He originally said he wouldn't review this, but I guess he needed something short and simple this week; like Linkara said, everyone is busy. At the end he said he really was done this time, even though he did use a clip from the new series. I haven't watched that yet and I doubt he will either. I wasn't offended at this, just a little annoyed. These are going to be more like nitpicks, but here's everything I found wrong with it (though most of it was on the nose).
~Don't bring Yen Sid into this. It's bad enough that they didn't come up with original villains (my theories about Dark Heart, No Heart, and the vizier notwithstanding).
~Lotsa's symbol is a weight, not a cowbell. Moo-ron.
~Grumpy exists to empathize with people who are in a bad mood. That's why the series picks on him and gives him reasons to be grumpy. This abuse was noted in the Wonderland movie.
~Getting their own ornament was like Hugs and Tugs' rite of passage or something. I agree that it's stupid and overplayed and nothing really came of it at the end, but there you have it.
~He keeps bringing up dictators and third world problems, even when he acknowledges that these are just characters based on a greeting card series. He also accuses them of being racist because of the blonde, blue-eyed girls who keep popping up in the movies (ignoring the series as a whole, which has a little more diversity than that - true, it's not that multicultural, but that's just the writers and animators doing what they know). My complaint about this is the same one I have about people who are altruistic to a fault. They're too busy trying to take on all the world's problems and ignore their own families in the process. It's happened before in U.S. history too; focus too much on foreign policy and the domestic front suffers, and then people vote to change presidents. Care Bears wouldn't fare well against dictators, anyway; they can barely handle evil wizardly opponents. They can't make food and water magically appear, either, at least I don't think so. They're more like babes in the woods themselves. Saying stuff like that is asking too much of them, of anybody. There's no quick fix for changing the way people feel either; it's not that simple, nor is it permanent.
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Wrapping Up Another Year
I learned a lot this Christmas. What I learned was not pleasant. I don't particularly like spending Christmas with my mom's family, as they tend to ignore me. That's just as much my fault as it is theirs, though. I don't have a lot in common with them, so of course they're not going to talk to me, even if I did bring my boyfriend to meet everyone. I shouldn't be offended that they would rather talk amongst themselves and hang out together without me, but I can't help it. It was a little different when I was a kid, but now that I'm an adult, they have no incentive to interact with me.
Additional dialog that I kept out of Kagemiya Sayuri included Braig's conversation with Lea explaining what happened to her and in turn Lea's conversation with Isa telling him the same. I got tired of rehashing it, even if it may be a jump or a gloss-over not to show these conversations taking place rather than to actually have them.
"Hey, you know your friend Kagemiya is here too," Braig told Lea after he left the briefing.
"Oh. That's nice. She came over to visit?" Lea inquired nonchalantly.
"Not exactly. She took a spill out in the street earlier."
"Is she all right?" Lea looked concerned but uncertain how concerned to be.
"Don't know. The problem is actually with her heart."
"Her heart?!"
"Yeah, it was beating too fast and gave out. Even's doing what he can for her. You should go and see her if you want to."
***
"How's life as a hero treating you?" Isa asked Lea somberly.
"It's got its ups and downs, same as ever," Lea replied. Then he got quiet and changed the subject. "Last time I went to the castle, Yuri was there."
"Of course she was," Isa scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, she's still friends with that kid and everyone," Lea responded awkwardly, "but no, that's not what I meant. She was there as a patient."
"What?"
"Braig told me he found her passed out in the street. Her heart hadn't been able to pump any blood because it was beating too fast. Her recovery took a little while. She didn't look too good when I saw her, but I hear she's back home now. Oh, and Ienzo even said that they've forgiven us for what we did."
***
How it would have been if Zexion had gone second instead of third...
Zexion returned to the basement, breathing heavily and clutching his left side. Lexeaus was next to him in an instant. "Zexion!"
"I'll live," Zexion gasped, leaning.
Lexaeus was having none of it. Before Zexion could protest, Lexaeus had unzipped Zexion's coat to inspect his injuries. "Lie down and rest. I'll grab the med kit."
Zexion did as he was told. His chest hurt like he'd bruised some ribs, and of course there was the slash he'd taken from Riku's sword. Lexaeus returned and bandaged him up. Rather than watch over his injured companion, he decided to fight Riku instead. His battle meditation did nothing to quell his rage, and his darkness ran wild. (The rest would play out normally from here.)
Additional dialog that I kept out of Kagemiya Sayuri included Braig's conversation with Lea explaining what happened to her and in turn Lea's conversation with Isa telling him the same. I got tired of rehashing it, even if it may be a jump or a gloss-over not to show these conversations taking place rather than to actually have them.
"Hey, you know your friend Kagemiya is here too," Braig told Lea after he left the briefing.
"Oh. That's nice. She came over to visit?" Lea inquired nonchalantly.
"Not exactly. She took a spill out in the street earlier."
"Is she all right?" Lea looked concerned but uncertain how concerned to be.
"Don't know. The problem is actually with her heart."
"Her heart?!"
"Yeah, it was beating too fast and gave out. Even's doing what he can for her. You should go and see her if you want to."
***
"How's life as a hero treating you?" Isa asked Lea somberly.
"It's got its ups and downs, same as ever," Lea replied. Then he got quiet and changed the subject. "Last time I went to the castle, Yuri was there."
"Of course she was," Isa scoffed, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, she's still friends with that kid and everyone," Lea responded awkwardly, "but no, that's not what I meant. She was there as a patient."
"What?"
"Braig told me he found her passed out in the street. Her heart hadn't been able to pump any blood because it was beating too fast. Her recovery took a little while. She didn't look too good when I saw her, but I hear she's back home now. Oh, and Ienzo even said that they've forgiven us for what we did."
***
How it would have been if Zexion had gone second instead of third...
Zexion returned to the basement, breathing heavily and clutching his left side. Lexeaus was next to him in an instant. "Zexion!"
"I'll live," Zexion gasped, leaning.
Lexaeus was having none of it. Before Zexion could protest, Lexaeus had unzipped Zexion's coat to inspect his injuries. "Lie down and rest. I'll grab the med kit."
Zexion did as he was told. His chest hurt like he'd bruised some ribs, and of course there was the slash he'd taken from Riku's sword. Lexaeus returned and bandaged him up. Rather than watch over his injured companion, he decided to fight Riku instead. His battle meditation did nothing to quell his rage, and his darkness ran wild. (The rest would play out normally from here.)
Sunday, December 21, 2014
Holiday Spirit
I always liked Mary Poppins growing up, and I'd even watch it at Christmas. The most poignant scene for me for this time of year was the bird woman. Home Alone 2 had a bird woman, and I liked that better than the first one. I haven't watched either movie in a while, though, since my VCR crapped out, and I don't have those movies on DVD. Saving Mr. Banks is one of the films my family made me watch with them this year, and it almost ruined it for me. There were some parts I didn't like, and I didn't know who to root for (other than the Sherman brothers). Parts of it were surreal, capped off with the actual audio from the real meetings played over the end credits.
I've been too busy with work and such to watch anything this year, not even Nightmare. The past two months have been almost nothing but work, leaving me with precious few days of downtime to myself (and even then I had other things to do). Today, work was particularly trying. I should be used to such treatment by now. I've begun to realize that nothing has changed since school. As usual, the only reason anyone likes me is if they can push me around. I haven't even been able to enjoy the holidays because I'm working so much; I hardly ever get to go home for more than a couple days at a time every other week.
I've been too busy with work and such to watch anything this year, not even Nightmare. The past two months have been almost nothing but work, leaving me with precious few days of downtime to myself (and even then I had other things to do). Today, work was particularly trying. I should be used to such treatment by now. I've begun to realize that nothing has changed since school. As usual, the only reason anyone likes me is if they can push me around. I haven't even been able to enjoy the holidays because I'm working so much; I hardly ever get to go home for more than a couple days at a time every other week.
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Angels in Flight
The Monopoly mini game in Birth By Sleep is a way to level up your skills and get spells. It's sort of ridiculous but in a fun way. You don't have to win to get your stuff. From a story-telling perspective, Aqua is very good and will win most of the time until Ven whines and they let him win. Terra would probably flip the table if he lost too many times, though. Queen Minnie's not very good at it, but it's heartbreaking to watch her cry afterward. I like to play against Cinderella, even if I lose. I don't like to see her unhappy either. I like Terra when he's happy too. That's why I like his part of the story in Cinderella's world the most.
A couple of things that Braig says in the new cutscene disturbs me. "This was a pain to set up"? So were all these setbacks part of the plan or not? Does he not feel sorry about what he got the others into like how he sounded in the flashback from the beginning of 3D? "Who's the lucky pick?" If you don't know by now, you're a moron, dude. Isa is the only one who looks like you as a "half-Xehanort." And if he looked like his normal self with his uniform and short hair, then I guess Xehanort took his heart all over again for him to revert back to Xigbar for 3D. With Isa we couldn't tell since he was still wearing the coat and didn't look any different anyway.
Speaking of disturbing (well, not really), Christopher Lee's metal Christmas albums. Holy crap.
A couple of things that Braig says in the new cutscene disturbs me. "This was a pain to set up"? So were all these setbacks part of the plan or not? Does he not feel sorry about what he got the others into like how he sounded in the flashback from the beginning of 3D? "Who's the lucky pick?" If you don't know by now, you're a moron, dude. Isa is the only one who looks like you as a "half-Xehanort." And if he looked like his normal self with his uniform and short hair, then I guess Xehanort took his heart all over again for him to revert back to Xigbar for 3D. With Isa we couldn't tell since he was still wearing the coat and didn't look any different anyway.
Speaking of disturbing (well, not really), Christopher Lee's metal Christmas albums. Holy crap.
Friday, December 5, 2014
Walken the Plank
Ho! Christopher Walken playing Captain Hook, what the heck? Unfortunately he didn't also play the father (that was Smee instead). That would have been awesome. "Hey. Kids. Shut your mouths." But he was a mad captain, and the only prescription was more cowbell. Not really, but that would have been great too. I couldn't take him seriously. But then the biggest surprise was Wendy forcing Smee off the plank at swordpoint while giving him a Reasons You Suck speech, to which he replied "Fair enough" and let go. Lady's got guts.
My job has been tough lately, especially at the recycling room. I keep getting called in to address complaints and fix things, and people still think I shouldn't be doing this job because I'm female. Whatever. I'm over that. But some people, especially the elderly, still say things like "this is a man's job" and "you're just a little girl." A lot of people have been recycling so of course half our machines are going to break down, and we don't have a technician on site (have to call one in all the way from Maine). Also, the automatic door is broken so this one guy got mad at me about that too. Apparently it hit him in the shoulder. It hit me in the butt and I didn't care. Other people are so touchy about how they want their groceries bagged. One lady didn't want paper because she'll get paper cuts. My hands and forearms get sliced up and I just keep going. They complain about every little thing. People are crazy this time of year. I thought it would die down after Thanksgiving, but that only lasted three days. Oh well. I won't let that ruin the holidays. Last year they overplayed "Jingle Bell Rock" and "Rockin Around the Christmas Tree" to the point where I got sick of them. I haven't gotten to that point yet, but because of last year I'm wary. They have started playing other songs or newer covers of them at least.
My job has been tough lately, especially at the recycling room. I keep getting called in to address complaints and fix things, and people still think I shouldn't be doing this job because I'm female. Whatever. I'm over that. But some people, especially the elderly, still say things like "this is a man's job" and "you're just a little girl." A lot of people have been recycling so of course half our machines are going to break down, and we don't have a technician on site (have to call one in all the way from Maine). Also, the automatic door is broken so this one guy got mad at me about that too. Apparently it hit him in the shoulder. It hit me in the butt and I didn't care. Other people are so touchy about how they want their groceries bagged. One lady didn't want paper because she'll get paper cuts. My hands and forearms get sliced up and I just keep going. They complain about every little thing. People are crazy this time of year. I thought it would die down after Thanksgiving, but that only lasted three days. Oh well. I won't let that ruin the holidays. Last year they overplayed "Jingle Bell Rock" and "Rockin Around the Christmas Tree" to the point where I got sick of them. I haven't gotten to that point yet, but because of last year I'm wary. They have started playing other songs or newer covers of them at least.
Monday, November 24, 2014
Super Mega Finale
At the end of the penultimate episode, the Zords were destroyed and the Rangers fell to their death...if we were being realistic. No. They should have been dead from a fall like that onto rubble like that, but they woke up more or less fine the next episode during a repeat of the In Space apocalypse (except not as cool because there wasn't as much side-character development). I got a charge out of the civilian Ranger cameos we did get, although I am sad that a lot of people were excluded due to politics and/or having appeared in Disney-owned seasons. I was surprised to see Leo there since I thought he'd reportedly stated he didn't want to do it again and was only in it for the money for law school at the time. Cassie and TJ were awesome as always, as was Tommy, though I don't understand how there can be more of each of them running around in different costumes. As for the current Ranger team themselves, I did appreciate how the Red and Silver Rangers boarded the emperor's ship and used the controls to blow up the armada...though I'm not sure why they thought it would be over after that; it's like they didn't think there would also be ground troops, especially since that was all Troy had dreamed about. He is one Red Ranger that I just don't know how to feel about, or any of them for that matter. For a season (two, really) based on copying Ranger powers, the Rangers themselves seemed not to be that original or interesting themselves. Furthermore, I haven't seen MMPR yet but it seems to have been
overshadowed by the announcement of the official movie in 2016, even
though it has music by Wasserman and the real Zedd and Zordon actors.
I've also seen a bunch of fan shorts for seemingly unrelated projects.
Speaking of branding, it sucks that Cartoon Network's Clone Wars is being cancelled halfway through a season just because Disney owns the rights to Star Wars now. They could just air it on there instead, but no, they had to cancel it so they can do a show that probably won't be as good.
Speaking of branding, it sucks that Cartoon Network's Clone Wars is being cancelled halfway through a season just because Disney owns the rights to Star Wars now. They could just air it on there instead, but no, they had to cancel it so they can do a show that probably won't be as good.
Friday, November 21, 2014
Cinderella's Castle
Saw the trailer for Cinderella this week, also the Cinema Sins video for Maleficent. Maleficent was always different from the other fairies, but the movie made her look more like Hawk Girl in her native state. The weakness to iron also seemed like cheating, especially since Aqua's team-up with Prince Phillip against her in BBS was so awesome. I know some people like the Maleficent movie better than the old Sleeping Beauty, but Disney's animated Cinderella is irreplaceable to me. I didn't want to see Maleficent, and I probably won't see Cinderella either. It'll be like a Tim Burton movie with Helena Bonham Carter as the fairy godmother, even though it isn't. She should have swapped roles with Meryl Streep from Into the Woods. As for the name Cinderella, I always thought it was prettier than just plain Ella; I didn't know it was an insult. It sounds fiery and awesome, speaking to her inner strength.
I've lost interest in Castle after all this wedding nonsense happened. I don't appreciate the disappearance twist. The parallel universe episode was also a stretch. I'm used to the episodes being set up like the murder case appears to be something crazy but can usually be solved by normal means. The parallel universe artifact being legitimate is too much like Warehouse 13, which isn't bad, but I like to keep the two separate. But Castle and Beckett are married now. Woohoo. Whatever.
Anyone else find it funny that on NCIS, Abby is dating a man named Bert, like her hippo?
I've lost interest in Castle after all this wedding nonsense happened. I don't appreciate the disappearance twist. The parallel universe episode was also a stretch. I'm used to the episodes being set up like the murder case appears to be something crazy but can usually be solved by normal means. The parallel universe artifact being legitimate is too much like Warehouse 13, which isn't bad, but I like to keep the two separate. But Castle and Beckett are married now. Woohoo. Whatever.
Anyone else find it funny that on NCIS, Abby is dating a man named Bert, like her hippo?
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Kagemiya Sayuri part 5
Chapter 5: Closure (This is where the story takes another dramatic turn to address issues that had been brought up before, but it's not something I'm currently dealing or have ever dealt with)
Ienzo felt bad for prying, but he had to know. Ansem had to have done a background check when he'd interviewed Kagemiya as a potential babysitter. He was shocked and saddened when he read about her mother's cause of death.
Ansem caught him going through his papers. "Ienzo? What are you doing in my office at this time of night?"
"Kage-san had told me that her mother was dead, but she didn't tell me what had happened. Given her recent health problems, I was worried the two might be connected. I didn't think it would be anything like this."
"It's terrible, isn't it?" Ansem sympathized, taking the papers away from him and putting them back in the drawer. "If she wanted you to know, she would've told you. What will you do now that you have this information?"
"I'll try to forget it, I guess, but I don't know if I can. I mean, how can someone take their own life when they've got little kids at home depending on them?"
"I don't know. You shouldn't upset her by talking about this, Ienzo. It would be detrimental to her health and recovery."
After a few days, Ienzo tried again to work up the nerve to ask about her mother without giving away what he now knew. "The same disease that killed my mother killed Even's mother as well. He had us both tested but didn't find any trace of it in our cells, so we're not sure if it's genetic or not. Do you think your arrhythmia could be genetic?"
"It's highly likely. Heart problems do run in the family. My mom's father died of a heart attack when she was nine."
Ienzo looked shocked then saddened. "Oh. That's awful."
"Yeah, it was very sudden. You can't always predict these things."
"Your grandmother must have been a very strong person."
"She was, much stronger than Mom. That's why it was hard losing her too."
Ienzo proceeded with caution. "Was your mom in bad health?"
"She became depressed and started saying crazy things. I didn't understand until it was too late."
He could see that she was starting to get upset and squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay."
"No it isn't. Losing people suddenly really sucks. That's why I thought we could talk about it, but..."
"You can always talk to me if you want."
"No, I came here with the intention of finding out more about your problems so we could bond over them, but it isn't my place to do so. All I've done is upset you."
Kagemiya hugged him. "No you didn't. You were concerned about me, just like the day I showed up at the castle crying because my grandmother had died. You've all been so nice to me, probably more than a commoner like me deserves."
Ienzo was taken aback by that last comment the most. "Whoa. None of us sees you like that."
They heard someone clear his throat and looked up to see Isa standing there. "Kagemiya..."
"Isa," Kagemiya responded.
"Lea told me you were in pretty rough shape when he saw you. Are you all right now?"
"I'm on the mend."
"That's good." He paused, staring at them. "It seems like the two of you are always together."
Ienzo took slight offense. "It's because we're friends."
"Yeah, Lea told me that too."
"What else did he say?" Kagemiya inquired.
Isa looked guilty. "He said that you guys had forgiven us for what we did to you, but I thought I'd come over and apologize anyway." He bowed his head. "Sorry." With that, he took off again.
Ienzo felt bad for prying, but he had to know. Ansem had to have done a background check when he'd interviewed Kagemiya as a potential babysitter. He was shocked and saddened when he read about her mother's cause of death.
Ansem caught him going through his papers. "Ienzo? What are you doing in my office at this time of night?"
"Kage-san had told me that her mother was dead, but she didn't tell me what had happened. Given her recent health problems, I was worried the two might be connected. I didn't think it would be anything like this."
"It's terrible, isn't it?" Ansem sympathized, taking the papers away from him and putting them back in the drawer. "If she wanted you to know, she would've told you. What will you do now that you have this information?"
"I'll try to forget it, I guess, but I don't know if I can. I mean, how can someone take their own life when they've got little kids at home depending on them?"
"I don't know. You shouldn't upset her by talking about this, Ienzo. It would be detrimental to her health and recovery."
After a few days, Ienzo tried again to work up the nerve to ask about her mother without giving away what he now knew. "The same disease that killed my mother killed Even's mother as well. He had us both tested but didn't find any trace of it in our cells, so we're not sure if it's genetic or not. Do you think your arrhythmia could be genetic?"
"It's highly likely. Heart problems do run in the family. My mom's father died of a heart attack when she was nine."
Ienzo looked shocked then saddened. "Oh. That's awful."
"Yeah, it was very sudden. You can't always predict these things."
"Your grandmother must have been a very strong person."
"She was, much stronger than Mom. That's why it was hard losing her too."
Ienzo proceeded with caution. "Was your mom in bad health?"
"She became depressed and started saying crazy things. I didn't understand until it was too late."
He could see that she was starting to get upset and squeezed her hand. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay."
"No it isn't. Losing people suddenly really sucks. That's why I thought we could talk about it, but..."
"You can always talk to me if you want."
"No, I came here with the intention of finding out more about your problems so we could bond over them, but it isn't my place to do so. All I've done is upset you."
Kagemiya hugged him. "No you didn't. You were concerned about me, just like the day I showed up at the castle crying because my grandmother had died. You've all been so nice to me, probably more than a commoner like me deserves."
Ienzo was taken aback by that last comment the most. "Whoa. None of us sees you like that."
They heard someone clear his throat and looked up to see Isa standing there. "Kagemiya..."
"Isa," Kagemiya responded.
"Lea told me you were in pretty rough shape when he saw you. Are you all right now?"
"I'm on the mend."
"That's good." He paused, staring at them. "It seems like the two of you are always together."
Ienzo took slight offense. "It's because we're friends."
"Yeah, Lea told me that too."
"What else did he say?" Kagemiya inquired.
Isa looked guilty. "He said that you guys had forgiven us for what we did to you, but I thought I'd come over and apologize anyway." He bowed his head. "Sorry." With that, he took off again.
Friday, November 14, 2014
More What Ifs
I read that "van-van" is a term for a Hoodoo cleansing of stagnant energy from a house, specifically a floor wash made from certain herbs (lol that's the power of Pine-Sol). It could also be a cute nickname for Vanitas. Also, it would be cool if Goodnight Moon existed in the KH universe, among other books (theoretically, of course).
Zexion sat on a couch in the lobby reading late into the night. He was having trouble keeping his eyes open but struggled against sleep to finish the chapter. Nearby, Mikage was finishing that day's cleaning. Lexaeus walked in and noticed him. He gently put his hand on his shoulder. "Hey. Time for bed." Reluctantly, Zexion closed the book and stood up stiffly, having been sitting there for hours. "I'm here to take Mikage back to her cell. Can you make it there on your own?"
"Uh-huh."
"Goodnight, then. Mikage, let's go."
Mikage looked up and acknowledged them. "Okay. Goodnight, Zexion-chan."
"Night." Zexion was too tired to reproach her for using -chan.
Zexion found his room and climbed into bed. The Kingdom Hearts moon was shining brightly in the window. Goodnight, moon, he thought. He remembered a story his parents used to read to him when he was little. One page was blank with the words "Goodnight nobody;" that took on a different meaning for him now. He tried to remember how it ended; he would usually fall asleep by that point until he was old enough not to need it anymore. "Goodnight stars...Goodnight air...Goodnight noises everywhere."
Contrast this with a take on their first night as Nobodies...
Vexen tried to go to sleep, but his mind was racing. I have to find my heart...I have to find everyone's hearts, he thought. What was Xehanort thinking when he- He was suddenly startled by someone appearing at the foot of his bed.
"I can't find it," Zexion muttered pathetically. He was still kind of a zombie.
"What?"
"I can't find it," he repeated more clearly.
"Can't find what?"
"My heart...I can't find it."
Vexen sighed and got up out of bed. "We'll retrieve them someday. Go back to your room, Zexion."
"That's not my name."
"It is now. The Superior said-"
"My mom and dad gave me a name. I want them back. I want to go home."
"We all want things...but we can't go back. Not until we fix what happened to us." He wondered why Zexion was getting so upset without a heart, but he chalked it up to his memories playing havoc on his systems. He put a hand on his back and ushered him to his room. "Go to sleep," he instructed once they were there.
Zexion stared at him blankly. "I can't."
"That makes two of us." Vexen disappeared without tucking him in.
So it looks like we're getting a live action Suicide Squad movie. I was just saying that we needed a live action Harley Quinn (the fan film Harley I saw was pretty good though). CCH Pounder has always provided the voice for Amanda Waller, but I wonder who they would cast to play her in live action? Would they still have her do it? She's currently in NCIS: New Orleans, so I don't know how much time she'd have to do other things.
Zexion sat on a couch in the lobby reading late into the night. He was having trouble keeping his eyes open but struggled against sleep to finish the chapter. Nearby, Mikage was finishing that day's cleaning. Lexaeus walked in and noticed him. He gently put his hand on his shoulder. "Hey. Time for bed." Reluctantly, Zexion closed the book and stood up stiffly, having been sitting there for hours. "I'm here to take Mikage back to her cell. Can you make it there on your own?"
"Uh-huh."
"Goodnight, then. Mikage, let's go."
Mikage looked up and acknowledged them. "Okay. Goodnight, Zexion-chan."
"Night." Zexion was too tired to reproach her for using -chan.
Zexion found his room and climbed into bed. The Kingdom Hearts moon was shining brightly in the window. Goodnight, moon, he thought. He remembered a story his parents used to read to him when he was little. One page was blank with the words "Goodnight nobody;" that took on a different meaning for him now. He tried to remember how it ended; he would usually fall asleep by that point until he was old enough not to need it anymore. "Goodnight stars...Goodnight air...Goodnight noises everywhere."
Contrast this with a take on their first night as Nobodies...
Vexen tried to go to sleep, but his mind was racing. I have to find my heart...I have to find everyone's hearts, he thought. What was Xehanort thinking when he- He was suddenly startled by someone appearing at the foot of his bed.
"I can't find it," Zexion muttered pathetically. He was still kind of a zombie.
"What?"
"I can't find it," he repeated more clearly.
"Can't find what?"
"My heart...I can't find it."
Vexen sighed and got up out of bed. "We'll retrieve them someday. Go back to your room, Zexion."
"That's not my name."
"It is now. The Superior said-"
"My mom and dad gave me a name. I want them back. I want to go home."
"We all want things...but we can't go back. Not until we fix what happened to us." He wondered why Zexion was getting so upset without a heart, but he chalked it up to his memories playing havoc on his systems. He put a hand on his back and ushered him to his room. "Go to sleep," he instructed once they were there.
Zexion stared at him blankly. "I can't."
"That makes two of us." Vexen disappeared without tucking him in.
So it looks like we're getting a live action Suicide Squad movie. I was just saying that we needed a live action Harley Quinn (the fan film Harley I saw was pretty good though). CCH Pounder has always provided the voice for Amanda Waller, but I wonder who they would cast to play her in live action? Would they still have her do it? She's currently in NCIS: New Orleans, so I don't know how much time she'd have to do other things.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
This Week Today
Top 5 Cartoons Growing Up in the 90s (There are others I liked, but I would rank these the highest overall):
~1- Batman The Animated Series (WB)
~2- Recess (Disney)
~3- Hey Arnold! (Nickelodeon)
~4- Animaniacs (WB)
~5- Doug (Nickelodeon/Disney)
Equestria Girls really is like the Doug universe. The best part of Rainbow Rocks was Sunset's facial expressions. The Dazzlings also had better songs even though the lyrics were evil. I like human Pinkie Pie better than regular pony Pinkie. That speaks more to the problems most people have had with the writing of her character in season 4, which this movie takes place after. The hook from Fluttershy's song in Filli Vanilli makes an appearance in the one song she supposedly wrote (no way that wasn't going to become important). My brother got mad that they ruined "Shake Your Tail" for the sake of plot instead of using the music video footage for it. I'd have to agree, but I'm just a little frustrated they had to do so many rewrites and posted what did get finished as "prequel" clips. And a novelization ( the "real" story became known as "Mane Event" while the original concept took the title proper). They did a novelization of the first movie too, and the individual stories that started with Crystal Heart Spell continue with Fluttershy's coming out next as the last of the Mane Six. I have not checked those out aside from Twilight's and don't plan to. In the case of the Rainbow Rocks and Crystal Heart Spell novels, I'm just happy with reading about what could have been, like I will be keeping the glitched DVD which will only run in order from the chapters page (which means the commentary remains out of order, though).
Poor Morgan. Too bad we didn't have time to get to know her friend before she got killed. I don't like it when shows do that. At least get us emotionally invested in a character before killing them off. Now I'm only upset because Morgan's upset. It's like with NCIS season 1's Pacci episode, but he at least got a little more screen time beforehand (even though it was only to set up a flashback to remember who he even was).
~1- Batman The Animated Series (WB)
~2- Recess (Disney)
~3- Hey Arnold! (Nickelodeon)
~4- Animaniacs (WB)
~5- Doug (Nickelodeon/Disney)
Equestria Girls really is like the Doug universe. The best part of Rainbow Rocks was Sunset's facial expressions. The Dazzlings also had better songs even though the lyrics were evil. I like human Pinkie Pie better than regular pony Pinkie. That speaks more to the problems most people have had with the writing of her character in season 4, which this movie takes place after. The hook from Fluttershy's song in Filli Vanilli makes an appearance in the one song she supposedly wrote (no way that wasn't going to become important). My brother got mad that they ruined "Shake Your Tail" for the sake of plot instead of using the music video footage for it. I'd have to agree, but I'm just a little frustrated they had to do so many rewrites and posted what did get finished as "prequel" clips. And a novelization ( the "real" story became known as "Mane Event" while the original concept took the title proper). They did a novelization of the first movie too, and the individual stories that started with Crystal Heart Spell continue with Fluttershy's coming out next as the last of the Mane Six. I have not checked those out aside from Twilight's and don't plan to. In the case of the Rainbow Rocks and Crystal Heart Spell novels, I'm just happy with reading about what could have been, like I will be keeping the glitched DVD which will only run in order from the chapters page (which means the commentary remains out of order, though).
Poor Morgan. Too bad we didn't have time to get to know her friend before she got killed. I don't like it when shows do that. At least get us emotionally invested in a character before killing them off. Now I'm only upset because Morgan's upset. It's like with NCIS season 1's Pacci episode, but he at least got a little more screen time beforehand (even though it was only to set up a flashback to remember who he even was).
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
Seriously, This Is Still Happening?
This week the Critic did another commercials special. One segment had Ninja Turtles toys, which he mocked as scraping the bottom of the barrel for ideas for them. At the end of the segment, he got in a joke about Venus being pregnant for a toy idea. Really, you're going to go there? I don't even care at this point whether you like her or not. That was a tasteless joke. I have nothing against Doug, it's just his character who's an ass (as has been proven multiple times). He's not the only one, though. It seems almost all the critics who have reviewed this year's Michael Bay Turtles have said "It's not as bad as Next Mutation" and made fun of her. It's been over ten years. We should probably stop talking about her. But people still persist, and I must air my grievances. Hail Zeon is pretty much the only one who defends the show and her, and I respect him for that.
Now that we're headed into a new era of TMNT with a new generation to grow up with them, the kids today might just do their research. It's not hard; we nostalgic types have made it very easy. I can only imagine trying to raise a little girl and have her ask why there isn't a girl turtle. What would I tell her? "There was one, sweetie, but people didn't like her and were mean to her, so she's not in the picture anymore and never should have been?" That does not set a good example and is pretty heartbreaking. I'm probably blowing this out of proportion, but it is pretty heartbreaking for me every time I hear someone complaining about or making fun of her. It's just a character after all. If my being sensitive is inappropriate, then so is everyone else being a dick about it. As I may have mentioned before, I didn't fit in when I was growing up. As Venus didn't fit in either, I could relate to her. After all, she didn't ask to be created, just like none of us asked to be born. Her running off to Central Park to sulk and saying sadly that she wanted her world back (her master had just died in her arms, by the way) should really shame people more than it does (which seems to be not at all).
To any new Turtles fans reading this, withhold your judgement until you've considered all the facts. If you don't think you'd like Next Mutation, then just don't watch it. If you do want to see it out of morbid curiosity, just give her a chance. The show itself may not be the greatest thing ever, but it has good ideas; whether or not she was one of them is in the mind of the beholder. I just don't want to have to have this discussion again because my immature peers won't let this die and leave well enough alone.
(Note: This blogger does not support the idea of the Turtles not being related to each other. Before Venus, her favorite Turtle was Raphael.)
Now that we're headed into a new era of TMNT with a new generation to grow up with them, the kids today might just do their research. It's not hard; we nostalgic types have made it very easy. I can only imagine trying to raise a little girl and have her ask why there isn't a girl turtle. What would I tell her? "There was one, sweetie, but people didn't like her and were mean to her, so she's not in the picture anymore and never should have been?" That does not set a good example and is pretty heartbreaking. I'm probably blowing this out of proportion, but it is pretty heartbreaking for me every time I hear someone complaining about or making fun of her. It's just a character after all. If my being sensitive is inappropriate, then so is everyone else being a dick about it. As I may have mentioned before, I didn't fit in when I was growing up. As Venus didn't fit in either, I could relate to her. After all, she didn't ask to be created, just like none of us asked to be born. Her running off to Central Park to sulk and saying sadly that she wanted her world back (her master had just died in her arms, by the way) should really shame people more than it does (which seems to be not at all).
To any new Turtles fans reading this, withhold your judgement until you've considered all the facts. If you don't think you'd like Next Mutation, then just don't watch it. If you do want to see it out of morbid curiosity, just give her a chance. The show itself may not be the greatest thing ever, but it has good ideas; whether or not she was one of them is in the mind of the beholder. I just don't want to have to have this discussion again because my immature peers won't let this die and leave well enough alone.
(Note: This blogger does not support the idea of the Turtles not being related to each other. Before Venus, her favorite Turtle was Raphael.)
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Sawtooth Cave and More
In time for Halloween, it's the third Alpha and Omega sequel "The Legend of the Sawtooth Cave." It's not really set on Halloween, but there's a cave in Shadow Forest that's said to be haunted. The adults are hesitant to go in but decide to check it out again anyway because that's where the food is. The kids return to check it out on their own and get chased away by rude porcupines, a strange wind, and a ghost wolf. Runt sees past all that and finds a wolf named Daria who is blind, and he agrees to take her back to her old pack. She's lived in the cave all alone since she was young because according to the law of her pack, the handicapped had to be killed. Her mother got killed instead and she's hidden in the cave ever since, protected by her ghost mother and the porcupines. As Humphrey puts it, "This is beyond twisted." After fighting a little with her old pack, they escape and agree to take her in to their pack, and her mother's ghost is appeased. There was also a message about parents letting go of their children and letting them grow up, but it would have profited from better writing or a better setting. It could have been tightened to half an hour with fewer subplots involving Tony and his cohorts almost leading a witch-hunt against the ghost or the porcupines. Unfortunately, there's going to be another installment in the spring, though I don't know what it's supposed to be about. This series ceased being amusing long ago. It's not even about anything anymore except maybe preaching tolerance in different ways, and even that is getting old.
I enjoyed the episode of Teen Titans Go! titled "Friendship," which had Control Freak send them into an episode of Pretty Pretty Pegasus. The best part was when he said "Holy smokes you're a nerd" to Raven when she was explaining what a flerd was (a combination of flock and herd for pegasi). Given the various fight sequences in the real MLP, though, it shouldn't have taken much for the rest of the Titans to convince the ponies to solve their problems with violence when communications broke down...with a smattering of "Swarm of the Century" with Pinkie not explaining herself properly. If the unicorns had just explained why they couldn't stop playing music, there wouldn't have been much of a conflict to begin with...though that would have led to a "Dragonshy" situation.
On Whose Line, I think they've started to catch on that starting mock fights with Aisha equates to ratings. Meanwhile, the current season of Power Rangers keeps recycling plots from previous incarnations both early and recent.
I enjoyed the episode of Teen Titans Go! titled "Friendship," which had Control Freak send them into an episode of Pretty Pretty Pegasus. The best part was when he said "Holy smokes you're a nerd" to Raven when she was explaining what a flerd was (a combination of flock and herd for pegasi). Given the various fight sequences in the real MLP, though, it shouldn't have taken much for the rest of the Titans to convince the ponies to solve their problems with violence when communications broke down...with a smattering of "Swarm of the Century" with Pinkie not explaining herself properly. If the unicorns had just explained why they couldn't stop playing music, there wouldn't have been much of a conflict to begin with...though that would have led to a "Dragonshy" situation.
On Whose Line, I think they've started to catch on that starting mock fights with Aisha equates to ratings. Meanwhile, the current season of Power Rangers keeps recycling plots from previous incarnations both early and recent.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Reviews and Update
The gluten-free episode of South Park didn't touch upon the subject of people who can't eat it versus it being a phad, so that was disappointing. Still, gluten-free food is pretty tasty. The Family Guy/Simpsons crossover just proved that The Simpsons is a better show. I didn't care for the psych-out with Vance's health on NCIS either; we got enough of that with Jenny. Due to the pacing of Sailor Moon Crystal, the relationship between Usagi and Mamoru has been advancing unbelievably fast. There's something to be said for filler in the classic series, even though it's still convoluted.
Just noticed that Riku and even Ansem talk about the stench of darkness more than Zexion does, to the point where I'm starting to believe it's not a real power and the others are just humoring the poor kid to make him believe he's special. As for my fan fiction, it'll probably continue once III comes out and storylines wrap up. As for what I've written in the timeline of III, that's mostly stuff I'd wanted to happen regardless of what actually ends up happening, in which case I'd only tweak it a little bit to make sense or ignore the outcome entirely. That being said, here's another bit of content:
Riku showed up to the castle to see Ansem. Ienzo was still afraid of him or was at least made nervous by his presence, so he avoided him as much as possible. He remembered their battle; after Riku had broken through his illusionary tactics, Zexion had become frustrated and tried to jump him from behind and suplex him like some of the others used to do to him in the past. Since Riku had been shorter than him, he'd seen it as his only chance to do so to someone else for a change. It hadn't worked, of course, because though he'd been younger and shorter, Riku was still much stronger than him. Now that Riku had grown up too, he was even stronger and slightly taller than him. He was also slightly jealous and annoyed that Riku had been spending so much time with Ansem as of late. He called Kagemiya over to talk about it.
Kagemiya arrived at the castle and greeted Dilan and Aeleus. "Ienzo sounded like something was bothering him. Did something happen?"
The two looked at each other with concern. "Who would know but him?" Aeleus replied. Dilan held the door open for her and she went inside.
Hurrying down the corridor, she nearly bumped into into Riku, who was on his way out. "Hey! Who are you?" he asked, grabbing her wrist.
She looked at him, stunned. "It's okay, Riku. I'm friends with Ienzo, one of Ansem's apprentices. My name is Sayuri."
"How do you know my name?"
"Eh? Why wouldn't I know your name? Excuse me." She pulled her arm out of his grasp and ran off. She hadn't really met him before, only his replica; she knew he'd fought Aeleus and Ienzo as Nobodies. She didn't feel like explaining it to him.
Ienzo was waiting for her in the library. He seemed to be sulking. "Hey."
"Hey. What's wrong?"
"It's...Riku. He's been spending a lot of time here recently...since he and King Mickey are friends with Master Ansem."
"Oh? Is that a problem?"
"No...I just...it feels like Riku is taking my place...in his heart."
"That could never happen."
"Are you sure?"
"Even if their friendship were to take on a father-son dynamic, sibling rivalry is completely normal."
"What?"
"Ienzo, he could no more replace you as a son than you could replace Mako-chan as my brother."
"Really?" This did not seem to cheer him up any.
She patted him on the head. "You and I are friends, and the two of them are friends. You don't have to worry."
He didn't seem to appreciate the gesture either, but he accepted the advice. "Okay."
Just noticed that Riku and even Ansem talk about the stench of darkness more than Zexion does, to the point where I'm starting to believe it's not a real power and the others are just humoring the poor kid to make him believe he's special. As for my fan fiction, it'll probably continue once III comes out and storylines wrap up. As for what I've written in the timeline of III, that's mostly stuff I'd wanted to happen regardless of what actually ends up happening, in which case I'd only tweak it a little bit to make sense or ignore the outcome entirely. That being said, here's another bit of content:
Riku showed up to the castle to see Ansem. Ienzo was still afraid of him or was at least made nervous by his presence, so he avoided him as much as possible. He remembered their battle; after Riku had broken through his illusionary tactics, Zexion had become frustrated and tried to jump him from behind and suplex him like some of the others used to do to him in the past. Since Riku had been shorter than him, he'd seen it as his only chance to do so to someone else for a change. It hadn't worked, of course, because though he'd been younger and shorter, Riku was still much stronger than him. Now that Riku had grown up too, he was even stronger and slightly taller than him. He was also slightly jealous and annoyed that Riku had been spending so much time with Ansem as of late. He called Kagemiya over to talk about it.
Kagemiya arrived at the castle and greeted Dilan and Aeleus. "Ienzo sounded like something was bothering him. Did something happen?"
The two looked at each other with concern. "Who would know but him?" Aeleus replied. Dilan held the door open for her and she went inside.
Hurrying down the corridor, she nearly bumped into into Riku, who was on his way out. "Hey! Who are you?" he asked, grabbing her wrist.
She looked at him, stunned. "It's okay, Riku. I'm friends with Ienzo, one of Ansem's apprentices. My name is Sayuri."
"How do you know my name?"
"Eh? Why wouldn't I know your name? Excuse me." She pulled her arm out of his grasp and ran off. She hadn't really met him before, only his replica; she knew he'd fought Aeleus and Ienzo as Nobodies. She didn't feel like explaining it to him.
Ienzo was waiting for her in the library. He seemed to be sulking. "Hey."
"Hey. What's wrong?"
"It's...Riku. He's been spending a lot of time here recently...since he and King Mickey are friends with Master Ansem."
"Oh? Is that a problem?"
"No...I just...it feels like Riku is taking my place...in his heart."
"That could never happen."
"Are you sure?"
"Even if their friendship were to take on a father-son dynamic, sibling rivalry is completely normal."
"What?"
"Ienzo, he could no more replace you as a son than you could replace Mako-chan as my brother."
"Really?" This did not seem to cheer him up any.
She patted him on the head. "You and I are friends, and the two of them are friends. You don't have to worry."
He didn't seem to appreciate the gesture either, but he accepted the advice. "Okay."
Sunday, October 5, 2014
An Impossible Romance part 2
Originally I wasn't going to continue with this, but it needed a proper continuation and a conclusion. Zexion of course doesn't get a chance to return to Jump City and instead is sent to Castle Oblivion a few days later.
***
One day, seeking some peace and quiet, Raven decided to leave the Tower for a little while. "Oblivion would be nice," she said to herself, opening a portal. She'd meant oblivion with a lowercase "o," but the spell took her to Oblivion with a capital "O" - Castle Oblivion. "This isn't what I had in mind, but...it sure looks desolate enough," she reasoned. Having no idea who lived there, if anyone, she took a chance on opening the door and entered into the empty hallway. "Hello? Is anyone here?"
Down in the basement, where he was stationed with Vexen and Lexaeus, Zexion stopped talking mid-sentence when he sensed her arrival. He gasped in surprise. "What is it?" Lexaeus asked, concerned. If he had a heart, it'd be leaping out of his chest, he observed.
"It's her...She's here..." he whispered excitedly.
"Who's here?" Vexen demanded impatiently.
"Raven. The girl I told you about."
"How did she know where to find you?"
"I didn't tell her, if that's what you're accusing me of. She must have found it on her own." I'd better intercept her before someone upstairs does. He teleported to the entrance hall to greet his guest. "I'm pleased we could meet again, Raven."
"Zexion? What are you doing here?" Raven asked neutrally, surprised to see him too.
This is some coincidence, Zexion thought, realizing she hadn't come to see him after all. "I'm here on a secret mission. How did you find this place?"
"I came here sort of by accident," she replied sheepishly.
"Really?" Maybe it had been a little too presumptuous of him to think that she had tracked him down.
"Yeah. I just wanted to relax for a while and this is where I ended up." She began to twirl her hair nervously but stopped herself. What am I doing?
"Well you don't have to worry about those monsters showing up here, but there are five - no, six - other members of my group living here too, so I can't promise absolute silence."
Raven remembered the darkness she had felt from him. "What's your secret mission about, then?"
"I can't tell you that, of course, but we are looking for something."
Raven wasn't sure whether she should volunteer to help or not. She could easily send out her power over the castle to find whatever it was, but she got the feeling that it wouldn't be used for anything good. Not that Zexion seemed interested in finding it for nefarious purposes. Right now he only seemed interested in talking to her. He hadn't once broken eye contact. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked quietly.
Zexion quickly looked away. "Sorry. Your eyes are just so captivating."
What? Does he...like me? Raven wasn't new to the concept of dating, but it hadn't exactly turned out well for her in the past.
Suddenly, the brooch on her cloak started flashing. "What's that?" Zexion asked.
"There's trouble back in Jump City," she explained. "I have to return to the Tower."
Zexion nodded. "I understand."
"You're going to be here a while, right?"
"For the foreseeable future."
"I'll come back another time, then."
Zexion repeated what she'd said to him before. "I'll be waiting."
Raven departed, and Zexion returned to the basement. "The verdict?" Vexen prompted, clipboard at the ready.
"She hadn't meant to come here, but she said she'd be back later."
"That's good, isn't it?" Lexaeus said encouragingly. Zexion didn't respond, wondering if it really would be good. He certainly hadn't expected any trouble...
***
When Raven finally returned to Castle Oblivion on another day, no one appeared to greet her in the entrance hall. She touched the wall and used her powers to try to sense what was going on. She got a vision of Sora, Donald, and Goofy entering the castle and being greeted by two other cloaked members of the Organization. Those three she sensed were still upstairs along with some other people, but Zexion was not among them, nor were any other members of the Organization. "Did they leave?" she wondered aloud.
She sent out her power slowly with the hope of finding some clue as to what had happened, but couldn't find a trace of anyone left. "People don't just vanish," she told herself. "There has to be some explanation." Still, she didn't find anything other than a blocked off room her powers couldn't reach. "Maybe that's what they were looking for, and they reported back." She didn't sound too sure, though. She returned to Titans Tower feeling unfulfilled.
***
Raven was in the back of Ienzo's mind after he reconstituted along with the others. As soon as things became settled in Radiant Garden, he set about trying to find her. He knew she lived in Jump City in a place called the Tower; that seemed like enough to go on. Someone would point him in the right direction.
It had been over a year, and Raven had not expected to see him again. Sure enough, however, he turned up at the front door of Titans Tower wearing a white lab coat instead of the black coat of the Organization. "Zexion, is everything okay?"
"More or less, and I'm back to using my real name, Ienzo."
"The first name you said."
"Yeah."
"What happened? I went back to Oblivion but you were already gone."
"It's a long story."
"I figured as much when we first met. You don't have to explain. I have a past too."
"You do?" Ienzo couldn't imagine what she could have been through that would have been on par with or worse than his own experiences.
Raven nodded. "Are those for me?" She pointed to the flowers in Ienzo's hands.
"Oh! Uh, yes." He quickly handed them over. "Almost forgot."
"Thanks." She hesitated. "I know you're infatuated with me, but you should know this isn't going to work out."
Hearing this stung, but Ienzo knew it was probably true; they each had a duty to their own world. "No reason we can't still get to know each other better and be friends."
"I think I can handle that."
***
One day, seeking some peace and quiet, Raven decided to leave the Tower for a little while. "Oblivion would be nice," she said to herself, opening a portal. She'd meant oblivion with a lowercase "o," but the spell took her to Oblivion with a capital "O" - Castle Oblivion. "This isn't what I had in mind, but...it sure looks desolate enough," she reasoned. Having no idea who lived there, if anyone, she took a chance on opening the door and entered into the empty hallway. "Hello? Is anyone here?"
Down in the basement, where he was stationed with Vexen and Lexaeus, Zexion stopped talking mid-sentence when he sensed her arrival. He gasped in surprise. "What is it?" Lexaeus asked, concerned. If he had a heart, it'd be leaping out of his chest, he observed.
"It's her...She's here..." he whispered excitedly.
"Who's here?" Vexen demanded impatiently.
"Raven. The girl I told you about."
"How did she know where to find you?"
"I didn't tell her, if that's what you're accusing me of. She must have found it on her own." I'd better intercept her before someone upstairs does. He teleported to the entrance hall to greet his guest. "I'm pleased we could meet again, Raven."
"Zexion? What are you doing here?" Raven asked neutrally, surprised to see him too.
This is some coincidence, Zexion thought, realizing she hadn't come to see him after all. "I'm here on a secret mission. How did you find this place?"
"I came here sort of by accident," she replied sheepishly.
"Really?" Maybe it had been a little too presumptuous of him to think that she had tracked him down.
"Yeah. I just wanted to relax for a while and this is where I ended up." She began to twirl her hair nervously but stopped herself. What am I doing?
"Well you don't have to worry about those monsters showing up here, but there are five - no, six - other members of my group living here too, so I can't promise absolute silence."
Raven remembered the darkness she had felt from him. "What's your secret mission about, then?"
"I can't tell you that, of course, but we are looking for something."
Raven wasn't sure whether she should volunteer to help or not. She could easily send out her power over the castle to find whatever it was, but she got the feeling that it wouldn't be used for anything good. Not that Zexion seemed interested in finding it for nefarious purposes. Right now he only seemed interested in talking to her. He hadn't once broken eye contact. "Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked quietly.
Zexion quickly looked away. "Sorry. Your eyes are just so captivating."
What? Does he...like me? Raven wasn't new to the concept of dating, but it hadn't exactly turned out well for her in the past.
Suddenly, the brooch on her cloak started flashing. "What's that?" Zexion asked.
"There's trouble back in Jump City," she explained. "I have to return to the Tower."
Zexion nodded. "I understand."
"You're going to be here a while, right?"
"For the foreseeable future."
"I'll come back another time, then."
Zexion repeated what she'd said to him before. "I'll be waiting."
Raven departed, and Zexion returned to the basement. "The verdict?" Vexen prompted, clipboard at the ready.
"She hadn't meant to come here, but she said she'd be back later."
"That's good, isn't it?" Lexaeus said encouragingly. Zexion didn't respond, wondering if it really would be good. He certainly hadn't expected any trouble...
***
When Raven finally returned to Castle Oblivion on another day, no one appeared to greet her in the entrance hall. She touched the wall and used her powers to try to sense what was going on. She got a vision of Sora, Donald, and Goofy entering the castle and being greeted by two other cloaked members of the Organization. Those three she sensed were still upstairs along with some other people, but Zexion was not among them, nor were any other members of the Organization. "Did they leave?" she wondered aloud.
She sent out her power slowly with the hope of finding some clue as to what had happened, but couldn't find a trace of anyone left. "People don't just vanish," she told herself. "There has to be some explanation." Still, she didn't find anything other than a blocked off room her powers couldn't reach. "Maybe that's what they were looking for, and they reported back." She didn't sound too sure, though. She returned to Titans Tower feeling unfulfilled.
***
Raven was in the back of Ienzo's mind after he reconstituted along with the others. As soon as things became settled in Radiant Garden, he set about trying to find her. He knew she lived in Jump City in a place called the Tower; that seemed like enough to go on. Someone would point him in the right direction.
It had been over a year, and Raven had not expected to see him again. Sure enough, however, he turned up at the front door of Titans Tower wearing a white lab coat instead of the black coat of the Organization. "Zexion, is everything okay?"
"More or less, and I'm back to using my real name, Ienzo."
"The first name you said."
"Yeah."
"What happened? I went back to Oblivion but you were already gone."
"It's a long story."
"I figured as much when we first met. You don't have to explain. I have a past too."
"You do?" Ienzo couldn't imagine what she could have been through that would have been on par with or worse than his own experiences.
Raven nodded. "Are those for me?" She pointed to the flowers in Ienzo's hands.
"Oh! Uh, yes." He quickly handed them over. "Almost forgot."
"Thanks." She hesitated. "I know you're infatuated with me, but you should know this isn't going to work out."
Hearing this stung, but Ienzo knew it was probably true; they each had a duty to their own world. "No reason we can't still get to know each other better and be friends."
"I think I can handle that."
Thursday, October 2, 2014
Pumpkin-coctions
I finally got the pumpkin Oreos. Yay! They are the golden Oreos though, which I don't like as much as the regular chocolate cookies. Didn't they use to have cookies called Cameos that were like that? I liked those. I would never eat the fruit punch Oreos. Yeeeeeuch. I baked some pumpkin cookies too and got pumpkin muffins. I don't have a problem! I also baked maple bacon cookies. Yes, those exist. The batter witch has her tendrils everywhere!
Anyway, we finally got some news on the Homestuck Gigapause front. My boyfriend took advantage of the year-long pause to get me into it. I'm an Aries and a Heart player. My favorite moment was when Vriska fell in love with Nic Cage. Other favorite moments include John and Nepeta having fun with Karkat's name (Karkitty. Beep beep meow!), Nepeta in general because she is teh cute, Bro kicking Dave's ass (That's all there really is to say on the matter), Jade hitting Bec Noir with a rolled-up newspaper, Karkat shoosh-papping Gamzee, Caliborn shooting Gamzee repeatedly, and the 12 Trolls of Christmas fan videos.
Kingdom Hearts 2.5 came out in Japan today, and a secret scene was posted with English subtitles. In it, Braig was talking to young Xehanort in the lab whilst everyone else was still unconscious and Terra-nort was nowhere to be found. It's pretty much what I expected had happened. And people love Braig/Xigbar so of course they'll be happy to see more of him.
Inevitably, I began comparing Organization XIII (minus Roxas) to the Homestuck trolls (using the 12 trolls videos). Demyx would be Terezi, Xemnas would be Sollux, Larxene would be Nepeta, Marluxia would be Feferi, Zexion would be Karkat, Lexaeus would be Kanaya, Axel would be Tavros, Luxord would be Vriska, Xigbar would be Gamzee, Vexen would be Eridan, Saix would be Aradia, and Xaldin would be Equius. Additionally, Master Xehanort would be Lord English, young Xehanort would be Caliborn, and Erauqs would be Calliope. Actually, now that I think about it, Roxas is more Tavros and Axel can be Rufio (the imaginary one).
Anyway, we finally got some news on the Homestuck Gigapause front. My boyfriend took advantage of the year-long pause to get me into it. I'm an Aries and a Heart player. My favorite moment was when Vriska fell in love with Nic Cage. Other favorite moments include John and Nepeta having fun with Karkat's name (Karkitty. Beep beep meow!), Nepeta in general because she is teh cute, Bro kicking Dave's ass (That's all there really is to say on the matter), Jade hitting Bec Noir with a rolled-up newspaper, Karkat shoosh-papping Gamzee, Caliborn shooting Gamzee repeatedly, and the 12 Trolls of Christmas fan videos.
Kingdom Hearts 2.5 came out in Japan today, and a secret scene was posted with English subtitles. In it, Braig was talking to young Xehanort in the lab whilst everyone else was still unconscious and Terra-nort was nowhere to be found. It's pretty much what I expected had happened. And people love Braig/Xigbar so of course they'll be happy to see more of him.
Inevitably, I began comparing Organization XIII (minus Roxas) to the Homestuck trolls (using the 12 trolls videos). Demyx would be Terezi, Xemnas would be Sollux, Larxene would be Nepeta, Marluxia would be Feferi, Zexion would be Karkat, Lexaeus would be Kanaya, Axel would be Tavros, Luxord would be Vriska, Xigbar would be Gamzee, Vexen would be Eridan, Saix would be Aradia, and Xaldin would be Equius. Additionally, Master Xehanort would be Lord English, young Xehanort would be Caliborn, and Erauqs would be Calliope. Actually, now that I think about it, Roxas is more Tavros and Axel can be Rufio (the imaginary one).
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Kagemiya Sayuri part 4
Chapter 4: Discharged
A whole week had gone by before Even could make a decision on how to continue treating her; he wanted to be thorough. After the tenth day, he decided against any invasive procedures since he still didn't know what specifically was causing the arrhythmia. He continued giving her the medicine that was keeping her condition stable. "It's not a cure, so you'll have to keep taking it for the rest of your life," he told her. "I'm sorry I can't do more."
"You've done enough. You probably saved my life," she said appreciatively.
"If you have any more fainting spells, please let one of us know. You've had us all very worried."
"I'm sorry for troubling you."
"It was no trouble at all. You're in perfect health otherwise so of course we're concerned."
"If it happens again...then what?"
"Drastic measures."
Drastic measures that could just as likely kill her as cure her; Even didn't want to take the risk unless he absolutely had to. He watched as one of Kagemiya's aunts came to collect her; outwardly, she showed no tenderness toward her niece and did not support her while walking home. Kagemiya looked back at him over her shoulder briefly before they were gone. He was suddenly reminded of how he had treated Ienzo when he was growing up. "Good Lord, what have I done?" he whispered to himself and went back inside to find Ienzo. "I may have made a mistake," he told him.
"What? With Kage-san?" Ienzo asked worriedly, having no context for this statement.
"No, with you. I wasn't as warm with you as I could have been like the others were. I'm sorry."
Ienzo was stunned. "Okay. What brought this on?" Even explained about Kagemiya's departure, and Ienzo realized too how she could relate to him so well. Then he remembered what she'd told him back when they were in Castle Oblivion.
Ienzo waited a couple of days before going to see Kagemiya. The boy who answered the door had to have been her brother Mako, but apart from their eyes, the siblings looked almost nothing alike. "Nee-san, the boy from the castle is here to see you."
Kagemiya was sitting in a chair reading but stood up when Ienzo came in. "Hi, Ienzo. How are you?"
"You don't have to get up. More importantly, how are you?"
"I'm still getting my energy and strength back, but you can tell Even I'm taking the medicine as directed and that I'm doing fine."
"I will, but that isn't why I came over. Is there anything I can help you with?"
Kagemiya smiled. "No, but I could use a friend."
"Do you want to go for a walk, or would it tire you out too much?"
"I could go for some fresh air, and my legs keep twitching. Not too far, though. Mako-chan, I'm going out."
"Come back safe," Mako called out.
Ienzo didn't think he could support her if she collapsed again, but he didn't want to acknowledge it aloud; he wanted to take care of his friend. "So this is where you grew up," he said as they walked around the neighborhood.
"Yeah. What do you think?"
"It's...quaint."
"That's what Dilan said too back when he used to walk me home at night."
"You must have a lot of memories of this place."
"Well I have lived here my whole life and still do."
"Right. I guess I'd gotten used to having you around when we were Nobodies."
"I know what you mean."
"What will you do now?"
"I guess I'll go back to school."
"Don't work too hard, Sa-chan," said a familiar voice.
"Myde," Kagemiya exclaimed as he had appeared out of nowhere. Ienzo looked just as surprised but not at all pleased.
"Glad to see you're up and about."
"It wouldn't do to stay in bed all the time. I need to be able to walk, you know."
"Why didn't you go see her sooner?" Ienzo asked accusingly.
Myde was taken aback by this. "I wanted to, but I knew her aunts would just shoo me away again like they did when I first found out."
"Then what about when she was still in the castle?"
"To be honest, people are afraid to go anywhere near your place because of what happened. No offense or anything, but..."
"We're doing the best we can to reverse the damage we did because of Xehanort."
They were starting to make Kagemiya nervous, but before she could ask them to stop fighting, they fell silent. "Let's go back," she said, walking back in the direction of her house. The two of them followed behind her just out of earshot.
"What are her aunts really like?" Ienzo whispered. "Are they all similar to Even?"
"Huh? Well..." Myde thought for a moment. "When you put it that way, one of them was super bossy. I think she's the oldest."
"That must be the one who came to pick her up that day."
"The second one was really uptight, the type who's concerned about appearances. The third one was crying hysterically. I think she's her godmother."
"What's a godmother?"
"That's someone who your parents designate to take care of you if they're not around anymore. Would that make Ansem your godfather?"
"I don't know..."
"Sorry."
"How long have you known Kage-san?"
"On and off since elementary school. Lea and Isa too."
"Would you say you two are close?"
"Sort of. Why do you ask?"
Ienzo couldn't bring himself to ask. She was his friend, but there was so much about her he didn't know. Maybe it wasn't even his place to ask.
"Oh, we're not like that, if that's what you were thinking," Myde whispered, thinking Ienzo was jealous (which he was, but not in that way). "Aren't you too young for her though?"
"That's not what I meant."
"Hey, are you two literally talking about me behind my back?" Kagemiya asked, suspicious. She hadn't heard the whole conversation, but she did hear Ienzo say her name.
"He wants to ask you something," Myde volunteered.
"No, forget it," Ienzo denied.
"What is it?" Kagemiya asked. "You can ask me anything."
Ienzo tried to think of an appropriate question. "The aunt who came to pick you up...do you like her?"
This caught Kagemiya off-guard. "She's fine, I guess. Why?"
"After you left with her, Even apologized for the way he'd treated me, all because he saw how the two of you walked away."
Kagemiya became more confused. Was Even like her aunt? "Well, she did help raise me, and Even helped raise you. They're both strict, I suppose. It's too late for us now, though."
"Huh?"
"They brought us up, so we tend to act like them whether we want to or not. What do you think of that?" Ienzo made a face like he didn't like it at all.
"It's true," Myde put in, causing Ienzo to glare at him.
"I'm sure he's always liked you, Ienzo. You're important to him." When he told me that story about Ienzo as a baby, his expression did seem to soften.
When did this start being about me? Ienzo just nodded.
When they reached Kagemiya's house, she said, "I think I'll go lie down now, but one of my aunts will be bringing some food over if the two of you want to stay for dinner."
Depends on the aunt, Myde thought, reluctant to answer.
"I'd better go," Ienzo declined, not looking her in the eye.
"You all must be busy. I hope my stay didn't set you back too much in your real work."
"Don't worry about things like that. Just take care of yourself." As he turned to leave, he almost bumped into a red-haired woman carrying Tupperware containers. "Pardon me."
"What's the rush? Aren't you staying?" the woman asked genially.
"That's the godmother," Myde whispered to him. Out loud he said, "Yeah, the two of us came over to visit."
"Is it really okay, Ienzo?" Kagemiya asked.
Well, I didn't say when I'd be back, Ienzo thought. "Yeah, it's fine."
"Ienzo? I've heard a lot about you," Kagemiya's godmother said, realizing who he was.
Ienzo became even more nervous. Kagemiya's family had obviously been attacked by the Heartless as well. Did they know it was his fault? Did they blame him and the others? What had they talked about on the first night back? "I'm sorry!" he burst out.
The woman looked puzzled. "For what?" she asked. "All I meant was that Sayuri used to talk about you all the time when she babysat you."
"Oh..." Either she really didn't know or she was being incredibly kind by not talking about it.
The five of them sat down to dinner. Ienzo remained quiet, still somewhat plagued by guilt. If Mako held any ill-will toward him he didn't seem to express it. Myde seemed at ease talking to this oba-san, which meant that she was fine on her own; it was the other two aunts who hadn't wanted Kage-san to have visitors.
"By the way, is your father coming home soon?" Ienzo asked Kagemiya.
"As soon as he can. Any day now," she replied.
"That's good."
"He and my husband are land surveyors," her godmother explained. "They're gone for most of the year."
"Interesting. What do you do?"
"I'm a teacher."
"Oh?" Ienzo seemed to appreciate this.
The rest of the evening went off without a hitch. "Thanks for the food, ma'am," Ienzo said as he got up to leave.
"Thank you for looking after my niece."
"I didn't really do much of anything..."
"I'm sure you did. Sayuri told us that all of you at the castle had taken care of her."
Ienzo ran into Lea when he returned home. "You're out kinda late," Lea commented.
"I was visiting Kage-san."
"They let you?"
"Yeah. The aunt who stopped by today was the nice one, according to Myde."
"Oh yeah, I like her. Is she coming back here to see you?"
"I don't know. She says she's going to finish school."
"That's right. It's been a while. I wouldn't worry, though. After everything that's happened, she's not going to forget about you."
Ienzo remembered the pinkie-swear, their promise to remain friends even though he didn't need her to look after him anymore. "You're right. We are friends, after all."
He went back to visit her again the next chance he got. When he arrived at the house, her two girlfriends were just leaving. It was another reminder to him that she had a different life that he wasn't part of. Without prying too deeply, he wanted to talk more about what they had in common, even if it wasn't a happy subject. "Back at Castle Oblivion, you said that your brother doesn't remember your mother. Do you tell him stories about what you remember?" he asked.
"Not much to remember," she replied glumly. "We mostly look at old photos together."
"I don't have too many of those myself. Sometimes when I find myself really missing my parents, I'll ask one of the others to tell me about their memories of them. They always tell me how much they loved me."
"That's really nice."
"What about you? Have you ever asked your aunts?"
"No, just the photos. Why are you asking about that?"
He took it as a warning to back off. "You almost died. I didn't want to be the one telling your brother stories about you to remember you by. He must already dislike me anyway."
"He knows where he stands. The two of you may be the same age, but you're my friend and he's my brother. Although...you have called me 'nee-san' a couple times already."
Ienzo had to own up to it. "Well, the others at the castle are like uncles and brothers to me. You're like the sister I never had. Even when we were Nobodies, I thought that..."
"Back then I still had this instinct to look after you, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't projecting my bond with my brother onto you too. Senpai called me out on it once. Isa-kun and Lea-kun didn't seem to like it either."
"I thought it was me they didn't like."
"That may be true too, but it's not like everyone outside the castle hates you. You really don't trust anyone beyond the six of you, do you?"
"It's complicated. You know, based on what we had done. But you're right. I've led a sheltered life. When you first arrived I thought you were kind of a spaz, cutting your finger like I had by complete happenstance."
"I was nervous."
"Don't get me wrong. I liked you, but I couldn't tell you everything. I didn't want you to hate me."
"I was pretty mad when you finally did tell me, but I could never hate you or any of the others. I wasn't there, so I can't fully understand what you did or why, but I've been around you long enough that it's okay. I've gotten to know you, and based on your personalities, I never thought you were bad people."
"I've had to question that a few times myself."
"Good people have flaws and they make mistakes. You're no different."
"We knew what we were doing was wrong but went ahead with it anyway. My guilty conscience used to give me nightmares, even as a Nobody. What would my parents think? What would they have done in my place?"
"You have no way of knowing that."
A whole week had gone by before Even could make a decision on how to continue treating her; he wanted to be thorough. After the tenth day, he decided against any invasive procedures since he still didn't know what specifically was causing the arrhythmia. He continued giving her the medicine that was keeping her condition stable. "It's not a cure, so you'll have to keep taking it for the rest of your life," he told her. "I'm sorry I can't do more."
"You've done enough. You probably saved my life," she said appreciatively.
"If you have any more fainting spells, please let one of us know. You've had us all very worried."
"I'm sorry for troubling you."
"It was no trouble at all. You're in perfect health otherwise so of course we're concerned."
"If it happens again...then what?"
"Drastic measures."
Drastic measures that could just as likely kill her as cure her; Even didn't want to take the risk unless he absolutely had to. He watched as one of Kagemiya's aunts came to collect her; outwardly, she showed no tenderness toward her niece and did not support her while walking home. Kagemiya looked back at him over her shoulder briefly before they were gone. He was suddenly reminded of how he had treated Ienzo when he was growing up. "Good Lord, what have I done?" he whispered to himself and went back inside to find Ienzo. "I may have made a mistake," he told him.
"What? With Kage-san?" Ienzo asked worriedly, having no context for this statement.
"No, with you. I wasn't as warm with you as I could have been like the others were. I'm sorry."
Ienzo was stunned. "Okay. What brought this on?" Even explained about Kagemiya's departure, and Ienzo realized too how she could relate to him so well. Then he remembered what she'd told him back when they were in Castle Oblivion.
Ienzo waited a couple of days before going to see Kagemiya. The boy who answered the door had to have been her brother Mako, but apart from their eyes, the siblings looked almost nothing alike. "Nee-san, the boy from the castle is here to see you."
Kagemiya was sitting in a chair reading but stood up when Ienzo came in. "Hi, Ienzo. How are you?"
"You don't have to get up. More importantly, how are you?"
"I'm still getting my energy and strength back, but you can tell Even I'm taking the medicine as directed and that I'm doing fine."
"I will, but that isn't why I came over. Is there anything I can help you with?"
Kagemiya smiled. "No, but I could use a friend."
"Do you want to go for a walk, or would it tire you out too much?"
"I could go for some fresh air, and my legs keep twitching. Not too far, though. Mako-chan, I'm going out."
"Come back safe," Mako called out.
Ienzo didn't think he could support her if she collapsed again, but he didn't want to acknowledge it aloud; he wanted to take care of his friend. "So this is where you grew up," he said as they walked around the neighborhood.
"Yeah. What do you think?"
"It's...quaint."
"That's what Dilan said too back when he used to walk me home at night."
"You must have a lot of memories of this place."
"Well I have lived here my whole life and still do."
"Right. I guess I'd gotten used to having you around when we were Nobodies."
"I know what you mean."
"What will you do now?"
"I guess I'll go back to school."
"Don't work too hard, Sa-chan," said a familiar voice.
"Myde," Kagemiya exclaimed as he had appeared out of nowhere. Ienzo looked just as surprised but not at all pleased.
"Glad to see you're up and about."
"It wouldn't do to stay in bed all the time. I need to be able to walk, you know."
"Why didn't you go see her sooner?" Ienzo asked accusingly.
Myde was taken aback by this. "I wanted to, but I knew her aunts would just shoo me away again like they did when I first found out."
"Then what about when she was still in the castle?"
"To be honest, people are afraid to go anywhere near your place because of what happened. No offense or anything, but..."
"We're doing the best we can to reverse the damage we did because of Xehanort."
They were starting to make Kagemiya nervous, but before she could ask them to stop fighting, they fell silent. "Let's go back," she said, walking back in the direction of her house. The two of them followed behind her just out of earshot.
"What are her aunts really like?" Ienzo whispered. "Are they all similar to Even?"
"Huh? Well..." Myde thought for a moment. "When you put it that way, one of them was super bossy. I think she's the oldest."
"That must be the one who came to pick her up that day."
"The second one was really uptight, the type who's concerned about appearances. The third one was crying hysterically. I think she's her godmother."
"What's a godmother?"
"That's someone who your parents designate to take care of you if they're not around anymore. Would that make Ansem your godfather?"
"I don't know..."
"Sorry."
"How long have you known Kage-san?"
"On and off since elementary school. Lea and Isa too."
"Would you say you two are close?"
"Sort of. Why do you ask?"
Ienzo couldn't bring himself to ask. She was his friend, but there was so much about her he didn't know. Maybe it wasn't even his place to ask.
"Oh, we're not like that, if that's what you were thinking," Myde whispered, thinking Ienzo was jealous (which he was, but not in that way). "Aren't you too young for her though?"
"That's not what I meant."
"Hey, are you two literally talking about me behind my back?" Kagemiya asked, suspicious. She hadn't heard the whole conversation, but she did hear Ienzo say her name.
"He wants to ask you something," Myde volunteered.
"No, forget it," Ienzo denied.
"What is it?" Kagemiya asked. "You can ask me anything."
Ienzo tried to think of an appropriate question. "The aunt who came to pick you up...do you like her?"
This caught Kagemiya off-guard. "She's fine, I guess. Why?"
"After you left with her, Even apologized for the way he'd treated me, all because he saw how the two of you walked away."
Kagemiya became more confused. Was Even like her aunt? "Well, she did help raise me, and Even helped raise you. They're both strict, I suppose. It's too late for us now, though."
"Huh?"
"They brought us up, so we tend to act like them whether we want to or not. What do you think of that?" Ienzo made a face like he didn't like it at all.
"It's true," Myde put in, causing Ienzo to glare at him.
"I'm sure he's always liked you, Ienzo. You're important to him." When he told me that story about Ienzo as a baby, his expression did seem to soften.
When did this start being about me? Ienzo just nodded.
When they reached Kagemiya's house, she said, "I think I'll go lie down now, but one of my aunts will be bringing some food over if the two of you want to stay for dinner."
Depends on the aunt, Myde thought, reluctant to answer.
"I'd better go," Ienzo declined, not looking her in the eye.
"You all must be busy. I hope my stay didn't set you back too much in your real work."
"Don't worry about things like that. Just take care of yourself." As he turned to leave, he almost bumped into a red-haired woman carrying Tupperware containers. "Pardon me."
"What's the rush? Aren't you staying?" the woman asked genially.
"That's the godmother," Myde whispered to him. Out loud he said, "Yeah, the two of us came over to visit."
"Is it really okay, Ienzo?" Kagemiya asked.
Well, I didn't say when I'd be back, Ienzo thought. "Yeah, it's fine."
"Ienzo? I've heard a lot about you," Kagemiya's godmother said, realizing who he was.
Ienzo became even more nervous. Kagemiya's family had obviously been attacked by the Heartless as well. Did they know it was his fault? Did they blame him and the others? What had they talked about on the first night back? "I'm sorry!" he burst out.
The woman looked puzzled. "For what?" she asked. "All I meant was that Sayuri used to talk about you all the time when she babysat you."
"Oh..." Either she really didn't know or she was being incredibly kind by not talking about it.
The five of them sat down to dinner. Ienzo remained quiet, still somewhat plagued by guilt. If Mako held any ill-will toward him he didn't seem to express it. Myde seemed at ease talking to this oba-san, which meant that she was fine on her own; it was the other two aunts who hadn't wanted Kage-san to have visitors.
"By the way, is your father coming home soon?" Ienzo asked Kagemiya.
"As soon as he can. Any day now," she replied.
"That's good."
"He and my husband are land surveyors," her godmother explained. "They're gone for most of the year."
"Interesting. What do you do?"
"I'm a teacher."
"Oh?" Ienzo seemed to appreciate this.
The rest of the evening went off without a hitch. "Thanks for the food, ma'am," Ienzo said as he got up to leave.
"Thank you for looking after my niece."
"I didn't really do much of anything..."
"I'm sure you did. Sayuri told us that all of you at the castle had taken care of her."
Ienzo ran into Lea when he returned home. "You're out kinda late," Lea commented.
"I was visiting Kage-san."
"They let you?"
"Yeah. The aunt who stopped by today was the nice one, according to Myde."
"Oh yeah, I like her. Is she coming back here to see you?"
"I don't know. She says she's going to finish school."
"That's right. It's been a while. I wouldn't worry, though. After everything that's happened, she's not going to forget about you."
Ienzo remembered the pinkie-swear, their promise to remain friends even though he didn't need her to look after him anymore. "You're right. We are friends, after all."
He went back to visit her again the next chance he got. When he arrived at the house, her two girlfriends were just leaving. It was another reminder to him that she had a different life that he wasn't part of. Without prying too deeply, he wanted to talk more about what they had in common, even if it wasn't a happy subject. "Back at Castle Oblivion, you said that your brother doesn't remember your mother. Do you tell him stories about what you remember?" he asked.
"Not much to remember," she replied glumly. "We mostly look at old photos together."
"I don't have too many of those myself. Sometimes when I find myself really missing my parents, I'll ask one of the others to tell me about their memories of them. They always tell me how much they loved me."
"That's really nice."
"What about you? Have you ever asked your aunts?"
"No, just the photos. Why are you asking about that?"
He took it as a warning to back off. "You almost died. I didn't want to be the one telling your brother stories about you to remember you by. He must already dislike me anyway."
"He knows where he stands. The two of you may be the same age, but you're my friend and he's my brother. Although...you have called me 'nee-san' a couple times already."
Ienzo had to own up to it. "Well, the others at the castle are like uncles and brothers to me. You're like the sister I never had. Even when we were Nobodies, I thought that..."
"Back then I still had this instinct to look after you, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't projecting my bond with my brother onto you too. Senpai called me out on it once. Isa-kun and Lea-kun didn't seem to like it either."
"I thought it was me they didn't like."
"That may be true too, but it's not like everyone outside the castle hates you. You really don't trust anyone beyond the six of you, do you?"
"It's complicated. You know, based on what we had done. But you're right. I've led a sheltered life. When you first arrived I thought you were kind of a spaz, cutting your finger like I had by complete happenstance."
"I was nervous."
"Don't get me wrong. I liked you, but I couldn't tell you everything. I didn't want you to hate me."
"I was pretty mad when you finally did tell me, but I could never hate you or any of the others. I wasn't there, so I can't fully understand what you did or why, but I've been around you long enough that it's okay. I've gotten to know you, and based on your personalities, I never thought you were bad people."
"I've had to question that a few times myself."
"Good people have flaws and they make mistakes. You're no different."
"We knew what we were doing was wrong but went ahead with it anyway. My guilty conscience used to give me nightmares, even as a Nobody. What would my parents think? What would they have done in my place?"
"You have no way of knowing that."
Kagemiya Sayuri part 3
Chapter 3: Steps
Kagemiya awoke early the next morning, aware of where she was this time. She looked over and saw Ienzo asleep in a chair next to her. She sat up as there was a light tap on the door. Aeleus walked in and gave her a flower. "How are you feeling?" he asked. "Any better?"
"Thank you, Aeleus. I'm still tired."
"Are you...afraid?" he asked hesitantly. She nodded and her eyes welled up with tears. He hugged her as she began to cry. "It's going to be all right. Even will take care of this."
Ienzo woke up. "What's wrong? Did something happen?" he asked, panic rising in his voice as he stood up to join them.
"I'm okay," she said, trying to stop crying for his sake. "Thanks for worrying about me. That couldn't have been very comfortable."
"I fall asleep sitting in chairs all the time," he said, trying to sound nonchalant. Kagemiya leaned over and hugged him too.
"Don't even think about getting up," Even warned her as he walked into the room to change her IVs. "You're in no condition to move."
"When can I...?"
"When I say you can, when I'm done running tests." He drew a vial of her blood, which tired her out even more. Aeleus casually looked away. Ienzo stared at Even, knowing that he was helping her even though what he was doing was still keeping her physically weak. She spent a good amount of that day asleep too.
Every day that she was in there, Aeleus brought her a flower. Even was starting to get annoyed because they were cluttering up his work space. After a few days, he allowed her off the table, but she nearly fell when she tried to stand up; he caught her before she hit the floor and eased her back onto the table. "I'm afraid your leg muscles have atrophied from being immobilized for too long. You'll have to re-learn how to walk." He noticed she was on the verge of crying. "Please don't cry," he added, patting her hand.
"I just feel so helpless," she whimpered.
It reminded Even of when Ienzo first learned how to walk, so he related the story to her. "When Ienzo was a toddler and tried to walk for the first time, he stumbled and fell. I don't know whether he was crying because he'd scared himself and gotten hurt or if he had actually been ashamed of his failure. Then, when no one was looking, he got out of his child seat and tried again. He still stumbled but caught himself on my leg."
***James and Even had been in the research room when Marian had come in with Ienzo to teach him how to walk. The toddler had made it halfway between his mother and father before he'd lost his balance and fell. James had picked up the crying child and tried to console him. "It's okay. You did your best." Even had looked on awkwardly. "There, there. No more crying. Papa's got you."
Eventually Ienzo had calmed down. Marian had given him a bottle and put him in his child seat to rest. Instead, when no one was looking, Ienzo had gotten up and started walking again. They hadn't noticed until he'd stumbled and grabbed onto Even's leg. "Did...did you just walk from over there?" Even had asked in disbelief, picking him up. "Well done."
***He'd looked so happy when I praised him. I haven't given him much positive reinforcement since then, have I?
Ienzo walked in on their conversation. "Are you telling her embarrassing stories about me?" he asked incredulously. "What I was like as a baby is still none of her business!"
So it did bother him when I told Ventus about his parents. "Miss Kagemiya fell off the table. She can't walk yet," Even explained to him. "I was only trying to cheer her up."
Ienzo forgot his embarrassment over his concern for her. "Kage-san, are you okay?"
"I'll be all right...eventually."
Dilan helped her by leading her forward while holding her hands, but she was breathing heavily by the time they made it to the door. He carried her back so she could rest and brought her something to eat (up until then she'd been getting medicine and sustenance through the IVs in her arms). "Thank you. I humbly accept."
When Lea returned to keep them updated, Braig told him what had happened to Kagemiya, and he tried to go see her. Even was in the middle of taking her vitals when he let himself in; Braig watched from around the corner. "I heard about what happened. How are you doing, Yuri?" he asked.
"I've asked you not to call me that," she responded, though she sounded less annoyed than usual when telling him off; she was exhausted from trying to walk on her own and stumbling around like a baby deer.
Even spoke up in her defense to get rid of him. "The patient requires more rest. She is in no condition to see anyone for the time being."
Lea backed off, thinking that Even, Ienzo, and Kagemiya were likely still mad at him for what he had done to them as Nobodies. Ienzo followed him out. "Why do you keep calling her that if she doesn't like it?" Ienzo asked. At least when she was Mikage she eventually got the hang of their new names; Lea seemed to be doing it on purpose.
"Because it means 'lily,'" he said in response. "Why does she let you call her Kage-san?"
"Maybe she likes 'shadow' better than 'lily.' What do Isa and the others call her?"
"Isa calls her Kagemiya-san. Relena-senpai called her Sayuri. Myde calls her Sa-chan."
"Well, none of them have shown up yet."
"They probably won't." There was an awkward pause as the two stared each other down. "I'm really sorry, okay?" Lea said at last, not being able to take the silence. "What I did to you guys was really rotten."
"I've already forgiven you. I'm sure they have as well. With Kage-san's illness it's just been a little tense around here."
Kagemiya awoke early the next morning, aware of where she was this time. She looked over and saw Ienzo asleep in a chair next to her. She sat up as there was a light tap on the door. Aeleus walked in and gave her a flower. "How are you feeling?" he asked. "Any better?"
"Thank you, Aeleus. I'm still tired."
"Are you...afraid?" he asked hesitantly. She nodded and her eyes welled up with tears. He hugged her as she began to cry. "It's going to be all right. Even will take care of this."
Ienzo woke up. "What's wrong? Did something happen?" he asked, panic rising in his voice as he stood up to join them.
"I'm okay," she said, trying to stop crying for his sake. "Thanks for worrying about me. That couldn't have been very comfortable."
"I fall asleep sitting in chairs all the time," he said, trying to sound nonchalant. Kagemiya leaned over and hugged him too.
"Don't even think about getting up," Even warned her as he walked into the room to change her IVs. "You're in no condition to move."
"When can I...?"
"When I say you can, when I'm done running tests." He drew a vial of her blood, which tired her out even more. Aeleus casually looked away. Ienzo stared at Even, knowing that he was helping her even though what he was doing was still keeping her physically weak. She spent a good amount of that day asleep too.
Every day that she was in there, Aeleus brought her a flower. Even was starting to get annoyed because they were cluttering up his work space. After a few days, he allowed her off the table, but she nearly fell when she tried to stand up; he caught her before she hit the floor and eased her back onto the table. "I'm afraid your leg muscles have atrophied from being immobilized for too long. You'll have to re-learn how to walk." He noticed she was on the verge of crying. "Please don't cry," he added, patting her hand.
"I just feel so helpless," she whimpered.
It reminded Even of when Ienzo first learned how to walk, so he related the story to her. "When Ienzo was a toddler and tried to walk for the first time, he stumbled and fell. I don't know whether he was crying because he'd scared himself and gotten hurt or if he had actually been ashamed of his failure. Then, when no one was looking, he got out of his child seat and tried again. He still stumbled but caught himself on my leg."
***James and Even had been in the research room when Marian had come in with Ienzo to teach him how to walk. The toddler had made it halfway between his mother and father before he'd lost his balance and fell. James had picked up the crying child and tried to console him. "It's okay. You did your best." Even had looked on awkwardly. "There, there. No more crying. Papa's got you."
Eventually Ienzo had calmed down. Marian had given him a bottle and put him in his child seat to rest. Instead, when no one was looking, Ienzo had gotten up and started walking again. They hadn't noticed until he'd stumbled and grabbed onto Even's leg. "Did...did you just walk from over there?" Even had asked in disbelief, picking him up. "Well done."
***He'd looked so happy when I praised him. I haven't given him much positive reinforcement since then, have I?
Ienzo walked in on their conversation. "Are you telling her embarrassing stories about me?" he asked incredulously. "What I was like as a baby is still none of her business!"
So it did bother him when I told Ventus about his parents. "Miss Kagemiya fell off the table. She can't walk yet," Even explained to him. "I was only trying to cheer her up."
Ienzo forgot his embarrassment over his concern for her. "Kage-san, are you okay?"
"I'll be all right...eventually."
Dilan helped her by leading her forward while holding her hands, but she was breathing heavily by the time they made it to the door. He carried her back so she could rest and brought her something to eat (up until then she'd been getting medicine and sustenance through the IVs in her arms). "Thank you. I humbly accept."
When Lea returned to keep them updated, Braig told him what had happened to Kagemiya, and he tried to go see her. Even was in the middle of taking her vitals when he let himself in; Braig watched from around the corner. "I heard about what happened. How are you doing, Yuri?" he asked.
"I've asked you not to call me that," she responded, though she sounded less annoyed than usual when telling him off; she was exhausted from trying to walk on her own and stumbling around like a baby deer.
Even spoke up in her defense to get rid of him. "The patient requires more rest. She is in no condition to see anyone for the time being."
Lea backed off, thinking that Even, Ienzo, and Kagemiya were likely still mad at him for what he had done to them as Nobodies. Ienzo followed him out. "Why do you keep calling her that if she doesn't like it?" Ienzo asked. At least when she was Mikage she eventually got the hang of their new names; Lea seemed to be doing it on purpose.
"Because it means 'lily,'" he said in response. "Why does she let you call her Kage-san?"
"Maybe she likes 'shadow' better than 'lily.' What do Isa and the others call her?"
"Isa calls her Kagemiya-san. Relena-senpai called her Sayuri. Myde calls her Sa-chan."
"Well, none of them have shown up yet."
"They probably won't." There was an awkward pause as the two stared each other down. "I'm really sorry, okay?" Lea said at last, not being able to take the silence. "What I did to you guys was really rotten."
"I've already forgiven you. I'm sure they have as well. With Kage-san's illness it's just been a little tense around here."
Kagemiya Sayuri part 2
Chapter 2: Critical Condition
PRESENT DAY
Ienzo and Kagemiya were returning from running an errand when suddenly she put her hand to her chest again. This time it brought her to her knees. "Kage-san?" She was really scaring him this time.
"Can't...breathe..." She collapsed on the street in front of him.
"Kage-san!" Ienzo couldn't lose someone else. He knelt down beside her and flipped her over. Her face was flushed and her eyelids were fluttering rapidly. "Help! Someone help!"
Braig was the closest. "What happened?" he asked when he saw them on the ground.
"I don't know. She said she couldn't breathe and then she collapsed."
Braig wasted no time in picking her up. "We need to take her to Even right away." The two of them ran back to the castle.
She was awake by the time they got her to where Even and Ansem were. "What ails you?" Ansem asked.
"My heart..." she responded before passing out again.
Even instructed Braig to put her down on his examination table so he could attach monitors to her chest and wrists. Ansem stayed out in the hallway with Ienzo to console him. "It will be all right. She's in the best hands," he assured him.
"I told her years ago to get this thing checked out," Ienzo whispered. "It was nothing back then."
"Tell me what you mean."
"It was only once, but she said she felt her heart skip a beat. Since it didn't happen again, she didn't tell anyone else about it. Back when we were cleaning up, it looked like it was happening again but she was able to get her breath."
"I'm trying to stabilize her, but I can't seem to find the cause of all this," Even reported, stepping out into the hallway with Braig to join them.
"What's happening to her?" Ienzo asked.
"Her heart is beating so rapidly that it can't pump any blood. That's why she keeps losing consciousness. However, I haven't found any abnormalities within her system, so I have no idea why it's doing this."
Kagemiya screamed from the other room as she regained consciousness once more, having no memory of how she'd gotten there; she'd never been inside the laboratory before either, let alone on the examination table. "Where am I?!" She only started to calm down when they all ran to her side.
"You're safe, here with us," Ansem said soothingly.
"Try to relax," Ienzo advised, sounding anything but relaxed himself.
"You're going to have to be here a while," Even informed her. "Your condition is...quite difficult to discern."
"Am I dying?" she asked, terrified.
"No. No one is dying."
"All right. I trust you." She closed her eyes again.
"Did she just fall asleep?" Braig asked when no violent convulsions followed.
"Yes. She is quite exhausted," Even answered, gingerly touching her forehead and fixing her hair. Remembering the kindness she had shown to Dilan and him, he returned the favor by making sure she was comfortable too, putting a blanket over her and a pillow under her head.
Ansem made sure to contact her family so they wouldn't worry too much. That night, Ienzo wanted to stay in the room with her in case she woke up and was frightened again; he was scared too. "Kage-nee-san..." he whispered to himself. Had this condition become worse on its own, or did her heart being stolen and then returning to normal do something to speed up the process? He didn't even know what had happened to her after he pushed her away from Replica Riku; they hadn't discussed it because the situation was moot. It wasn't any use getting mad at Lea, who was off with the other Keyblade masters. The monitor showed that her heartbeat was still too quick, but the medicine Even had started her on was slowly bringing it back down. "Please be okay."
PRESENT DAY
Ienzo and Kagemiya were returning from running an errand when suddenly she put her hand to her chest again. This time it brought her to her knees. "Kage-san?" She was really scaring him this time.
"Can't...breathe..." She collapsed on the street in front of him.
"Kage-san!" Ienzo couldn't lose someone else. He knelt down beside her and flipped her over. Her face was flushed and her eyelids were fluttering rapidly. "Help! Someone help!"
Braig was the closest. "What happened?" he asked when he saw them on the ground.
"I don't know. She said she couldn't breathe and then she collapsed."
Braig wasted no time in picking her up. "We need to take her to Even right away." The two of them ran back to the castle.
She was awake by the time they got her to where Even and Ansem were. "What ails you?" Ansem asked.
"My heart..." she responded before passing out again.
Even instructed Braig to put her down on his examination table so he could attach monitors to her chest and wrists. Ansem stayed out in the hallway with Ienzo to console him. "It will be all right. She's in the best hands," he assured him.
"I told her years ago to get this thing checked out," Ienzo whispered. "It was nothing back then."
"Tell me what you mean."
"It was only once, but she said she felt her heart skip a beat. Since it didn't happen again, she didn't tell anyone else about it. Back when we were cleaning up, it looked like it was happening again but she was able to get her breath."
"I'm trying to stabilize her, but I can't seem to find the cause of all this," Even reported, stepping out into the hallway with Braig to join them.
"What's happening to her?" Ienzo asked.
"Her heart is beating so rapidly that it can't pump any blood. That's why she keeps losing consciousness. However, I haven't found any abnormalities within her system, so I have no idea why it's doing this."
Kagemiya screamed from the other room as she regained consciousness once more, having no memory of how she'd gotten there; she'd never been inside the laboratory before either, let alone on the examination table. "Where am I?!" She only started to calm down when they all ran to her side.
"You're safe, here with us," Ansem said soothingly.
"Try to relax," Ienzo advised, sounding anything but relaxed himself.
"You're going to have to be here a while," Even informed her. "Your condition is...quite difficult to discern."
"Am I dying?" she asked, terrified.
"No. No one is dying."
"All right. I trust you." She closed her eyes again.
"Did she just fall asleep?" Braig asked when no violent convulsions followed.
"Yes. She is quite exhausted," Even answered, gingerly touching her forehead and fixing her hair. Remembering the kindness she had shown to Dilan and him, he returned the favor by making sure she was comfortable too, putting a blanket over her and a pillow under her head.
Ansem made sure to contact her family so they wouldn't worry too much. That night, Ienzo wanted to stay in the room with her in case she woke up and was frightened again; he was scared too. "Kage-nee-san..." he whispered to himself. Had this condition become worse on its own, or did her heart being stolen and then returning to normal do something to speed up the process? He didn't even know what had happened to her after he pushed her away from Replica Riku; they hadn't discussed it because the situation was moot. It wasn't any use getting mad at Lea, who was off with the other Keyblade masters. The monitor showed that her heartbeat was still too quick, but the medicine Even had started her on was slowly bringing it back down. "Please be okay."
Kagemiya Sayuri part 1
(I don't think I've posted this before, so bear with me. I'm just using it to cope with a lot of things and this is only half of it.)
Chapter 1: Symptoms
13 YEARS AGO
Kagemiya was studying in the library with Ienzo when she suddenly had a strange feeling. "Oh..." She touched her chest.
"What's wrong?" Ienzo asked, concerned.
"My heart...fluttered for a second. Like it missed a beat or something."
"Do you want me to go get Even?"
"No, that's okay. Maybe if it happens again, but...it's fine now."
Ienzo went back to his reading but he still looked worried.
2 YEARS AGO
Kagemiya had returned from making sure Dilan and Even were comfortable and helped Aeleus and Ienzo clean up. She let out a few errant coughs here and there. "Are you all right?" Aeleus asked.
"Yeah, I just needed to catch my breath."
"You can take a break if you need to," Ienzo said. He had all but forgotten about the time before, but he remembered when she coughed again and he saw her hold her hand to her chest. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Go lie down. We can handle this ourselves," Aeleus suggested, putting an end to it.
Kagemiya went into the library and lay down on a bench to rest. Later, when she didn't return, they assumed she had gone home. While searching for a book, Even found her still curled up on the bench, fast asleep. Unsure of what he should do, he retrieved his book and asked the two what she was doing there. "Why is Miss Kagemiya sleeping in the library?"
"She was helping us clean up, but then she started not feeling well," Ienzo explained. "She said she was fine, but..."
"Perhaps she was still unstable like Dilan and myself. By the way, did you bring those linens down for us?"
"No. That was her," Aeleus replied a bit sheepishly.
"Oh?" Even was intrigued by this. Such a good girl, he thought, remembering her standing up for him against Marluxia in Castle Oblivion.
Ienzo went into the library to check on Kagemiya. He found her still sleeping and decided to check her pulse, which was normal. Maybe Even was right and she was merely adjusting. He took off his lab coat and covered her up with it.
Dilan quietly entered the room. "Even just told me what happened," he whispered. "I thought I'd come thank her but I see you haven't woken her up yet."
"No, let her sleep for as long as she needs to."
Coincidentally, she woke up on her own at that moment. "Oh, hello, you two," she said groggily.
"Good evening, miss. I wanted to thank you for tending to Even and myself earlier," Dilan said politely.
"It's already evening? I haven't been home yet!" Kagemiya panicked. She tossed Ienzo his coat. "You're welcome, Dilan! Thanks, Ienzo!" she quickly replied before dashing out. "I'll come back and help later!"
"She just ran off?" Even asked when the four of them re-grouped.
"Like a bat out of hell," Dilan replied.
"She said she would come back," Ienzo added.
"Still, to have run straight here after reconstituting instead of her own home..." Aeleus pointed out. "Hey, are you sure it's safe for her to have gone off on her own after dark?"
"There was no stopping her," Dilan answered.
"It's unlikely that anyone would cause trouble this soon after reconstituting. I'm sure she's fine," Even said. "Why don't you call her house to make sure?"
Ienzo looked through Ansem's desk drawers until he found the list of emergency contacts. He dialed her number, and it rang a few times, but he was relieved when she finally picked up. "Kagemiya residence."
"Kage-san! Thank goodness it's you."
"Ienzo-kun? Is something the matter?"
"No, we were just worried about you. But you made it home all right?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Sorry for taking off on you like that."
"It's okay. How's your family doing?"
"Everyone's fine, I think...except my father's still not home yet."
Ienzo gulped. "Do you know which world he was on?"
"I'm not sure."
"Don't worry. I'm sure he's okay wherever he is. He might even be in Traverse Town."
"You think so?"
He'd better be. "Yeah. I'm sure you'll hear from him soon."
"You too, Ienzo-kun. I'm sure Ansem will find his way back to you."
The last place we'd sensed him was Castle Oblivion. Who knows what could have happened to him since then? "If he even wants to come back."
"Don't say that. Of course he does!"
"I should let you get back to your family."
"All right, but call me if you need help with anything."
"I will. Goodbye." Ienzo hung up and thought about what Aeleus had said. She hasn't seen her family in years, and yet she came to check on us first. Given the circumstances under which we parted I suppose that makes sense, but... He couldn't shake the feeling of guilt. She'd been a prisoner of the Organization, a human Nobody like the rest of them, but her family and friends were lesser Nobodies she wouldn't have recognized even if she had run into them.
Before that, though, why did she choose to look after him, to spend time with him, instead of her own brother? It's true that their aunts checked on them, and their grandmother probably had taken care of them before she died, so I guess she wasn't always needed at home, he thought. Or maybe he just wasn't as lonely as I was. They couldn't have had just aunts, but uncles and cousins as well. And friends. Ienzo hadn't had any of that, only Ansem and the others. It wasn't nothing, but their duties kept them busy all the same.
Chapter 1: Symptoms
13 YEARS AGO
Kagemiya was studying in the library with Ienzo when she suddenly had a strange feeling. "Oh..." She touched her chest.
"What's wrong?" Ienzo asked, concerned.
"My heart...fluttered for a second. Like it missed a beat or something."
"Do you want me to go get Even?"
"No, that's okay. Maybe if it happens again, but...it's fine now."
Ienzo went back to his reading but he still looked worried.
2 YEARS AGO
Kagemiya had returned from making sure Dilan and Even were comfortable and helped Aeleus and Ienzo clean up. She let out a few errant coughs here and there. "Are you all right?" Aeleus asked.
"Yeah, I just needed to catch my breath."
"You can take a break if you need to," Ienzo said. He had all but forgotten about the time before, but he remembered when she coughed again and he saw her hold her hand to her chest. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"Go lie down. We can handle this ourselves," Aeleus suggested, putting an end to it.
Kagemiya went into the library and lay down on a bench to rest. Later, when she didn't return, they assumed she had gone home. While searching for a book, Even found her still curled up on the bench, fast asleep. Unsure of what he should do, he retrieved his book and asked the two what she was doing there. "Why is Miss Kagemiya sleeping in the library?"
"She was helping us clean up, but then she started not feeling well," Ienzo explained. "She said she was fine, but..."
"Perhaps she was still unstable like Dilan and myself. By the way, did you bring those linens down for us?"
"No. That was her," Aeleus replied a bit sheepishly.
"Oh?" Even was intrigued by this. Such a good girl, he thought, remembering her standing up for him against Marluxia in Castle Oblivion.
Ienzo went into the library to check on Kagemiya. He found her still sleeping and decided to check her pulse, which was normal. Maybe Even was right and she was merely adjusting. He took off his lab coat and covered her up with it.
Dilan quietly entered the room. "Even just told me what happened," he whispered. "I thought I'd come thank her but I see you haven't woken her up yet."
"No, let her sleep for as long as she needs to."
Coincidentally, she woke up on her own at that moment. "Oh, hello, you two," she said groggily.
"Good evening, miss. I wanted to thank you for tending to Even and myself earlier," Dilan said politely.
"It's already evening? I haven't been home yet!" Kagemiya panicked. She tossed Ienzo his coat. "You're welcome, Dilan! Thanks, Ienzo!" she quickly replied before dashing out. "I'll come back and help later!"
"She just ran off?" Even asked when the four of them re-grouped.
"Like a bat out of hell," Dilan replied.
"She said she would come back," Ienzo added.
"Still, to have run straight here after reconstituting instead of her own home..." Aeleus pointed out. "Hey, are you sure it's safe for her to have gone off on her own after dark?"
"There was no stopping her," Dilan answered.
"It's unlikely that anyone would cause trouble this soon after reconstituting. I'm sure she's fine," Even said. "Why don't you call her house to make sure?"
Ienzo looked through Ansem's desk drawers until he found the list of emergency contacts. He dialed her number, and it rang a few times, but he was relieved when she finally picked up. "Kagemiya residence."
"Kage-san! Thank goodness it's you."
"Ienzo-kun? Is something the matter?"
"No, we were just worried about you. But you made it home all right?"
"Yes, I'm fine. Sorry for taking off on you like that."
"It's okay. How's your family doing?"
"Everyone's fine, I think...except my father's still not home yet."
Ienzo gulped. "Do you know which world he was on?"
"I'm not sure."
"Don't worry. I'm sure he's okay wherever he is. He might even be in Traverse Town."
"You think so?"
He'd better be. "Yeah. I'm sure you'll hear from him soon."
"You too, Ienzo-kun. I'm sure Ansem will find his way back to you."
The last place we'd sensed him was Castle Oblivion. Who knows what could have happened to him since then? "If he even wants to come back."
"Don't say that. Of course he does!"
"I should let you get back to your family."
"All right, but call me if you need help with anything."
"I will. Goodbye." Ienzo hung up and thought about what Aeleus had said. She hasn't seen her family in years, and yet she came to check on us first. Given the circumstances under which we parted I suppose that makes sense, but... He couldn't shake the feeling of guilt. She'd been a prisoner of the Organization, a human Nobody like the rest of them, but her family and friends were lesser Nobodies she wouldn't have recognized even if she had run into them.
Before that, though, why did she choose to look after him, to spend time with him, instead of her own brother? It's true that their aunts checked on them, and their grandmother probably had taken care of them before she died, so I guess she wasn't always needed at home, he thought. Or maybe he just wasn't as lonely as I was. They couldn't have had just aunts, but uncles and cousins as well. And friends. Ienzo hadn't had any of that, only Ansem and the others. It wasn't nothing, but their duties kept them busy all the same.
Mikage: A Nobody's Story part 11
Chapter 12: Revival
ONE YEAR LATER
Lea awoke in the secret room of the castle in Radiant Garden. He saw the Door to Darkness on the far wall across from him, and on the floor before it lay the prone bodies of Aeleus, Dilan, Even, and Ienzo. They were still wearing their apprentice uniforms, and slowly they began to regain consciousness. Lea found a reflective surface and saw himself - still in the black coat of Organization XIII but missing the tattoos beneath his eyes. He was fully human again. He remembered his friendship with Roxas and Xion, but they were gone - alive within Sora, whom as a Nobody he'd died trying to save. Neither Isa, Xehanort, nor Braig were in the room with them, so he began to wander the halls in search of them.
Aeleus was the first of the remaining four to get up, stumbling around a bit before regaining his balance. To his right, Ienzo stirred, lifting his head and trying to prop himself up on his elbows. Instinctively, Aeleus knelt down to get himself more grounded as he tried to help Ienzo up. "Aeleus-nii..." Ienzo muttered as he became oriented to his surroundings.
"I've got you." Aeleus gripped him in a tight bear-hug, and Ienzo squeezed him back. It was as much of an embrace as it was the two trying to steady themselves. The other two remained asleep, so they went upstairs to look around. They found Ansem's office in disarray and began to clean up. Ienzo sorted papers and Aeleus put books back on shelves.
Kagemiya woke up out in the street where she had fallen amidst other citizens of Radiant Garden. As soon as she was able to steady herself, she made a mad dash for the castle. Finding no one on the outside guarding it, she went inside and wandered around until she heard noises coming from the office. When she peeked in, she was overjoyed to see the two of them. "Thank goodness!" she cried, hugging first Ienzo then Aeleus.
"Where's my hug?" Lea asked, appearing in the doorway.
Kagemiya just glared at him, resisting the urge to punch him. "Where are the others?" she asked instead.
"Dilan and Even are still downstairs resting," Aeleus informed her. "We don't know where anyone else is."
"I haven't been able to find them either," Lea added, concerned. He decided to continue the search.
Kagemiya turned to leave as well. "Where are you going?" Ienzo asked.
"Don't worry, I'll help you clean up. I just want to check on Even and Dilan for a minute." She located the linen closet and took out a couple of sheets and pillows. Not wanting them to be cold or uncomfortable, she brought them to the two downstairs. Then she went back upstairs to the supply closet to help Aeleus and Ienzo clean.
Chapter 13: Consequences
Days later, they waited for Ansem to return but were afraid of facing the consequences. "It takes courage to own up to your mistakes," Kagemiya said, as if speaking from experience. She'd never done anything this bad to disobey anyone though.
"What is courage, really?" Ienzo muttered. They'd said to have courage after my parents died, but instead I just went numb. It wasn't bravery that let me stare down those Unversed before. I felt nothing. But what I still fear the most is being alone, losing the connections I have with everyone. They're not related to me by blood; they didn't have to love me. Why they still choose to is somewhat of a mystery to me. But I'm grateful for it. I deserve whatever punishment Ansem decides to give...but if he were to stop loving me...even though I have my heart back, that emptiness would return. I don't want it to.
"It isn't the absence of fear, rather the perseverance despite it," Dilan replied.
"I am prepared to accept the consequences of my actions," Aeleus sighed.
"As am I," Even agreed sadly.
When Ansem arrived, the five of them knelt down. "Miss Kagemiya, please leave," he said.
"Yes, sir," she said, getting up and hurrying from the room. She waited out in the hallway as Ansem spoke sternly to his apprentices, and then it got quiet.
When he opened the door again, he was surprised to see her standing there. "You're still here?"
"Oh. You meant leave the castle. I thought you meant...never mind. Goodbye."
"Wait," he said, stopping her from leaving. "I have something to say to you too."
"Yes?"
"You had nothing to do with any of this, and yet you continued to stay by their side even after I'd warned you not to get involved. Might I ask why?"
"They've become my friends. I couldn't abandon them to their fate, though it was inevitable. I knew I didn't belong with them, but a part of me still I felt like I did. Was that wrong?"
"I do not know. What made you think you could trust them?"
"Aeleus is exceptionally good-natured. Dilan is forthright. Even may be overzealous, but he is always helping others. Despite everything, Ienzo really is a sweet boy. Braig...isn't here, but I know he wants to be. He cares about all of you."
"That will do."
"They were lost without you, though. It was like the light went out."
"I would like you to continue help us. We could use a friend like you in the troubled times ahead."
"Thank you, sir."
The apprentices had been listening and had heard what she'd said about them. It made them wonder how she could think so highly of them, knowing what they'd done. Even felt even worse; the only reason he ever helped anyone was to make himself feel important and better than everyone, and here she was helping them simply because they needed someone to be there. She wasn't blind to their faults, but she'd decided to look past them.
"Run along home now." Ansem turned back to his apprentices as Kagemiya bowed and left. "Well?"
"She complimented us. Why do I still feel terrible?" Ienzo asked.
"Perhaps because we don't deserve it," Even replied morosely.
***
Braig had come back into the fold after returning to normal. He went into the washroom, untied his hair (which had turned completely black again since he was no longer possessed by Xehanort) and took a shower. He got redressed and looked at himself in the mirror with his hair still down and decided he needed to cut it. However, he wasn't sure if he could do it properly by himself, and he didn't want to ask one of the guys to do it, so he asked Kagemiya. "Hey Kage-chan, come here a sec," he beckoned from the doorway.
"Sure. What's up?" She put away the medical kit from assisting in treating Dilan and Aeleus' injuries.
"Can you cut my hair for me? Just to the length it was before all this happened."
"Okay." She brushed it out for him first before cutting it, and he felt a lot better afterward.
"Thank you. I feel so much lighter."
"No problem. I'm glad you're all right."
"You and me both."
ONE YEAR LATER
Lea awoke in the secret room of the castle in Radiant Garden. He saw the Door to Darkness on the far wall across from him, and on the floor before it lay the prone bodies of Aeleus, Dilan, Even, and Ienzo. They were still wearing their apprentice uniforms, and slowly they began to regain consciousness. Lea found a reflective surface and saw himself - still in the black coat of Organization XIII but missing the tattoos beneath his eyes. He was fully human again. He remembered his friendship with Roxas and Xion, but they were gone - alive within Sora, whom as a Nobody he'd died trying to save. Neither Isa, Xehanort, nor Braig were in the room with them, so he began to wander the halls in search of them.
Aeleus was the first of the remaining four to get up, stumbling around a bit before regaining his balance. To his right, Ienzo stirred, lifting his head and trying to prop himself up on his elbows. Instinctively, Aeleus knelt down to get himself more grounded as he tried to help Ienzo up. "Aeleus-nii..." Ienzo muttered as he became oriented to his surroundings.
"I've got you." Aeleus gripped him in a tight bear-hug, and Ienzo squeezed him back. It was as much of an embrace as it was the two trying to steady themselves. The other two remained asleep, so they went upstairs to look around. They found Ansem's office in disarray and began to clean up. Ienzo sorted papers and Aeleus put books back on shelves.
Kagemiya woke up out in the street where she had fallen amidst other citizens of Radiant Garden. As soon as she was able to steady herself, she made a mad dash for the castle. Finding no one on the outside guarding it, she went inside and wandered around until she heard noises coming from the office. When she peeked in, she was overjoyed to see the two of them. "Thank goodness!" she cried, hugging first Ienzo then Aeleus.
"Where's my hug?" Lea asked, appearing in the doorway.
Kagemiya just glared at him, resisting the urge to punch him. "Where are the others?" she asked instead.
"Dilan and Even are still downstairs resting," Aeleus informed her. "We don't know where anyone else is."
"I haven't been able to find them either," Lea added, concerned. He decided to continue the search.
Kagemiya turned to leave as well. "Where are you going?" Ienzo asked.
"Don't worry, I'll help you clean up. I just want to check on Even and Dilan for a minute." She located the linen closet and took out a couple of sheets and pillows. Not wanting them to be cold or uncomfortable, she brought them to the two downstairs. Then she went back upstairs to the supply closet to help Aeleus and Ienzo clean.
Chapter 13: Consequences
Days later, they waited for Ansem to return but were afraid of facing the consequences. "It takes courage to own up to your mistakes," Kagemiya said, as if speaking from experience. She'd never done anything this bad to disobey anyone though.
"What is courage, really?" Ienzo muttered. They'd said to have courage after my parents died, but instead I just went numb. It wasn't bravery that let me stare down those Unversed before. I felt nothing. But what I still fear the most is being alone, losing the connections I have with everyone. They're not related to me by blood; they didn't have to love me. Why they still choose to is somewhat of a mystery to me. But I'm grateful for it. I deserve whatever punishment Ansem decides to give...but if he were to stop loving me...even though I have my heart back, that emptiness would return. I don't want it to.
"It isn't the absence of fear, rather the perseverance despite it," Dilan replied.
"I am prepared to accept the consequences of my actions," Aeleus sighed.
"As am I," Even agreed sadly.
When Ansem arrived, the five of them knelt down. "Miss Kagemiya, please leave," he said.
"Yes, sir," she said, getting up and hurrying from the room. She waited out in the hallway as Ansem spoke sternly to his apprentices, and then it got quiet.
When he opened the door again, he was surprised to see her standing there. "You're still here?"
"Oh. You meant leave the castle. I thought you meant...never mind. Goodbye."
"Wait," he said, stopping her from leaving. "I have something to say to you too."
"Yes?"
"You had nothing to do with any of this, and yet you continued to stay by their side even after I'd warned you not to get involved. Might I ask why?"
"They've become my friends. I couldn't abandon them to their fate, though it was inevitable. I knew I didn't belong with them, but a part of me still I felt like I did. Was that wrong?"
"I do not know. What made you think you could trust them?"
"Aeleus is exceptionally good-natured. Dilan is forthright. Even may be overzealous, but he is always helping others. Despite everything, Ienzo really is a sweet boy. Braig...isn't here, but I know he wants to be. He cares about all of you."
"That will do."
"They were lost without you, though. It was like the light went out."
"I would like you to continue help us. We could use a friend like you in the troubled times ahead."
"Thank you, sir."
The apprentices had been listening and had heard what she'd said about them. It made them wonder how she could think so highly of them, knowing what they'd done. Even felt even worse; the only reason he ever helped anyone was to make himself feel important and better than everyone, and here she was helping them simply because they needed someone to be there. She wasn't blind to their faults, but she'd decided to look past them.
"Run along home now." Ansem turned back to his apprentices as Kagemiya bowed and left. "Well?"
"She complimented us. Why do I still feel terrible?" Ienzo asked.
"Perhaps because we don't deserve it," Even replied morosely.
***
Braig had come back into the fold after returning to normal. He went into the washroom, untied his hair (which had turned completely black again since he was no longer possessed by Xehanort) and took a shower. He got redressed and looked at himself in the mirror with his hair still down and decided he needed to cut it. However, he wasn't sure if he could do it properly by himself, and he didn't want to ask one of the guys to do it, so he asked Kagemiya. "Hey Kage-chan, come here a sec," he beckoned from the doorway.
"Sure. What's up?" She put away the medical kit from assisting in treating Dilan and Aeleus' injuries.
"Can you cut my hair for me? Just to the length it was before all this happened."
"Okay." She brushed it out for him first before cutting it, and he felt a lot better afterward.
"Thank you. I feel so much lighter."
"No problem. I'm glad you're all right."
"You and me both."
Mikage: A Nobody's Story part 10
Chapter 11: Destruction
Vexen had been spending an inordinate amount of time with the team upstairs. "It just doesn't make any sense," Zexion complained. "He and the others don't get along, so why is he up there all the time doing favors for them?"
"Ever since the hero of light and the hero of darkness showed up in the castle, he's been working more with Marluxia's group than with us," Lexaeus added bitterly.
"They're a distraction from our true mission."
Mikage had been told that they were looking for a specific room, and that was all. They hadn't minded having her tag along to help with that, but they still hadn't found it. "Do you want me to go upstairs and get him?" she offered.
"Normally I wouldn't bother him unless it was urgent, but this has gone on long enough."
Mikage opened a portal and went upstairs to find Vexen. "Vexen-san, they need you downstairs..." Her voice trailed off as she noticed what she'd walked in on. Vexen had been arguing with Marluxia, and Marluxia was holding the blade of his scythe against Vexen's neck. "Hey, what are you doing?" she exclaimed, moving in front of Vexen and underneath the blade.
"Yuri, no..." Axel said under his breath.
"Insolent girl. I am the master of this castle, not him," Marluxia growled, putting the blade against her throat instead.
"So what? He's still one of the Organization's founding members and the oldest one here. You should have some respect for him."
"Vexen, respectable? Ha!" Larxene scoffed.
Vexen grabbed Mikage's shoulders and moved her aside. "That will do, Miss Mikage. Tell them I will return after dealing with Sora."
Not long after, Zexion sensed Vexen's death at the hands of Axel and reported it to his two remaining companions. "What do we do now?" he asked, slightly unnerved.
"He'd want us to carry on for him, wouldn't he?" Mikage suggested. She hadn't told them about Marluxia threatening him, but it wouldn't have made Vexen's murder any less of a shock. Lea-kun...Why?
"Sora's the problem," Lexaeus put in. "Soon he'll be Marluxia's puppet."
“In that case, should we destroy Sora before he falls into Marluxia’s hands?” Zexion suggested drastically.
Lexaeus' eyes widened in surprise. "Destroy Sora? No. That won’t be necessary. If Marluxia is to gain the light that is Sora, then we will take the darkness.”
“…You mean, Riku?” Zexion said. Lexaeus nodded, then disappeared.
Mikage stepped up next to Zexion. "Hey, what's the matter? You're losing your focus."
Zexion's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean? My focus is always on our goal."
"Right now, Sora is the goal, if I'm not mistaken. Did you really want to destroy him?"
Zexion shook his head ruefully. "That may have been a bit premature on my part. Vexen made a grave miscalculation, and it cost him."
"Vexen-san wasn't one of the strongest fighters, so it's not surprising that he lost to Sora. If Axel was out of line, wouldn't you want him destroyed instead?" Marluxia must have told him to do it, but still...
"I don't like that one Organization member killed another, but I'm not about to suggest it should happen again."
"But getting rid of Sora is okay? Are you blaming him or were you just being spiteful?"
Zexion was tired of talking in circles. "If you have a point, then make it already."
"The only reason for you to have wanted Sora destroyed is vengeance. Admit it. It was for Vexen-san, wasn't it."
"You're wrong. I respected Vexen, but I hated him. I've always hated him."
Mikage looked sad. "Zexion-kun, you can't mean that."
"Oh yes I can. You know how he acted. He never liked me either. He hated having to look after me."
"I'm sure that's not true. You're only remembering the bad times. He loved you the only way he knew how. He'd had a strict upbringing by his father, but deep down he still knew compassion. I could see it in his eyes, the same way I see the affect he's had on you in yours. Isn't there one good memory of you two together?"
Zexion wasn't about to answer that line of questioning; instead, he kept his mouth shut so he wouldn't say anything else incriminating. He did remember vaguely when Even had gently but firmly tucked him in at night, and he supposed trying to keep him cooped up in the castle had been his way of protecting him. He stared at the floor in silence, waiting for Lexaeus to come back.
Unfortunately, he never did. Zexion gasped as he sensed Riku annihilate Lexaeus. "No...They can't both be gone...What's happening?" That old sinking feeling was returning. Not again...not again...not again! he thought miserably. All he wanted to do was curl up in a ball and hide in the corner, but he had a job to complete, with or without them. He wound up his courage and put on a brave face. "I must avenge them."
"Zexion-kun, you don't have to do this," Mikage said, trying to talk him out of it.
"Yes I do," he said emphatically, disappearing before she could stop him.
Zexion confronted Riku, taunting him before projecting an illusion of the night Destiny Island was destroyed. “You really should have known that this was going to happen,” he admonished. "You threw your friends away. You destroyed your own home!”
In that instant, darkness wrapped around them and rain began to beat down on Riku. Thunder echoed in the sky and then the world began to disintegrate. “The island where you were born crumbled away, and many hearts vanished into the darkness. It was your fault!”
Yes...If I hadn’t been so easily tempted...if I hadn’t believed his words... Both of them thought this. Deep down, Zexion knew he was just as guilty as Riku, led astray as they both were by Xehanort. It was my fault, my fault, my fault! I threw away my relationship with Ansem and helped destroy our home. I wish Xehanort had never come to Radiant Garden...
“The one who got sick of the small-island lifestyle, thoughtlessly opened the door to darkness and destroyed the islands was you! You were tempted by the darkness. And now, you are a complete resident of the darkness.” As am I. We're the same, Riku. I'd ask you to join me in darkness, but you killed my best friend, so you may say hello to him for me in oblivion instead.
But Zexion hadn't counted on interference from Namine. She pulled Riku out of the darkness by telling him it was okay, that he was in control of himself. This gave Riku the confidence he needed to overcome the illusions and beat Zexion.
Zexion survived and returned to the basement on the verge of tears. Mikage ran over to him as he tried to lean against the wall for support. "Zexion-kun, you're hurt!"
"I'm fine," he lied, trying to recover his strength. "Leave me alone!" The thoughts in his head were too much for him to bear without a heart to give his would-be tears release. He had failed to avenge Lexaeus, and Riku had really gotten to him instead of the other way around. Unlike him, Riku wasn't giving in to the darkness this time. Worse yet, Zexion had lost the people who mattered most to him again, and there still wasn't anything he could do about it. "It's not fair!" he yelled, hitting the wall repeatedly with his fist. "It just shouldn't be possible! Why?!"
"Zexion..." Mikage had never seen him like this before, and for a Nobody that was saying something. He'd lost his parents, Ansem, Vexen, and Lexaeus, and now he'd been defeated in an important fight. She read the thoughts swirling around in his mind: he was a failure, and he knew how the Organization punished failure; Xigbar and Xaldin wouldn't let that happen to him, would they? Even if he didn't have a heart, something inside him broke. He pulled his arm back to hit the wall again, but she caught it, stopping him. He looked back at her with an anguished expression on his face. "It's okay. I'm here."
"Kage-nee..." Zexion unclenched his fist and relaxed his arm, letting her hold his hand.
As Mikage tried to console him, Axel showed up with Replica Riku. Zexion got scared when he saw the replica and clung to Mikage for a moment. He seemed to calm down when he realized it wasn't the real Riku and that he was on their side. "Of course," he said, breathing a sigh of relief and letting go of Mikage. "We can send the replica to fight Riku."
"You'll need some more energy to secure a win. Why not take Zexion's?" Axel said to the replica.
"What are you saying? That's not funny, Axel." Zexion was getting nervous and scared again as he realized that Axel was being serious.
Mikage moved in front of Zexion as a shield. "What has this kid ever done to you?"
"This kid, as you call him, was one of the ones who did this to us. I thought you would have figured that out since you were so close with those living in the castle."
"Yes, I realize that now. I had no idea what was going on before I left."
"You liar. You had to have known something."
"If I had known, I would have gotten out of there and taken him with me."
"Doesn't matter now. The two of you know too much. Take her out first."
"No!" Zexion shouted, pushing her out of the way. Replica Riku strangled him and took his energy as Mikage watched in horror.
"Why are you doing this? I thought we were all on the same side!" Mikage shouted.
"Sorry, Yuri," he said coldly, preparing to snap his fingers.
"Don't-!" Instead of having the replica steal her life force, Axel just set her on fire like he had previously done to Vexen.
***
Having faked his death at the hands of Sora, Axel waited a while before returning to the main castle. "The traitors have been dealt with," he reported to Saix. "Marluxia and Larxene were the ones plotting against the Superior, just like you suspected."
"Namine has gone missing, has she not?" Saix asked without acknowledging Axel's words.
"I don't know how she managed to escape. One minute she was there and then the next...gone." Axel dared not look his friend in the face while telling such a lie, having been the one who'd let her leave in the first place.
"And Kagemiya?"
"She chose destruction, trying to protect that whiny little brat Zexion. I got rid of him for you, and Vexen too. The heroes took care of the rest."
"I'd rounded up all the people I wanted gone, and now they are out of my way."
"Whoa, that doesn't include me, does it?"
"What does it matter? You came back, didn't you?" Saix gave him a look that told him not to question it, and then turned and left.
"Hey, you're welcome!" Axel shouted sarcastically to the empty air.
Vexen had been spending an inordinate amount of time with the team upstairs. "It just doesn't make any sense," Zexion complained. "He and the others don't get along, so why is he up there all the time doing favors for them?"
"Ever since the hero of light and the hero of darkness showed up in the castle, he's been working more with Marluxia's group than with us," Lexaeus added bitterly.
"They're a distraction from our true mission."
Mikage had been told that they were looking for a specific room, and that was all. They hadn't minded having her tag along to help with that, but they still hadn't found it. "Do you want me to go upstairs and get him?" she offered.
"Normally I wouldn't bother him unless it was urgent, but this has gone on long enough."
Mikage opened a portal and went upstairs to find Vexen. "Vexen-san, they need you downstairs..." Her voice trailed off as she noticed what she'd walked in on. Vexen had been arguing with Marluxia, and Marluxia was holding the blade of his scythe against Vexen's neck. "Hey, what are you doing?" she exclaimed, moving in front of Vexen and underneath the blade.
"Yuri, no..." Axel said under his breath.
"Insolent girl. I am the master of this castle, not him," Marluxia growled, putting the blade against her throat instead.
"So what? He's still one of the Organization's founding members and the oldest one here. You should have some respect for him."
"Vexen, respectable? Ha!" Larxene scoffed.
Vexen grabbed Mikage's shoulders and moved her aside. "That will do, Miss Mikage. Tell them I will return after dealing with Sora."
Not long after, Zexion sensed Vexen's death at the hands of Axel and reported it to his two remaining companions. "What do we do now?" he asked, slightly unnerved.
"He'd want us to carry on for him, wouldn't he?" Mikage suggested. She hadn't told them about Marluxia threatening him, but it wouldn't have made Vexen's murder any less of a shock. Lea-kun...Why?
"Sora's the problem," Lexaeus put in. "Soon he'll be Marluxia's puppet."
“In that case, should we destroy Sora before he falls into Marluxia’s hands?” Zexion suggested drastically.
Lexaeus' eyes widened in surprise. "Destroy Sora? No. That won’t be necessary. If Marluxia is to gain the light that is Sora, then we will take the darkness.”
“…You mean, Riku?” Zexion said. Lexaeus nodded, then disappeared.
Mikage stepped up next to Zexion. "Hey, what's the matter? You're losing your focus."
Zexion's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean? My focus is always on our goal."
"Right now, Sora is the goal, if I'm not mistaken. Did you really want to destroy him?"
Zexion shook his head ruefully. "That may have been a bit premature on my part. Vexen made a grave miscalculation, and it cost him."
"Vexen-san wasn't one of the strongest fighters, so it's not surprising that he lost to Sora. If Axel was out of line, wouldn't you want him destroyed instead?" Marluxia must have told him to do it, but still...
"I don't like that one Organization member killed another, but I'm not about to suggest it should happen again."
"But getting rid of Sora is okay? Are you blaming him or were you just being spiteful?"
Zexion was tired of talking in circles. "If you have a point, then make it already."
"The only reason for you to have wanted Sora destroyed is vengeance. Admit it. It was for Vexen-san, wasn't it."
"You're wrong. I respected Vexen, but I hated him. I've always hated him."
Mikage looked sad. "Zexion-kun, you can't mean that."
"Oh yes I can. You know how he acted. He never liked me either. He hated having to look after me."
"I'm sure that's not true. You're only remembering the bad times. He loved you the only way he knew how. He'd had a strict upbringing by his father, but deep down he still knew compassion. I could see it in his eyes, the same way I see the affect he's had on you in yours. Isn't there one good memory of you two together?"
Zexion wasn't about to answer that line of questioning; instead, he kept his mouth shut so he wouldn't say anything else incriminating. He did remember vaguely when Even had gently but firmly tucked him in at night, and he supposed trying to keep him cooped up in the castle had been his way of protecting him. He stared at the floor in silence, waiting for Lexaeus to come back.
Unfortunately, he never did. Zexion gasped as he sensed Riku annihilate Lexaeus. "No...They can't both be gone...What's happening?" That old sinking feeling was returning. Not again...not again...not again! he thought miserably. All he wanted to do was curl up in a ball and hide in the corner, but he had a job to complete, with or without them. He wound up his courage and put on a brave face. "I must avenge them."
"Zexion-kun, you don't have to do this," Mikage said, trying to talk him out of it.
"Yes I do," he said emphatically, disappearing before she could stop him.
Zexion confronted Riku, taunting him before projecting an illusion of the night Destiny Island was destroyed. “You really should have known that this was going to happen,” he admonished. "You threw your friends away. You destroyed your own home!”
In that instant, darkness wrapped around them and rain began to beat down on Riku. Thunder echoed in the sky and then the world began to disintegrate. “The island where you were born crumbled away, and many hearts vanished into the darkness. It was your fault!”
Yes...If I hadn’t been so easily tempted...if I hadn’t believed his words... Both of them thought this. Deep down, Zexion knew he was just as guilty as Riku, led astray as they both were by Xehanort. It was my fault, my fault, my fault! I threw away my relationship with Ansem and helped destroy our home. I wish Xehanort had never come to Radiant Garden...
“The one who got sick of the small-island lifestyle, thoughtlessly opened the door to darkness and destroyed the islands was you! You were tempted by the darkness. And now, you are a complete resident of the darkness.” As am I. We're the same, Riku. I'd ask you to join me in darkness, but you killed my best friend, so you may say hello to him for me in oblivion instead.
But Zexion hadn't counted on interference from Namine. She pulled Riku out of the darkness by telling him it was okay, that he was in control of himself. This gave Riku the confidence he needed to overcome the illusions and beat Zexion.
Zexion survived and returned to the basement on the verge of tears. Mikage ran over to him as he tried to lean against the wall for support. "Zexion-kun, you're hurt!"
"I'm fine," he lied, trying to recover his strength. "Leave me alone!" The thoughts in his head were too much for him to bear without a heart to give his would-be tears release. He had failed to avenge Lexaeus, and Riku had really gotten to him instead of the other way around. Unlike him, Riku wasn't giving in to the darkness this time. Worse yet, Zexion had lost the people who mattered most to him again, and there still wasn't anything he could do about it. "It's not fair!" he yelled, hitting the wall repeatedly with his fist. "It just shouldn't be possible! Why?!"
"Zexion..." Mikage had never seen him like this before, and for a Nobody that was saying something. He'd lost his parents, Ansem, Vexen, and Lexaeus, and now he'd been defeated in an important fight. She read the thoughts swirling around in his mind: he was a failure, and he knew how the Organization punished failure; Xigbar and Xaldin wouldn't let that happen to him, would they? Even if he didn't have a heart, something inside him broke. He pulled his arm back to hit the wall again, but she caught it, stopping him. He looked back at her with an anguished expression on his face. "It's okay. I'm here."
"Kage-nee..." Zexion unclenched his fist and relaxed his arm, letting her hold his hand.
As Mikage tried to console him, Axel showed up with Replica Riku. Zexion got scared when he saw the replica and clung to Mikage for a moment. He seemed to calm down when he realized it wasn't the real Riku and that he was on their side. "Of course," he said, breathing a sigh of relief and letting go of Mikage. "We can send the replica to fight Riku."
"You'll need some more energy to secure a win. Why not take Zexion's?" Axel said to the replica.
"What are you saying? That's not funny, Axel." Zexion was getting nervous and scared again as he realized that Axel was being serious.
Mikage moved in front of Zexion as a shield. "What has this kid ever done to you?"
"This kid, as you call him, was one of the ones who did this to us. I thought you would have figured that out since you were so close with those living in the castle."
"Yes, I realize that now. I had no idea what was going on before I left."
"You liar. You had to have known something."
"If I had known, I would have gotten out of there and taken him with me."
"Doesn't matter now. The two of you know too much. Take her out first."
"No!" Zexion shouted, pushing her out of the way. Replica Riku strangled him and took his energy as Mikage watched in horror.
"Why are you doing this? I thought we were all on the same side!" Mikage shouted.
"Sorry, Yuri," he said coldly, preparing to snap his fingers.
"Don't-!" Instead of having the replica steal her life force, Axel just set her on fire like he had previously done to Vexen.
***
Having faked his death at the hands of Sora, Axel waited a while before returning to the main castle. "The traitors have been dealt with," he reported to Saix. "Marluxia and Larxene were the ones plotting against the Superior, just like you suspected."
"Namine has gone missing, has she not?" Saix asked without acknowledging Axel's words.
"I don't know how she managed to escape. One minute she was there and then the next...gone." Axel dared not look his friend in the face while telling such a lie, having been the one who'd let her leave in the first place.
"And Kagemiya?"
"She chose destruction, trying to protect that whiny little brat Zexion. I got rid of him for you, and Vexen too. The heroes took care of the rest."
"I'd rounded up all the people I wanted gone, and now they are out of my way."
"Whoa, that doesn't include me, does it?"
"What does it matter? You came back, didn't you?" Saix gave him a look that told him not to question it, and then turned and left.
"Hey, you're welcome!" Axel shouted sarcastically to the empty air.
Mikage: A Nobody's Story part 9
Chapter 10: Haunted
On their third night there, DiZ paid a visit to Mikage. "I thought I told you not to use your power to help the Organization," he reprimanded her.
"I haven't become one of them," she explained. "I'm just as much a prisoner as Namine."
"Not so much as Namine. What they will force her to do with her power is far worse. What do you plan to do while you're here? You seem to have traded your notebook for a broom."
"Xehanort decided not to turn me into a Dusk if I cleaned for them. It was actually Ienzo and Braig who convinced him." This was met with silence. "They're all still capable of kindness, you know. I think their use of the darkness is just an excuse to act out."
"They never needed an excuse."
DiZ disappeared just as Zexion entered the room. "Kage-san, who were you talking to?" he asked suspiciously.
"No one," she lied. "I found an interloper but he's gone now."
"I could've sworn I sensed...Never mind." He let the matter drop, not wanting to deal with the possibility of their former master having followed them there. He turned and walked away.
"Zexion-kun..."
He stopped, not used to hearing that honorific attached to his name. "What did you call me?"
"Was that not correct?"
He gave her a wan smile before walking away again. While he was glad to have been promoted from -chan to -kun in her eyes, he still told Lexaeus his suspicions. "I detected a familiar scent. When I went to investigate, I heard Kage-san talking to someone. I didn't hear it all, but..." His voice became quieter, not wanting to finish his sentence. "I thought it sounded like...Master Ansem."
Lexaeus looked concerned. "You're sure?"
Zexion nodded. "Positive."
"It's late. You should go to bed."
"I'm not that tired. Why are you treating me like a child?"
"Because you are a child." There was an awkward silence between them. "Sorry."
"It's okay. I know you're just looking out for me. You always do."
Early the next morning, Lexaeus confronted Mikage about the intruder. "Who were you talking to? Who was in the castle last night?"
"I can't tell you."
"You have to, or else I'll-
"You'll what? You wouldn't hurt me. You'd never hurt anyone...at least not before all this started."
"No, I wouldn't. But after what Zexion told me last night, I couldn't go to sleep so..." He paused. "I've never seen him so rattled, at least not since we became Nobodies... since we don't have hearts." He remembered Ienzo dejectedly wandering the castle by himself after his parents had died; he'd done the same when they arrived at the Castle of the In-between, but that was just because all Nobodies started out in kind of a daze.
Mikage relented. "He was strange, all covered up except for one golden eye," she replied, hoping he'd take the hint. She didn't want to come right out and say it since she didn't know what Ansem was capable of doing. "Angry, too. So much anger. He found me before Xaldin brought me in. He told me not to help you, but I defied him."
Lexaeus seemed to get it. "If...if something happens, and I'm not here to do anything about it, you have to promise you'll protect Zexion for me."
"Of course I will. I'll do whatever I can."
"The last thing I want is for that boy to be all alone again." "Don't worry. Big brother will play with you," I'd said, and lifted him up onto my shoulders. "Do you like being up high?" He'd at least smiled, even though he still didn't speak. It had taken both of us to get him to do that.
"I'll do my best to keep him out of trouble."
"You do that."
On their third night there, DiZ paid a visit to Mikage. "I thought I told you not to use your power to help the Organization," he reprimanded her.
"I haven't become one of them," she explained. "I'm just as much a prisoner as Namine."
"Not so much as Namine. What they will force her to do with her power is far worse. What do you plan to do while you're here? You seem to have traded your notebook for a broom."
"Xehanort decided not to turn me into a Dusk if I cleaned for them. It was actually Ienzo and Braig who convinced him." This was met with silence. "They're all still capable of kindness, you know. I think their use of the darkness is just an excuse to act out."
"They never needed an excuse."
DiZ disappeared just as Zexion entered the room. "Kage-san, who were you talking to?" he asked suspiciously.
"No one," she lied. "I found an interloper but he's gone now."
"I could've sworn I sensed...Never mind." He let the matter drop, not wanting to deal with the possibility of their former master having followed them there. He turned and walked away.
"Zexion-kun..."
He stopped, not used to hearing that honorific attached to his name. "What did you call me?"
"Was that not correct?"
He gave her a wan smile before walking away again. While he was glad to have been promoted from -chan to -kun in her eyes, he still told Lexaeus his suspicions. "I detected a familiar scent. When I went to investigate, I heard Kage-san talking to someone. I didn't hear it all, but..." His voice became quieter, not wanting to finish his sentence. "I thought it sounded like...Master Ansem."
Lexaeus looked concerned. "You're sure?"
Zexion nodded. "Positive."
"It's late. You should go to bed."
"I'm not that tired. Why are you treating me like a child?"
"Because you are a child." There was an awkward silence between them. "Sorry."
"It's okay. I know you're just looking out for me. You always do."
Early the next morning, Lexaeus confronted Mikage about the intruder. "Who were you talking to? Who was in the castle last night?"
"I can't tell you."
"You have to, or else I'll-
"You'll what? You wouldn't hurt me. You'd never hurt anyone...at least not before all this started."
"No, I wouldn't. But after what Zexion told me last night, I couldn't go to sleep so..." He paused. "I've never seen him so rattled, at least not since we became Nobodies... since we don't have hearts." He remembered Ienzo dejectedly wandering the castle by himself after his parents had died; he'd done the same when they arrived at the Castle of the In-between, but that was just because all Nobodies started out in kind of a daze.
Mikage relented. "He was strange, all covered up except for one golden eye," she replied, hoping he'd take the hint. She didn't want to come right out and say it since she didn't know what Ansem was capable of doing. "Angry, too. So much anger. He found me before Xaldin brought me in. He told me not to help you, but I defied him."
Lexaeus seemed to get it. "If...if something happens, and I'm not here to do anything about it, you have to promise you'll protect Zexion for me."
"Of course I will. I'll do whatever I can."
"The last thing I want is for that boy to be all alone again." "Don't worry. Big brother will play with you," I'd said, and lifted him up onto my shoulders. "Do you like being up high?" He'd at least smiled, even though he still didn't speak. It had taken both of us to get him to do that.
"I'll do my best to keep him out of trouble."
"You do that."
Mikage: A Nobody's Story part 8
Chapter 9: Transition
A few days later, Demyx was sent on a mission to the caves beneath Hollow Bastion, but he was especially reluctant. Saix decided to take a chance on sending Mikage with him to make sure he got the job done since she was a babysitter (though Myde had been in the same year as them in school). Demyx was afraid of the caves, obviously, which had only become more dangerous since Radiant Garden had sunk into darkness. "Ooh, the caves," Xigbar remarked, watching them leave. "They're going to die, you know."
"Probably." Saix had no qualms or remorse. Xigbar looked at him disapprovingly but said nothing.
"I suppose taking bets on their survival would be in poor taste," Luxord mused, considering it all the same.
Together the two journeyed down there to store some secret data for Xemnas. Mikage knew this flew in the face of DiZ's warning, but she was more concerned with her friend's safety. Armed as they were with a sitar and a broom, she was unsure of their chances of lasting in a fight against the Heartless. Demyx's water attacks only served to temporarily stun them, and the musical notes that manifested did little damage. She noticed as they were fighting that not all the Heartless were attacking; she saw one run away and hide. It's running? she thought. Then she got an idea. "Try playing something that might calm them down," she suggested.
"Not my usual tempo, but okay." Demyx played a soothing melody, which seemed to do the trick. "Who knew that's all it took?" he remarked.
"Let's just store the data and get out of here before they wake up."
"I hear that."
The two of them walked deeper into the cavern past Dusks and other Nobodies, which didn't bother to attack them, until they reached a computer terminal, something Xemnas had probably set up a long time ago. They entered the disc and uploaded the data on the Organization. "I wonder what he plans on using this for," Mikage said.
"I don't know, and quite frankly I don't want to," Demyx commented. Whatever Xemnas had in mind for the Garden of Assemblage or this Cavern of Remembrance didn't interest him in the slightest. If it concerned him at all the way it did Mikage, he didn't show it.
Demyx had to write a report since technically he was the only Organization member on that mission, but he passed the work on to Mikage instead. Just like when we were in school, Mikage thought, having had to do most if not all of the work when the two were teamed up on a project.
Zexion went to the library to find her when she typed up her report. He'd been reading in the lobby when Demyx came in and told everyone who was there about the mission. Zexion found it deplorable that Demyx had put his responsibilities on her, but then again it wasn't like she was in a position to refuse him. "That Demyx is so lazy," he complained. "If he's going to run his mouth, he might as well do the work himself."
"I was used to it back when we were people," Mikage said. "Myde and Lea would slack off, leaving Isa and me to do all the work. This is a nice change of pace for me anyway."
Zexion was silent for a moment, remembering her adamant refusal to join the Organization. "I'm going with some of the others to Castle Oblivion. It'll be a long mission. Since you're not technically one of us, you're not scheduled to go."
"Oh, I'll miss you guys. Have fun, I guess." She finished the report and printed it out. "Who do I give this to?"
"The Superior, but everything has to go through Saix." Zexion thought for a moment. "Hey, since you did this for Demyx, maybe they'll let you go with us."
"Really?"
"We'll have to ask Saix, though, when you hand in this report."
Saix had been in the lobby when Demyx was running his mouth, so he was not the least bit surprised when Mikage brought him their report. She's with the runt again, he thought when he saw that Zexion had accompanied her. "What?" he asked when the two of them continued to stand there.
"I would like to ask permission to be sent to Castle Oblivion," she told him.
"And what do you think gives you the right?" Saix had his own motives for choosing the members for that mission, but he hadn't given her any consideration.
"I've done everything you've asked me to, including this. I haven't asked questions or gone against you in the slightest." If they suspected she could read minds they hadn't done anything about it; for all they knew she was just useless in that department. She refrained from reading Saix's mind just in case.
Saix didn't care one way or the other. The only reason she wasn't a Dusk was that Zexion and Xigbar had wanted to keep her around. Still, he had plans for getting rid of the members being sent away, and if she wasn't one of them, she might become a problem later on. "I thought you didn't want to help us."
"As long as it's not evil..."
"Where did you get the idea that we're evil?"
"It hasn't exactly been sunshine and rainbows around here." She couldn't tell them about Ansem either, but she could only play dumb for so long.
Saix eyed her suspiciously, trying to decide what to do with her. "I'll take this to the Superior and put in your request. No promises."
***
"Why would she want to go to Castle Oblivion?" Xemnas asked incredulously when Saix brought it up at a private meeting with him and Xigbar. "She shouldn't even know of its existence."
"Zexion is one of the members being sent there. He obviously told her about it," Saix replied somewhat bitterly. "Those two have been imitating a bond based on their shared memories. It bothers me."
"Wasn't she one of your friends too?" Xigbar pointed out.
"That means nothing to me anymore. Why were you so eager to back Zexion's request to retain her in her current form instead of punishing her for defying the Organization?"
Xigbar shrugged innocently. "I just like her the way she is, that's all. Turning her into a Dusk would have been a waste." Saix shook his head, believing him to be a pervert.
"It makes no difference if she goes with them or not," Xemnas decided after a moment's silence. "She may even be useful in our search for the other Chamber."
"Are you sure that putting Marluxia and his group in charge of Namine is such a good idea, though?" Saix asked abruptly, trying a new tactic.
"Do you doubt me?"
"No, Superior, never. It's just...wouldn't you trust Vexen's group more to keep an eye on her?"
"Yeah, why put a suspected traitor in charge of the whole operation?" Xigbar added. "Not that I'm questioning your judgment either, just curious is all."
"Namine is the responsibility of Marluxia, Larxene, and Axel. Mikage can serve Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion if they want to drag her along. Those are my final words on the matter," Xemnas concluded, not wanting to hear anything more about it.
While Saix went off to sulk, Xigbar went to tell Mikage the good news, unaware of what Saix was plotting. "Hey Mikage-chan, guess what? Your request has been approved."
"It has?" Mikage hadn't held onto much hope, knowing how much Saix and Xemnas didn't like her.
"That's right. Pack your bags, kitten. You're going to Castle Oblivion."
Kitten? She shrugged off the weird pet name because he had one for just about everyone and she was too excited to care. "That's great. Thank you so much. How did you get the Superior to agree to let me go?"
While Xigbar could have taken the opportunity to take credit for it, he decided to stick to the truth. "Turns out it was a non-issue."
"What do you mean?"
"He allowed it on the grounds that it was really Zexion's request, and they needed to round out the numbers anyway."
"That's right. I have to go tell him." She ran off to find Zexion.
"That kid's got a real older sister complex," Xigbar muttered to himself. "Can't say I blame him, though."
***
Namine had been captured around the same time that Roxas had joined the Organization. Her power was to create or change memories with her sketch book and crayons. While she was held captive by Marluxia, Larxene, and Axel on the highest floor of Castle Oblivion, Mikage was assigned to the lower levels with Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion. Each group kept to its own area with a few exceptions, usually whenever Marluxia needed Vexen for something and whenever Larxene decided to antagonize Mikage instead of Namine for a change.
Down in the basement, they had devised a chore chart dividing eight tasks among the four of them: Vexen got dishes and garbage, Lexaeus got communications and cooking, Zexion got what he called patrolling and forgetting, and Mikage got cleaning the washroom and everywhere else. It was designed to rotate, but Zexion's tasks seemed specific to him and required the least amount of effort while Mikage was always the one cleaning. Once, Axel asked her to do the cleaning upstairs too, but Vexen claimed ownership over her and shooed him away.
"I like being on Team Vexen," she said.
"'Team Vexen?'" While flattering to him, Vexen thought this was her strangest notion yet.
"Well it sounds better than Team Basement and Team Upstairs. You and Marluxia are the captains."
Vexen exchanged a look with Lexaeus and Zexion, who often spoke out against him. Some team captain I am.
"Go team!" she cheered, pretending to be oblivious to their thoughts.
Lexaeus observed her working hard. "Are you sure you can take on the brunt of the cleaning by yourself?" he asked. The Dusks hadn't been sent along with them to keep everything tidy, so she was on her own.
"It's a much smaller space than the main castle," she replied. "I don't mind. The four of us don't make that much of a mess."
He looked over at Zexion, who was hiding in the corner using his sense of smell to detect intruders. "Have him help you. He can't just stand there doing nothing all day."
"How is forgetting even a chore?" Mikage asked.
"Don't ask me. He made the chart."
Mikage asked Zexion if he wanted to help her clean the library. He flatly declined. "Come on, you used to help me when you were a kid. Are you saying you're above it now that you're grown?"
"I'm saying that cleaning is your job. Watching out for intruders is mine." Disappointed, Mikage walked away.
Later, Vexen returned from upstairs, where Marluxia had asked him for a favor. "Vexen, you reek of him," Zexion exclaimed. Marluxia seemed always to be surrounded by flower petals, which reminded him too much of the home they'd destroyed.
Vexen went to the washroom to take a shower. When he got out, he ran into Mikage, who had finished the library and come in to clean. "Vexen!" she yelped, reddening despite the fact that he was sufficiently covered by his towels.
"Mikage!" he shouted, also embarrassed. "What is the meaning of ambushing me in the shower?!"
"No one told me you were in here..."
Vexen took a couple of calming breaths. "It's okay, just come back later," he said, pushing her back out the door. "And get Zexion to help you."
She tried again to ask Zexion for help. "You can multi-task, can't you?"
"Sorry, the fumes would only muddle the scents," he replied, not sounding sorry at all.
"You could have told me Vexen was taking a shower."
"You didn't ask."
Mikage changed tactics. "Do you ever miss home?"
"You were just there with Demyx."
"Only underground, not that the rest of the place is in better shape. We've been in the darkness for too long. I miss the flowers and the water and the sunlight..."
"Are you crying?"
"No, I've got dust in my eyes from the library."
One way or another, Zexion was guilted into helping. "Okay, I'll keep a lookout while you clean the washroom so no one else gets disturbed. Sheesh."
When they were finished, she said, "Did I ever tell you I have a brother about your age?"
So that's how she knew how to twist my arm. "No, you didn't tell me anything about your family, other than the day your grandmother died." On that day she'd shown up to the castle in tears, and Ansem was going to send her back home, but she'd said she'd rather not be there.
"Our aunts take turns looking after us."
Zexion was taken aback. "What? You mean you don't have parents either?!"
"No, we have a father. He's just hardly ever home because his work takes him far away."
"And your mother?"
"Mom...died when we were little."
"I'm sorry." And this time he meant it. "Is that why you stopped talking?"
"It was. Mako-chan was only two and doesn't remember, but I was the same age you were when I started watching you." Zexion could tell there was more to the story but she didn't say another word about it. "I think Lexaeus is getting dinner ready. Let's go."
The next day Zexion still didn't leave his corner, but he started moving the broom around the area to help without being asked.
A few days later, Demyx was sent on a mission to the caves beneath Hollow Bastion, but he was especially reluctant. Saix decided to take a chance on sending Mikage with him to make sure he got the job done since she was a babysitter (though Myde had been in the same year as them in school). Demyx was afraid of the caves, obviously, which had only become more dangerous since Radiant Garden had sunk into darkness. "Ooh, the caves," Xigbar remarked, watching them leave. "They're going to die, you know."
"Probably." Saix had no qualms or remorse. Xigbar looked at him disapprovingly but said nothing.
"I suppose taking bets on their survival would be in poor taste," Luxord mused, considering it all the same.
Together the two journeyed down there to store some secret data for Xemnas. Mikage knew this flew in the face of DiZ's warning, but she was more concerned with her friend's safety. Armed as they were with a sitar and a broom, she was unsure of their chances of lasting in a fight against the Heartless. Demyx's water attacks only served to temporarily stun them, and the musical notes that manifested did little damage. She noticed as they were fighting that not all the Heartless were attacking; she saw one run away and hide. It's running? she thought. Then she got an idea. "Try playing something that might calm them down," she suggested.
"Not my usual tempo, but okay." Demyx played a soothing melody, which seemed to do the trick. "Who knew that's all it took?" he remarked.
"Let's just store the data and get out of here before they wake up."
"I hear that."
The two of them walked deeper into the cavern past Dusks and other Nobodies, which didn't bother to attack them, until they reached a computer terminal, something Xemnas had probably set up a long time ago. They entered the disc and uploaded the data on the Organization. "I wonder what he plans on using this for," Mikage said.
"I don't know, and quite frankly I don't want to," Demyx commented. Whatever Xemnas had in mind for the Garden of Assemblage or this Cavern of Remembrance didn't interest him in the slightest. If it concerned him at all the way it did Mikage, he didn't show it.
Demyx had to write a report since technically he was the only Organization member on that mission, but he passed the work on to Mikage instead. Just like when we were in school, Mikage thought, having had to do most if not all of the work when the two were teamed up on a project.
Zexion went to the library to find her when she typed up her report. He'd been reading in the lobby when Demyx came in and told everyone who was there about the mission. Zexion found it deplorable that Demyx had put his responsibilities on her, but then again it wasn't like she was in a position to refuse him. "That Demyx is so lazy," he complained. "If he's going to run his mouth, he might as well do the work himself."
"I was used to it back when we were people," Mikage said. "Myde and Lea would slack off, leaving Isa and me to do all the work. This is a nice change of pace for me anyway."
Zexion was silent for a moment, remembering her adamant refusal to join the Organization. "I'm going with some of the others to Castle Oblivion. It'll be a long mission. Since you're not technically one of us, you're not scheduled to go."
"Oh, I'll miss you guys. Have fun, I guess." She finished the report and printed it out. "Who do I give this to?"
"The Superior, but everything has to go through Saix." Zexion thought for a moment. "Hey, since you did this for Demyx, maybe they'll let you go with us."
"Really?"
"We'll have to ask Saix, though, when you hand in this report."
Saix had been in the lobby when Demyx was running his mouth, so he was not the least bit surprised when Mikage brought him their report. She's with the runt again, he thought when he saw that Zexion had accompanied her. "What?" he asked when the two of them continued to stand there.
"I would like to ask permission to be sent to Castle Oblivion," she told him.
"And what do you think gives you the right?" Saix had his own motives for choosing the members for that mission, but he hadn't given her any consideration.
"I've done everything you've asked me to, including this. I haven't asked questions or gone against you in the slightest." If they suspected she could read minds they hadn't done anything about it; for all they knew she was just useless in that department. She refrained from reading Saix's mind just in case.
Saix didn't care one way or the other. The only reason she wasn't a Dusk was that Zexion and Xigbar had wanted to keep her around. Still, he had plans for getting rid of the members being sent away, and if she wasn't one of them, she might become a problem later on. "I thought you didn't want to help us."
"As long as it's not evil..."
"Where did you get the idea that we're evil?"
"It hasn't exactly been sunshine and rainbows around here." She couldn't tell them about Ansem either, but she could only play dumb for so long.
Saix eyed her suspiciously, trying to decide what to do with her. "I'll take this to the Superior and put in your request. No promises."
***
"Why would she want to go to Castle Oblivion?" Xemnas asked incredulously when Saix brought it up at a private meeting with him and Xigbar. "She shouldn't even know of its existence."
"Zexion is one of the members being sent there. He obviously told her about it," Saix replied somewhat bitterly. "Those two have been imitating a bond based on their shared memories. It bothers me."
"Wasn't she one of your friends too?" Xigbar pointed out.
"That means nothing to me anymore. Why were you so eager to back Zexion's request to retain her in her current form instead of punishing her for defying the Organization?"
Xigbar shrugged innocently. "I just like her the way she is, that's all. Turning her into a Dusk would have been a waste." Saix shook his head, believing him to be a pervert.
"It makes no difference if she goes with them or not," Xemnas decided after a moment's silence. "She may even be useful in our search for the other Chamber."
"Are you sure that putting Marluxia and his group in charge of Namine is such a good idea, though?" Saix asked abruptly, trying a new tactic.
"Do you doubt me?"
"No, Superior, never. It's just...wouldn't you trust Vexen's group more to keep an eye on her?"
"Yeah, why put a suspected traitor in charge of the whole operation?" Xigbar added. "Not that I'm questioning your judgment either, just curious is all."
"Namine is the responsibility of Marluxia, Larxene, and Axel. Mikage can serve Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion if they want to drag her along. Those are my final words on the matter," Xemnas concluded, not wanting to hear anything more about it.
While Saix went off to sulk, Xigbar went to tell Mikage the good news, unaware of what Saix was plotting. "Hey Mikage-chan, guess what? Your request has been approved."
"It has?" Mikage hadn't held onto much hope, knowing how much Saix and Xemnas didn't like her.
"That's right. Pack your bags, kitten. You're going to Castle Oblivion."
Kitten? She shrugged off the weird pet name because he had one for just about everyone and she was too excited to care. "That's great. Thank you so much. How did you get the Superior to agree to let me go?"
While Xigbar could have taken the opportunity to take credit for it, he decided to stick to the truth. "Turns out it was a non-issue."
"What do you mean?"
"He allowed it on the grounds that it was really Zexion's request, and they needed to round out the numbers anyway."
"That's right. I have to go tell him." She ran off to find Zexion.
"That kid's got a real older sister complex," Xigbar muttered to himself. "Can't say I blame him, though."
***
Namine had been captured around the same time that Roxas had joined the Organization. Her power was to create or change memories with her sketch book and crayons. While she was held captive by Marluxia, Larxene, and Axel on the highest floor of Castle Oblivion, Mikage was assigned to the lower levels with Vexen, Lexaeus, and Zexion. Each group kept to its own area with a few exceptions, usually whenever Marluxia needed Vexen for something and whenever Larxene decided to antagonize Mikage instead of Namine for a change.
Down in the basement, they had devised a chore chart dividing eight tasks among the four of them: Vexen got dishes and garbage, Lexaeus got communications and cooking, Zexion got what he called patrolling and forgetting, and Mikage got cleaning the washroom and everywhere else. It was designed to rotate, but Zexion's tasks seemed specific to him and required the least amount of effort while Mikage was always the one cleaning. Once, Axel asked her to do the cleaning upstairs too, but Vexen claimed ownership over her and shooed him away.
"I like being on Team Vexen," she said.
"'Team Vexen?'" While flattering to him, Vexen thought this was her strangest notion yet.
"Well it sounds better than Team Basement and Team Upstairs. You and Marluxia are the captains."
Vexen exchanged a look with Lexaeus and Zexion, who often spoke out against him. Some team captain I am.
"Go team!" she cheered, pretending to be oblivious to their thoughts.
Lexaeus observed her working hard. "Are you sure you can take on the brunt of the cleaning by yourself?" he asked. The Dusks hadn't been sent along with them to keep everything tidy, so she was on her own.
"It's a much smaller space than the main castle," she replied. "I don't mind. The four of us don't make that much of a mess."
He looked over at Zexion, who was hiding in the corner using his sense of smell to detect intruders. "Have him help you. He can't just stand there doing nothing all day."
"How is forgetting even a chore?" Mikage asked.
"Don't ask me. He made the chart."
Mikage asked Zexion if he wanted to help her clean the library. He flatly declined. "Come on, you used to help me when you were a kid. Are you saying you're above it now that you're grown?"
"I'm saying that cleaning is your job. Watching out for intruders is mine." Disappointed, Mikage walked away.
Later, Vexen returned from upstairs, where Marluxia had asked him for a favor. "Vexen, you reek of him," Zexion exclaimed. Marluxia seemed always to be surrounded by flower petals, which reminded him too much of the home they'd destroyed.
Vexen went to the washroom to take a shower. When he got out, he ran into Mikage, who had finished the library and come in to clean. "Vexen!" she yelped, reddening despite the fact that he was sufficiently covered by his towels.
"Mikage!" he shouted, also embarrassed. "What is the meaning of ambushing me in the shower?!"
"No one told me you were in here..."
Vexen took a couple of calming breaths. "It's okay, just come back later," he said, pushing her back out the door. "And get Zexion to help you."
She tried again to ask Zexion for help. "You can multi-task, can't you?"
"Sorry, the fumes would only muddle the scents," he replied, not sounding sorry at all.
"You could have told me Vexen was taking a shower."
"You didn't ask."
Mikage changed tactics. "Do you ever miss home?"
"You were just there with Demyx."
"Only underground, not that the rest of the place is in better shape. We've been in the darkness for too long. I miss the flowers and the water and the sunlight..."
"Are you crying?"
"No, I've got dust in my eyes from the library."
One way or another, Zexion was guilted into helping. "Okay, I'll keep a lookout while you clean the washroom so no one else gets disturbed. Sheesh."
When they were finished, she said, "Did I ever tell you I have a brother about your age?"
So that's how she knew how to twist my arm. "No, you didn't tell me anything about your family, other than the day your grandmother died." On that day she'd shown up to the castle in tears, and Ansem was going to send her back home, but she'd said she'd rather not be there.
"Our aunts take turns looking after us."
Zexion was taken aback. "What? You mean you don't have parents either?!"
"No, we have a father. He's just hardly ever home because his work takes him far away."
"And your mother?"
"Mom...died when we were little."
"I'm sorry." And this time he meant it. "Is that why you stopped talking?"
"It was. Mako-chan was only two and doesn't remember, but I was the same age you were when I started watching you." Zexion could tell there was more to the story but she didn't say another word about it. "I think Lexaeus is getting dinner ready. Let's go."
The next day Zexion still didn't leave his corner, but he started moving the broom around the area to help without being asked.
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