his words.
I looked briefly to the pan to see he was making what looked to be, strangely, pancakes. I tried my best to not give him a glare as I sat down at one of the tables. It happened to be the same one I used my last trip to the kitchen. I laid my head on my folded arms, my face buried itself and my stomach let out another painful groan. I let out a sigh of annoyance and was about to search for food myself when I heard a plate being set on the table. I looked up with dreary eyes at a stack of two pancakes. No syrup, only a little butter with a fork and knife already set to the side just the way I liked it. I knew better than to argue with the silent hero so my only response was a muffled, "Thank you," and the clanging of silverware.
"You forgot to eat again?" I heard the fifth member ask.
Just as he to implied, this wasn't my first time going without food, only most of the time it was due to me getting caught in a book which meant I would skip a meal to continue the story, not me flat out forgetting. I still nodded "yes", though adding more after I got a raised eyebrow, which meant "explain."
"Number nine insisted on going to a different world. It was the only way for him to half way be quiet," I said, dragging the sentence to give effect or, rather, to make him understand the extent of my frustration.
The large male turned to me, looking slightly confused.
"He can talk already?" he asked, with a bit of surprise apparent in his voice.
I shivered at the thought of Demyx being able to talk. I imagine things at HalloweenTown would have gone ten times worse if he could. Now I dreaded the end of the week knowing he would probably be able to speak by then. I personally thanked Lexaeus for ruining my hopes for a peaceful weekend.
"He doesn't have too. That's the horrendous part," I answered, with my mouth full of pancake.
I was thinking of getting up for a glass of milk when I heard an object being placed in front of me. I looked at where the sound came from to see just what I was about to get up for. Lexaeus took his spot in the chair across from me, his hand still on the glass, carrying his own set of pancakes, which were covered in syrup. I looked at the plate with disgust. I didn't see how he could eat something so sweet.
I thanked him for the milk, thinking about how well he knew me. If anything, I would have said Lexaeus was my father figure, next to Ansem the Wise. It was hard to remember sometimes that he was only a friend. I still found it ironic that I couldn't bare Xigbar as a brother but I would take Lexaeus as a father even if we looked nothing alike and have completely different taste buds.
"Your mission went well, I'm guessing?" I asked while reaching for the glass.
I was surprised when I did grab the container. I wasn't expecting it to be as cold as it was for how long the milk had been in it. Then again, I had not seen Lexaeus fix the drink so it may have been there longer than what I had expected. I also remembered that my gloves were located in my room, not on my hands.
"As well as a mission can go," the male replied, shoving a piece of pancake in his mouth.
I assumed he meant 'it went well, even though I got some scrapes and bruises.'
I looked at the male's face fully now. Sure enough, I saw a small cut I had not seen before on his lower jaw. Around the area, it was already growing a dark blue, and some of it had even started to swell. I wanted to ask if he needed anything for it, but this was Lexaeus, and I wasn't too worried about him. He would be the one to suffer silently if anyone could.
I nodded my head as if to say 'touché' and put another mouthful of my half eaten breakfast/dessert past my lips. I looked down at my plate again, regretting that the male gave me two pancakes instead of one due to my filling stomach. I continued to eat still, figuring that the more I ate, the less likely there would be a chance of me having to get up again. As I looked down, I wondered why Lexaeus would have been making pancakes in the first place. It did not occur to me at first because I was still asleep, but now that I was fully awake, the question stuck. I would understand him making food if he just got back from the mission, seeing as how there's not much time to eat in a mission, but pancakes? It just struck me to be odd that he would make pancakes of all things. He could h-
I stopped myself in mid-thought, realizing just how sleepy I was. From there I proceeded to get up, throw the rest of the food away, and put my plate by the sink.
"I need to go to bed," I told Lexaeus, still with droopy eyes.
My mind may have seemed awake but my body was still exhausted. That, and I wasn't completely sure my brain was working quite right on account of me rambling in my head about the reason Lexaeus was making pancakes. No matter how odd it might have been, my normal self wouldn't have even questioned the brute male, let alone ramble about the subject.
As my hand reached the door I heard Lexaeus make a grunty noise in response, it really meaning 'good night' in his language, and with a wave of my hand I went in the dark hallway. My eyes had to adjust to the darkness this time when I began to make my way back to my room. The familiarity of the turns helped once more in my favor, meaning it only took me a good three or four minutes to get back to the wing that the rooms were located.
I walked slowly down the path, seeing lights under some of the members' doors, telling me I wasn't the only one up this late… or should I say early? I noticed, to my surprise, Xaldin's light was on. I didn't know the third member too well, but he didn't strike me as the type to stay up all hours of the night. I thought that he had returned from a mission just as Lexaeus had. I hadn't heard that he had gone anywhere, but it would not shock me if he, in fact, had.
Another member that had his light on was Saix. Saix was the opposite of Xaldin. I would expect to see him up all night, knowing his element was associated with the moon. I would often run into him late at night while I was going to get a refreshment or on my way to the library for whatever reason. He would always seem a bit more on edge, though, so I tried to stay clear of him, not really knowing the male enough to predict what he would do. I walked as quietly as I could while I came near his door.
I was about to head into my own room when I saw another light on. I noticed it was Demyx's. I could hear little remnants of voices or maybe sounds, but no words came through. I have to say, I was a bit curious, but I wasn't about to put myself in a spot where I would have to talk to anyone besides Lexaeus, so I turned back to my door. I was about to twist the knob when I heard a door other than mine open. Light filled the hallway but darkness was still apparent in most of the area.
I tried not to turn to see who it was, but I couldn't help it. My body turned towards the light to see none other than Demyx. I regretted turning around as soon as I saw the cloaked figure. I frowned at the figure, a second later noticing something was different about the outline of his silhouette. It took me a moment to see that he had added what looked to be shoulder pads to his uniform. They stood out from the rest of the outfit, making his shoulders look somewhat broader and pointed. They came outwards about an inch or two from the natural ending line of his shoulders. I could see were he had sewn the fabric to the original and for some reason, it vaguely reminded me of an outdated trend in one of the worlds I had visited.
When I did look at the male's face, he smiled with all his teeth showing and waved like he did in Halloweentown. I frowned at his eagerness. It had to be at least 2:20 by now.
'He should have lost at least some of his energy,'
I stood corrected when he ran over to where I was standing, his smile growing more widespread. He looked like he would explode with excitement any moment. In the back of my mind I remembered that he would be able to speak soon and the voice in my head cried out with dread.
I stared at the male for a moment, wishing I didn't have to speak. I knew the hyperactive ball of energy would be unsettled if I didn't, though, and I was in more of a talking mood than I was in a cheering people up mood, so I spoke.
"Hello, Number Nine," I said, with him perking up even more. "Are you in some sort of need for assistance? If not, I would like to continue sleeping."
When I finished my sentence, Demyx's smile diminished gradually. His head shook in a negatory motion. His feet started to drag their way back to his room. His whole appearance turned melancholy and I felt a twinge of guilt for the second time this week. And, just as before, I felt obligated to fix my mistake. "Although, your additions to your uniform look nice."
It was the best I could come up with. I wasn't exactly used to giving out compliments. Demyx seemed to appreciate it anyway.
His smile returned, and it took me a moment to notice that, once again, Demyx put his arms around me. The force of the impact was almost enough to shove me in my bedroom door. My face made contact with his chest, making my whole body tense. The sense of deja vu came over me instantly. My face elevated in heat alone, with my breathing stopping in surprise from the sudden act of affection. I managed to not shove him off this time, despite my breathing returning. It seemed he had taken a bath before this because his scent wasn't overly ghastly, making it possible for him to even sway side to side a bit, forcing me to follow, without me gagging.
The hug ended with just as much tension, if not more, than what was started with. I covered half of my face with one hand and the other arm lay where it would have if my arms were crossed. My eyes looked to the floor as well.
"Well, Number nine, I have to be going now, so I wish that you sleep well and good night."
My eyes stayed on the floor as I rushed back in my room, closed the door, and locked it. My back pressed against the hard wooden barrier, with my hand still on its place. My face didn't stop feeling hot when I finally moved to my bed and sat down, nor did I regain any sort of composure. I did my best to forget the act and lay back in my bed after turning off my lamp light.
I heard a door close with the luminance coming from the hallway disappearing. I didn't bother taking off my uniform. I would make sure I had a fresh one tomorrow, but for now I could care less. That is until I laid down in the fetus position, the way I normally sleep, and smelled remnants of fresh air. Demyx's scent. It must have transferred to my uniform when he hugged me.
I leaped up from my ready sleeping position to tear off my coat, figuring I could change completely while I was up. I took off my coat first, my shoes next, leaving me to grab my sleep clothes from my closet. I walked past my desk that was to the far right of my room, across from my bed, and set the coat there. I made my way to the closet next, grabbing my clothes and the only air freshener that I liked. My arm set the sleep clothes down first, the other made way to the coat I had just set down.
With the air freshener in hand, I sprayed the whole jacket. The smells of 'Egyptian musk' filled the whole room. It was a strong scent that had to be acquired over a period of time. It smelled just as the name would suggest: a musky scent, but cleaner. It was rich and smelled somewhat like a wooded area, or maybe it was more delicate. Hard to describe, but very familiar, would be a good way to sum it up. I would have settled for anything at this moment, but I was glad I had some of the product left. The last thing I wanted was to smell Demyx at all, let alone on my clothes as I slept, and the 'Egyptian musk' solved the issue quite well.
With my objective achieved, I laid the soaked garment into my clothes hamper, changed, and laid back in bed. The air had no evidence of its previous scent, allowing me to shift under my covers without worry. My pillow felt cool on my face, but soon warmed up with my sheets. It only took me moments to fall asleep again. I looked at the clock before I closed my eyes; it read 2:26 A.M.
My eyes opened into a haze. My limbs sprawled out in completely different directions from which they started in, which was unusual for me. I normally woke up in the same spot that I fell asleep in. I wasn't too worried about it in any case, so I got up just as I did every morning. I looked to my clock. 8:02 A.M. I yawned as I made my way to the bathroom. I was about to open the door when I smelled a different scent. Musk, old spice...old spice. Xigbar.
Sure enough I heard footsteps in the hallway. My bedroom door swung open without any warning to reveal the elder man.
"Goooddd mornin', sexy Zexy!"
I stopped and stared at him, wondering if anyone knocks anymore or even considers the fact that I may have been changing before he barges into my room. Not to mention that I distinctly remember locking my door and didn't particularly want to know how he had gotten it open that fast.
I opened my mouth to speak when Xigbar interrupted me.
"Dude, I haven't seen your face in years!"
I looked at him with questioningly, thinking, 'He broke into my room to state that?'
By the time he ran up to me, I had realized that I could see out of my right eye clearly which meant half of my hair was still tucked behind my ear/
"You look so different!"
His arms came up to pinch and pull at my cheeks. His face was stuck in "awe mode", with his mouth shaped like a circle and his eyebrows arched.
"Number two," I said, getting no reaction.
"Number two," I repeated myself with a little more force. I still got no reaction besides a pinch on my right cheek.
"NUMBER TWO, STOP IT!" I yelled this time, slapping his hand away in the process.
"If you have no further comments, I would like it if you would leave so I can carry on my business!" I continued my yelling while running my fingers through my hair in an attempt to fix it.
From what I could tell this was not going to be a good day. It only made it worse when Xigbar informed me of the reason he was here.
"Oh, that's right! We have a mission together."
I stared at his figure for a moment, almost tilting my head just as Demyx does. I wasn't informed of a mission, nor was I obligated to go on one. At least, I didn't think I was. I had to take care of Demyx. That was a mission in itself.
"It's a recon, so be ready in fifteen minutes," the male said, walking out the door only to reappear seconds later.
"Before you ask, the kiddo's coming too."
I blinked at the elder man, still confused about why I was being assigned a mission in the first place as he walked out of view. I stood there for a good few minutes, unsure if I believed him. The male reappeared once more, but this time only his hand did. It moved in a circular motion like he was saying "hurry up".
"Fourteen minutes, Zexy."
With those words I raced to close the door and rushed through my morning routine. Every so often I would hear Xigbar yell how much time I had left before he, and I quote, "kicks the door down and forces me to leave half naked if he has to."
I heard what sounded to be giggles, chuckles maybe, when he said it. I figured it was either Axel or Demyx, neither of whom I would have liked to have seen me half naked, so I finished my routine with five minutes to spare. Although, I wasn't really sure how I even got done that quickly
I rushed out with still wet hair and a comb that was running its way through it.
"You're insane!" I stated to Xigbar with all seriousness, even though he laughed at the comment.
I looked over to see that it was in fact Demyx who was the one chuckling. He laughed the same way as when Xigbar threatened me. His teeth shoved under his pink lips revealing the inside of his mouth. He made no effort to hide his amusement like with Axel, nor did he try to hide his newfound bond with Xigbar.
I suddenly felt self conscious. I thought It may have not been the best idea to come out with my hair wet. I wondered if my uniform was on straight and neat like it normally was. I looked down to see that it was, but then I wondered if I had something in my teeth. I didn't have the chance to brush them in my attempt to get out in time and now I was regretting not doing so. I ran my tongue over my teeth to ensure they were fine, just a little grainy. I wasn't worried about it, knowing it wouldn't likely show up unless someone was staring at my mouth.
I felt eyes looking at me, but when my head turned upward, neither of the two were paying attention to me. Xigbar was only speaking to Demyx and he was listening, so I did not understand my sudden fear of being watched. I didn't have a chance to think about it before Xigbar turned his focus at me.
"Well, Zexy, you ready?"
I looked at him, thinking on how I probably should have acknowledged what the male was saying instead of worrying about my own self. I did not want to ask about it. He would probably just make some joke about me not listening and make it worse. I nodded yes.
Thankfully, it seemed he was not discussing where or why we were going because he started explaining the mission as we walked.
"Ok, kiddo, you've never been on a recon mission, so I'll explain," he said, putting his arm around Demyx's newly sewn shoulder pads.
"Basically, what you do is go around and gather information on whatever place that you're assigned. Maybe make a few marks on the trees, kill a few Heartless, and that's it." Xigbar's opposite hand moved in circles.
"Now, normally, we would wait for you to go on a mission, but because everyone else is busy, Zexy has to go on this one with me. We couldn't just leave you here now could we?"
Xigbar opened a portal for the three of us. I was unsettled at the thought of spending the day with the elder. I had gone on recon missions with Xigbar before. I just hoped there was not water wherever we were going. The last thing I needed was to have to walk through the castle, freezing cold and dripping wet.
I watched the two mold to the darkness. I stopped just before I entered the black hole. I took a deep breath and did my best to not shiver at the chilling memories of past missions. My feet continued into the darkness. The hard to place smell filled my nose, and moments later a different smell replaced it. It smelled like the outdoors. Sun. Dirt. Sweat. The other two's scent mixed well with the earthiness, making the two less noticeable. Once again, it could have been a blessing or a curse. Though both of which seemed to be a blessing for now.
The first things I noticed when I stepped out of the darkness were bamboo trees. Light tan dirt covered the ground, some spots supporting green life. The rest of the environment was overcome with the native bamboo. The portal closed and my head turned to take note that the bamboo made a clearing, one shaped like a circle. Two parted ways stretched away, perpendicular to each other. A single small hill rose in the center of it all.
My vision extended to behind me. I didn't see my two teammates anywhere. My frown deepened. I wasn't in the mood to play hide and seek with two grown men, nor did I think I should have too.
"Number Two! Number Nine!" I yelled lowly at first. It was just enough for them to hear me if they were near but not so loud as to attract unwanted attention.
When I heard no answer I took to searching for the two. My nose picked up that they had been here, so we didn't get separated by the portal. I got to one of the paths when I heard noise in the bamboo. I turned to see the trees swinging. I wasn't amused. Xigbar had already made me rush to get ready, I was forced to sacrifice my favorite uniform due to Demyx, and now they wanted to play games? No, I wasn't amused at all.
"Are you five?" I asked, walking towards the noise. "Because you certainly are acting that way."
My feet kicked up the tan dirt, leaving a trail from where I had walked. My patience grew thin when, again, there was no response. I took a few more steps and was about to make a sly comment when I noticed there were no drag marks on the ground besides mine. The two of them weren't smart enough to think to use a portal to get to that spot. I wouldn't think they would even consider to cover their tracks, and even if they did, I was not far behind them. They didn't have time to-
Suddenly, in a flash of yellow and black, I was knocked to the ground. The full force of the impact landed on my chest. My breath was cut off as I struggled to take in any air. My back slammed onto the tan earth. Dust clouded around the general area, along with another set of rushing sounds. Little bits of rare green leaves fell.
I struggled to get up. My body already felt like it was forming some sort of bruise, one that would be large in area and deep purple. My breathing returned with a little trouble, but nothing major. My legs seemed weak, so I was hesitant to stand even if I knew it wasn't the best idea for me to stay on the ground. The attacker would have a better opening with me down on the ground than standing and it would have a better chance of doing severe damage.
My feet planted firmly on the ground with my Lexicon ready. I heard noise jumping around.
'Heartless?.. No. It's movements are too planned.'
My eyes darted with the sounds. My hand moved to push my hair out of my view to be sure I could follow them correctly. The attacker jumped three, four, five times in the same manner. It moved too fast to read, looking like a yellow blur. It jumped again. It struck fast, my Lexicon having trouble following my own movements.
With all the erratically placed but planned strikes, I got a hit on my third try. The Lexicon struck with an upward motion, it's pages flew to finish the creature. It lay on the dirt, revealing it to be a large cat. The leopard lay without movement for the longest time, though I had a feeling it wasn't departed and kept my distance. I peeked at the cat though, mildly interested in the native life. It would have to go in my report. 'Beware of large cats' would do just fine. I would have to mention their speed too.
I continued my search for the two, steering clear of the beast, to head for the area I started to explore in the beginning. The path was the same as the clearing, full of tan dirt and bamboo. I stayed on my guard this time. Noticing every little movement. I saw footprints along the way, too. It told me that I was at least on the right path this time. I walked for a good twenty or thirty feet before I saw any other landmarks that were worth noting.
It was a campsite, filled with boxes and overall odd objects for a jungle area. One of the main tents had an old timey music player by it. Next to the whole thing looked like a lab. Telescopes were placed in random spots and over tents lined the only solid wall of green besides the bamboo. I looked around more to find nets and firearms. Older muskets to be exact. I didn't get any trace of the two males I had set out to find in the camp. I was turning to leave when I got an overwhelming amount of the two and, before I could even cover my nose, I found an arm around my shoulder.
Xigbar.
"Dude, where did you go?! We were looking everywhere for you!"
I doubted what he said. If they really looked, I wouldn't have gotten attacked because they would have found me right away.
"Anyways, we discovered this huge waterfall! You gotta check it out," the elder male said, walking off to the main entrance of the whole area.
He rounded the corner without a word from me. I followed him, never-the-less, despite my wish to find any source of water on this world.
We passed the same spot where the cat had been, it being gone now giving me no evidence that I had even fought the creature which, oddly, saddened me. If I had gone through that much effort, I had hoped I would be able to at least state that I fought it. It made the whole ordeal less worth it, not to mention added a reason to be wary of the area. Something the other two wouldn't understand. They wouldn't believe without evidence. Which brings me back to the same notion. The whole cycle played through my head as we walked past the area.
We walked past the same bambooed area, or one that looked just the same, but was actually new.
"You'll have to do some climbing, but you can handle that, right, Zexy?" The gray haired man asked without looking at me.
His arms came up to rest on his hips, his head downcast, but a smile playing across his lips. I thought he was up to something. Then again, Xigbar was alway up to something, regardless if it involved me or not.
"Or you could be lazy and use a portal. Whichever is fine." the man threw in as an afterthought.
We reached an opening like the one at the camp. This one was different, though. Its rock walls held bits of plant life and not much else. The solid rock formed many different cross ways and levels that were what Xigbar had meant by climbing. I thought it wouldn't be an issue with all the vines to grab onto and was prepared to start over on the far wall when the gray haired male stopped me.
"Hey, don't you want to use a portal?" his voice ringed.
As much as I would have liked to, that statement told me that he was planning something. The way he egged it on was classic Xigbar trying to walk you into a trap. I also heard running water on the other side, not good for me but maybe for him. I wasn't going to take that chance.
"I'm fine," I said, climbing a little bit further, "You go ahead. I'll see you soon enough."
I clutched to a nearby rock sticking out. The older man agreed and took a portal to the spot. I heard the darkness open and footsteps, telling me he was up. I ignored whispers to continue, knowing if I wasn't paying attention, I could fall. It was a possibility seeing how I had fought the leopard not too long ago.
I tried not to think about how my muscles ached in protest. My body was still tired from lack of good sleep. True, I had slept, but it wasn't restful sleep. I felt my legs scream as I forced them up, halfway up the massive wall. My arms did the same. I took off my gloves earlier to help with gripping, now it only helped the pain with my hands becoming sweaty from the heat. The rigid rocks cut into flesh more than once. Pain went all the way from my legs, going through my body, to my fingers.
I made it three fourths of the way, confident I would make it with no issue. I still ached but I hadn't slipped yet. I made it to the threshold of the climb before anything went wrong. My legs pushed forward and my hand made it's next move to grab. I tested the new opening before I did anything. I was sure it was safe, although when I tried to pull myself up, I had failed to put any weight on the opening my foot would go in. I felt the rock crumble under me. The whole lower left side of my body went limp as gravity dragged it down.
I moved to recover, an easy fix with my other leg still supported, when my right leg gave in to gravity too. I cursed under my breath. I could see the top of the ledge, it wasn't more than a foot away. I was too close to ask for help now, not that I would ask for help from the two.
I did my best to find another set of openings but none came. I felt my sweaty hands give away slowly, my arms screaming more now than ever. The dead weight pulled at my shoulders. They begged me to give up along with the rest of me. I couldn't though. I knew if I fell from here, I would no doubt be harmed.
'A fall off a bed may not have had an effect on me, but if I fell the same way-' I stopped myself from thinking the worst and desperately tried to find a placement for my feet. I felt my hand slip more.
Rocks fell to the ground as a result of my kicking. My feet just couldn't find a spot and my arms started to give way. I was down to three fingers on each of my hands, the others fell without any room left. I kicked more desperately when one more set of fingers fell. My breathing hitched; I knew I was going to fall any second. I still wasn't prepared when it happened.
I felt the rocks that held me up give way. I said another silent curse through my teeth, as if it would help. I would have screamed if I had the ability to, my throat just wouldn't make any sounds. I closed my eyes in attempt to forget where I was or rather what was happening. To forget that the reason for my death was a stupid rock wall and an effort to avoid a prank. And just as I had told myself that this was it, I felt a solid hand wrap around my ankle.
"Dude! that was a close one!" I heard the gray haired man say, just as carefree as always, "Good thing, Demyx came to check on you or you would have been one hell of a humpty dumpty!"
I heard his loud laugh and opened my eyes, hesitantly.
Just as Xigbar said, I could see Demyx's arm straining to hold me up. The other went to support himself, just beside his own body that lay on the ground. I could make out a small grin coming from the figure. I couldn't see the rest of his face but imagined it gave off the same smile.
"Whoa, man, you really need to tan or something!" I heard Xigbar's laugh yet again.
I was confused about his statement at first, but when I looked further towards my own figure, I saw my torso was exposed. My shirt and coat bundled at an odd angle at the top of my chest but the rest was completely out in the open. My skin almost glowed in contrast to the darkness of the uniform. The sunlight only made it look paler. A little line of blue stood out on my navel, giving the area of white color.
"Number Nine, pull me up now!" I yelled the best I could with the heat returning to my face, "Or, so help me Kingdom Hearts, when I get up there, I will kill you!"
I saw the smile yanked from the man's face and fear put in its place. He quickly made a point to drag me up onto the ledge, my back being scraped in the effort. I clenched my teeth when I got up, feeling the sting of the cuts.
Xigbar continued to laugh saying something to the extent of, 'Now we know the curtains match the drapes.' Whatever that meant. Demyx seemed to laugh at it a little though.
I set my shirt back in place when the cuts settled. Xigbar finally got over his own joke and asked if I was ok.
I told him, "Yes, of course," getting up as I did, "This area had better be worth the effort."
My arms crossed. I looked at the two, a frown apparent. Xigbar's face read, 'should've used a portal.'
Demyx's, on the other hand looked guilty. I didn't want to think on why and left, not really knowing where I was going. Little did I know, I turned to face the exact area the had mentioned.
Just below lay a beach its white sand complemented its clear, blue water. A large waterfall fell to the far right. What looked to be a foam like substance sprouted from the spillway. Palm trees lined the whole scene, which was odd with the rest of the world being mainly bamboo, at least from what I had seen. It didn't stop the others from rushing down to the water though, the white sand being kicked up as they ran.
Demyx chose to stuff the bottom of his coat in his pants. He took to just roll the rest of his garments up in a messy fashion. He mainly stayed in the shallow water, looking for shells. He found quite a few, not so much that he wouldn't be able to take all of them home, but still quite a few. He even used his ability for the first time, making bubbles of water that floated above the rest of the liquid. They would only last for a minute or two, but they still made him smile more than I had seen him do so in the past few days. At one point, the man brought me a small bubble filled with fish. As much as I hated to admit it, it really impressed me the way he could do that. The fish didn't seem to mind either, staying in the confined space.
Xigbar was the one that prevented me from enjoying the scenic beach. He kept insisting I take a swim as well or at least tan like he suggested. He messed up my reading by yelling too loudly. He disgusted me by swimming in his undergarments and when I asked him to put on clothes, he threw them at me, then running off into the water before I could attack him, not that it wasn't a good thing that he ran away from me. Most importantly, he disregarded my wishes to stop bothering me. I hated to say it, but I was really starting to like Demyx more than most of my other co-workers and I had only known him for a total of three days. At least he didn't bother me when he had something else to do.
We explored the rest of the area afterwards. I noticed on the way that a lot of the native plant life had an either disgusting or a rather pleasant scent. Ironically, though, it was the less vibrant ones that smelled the best. The noticeable bright ones were just the opposite. For example, one of the flowers we came across, a neon blue one that was similar to a tulip, smelled of rotten eggs mixed with feet. Even Demyx and Xigbar could pick up the scent without me having to explain, but one that blended with the normal plant life smelled of fruit. It reminded me of a citrus one; an orange seemed most fitting.
Demyx managed to get himself caught up in some baboon's affairs along the way as well. From what I understood, the man was trying to pet the animal. A baby animal, to be exact, with it's mother not two feet away. I almost didn't want to help him for his stupidity, but all Xigbar was doing was laughing at Demyx while he ran as fast as he could, tripping over vines every other step, and the last thing I needed was a lecture from Xemnas, so I did. One good swing of my Lexicon and the mother ran off. The baby hissed at us before running after her. Demyx breathed heavily as I walked past him. I couldn't stop myself from saying, 'imbecile' through my teeth. Xigbar rolled around on his back, still laughing.
Demyx stayed close by after that. A bit too close for my comfort. He hung to my side like a scared child, which felt more than a little off. He had to be half a foot taller than me; if anything, it should have been the other way around, seeing as how I'm shorter. Not to mention Xigbar giggling in the background. I couldn't understand what was damned funny. I was sure, like I said, the sight was out of place, but it couldn't have been that comical.
I finally got tired of his laughing and took to ignoring his presence entirely, pressing on in hopes of going back to the castle soon. The heat was overbearing, and I had reached my Nobody contact limit for the day. My whole body stung from, what I assumed, cuts on my skin. Which if it was true, I didn't need to be in the jungle in the first place. Blood would attract predators, like the leopard, or the cuts could get infected. I could catch something from parasites on the plant life. There were countless reasons.
I could tell the other two were growing restless too. Their walking was slowing, their shoulders slouched. They didn't have the same drive to explore like they did in the start. Xigbar and Demyx had trouble keeping up with my pace, falling a good three feet behind.
To make a long story short, we chose to return to the castle.
.
The day ended with us returning to the castle with nothing else worth noting on the new world just yet. We would come back if there were any changes, but for now that was all we could find with any significance. I would have to remember to mention the beach in my report too. Maybe say it is a nice place to visit if the Organization ever has a vacation. I doubted it would happen. but it was worth a try.
The smell of darkness stained my coat as we went through yet another portal. I remembered to eat before I left for my room this time, not wanting a repeat of the night before. Demyx ate something Vexen cooked. The two of us had different tastes so I just had some of my own leftover cooking. Vexen talked to Demyx a small amount. Most of the things he said had to do with science and Heartless, none of which Demyx understood. I could see it in his face. I did not save him, though. It gave me a chance to avoid the scientist. We were friends a long time ago but we drifted apart the more Vexen got wrapped up in his experiments. Now I'm not sure he's even the same person.
The two stayed and continued the one sided conversation when I left for my room. When I got to my room, the first thing I did was turn on the light and force my coat off. My sore body screamed at me again. It wanted to quit. To lay in bed and stay there for the rest of its days, but I wanted to know just how beat I had gotten. I got the coat off and I could already see cuts on my hands, with deep gashes lying in the center. The short sleeved dark gray shirt I was wearing had several dirt spots. Small scrapes reddened on my inner forearm. The same went for the rest of the way up until it hit my sleeves.
I lifted up the rest of my under garments. Cuts lined my back. A few went deep, like on my hands, but the rest would heal in a matter of days. My chest had two purple bruises in the shape of paw prints. Small dot like scrapes marked where the cat's claws had made contact. I was surprised to find no holes in my coat or shirt; the cuts surely would have torn my uniform before skin. If I wasn't concerned with my health, I would have questioned the material.
I found scrapes going up my legs as I changed to finish the look off. From where they laid, I figured they had been from me climbing. I knew the ones on my arms were from the rock wall and the cuts on my legs matched them. The rocks had been jagged. I still did not expect them to do what they had. I would have to think twice next time I climbed a wall of rocks. Anywhere to be exact. I would certainly test the strength of whatever I was climbing next time, too.
I plopped on my measly made bed. I wondered what would have happened if Demyx hadn't been there. I had gotten scratched up, but to think it could have ended so differently. So much so that I could've died. The thought ran through my head again, like an echo.
'I could have died. I could have died. I could have died.'
I quickly jumped up from my bed the best I could with my sore body. I put on the rest of my night clothes and walked out my door.
I walked as fast as my legs would allow me to a room labeled '9'. I raised my hand to knock, but it stopped before it made contact. I heard shuffling so I knew he was in there. I just couldn't make myself knock. I just stood there with my arm up, my head lowered. I wanted to say thank you, yet I just couldn't.
'How do you say 'thank you' to... to something like that?' I turned and walked back to my room without knocking.
AN: and there is chapter three! :D you know I'm about to say review so you can skip this part. =.= unless you haven't been reading this... shame on you!