Axel's Point of View
I hadn't even thought about how killing Vexen and Zexion would affect Jess. I thought she would be blissfully ignorant in Atlantica for the rest of her life. It turned out I was the one who was the fool. I went to Saix's room. Since he didn't bother to knock when he went into my room the other day, I didn't bother to knock on his door. I marched right in. Saix was looking out his window. At what, I wasn't sure. He turned to me. "What are you doing here?" He demanded.
"Did you know that Xemnas has been abusing Jessica?" I asked.
"Abusing is a strong word. Did I know that he has been using slightly extreme methods of punishment? Yes. He is our superior. It is not for us to question how he disciplines her," Saix replied.
"Are you even hearing yourself right now? He started to tear up one of Vexen's books in front of her and took her stuffed animal until she agreed to talk with him. Who knows what else there is that we don't know about," I snapped.
"Jessica is fine. She has been acting completely immature ever since she came back. The Superior has been patient with her and overlooked certain displays of terrible behavior from her, but they cannot all go unpunished. Even he knows this. It's not as though he wants to put Jessica through more hardships than necessary. You know this," Saix stated.
"You're kidding, right? Shouldn't we do something? This is sick and twisted," I huffed.
"Do something? If you had been here, you would know that these seemingly outrageous types of punishments are the only thing she will respond to anymore. Her behavior hasn't been rational. Have you heard about all that she has done? The morning of the last mission she went on before she refused to do any more, she ripped up the overview of her mission right in front of me and started rambling about how her name was Jessica, and it wasn't Serenity. I still don't know what that was about. She refused to go on any missions the next day and accused Lord Xemnas of going insane. I believe it is more likely that she has become insane," Saix scoffed.
"I broke her," I gasped.
"How could you have done something like that? You weren't even here," Saix pointed out.
"I was the one that killed Vexen. I wrote about that in my report, remember? It was to keep up appearances for Marluxia and Larxene. Zexion... you know what happened to him. She was his best friend, remember?" I sighed.
"I think she was broken before she even left. It just wasn't bad enough for any of us to acknowledge it. Don't you remember how she was before she left? She had tried to run away and even had gone so far as to attack Lord Xemnas. Of course, having Vexen gone made things worse, but you cannot possibly believe it broke her. Besides that, we cannot feel guilt, so why are you acting like it's a big deal?" Saix commented.
"What's your deal? This isn't about me. It's about Jess. She's our friend, remember? More than that, just because we can't feel guilt doesn't mean that she can't feel pain. Shouldn't I at least try to make it right if I hurt her?" I said.
"Do what you want. In the end, it won't make a difference. Jessica has been acting like a spoiled brat, and trying to shield her from consequences will only spoil her further," Saix grumbled.
"I can't believe you," I growled.
"By the way, Lord Xemnas has agreed for your mission tomorrow to be to find Xion alongside Roxas. He also wants you to convince Jessica to join you. If Jessica refuses, Lord Xemnas will step in and do what he can to get her to go with you. Keep an eye on her. We may have her go on missions with you for a while to make her more docile," Saix mentioned.
"Oh? So what you're saying is, these extreme punishments aren't really having an effect, so you need me to help her get back to work?" I questioned.
"Hardly. You are just the only one she has willingly come out of her room for. I think it's a bit soon for her to be on any missions, but Lord Xemnas wants her working again, so she has something to do other than mope and sulk. Should she attempt anything irrational during a mission, I trust you will ensure she gets home in one piece. Can I count on you?" Saix asked.
"That I can do, but I refuse to be a part of any of Xemnas's sick punishments," I decided.
"Of course. We would expect no less," Saix assured me.
"Fine then," I agreed before I left Saix's room, disgusted with his view on the abuse Jess had taken. I stopped by Jess's room and slowly opened the door to check on her. She was asleep. I went inside and took a closer look. There were tear stains on her cheeks. "I'm sorry, Jess. I'll find a way to make this up to you. It'll take a long time, but I'll try." I left the room and went to my own to try to get some sleep.