Summary: When Axel is brought back to life to be with Roxas, they start searching for their other friends from the Organization. Through much difficulty they eventually achieve this goal, but what happens when the superior comes back mysteriously one day? How will Xemnas cope with having to live among normal people and being social? And will love find this man who seems to have a giant stick up his ass! lol. Yeah, better than it sounds. Eventual XemnasxSephiroth. Other pairings include akuroku, cleon, soriku, zemyx, and marluxiaxsaix.
Disclaimer: I obviously don't own kingdom hearts cuz if I did the organization would totally be a sex club.lol.i'm horrible. :D I also don't own the names of certain places, because some of them are names of places in rural Japan.
Genre:Romance/humor/angst
Rating:T(possibly M in much later chapters)
Warnings: Shounen-ai/yaoi, language. SOME OC'S IN THIS CHAPTER!
Author's note: Well here's chapter 7, which was originally going to be longer, but I divided it into two different chapters instead because it's too much work for me to type and too much work for you guys to read. (And shut up Nat! It's not my fault I write ridiculously long chapters!) So anyway, on to the story.(One more note, I changed Xemnas's eye color from gold to amber, if any of you care all that much.)
End of Chapter 6
"Okay, I need everyone to stay completely still. Any sudden movements could make this go horribly wrong." Zexion ordered as everyone stayed as still as possible, much to Zexion's relief, as he started muttering under his breath. Everyone's eyes widened when they felt as though the room was spinning and felt like they were being lifted out of the room, drifting right into the past. There was a flash of blinding light, everyone shutting their eyes tight in response to the brightness. As they opened their eyes hesitantly, they found themselves shrouded in complete darkness.
Chapter 7: Lucky Number Seven
Everyone looked at their dark surroundings, not fully understanding what was going on. They all turned to Zexion, hoping he could give them a reason for the darkness.
"Stay calm and wait," Zexion said reassuringly, "it's always like this in the beginning." Sure enough, right after Zexion made this remark the darkened room started moving again, and the darkness was suddenly swept away as the room began to change its shape. The walls began to disappear, and the floor beneath their feet started to turn into damp, morning grass. A small, busy looking town called Rokugo was revealed. It was chilly and a mist hung in the air, making everything a bit dreary. Everyone looked around in disarray, clearly invisible to the people of the past as they looked for a certain silver haired man among the crowd. They soon found him, but he was not how they expected him to be.
"Hey kid! Watch it!" An older man said as he shoved the teenage boy that had bumped into him. "Kids these days." The man whispered gruffly as he shook his head and stomped off. The said teenager was bent over picking up books that he had dropped in the collision.
"Sorry sir…" The teenage boy said as he picked his head up. The others immediately realized that he was Xemnas. He was younger, probably no more than eighteen years old. His hair had just started to reach his neck and his eyes seemed much bigger and brighter, like they were full of a distant hope and an ignorant innocence. The reproachful scowl that the members of the Organization were so used to seeing didn't exist on the younger Xemnas's face, but was replaced by a shy, uncertain smile. The other's jolted in surprise as their feet began to move on their own accord when Xemnas began walking. They were soon dragged along to a place called Kochi University, Xemnas quietly walking onto the campus grounds. He was soon walking through hallways with students that looked a bit older than him. He came to a classroom and entered, heading towards the back of the room.
It was a large class. Most of the students where chatting idly amongst themselves, except for Xemnas. Nobody seemed to take much notice to him as he sat down in his seat placidly. The other students continued to converse while Xemnas buried his nose in a book, until the professor entered the classroom. All fell silent as he cleared his throat.
The class Xemnas was in was an advanced math class. One that was designed for students that were a bit older than Xemnas. Most of the undergraduates took notes, although some had already given up because they couldn't keep up with the professor's complicated lectures.
"Now, who knows the answer to this simple equation?" The professor asked as he turned to the class in a questioning manner. The class looked at the board blankly. This so called "simple equation" nearly took up the entire board and might has well have been written in a different language. Xemnas raised his hand reluctantly. The professor's face brightened considerably at the movement.
"The answer's 234." Xemnas said stilly as he shrunk back in his seat while most of the class glared at him.
"Very good Xemnas. All of you could learn something from him. This boy is in all junior classes and he's only supposed to be a senior in high school. He's going places." The professor said with an appreciative nod as he continued with his lesson. Xemnas responded by hiding his red face behind his book.
"Who does that kid think he is!" Kourtney, one of the most popular girls at the Kochi University, said snobbishly as she walked out of the classroom. Class had just ended and Kourtney and her friends were talking rather loudly about a certain silver haired teenager.
"I know." One girl said obnoxiously. "He always gets every single answer right. It's so annoying."
"He thinks he's so damn smart! That's why he never talks to anyone! He thinks he's too good for people with a lower IQ than his!" Another girl said in an uppity manner as she pushed people who were blocking her path out of her way.
"Oh come on guys, we don't know that for sure. Maybe he's just shy." One of the sweeter girls replied. Kourtney snorted indignantly at the thought of something she found so ridiculous.
"Sure he is honey. Don't worry, hang out with us long enough and you'll learn not to assume something so stupid of people like Xemnas." Kourtney said as she pushed an innocent bystander to the ground.
"What do you mean by people like him?" The girl asked uneasily.
"You know, nerds that think they're above everyone else just because they're smarter when really they're just losers with no life." Kourtney said informatively, as if she had the slightest idea what she was talking about and was actually teaching the newest member of her clique something important.
"I don't think he's like that at all…I actually think he's kind of cute…" The new girl said unobtrusively as the other girls busted into a fit of laughter.
"Oh darling, you're so lucky you have us to teach you right from wrong. Don't worry, we'll find a guy that's more suitable for you." Kourtney said with a short laugh. "Oh lookie, here he comes now." Kourtney said as if she were a vicious predator hunting a defenseless kitten.
"Hey Xemnas! One of my girls is interested in you! Want to go on a date with her!" Kourtney said as the other girls laughed at the mere thought of Xemnas getting a date with someone of their social status. Xemnas' face turned a cherry red as he once again hid his face behind his books. He distantly heard one of the girls shout, "Yeah right, like we'd ever let the likes of you date one of our girls."
'But I never said I wanted to…' Xemnas thought weakly as he hurried off to his next class.
The rest of the day was very similar to Xemnas's first class. Students turned to glare at him every time he answered a question correctly that they couldn't figure out themselves. This kind of behavior was especially bad in his medical classes, where students seemed to loathe him the most.
"What the hell makes that kid so special? Why does he already have a job at the best hospital in town?" One girl hissed menacingly at one of her friends.
"Well my opinion in that he did a few favors for the Doctor Eiji if you know what I mean." The teenage boy sniggered cruelly.
"Stop it! You're such a pervert!" The girl said with a giggle.
"Well come on! You know it's probably true. How else would he be able to get a nursing job at such a good hospital without his degree? Besides, I've heard that the doctor hasn't been getting any from his wife." The arrogant teenager said matter-of-factly as they glared at Xemnas when he walked by.
It looked as though Xemnas were heading for home, but it was obvious that this was not the case when he entered a building called Rokugo Hospital. Xemnas walked up to the front desk, setting his book bag behind it. He quickly thanked the woman behind the computer with a nod as the woman gave him a small smile before returning to her work. Xemnas started to walk away when he was greeted by a frantic nurse.
"Xemnas! Thank God you're here! We need as much help as we can get. A new batch of injured soldiers just arrived and most of them are in critical condition. We just don't have enough people to get to them all at once!" The nurse said frenziedly as she dragged Xemnas through the halls. They were in the middle of the war, and more soldiers were being critically injured and dying each day. Most of them were sent to Rokugo Hospital simply because the soldiers could be brought there quickly. A common problem they faced was their shortage of doctors. Many of the people that had once worked at the hospital had quit their jobs and moved as far away as they could in fear of the war moving inland. Xemnas continued to follow the nurse and soon found Doctor Eiji ushering nurses with wounded soldiers into different sections of the hospital. The doctor was a middle aged man, his gray hairs and the premature lines etched in his face seemed to stand out more on these sort of days.
"Xemnas, you're here." Doctor Eiji said as he turned around to get a better look at the boy. He seemed to be relieved that he had more help. The doctor was about to tell Xemnas something when another wounded soldier was rolled in on a gurney.
The man was in a horrid state. His clothes were torn and tattered in several places and was covered in a large amount of his own blood. When Doctor Eiji looked at the injured man, he knew he wouldn't have the time to take a look at him for several hours. He had other patients that were much worse off than this one.
"Xemnas, I need you to treat this patient." Doctor Eiji said as he gazed at the boy with trusting eyes.
"What! You can't mean that! This patients in critical condition! I've never handled something like this by myself!" Xemnas said frantically. He didn't like the idea of handling a situation such as this one on his own.
"Xemnas, you make a better doctor than half of the people here that have already been through medical school and gotten their degrees. Don't worry, I trust you and I believe that you have what it takes to save this man." The doctor said as he took a final glance at the injured soldier and left without another word. Xemnas was all alone, left to stare at an unconscious, injured man. Xemnas looked the man up and down, noticing that the only part of him that wasn't injured was his rather flawless, beautiful face. The man with no name had a well chiseled, thin face and high cheek bones. He had a pale complexion and midnight black hair that stretched passed his waist. Xemnas touched the man's face carefully, afraid of ruining the sort of fragile looking beauty the injured soldier possessed. He ran his fingers over closed eyelids, wondering if the man's eyes were as pretty as the rest of his face.
'What the hell am I doing? I have a dying patient and I'm just standing here gawking at him.' Xemnas thought as he blushed at his own foolishness and took his nameless patient in to an empty hospital room.
Xemnas worked on healing his patient through the rest of the late afternoon and early evening. When he was done with his work, he stood up and took one look at nameless beauty, hoping that he would survive so he could see his unknown eyes.
Two weeks had passed since Xemnas had been assigned to care for the mysterious man, and he was surprisingly close to a full recovery. Doctor Eiji had praised him for a job well done, jokingly asking him what his secret was. Xemnas denied that he had done anything different from any normal doctor's practice. Doctor Eiji simply laughed at him and said he was being too modest as he left the room, telling Xemnas that his success would lead to him becoming a doctor very soon. Xemnas tried to tell the doctor otherwise, but it was too late. Xemnas gave his patient a puzzled looked, not understanding how he was healing so fast. He hadn't done anything that could have sped up the man's recovery. The whole situation was just so illogical. Xemnas's train of thought was interrupted as the dark haired man stirred. Xemnas stayed completely still, waiting for the other man to awaken. The wounded soldier opened his eyes slowly, squinting in the bright sunlight that filtered the room through the open blinds. The man stared at the ceiling unblinkingly before his eyes roamed around the room, eventually landing on Xemnas.
Xemnas was shocked, to say the least. The man's eyes were more beautiful than he could have ever imagined. One eye was a sea blue, while the other was an emerald green. His mismatched eyes were the only things that weren't absolutely perfect on his beautiful face, but the small imperfection only made him look even more gorgeous. The man stared at Xemnas for a long time as if he were deciding whether or not he was really awake before he sat up.
"Where am I?" The man asked in confusion as he looked around the room again.
"In Rokugo Hospital. You were severely wounded in battle two weeks ago and brought here. I've been taking care of you since then." Xemnas said shyly with a small blush on his face. The man smiled as if he didn't notice Xemnas' discomfort.
'He's adorable.' The soldier thought as he looked Xemnas up and down. Xemnas fidgeted under the man's gaze.
"Kid, how old are you? You look like you just got out of high school. How can you be a doctor?" The man asked curiously.
"I'm almost eighteen sir." Xemnas said politely.
'Damn, almost legal.' The soldier thought jokingly. He was already starting to take a liking to the young doctor in front of him.
"Don't call me sir. My name's Zack." Zack said suddenly.
"Um…alright Zack. And what's your last name?" Xemnas said as he sat down in a chair next to the hospital bed.
"Don't have one."
"What?"
"I grew up in an orphanage. I was brought there when I was a few days old. There was a letter with me when they found me. All it contained was my name and a wish to take good care of me."
"Oh…I see…" Xemnas said quietly. He hated digging into people's pasts.
"I also need your age." Xemnas said after a minute or so.
"Ah, getting curious about me, aren't we?" Zack said teasingly as Xemnas's entire face ignited into a bright red color.
"I need your age because we couldn't find you on any of our records." Xemnas stammered, looking down at the clip board on his lap the entire time.
"Don't worry kid, I was just messing with you. I'm twenty-one." Zach said with a short laugh, amused at how easily the boy got flustered.
"Alright then, I better go file that. I'll be back in a while." Xemnas said as he headed for the door.
"Wait a second." Zack said as Xemnas turned around to look at the dark haired man.
"I told you a little about myself, so I want to know a little about you." Zack said suggestively with a wide grin, watching Xemnas expectantly.
"All you gave me was your background information." Xemnas said as he raised a silver eyebrow at the other man.
"All I want to know is your name." Zack said, his mismatched eyes looking almost pleadingly at Xemnas. The teen cracked under the rather cute puppy dog eyes immediately.
"…My name's Xemnas."
"Hmm, Xemnas…now isn't that a peculiar name."
"It's not like I chose it." Xemnasresponded in weak protest as he left the room. Zack just laughed, wondering how his relationship with the teenage boy would evolve during his stay at the hospital.
In the next few days, Xemnas came back to the same hospital room to check on Zack.
"How are you feeling?" Xemnas asked as he sat down.
"Perfectly fine, to be honest. Why do they insist on keeping me here?" Zack asked as he sat up.
"It's just our regulations. Because of the condition you were in when you got here, they'll probably make you stay here for at least another month." Xemnas said.
"Well that sucks." Zack said with a sigh as he leaned into his pillows.
"What I don't understand is how the hell you healed so fast. You should still be in critical condition…" Xemnas trailed off.
"Maybe I just have an amazing doctor." Zack said with a large grin, shamelessly flirting with the younger man.
"Or I could just have an amazing patient." Xemnas said absentmindedly, not fully aware of what he had just said. Zack snorted at the statement. Xemnas's face turned a deep crimson color as Zack continued to chuckle at him.
"I didn't mean it like that!" Xemnas stammered as he hid his face in his hands.
"Sure you didn't." Zack said as he let his laughter die down, noticing that Xemnas had a book-like object under his arm.
"What's that?" Zack inquired as he pointed at the object. Xemnas suddenly pulled the item out from under his arm and handed it to Zack.
"It's yours. I found it in one of your shirt pockets when I undressed you." Xemnas said as he handed Zack a red journal covered in a velvety material. "I thought it might be something important to you, so I kept it. I'm amazed that it escaped unscratched, considering the condition you were in."
"Hmm, you found my diary." Zack said as he fingered through the pages lightly. Xemnas began to laugh as Zack looked at him oddly.
"What?" Zack asked with a blank stare as Xemnas continued to giggle.
"You actually call it a diary?" Xemnas asked.
"Hey, at least I'm man enough to admit it. Most men have too much testosterone to acknowledge such things!" Zack said overdramatically as he crossed his arms and sported a fake pout. This gesture only made Xemnas laugh harder as Zack's lips pulled back into a smile. He was pleased that he had been able to make the shy teenager laugh so openly.
"That's certainly admirable. I respect you for that." Xemnas said as he finally overcame his laughing fit, starting to feel more at ease around the older man.
As time went by, Xemnas started visiting Zack more often. Things in the hospital had started to calm down a little bit, now that they had gotten control of their large number of patients. That's how life was during a war. One minute everything was hectic and panic stricken, and the next minute, everything was peaceful and calm, like a bad storm would hit at any given moment.
"What's the war like?" Xemnas asked one day. He knew that he probably shouldn't ask a soldier this kind of question, but he felt like he could ask Zack and get an honest answer without offending him.
"It's not something I can really explain in words. War's a horrible, bloody thing. It's not something kids your age should get involved in." Zack said as he gazed out of the window at his bedside.
"But you enlisted when you were about my age, didn't you?" Xemnas asked as he studied the beautiful man carefully.
"Yes, I did. And let me tell you something, that was one of the biggest mistakes I've ever made in my life. If I could go back to the day I signed up, I wouldn't have done it. Never get involved with the war Xemnas, you're the one that's doing the real good for the world." Zack said as he turned and looked Xemnas right in the eyes.
"Not really. Our hospital hasn't done much for our soldiers…we lose so many of them." Xemnas said downcast.
"But at least you're trying to save people. All our soldiers do is kill people to try and prove that killing people is wrong." Zack said solemnly.
"Umm…Zack? I need you to take your shirt off." Xemnas stated abruptly.
"Heh?"
"I need to look at your wounds and check your heartbeat." Xemnas said, his face a vivid red.
"Oh…that makes more sense." Zack said, his voice lined with a fluttering disappointment as he threw his shirt over his head. Xemnas swallowed uncomfortably as his eyes scanned over Zack's milky white skin. Dark hair was strewn across broad, pale shoulders that were attached to toned, muscular arms and a curved back. His pants were hanging loosely on his hips, giving his waist almost complete exposure. Xemnas moved forward, attentively placing his timid hands on Zack's abdomen. He felt for abnormalities, but only found surprisingly baby soft skin. He had always assumed that a soldiers skin would be dry and coarse, but this was pleasantly different. Zack shivered as Xemnas' hand ran past one of his less healed scars. Xemnas pulled his hand away agilely and looked at Zack quizzically.
"I'm sorry, are they still sensitive?" Xemnas asked.
"A little." Zack said as he gingerly touched one of the deep, jagged scars on his side. The scar was a deep pink, the once gaping wound replaced by a thin layer of skin. Xemnas leaned in to check Zack's heartbeat. The only thing he could hear was the gentle beat of a normal, healthy heart.
"It looks like everything's fine." Xemnas said pleasingly. "I'll be back in a couple of days to check up on you again." Xemnas said as he left, giving Zack a short wave.
There was a harsh rainstorm, and Xemnas was running late for work. His skin stung as he ran through the rain, harsh pellets pouring down on him as he tried to get to the hospital as fast as he could. Xemnas ran through a puddle in his soaking wet shoes as he looked up at the sky through his dripping hair that clung to his face stubbornly. A lighting bolt struck directly over Xemnas's head and thunder roared right in his ear as he ran across the street. A car whizzed past him, narrowly missing him as the driver honked his horn clamorously. Xemnas continued down the street and eventually found himself at the hospital. He stepped inside, thankful to find no rain, but was greeted by an unpleasant chill. Xemnas shivered as he walked up to the front desk and placed his books behind the counter.
"Here, you better take one of these before you catch a cold." The woman behind the counter said with a warm smile as she handed Xemnas a fluffy, warm towel.
"Thank you." Xemnas said as he took the towel gratefully and started towel drying his hair. He began to walk away when the woman called him back.
"Xemnas! Don't bother getting any food for Zack, another nurse already did it." The woman said as she returned to her work. Xemnas nodded, still wanting to check on the dark haired patient, even if someone else had already taken care of him.
Xemnas soon found Zack's hospital room and was about to open the door when he heard the argument taking place on the other side.
"I'm not eating it!" Xemnas heard Zack yell almost frantically. He also heard someone shuffling around, as if there were some kind of struggle going on.
"You will if you ever want to get out of this hospital." A rough female voice yelled on the other end of the door.
'Oh, that's just great.' Xemnas thought sarcastically as he kept his ear pressed against the door. The other nurse that had been sent in Xemnas's place what one of the meanest nurses in the entire hospital. He couldn't quite remember what her name was, or if he had ever known it at all. He tended to stay out of her way to avoid any injuries. Xemnas let out a deep sigh as he turned the doorknob, bracing himself for the worst. The scene that Xemnas was greeted by would have been laughable if the other nurse in the room wasn't such a mean spirited woman. Zack was hiding under his blankets, his mismatched eyes wide as he peaked out from under the sheets. The stern faced nurse was holding a fork a piece of chicken firmly attached to it. The nurse lunged forward with the fork, causing Zack to back into the corner of his bed.
"Is there a problem ma'am?" Xemnas asked falteringly as the nurse turned her scowling face towards the silver haired teen.
"Can't get this patient to eat." The nurse grumbled.
"Don't worry ma'am, I'll take care of it. I'm sure he'll cooperate with me." Xemnas said as the nurse sat the fork on the tray capriciously.
"Good luck with that." The woman grunted as she stomped out of the room.
"She's gone. You can come out now." Xemnas said after he was certain the nurse wasn't coming back. Zack appeared from under the blankets, breathing a heavy sigh of relief when he looked around and only saw Xemnas's shy smile.
"Thank God! You came just in time! If you had arrived any later I might have been dead!" Zack exclaimed melodramatically as he flapped his arms in the air.
"That's a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?" Xemnas asked as he sat next to Zack.
"She threatened to shove that fork up my ass if I didn't eat!" Zack said. Xemnas began to laugh, finding the threat a bit humorous.
"It's not funny." Zack whined childishly as he stuck his bottom lip out.
"I'm sorry." Xemnas said as his laughter died down to a giggle, finding the pout on Zack's face absolutely adorable. "It's just that she does things like that with most of her patients."
"Shouldn't she get fired for that!" Zack asked, surprised that it was even legal for a woman of that demeanor to be a nurse.
"Well she never actually does the things she says she's going to do. She's all bark and no bite…or…mostly all bark." Xemnas said truthfully.
"Damn, women are so confusing. That's one of the reasons I'm not attracted to them." Zack said as he laid on the bed. Xemnas's eyes widened at Zack's blunt confession. Zack didn't seem bothered by the way he had confessed his attraction to the same sex.
"So…you're not attracted to women at all? Not even in the least bit?" Xemnas asked disbelievingly. He didn't understand how someone that seemed so perfect couldn't be attracted to women.
"Nope, not at all. Or at least not sexually." Zack stated simply as he sat up and looked at Xemnas. "What? Does that make you uncomfortable?"
"Oh no! Not at all!" Xemnas said defensively. "To tell you the truth, I've never been attracted to them either…" Xemnas trailed off quietly. Zack was the only person he had ever confided this information to.
"Really now? Well that changes everything." Zack said with a smirk as Xemnas swallowed apprehensively. The look in Zack's eyes suggested that he had just discovered everything he needed to know, although Xemnas wasn't quite sure what Zack had accomplished by figuring out his sexuality.
"So…why wouldn't you eat? Hospital food isn't that bad is it?" Xemnas said in an attempt to change the subject. Zack looked down, slightly crestfallen as he opened his mouth to reply.
"It's not that. I'm a vegetarian, and this is the first time that someone's tried to get me to eat meat here."
"You don't eat meat at all?"
"Nope. I don't think it's right to kill animals." Zack said. Xemnas contemplated this for a moment.
"That's kind of ironic coming from a man who kills people on a daily basis." Xemnas blurted out before he could think about what he was saying. Xemnas waited, anticipating that Zack would be extremely angry at him.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-
"No, you're absolutely right. It's wrong of me to say that people shouldn't be killing animals when I'm the one that kills human beings for a pitiful cause. Neither one is quite right, are they?" Zack said softly, sorrow etched in his entire face. " I hate violent people, that's why I like you."
"You know, I'm not supposed to do this, but there's a really good vegetarian restaurant down the street. I could sneak down there and get you something." Xemnas said as he pointed towards the general direction of the restaurant.
"That's alright. I wouldn't want to get you in trouble." Zack said honestly as his stomach practically yelled at him in objection.
"Then again…"
"I'll go get you something right now." Xemnas said with a smirk.
Xemnas was back about twenty minutes later. He came back in Zack's room to find him writing, a scene that he was used to seeing quite frequently.
"Do you write every day?" Xemnas said as he closed the door, setting the food he had purchased on the table.
"Yeah, I write so my head doesn't explode." Zack said as he closed the notebook.
"I see." Xemnas said as he handed Zack his food. Zack took it gratefully and started swallowing it in large mouthfuls to tame his growling labyrinth of a stomach. Xemnas ate slowly, observing Zack's eagerness towards the meal.
"Damn that was good." Zack said. He leaned against the wall behind him, crossing his arms behind his head as he sighed deeply in contempt.
"Xemnas, you never told me how you managed to land a job as a doctor." Zack said suddenly.
"I'm not really a doctor. I'm more of a nurse at this point. The only reason you wound up being my patient was because of our shortage of doctors. I was the only nurse that Doctor Eiji, the man in charge around here, trusted with a patient in your condition."
"Shortage of doctors?"
"Because of the war. We used to have plenty, but most of them were either shipped off to fight or left town in fear of the war spreading."
"And you didn't want to leave?"
"I have nowhere to go."
"What?"
"Doctor Eiji found me in the outskirts of town when he was taking a trip with his family to the countryside. He said I was beat up pretty bad and rushed me back to his home to get me cleaned up. When I woke up, the first person I met was his wife. Nice woman, she is. She's a doctor that works here as well. Shortly after I met Mr. Eiji, he told me how he had found me and asked me who I was. I didn't know a single thing about myself. I just knew that my name was Xemnas. Every time I tried to think about anything else I came up with nothing, and I still don't know who I really am."
"That still doesn't answer how you became a nurse."
"I was getting to that, if you would be so kind not to interrupt." Xemnas scolded gently as he cleared his throat. "When I got my strength back, I started coming to this hospital with Doctor Eiji to observed his work. He soon found that I had a knack for healing people. His original plan was to help me through school, after it was decided that I should start as a sophomore in college. He wanted me to stay and be a part of his family, but…I couldn't do that…"
"Why not?"
"Because I would have been too much of a burden on them. They had two daughters. I've never met the older one that's a few years older than I am, but their younger daughter was just a baby when I met her. She was very sick. That poor baby was always in so much pain. They said there was something wrong with her heart, but the disease could never be pinpointed. She was always crying, so her parents never got much rest. I helped out sometimes, but I could only do so much. On top of taking care of a sick baby, they had to put their older daughter through college. I told the doctor I couldn't stay. He tried his best to change my mind, but I still refused. Since I wouldn't take his first offer, he gave me a job at the hospital instead. I already knew how to do most practices from watching him, so it was an easy enough job. I think Doctor Eiji gave me this job because he felt like he had to help me out somehow, even if it wasn't directly."
"And his daughter?" Zack asked.
"She died shortly after…" Xemnas said stiffly.
"I see…" Zack said as he clutched the sheets pooled around his waist. The room became awkwardly silent. Xemnas opened and closed his mouth repeatedly, trying to find something to say. As Xemnas started to speak, the door creaked open. Zack and Xemnas looked up to see a doctor standing in the doorway. Xemnas knew the man's face right away. It was the face that belonged to the man who had saved him over a year ago.
"Hey kids, just coming in to check on you." Doctor Eiji said, the age lines on his face stretching as he smiled. Zack took off his shirt as Doctor Eiji moved to give him a check up.
"So I understand you were the one that saved Xemnas." Zack said with a smile that was strangely nonexistent moments before.
"That's correct. Arrived just in time too. He would've bled to death if my wife and I hadn't found him."
"Blood?" Zack repeated a bit stupidly. Something in the Doctor Eiji's statement bothered him.
"Yes, lots of it. Had to use quite a few bandages. Hasn't bled once ever since, have you Xemnas?"
"No sir. Not once." Xemnas said as his eyes met Zack's. He was a bit taken aback by the look he was greeted with. Zack's usually mild, thoughtful eyes were glaring at the doctor sharply, as if Doctor Eiji had revealed something that sounded a bit suspicious.
"You grew up in an orphanage in a distant town, didn't you?" Doctor Eiji asked peculiarly. The glare in Zack's eyes disappeared as quickly as it came as Zack looked at the doctor inquisitively.
"That's correct."
"Funny, when I looked up your records I couldn't find any trace of the orphanage you claim to have grown up in."
"It burned to the ground the day I came of age and had to leave. Every file with information on that place was burned to ashes."
"That's what I figured. There was another soldier about your age brought here a couple of years ago. He claimed he was raised in an orphanage that burned to the ground as well. Probably the same one, come to think of it. Perhaps you know him. His name was Haydn, if I remember correctly."
"Yes, I know him. He's a very close friend of mine. Though I haven't seen him in a while, most of the time we're stationed to different posts." Zack said as he put his shirt back on. Doctor Eiji wrote something on his clip board and nodded approvingly.
"Everything looks okay. You'll be able to leave in a week." Doctor Eiji said as he left the room.
"Zack! Did you hear that! You can leave in a week! Isn't that great?" Xemnas said with false enthusiasm. The truth was that he didn't want Zack to leave. It might have seemed selfish, but he wanted nothing more than for Zack to stay with him, but Zack seemed to want nothing more than to leave. So, for Zack's sake, he decided to put his feelings aside and pretend that he was happy for Zack.
"Xemnas, do you mind if I write for a while?" Zack asked in a low voice, his mismatched eyes seeming troubled again. Zack tensed under Xemnas's observant amber eyes, indicating that he wished to be alone. Xemnas left the room, giving Zack the privacy he deserved.
One week later…
'Zack's leaving today.' Xemnas thought sadly as he walked through the stark, cold hospital and shifted his eyes back and forth from one sterile wall to the other. He knew that Zack was probably already gone, but he knew better than to go check Zack's room to find out for certain. If Zack was still there, he wasn't sure if he would be able to say goodbye. The last week had gone by in a blur. In that week, Xemnas had found himself staring at Zack for long periods of time, trying to soak up every single one of his features and memorize the rise and fall of his voice, so that Zack would stay engrained in his memory long after he left. He had grown to see Zack as his friend, and in his heart wished that he could have more than the dark haired man's friendship. Xemnas continued to walk down the hall, his footsteps falling heavier with each step he took. Xemnas's throat closed up as he passed Zack's room, a choked sort of noise emerging from his slightly parted lips as he noticed a nurse cleaning up the empty room. Zack was gone.
Xemnas quickened his pace, wanting to leave that hospital room behind him forever and forget it had ever existed. Zack would most likely be dead before long, seeing as the war was killing hundreds of soldiers on both sides daily. Xemnas stopped in his tracks as this realization sunk in and made his heart drop to his stomach. A hand grabbed Xemnas's shoulder, the owner of it spinning him around and making him lean against the wall closest to him. Xemnas's amber eyes met a pair of mismatched embers as his heart skipped a beat. Zack leaned in, his warm breath caressing Xemnas's ear as he spoke.
"I just wanted to thank you…for everything…" Zack said as he pressed his lips to Xemnas's. Xemnas's mind grew fuzzy as Zack pulled him closer. He closed his eyes and responded to the other man's affection by wrapping his arms around his neck. As far as he could tell, Zack was the only think that existed.
Author's note: Yaaaaaaayyy! Another chapter! Please review! Good reviews make me happy and give me writing fuel! I'll try to post the next chapter asap. I've already got most of if written, but I'm also trying to edit chapters 1-6 as well. I'm planning on reposting them, so hopefully they'll be a more enjoyable read.
