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."
Saturday, September 27, 2014
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.
Mikage: A Nobody's Story part 7
Chapter 8: Names
Early the next morning, Mikage was headed for the stairs when she encountered Axel and Larxene at the bottom. The latter was showing off her Organization coat to the former, twirling around as she did so. Mikage smiled; it reminded her of when Relena was starting high school a year ahead of them and was showing off her uniform. She thought it was cute that she still did that. "Morning, Lea! Looking good, senpai!" she greeted them.
Larxene scowled at her and strode away, the clacking sound of her heels echoing throughout the stairwell.
"It's Axel. Get it memorized," Axel advised.
"Oh. Right." It's not like you're going to call me by my name either.
Simultaneously, at the top of the stairs, Vexen ran from the lab, urgently looking for Xemnas. The first person he saw, however, was Xigbar. "Xigbar, have you seen the Superior?"
"The Superior, you say? Hmm. Have I seen him?" Xigbar sounded like he was trying to remember, but what he was really doing was wasting Vexen's time.
"Well? Do you know where he is or not?" Vexen asked again impatiently.
"I know where he's not," Xigbar said finally.
"Don't tell half-baked jokes like that!" Vexen pushed past him on the stairs and hurried on his way.
Mid-way up the stairs, Zexion was making his way up to the research room, which was next to the lab. He heard Vexen running down the stairs before he saw him. "Zexion!"
Zexion made a face like the following encounter was going to be a pain. "What is it?"
"Zexion, do you know where the Superior is?"
"He's in his usual place."
"The Chamber of Sleep?" Vexen said irritably. Zexion nodded. "He would be there at a time like this."
"If it's so important, why don't you go there and ask him?"
"Don't be absurd!" Vexen knew that bothering Xemnas in the Chamber of Sleep was sure to result in being turned into a Dusk, as did Zexion. Vexen continued down the stairs, muttering angrily to himself the whole way.
Zexion did not take more than two steps before someone called his name again. "He seemed to have his panties in a twist, didn't he, Zexion-dono?" Xigbar jumped down from the next landing and stood next to him.
"Don't you have work to do?" As much of a pain as Vexen could be, Xigbar was unbearably annoying. At least he's started calling me -dono instead of -bocchan, Zexion thought. Despite that, it's always been like he's looking down on me...Although, he acts that way toward almost everyone, so it just must be his personality.
"Lexaeus is covering for me today so I can be rested up for tomorrow. Besides, I earned my keep the other day when I brought in that Number XI guy, Mar-something."
"Marluxia," Zexion reminded him. Does he really not care what their names are?
"Right. Glad you're staying on top of things, Zexion-dono! That's just like you."
Whatever, condescending jerk. "Enjoy your nap. I've still got work to do today."
Zexion started to walk away again, but Xigbar wasn't done with him. "Don't go yet," Xigbar said, reaching out and grabbing his shoulder. "I just wanted us to have a nice little chat."
I thought we just did, Zexion wanted to say, but he knew better, just like he knew that when Xigbar had his arm around him like this, it was no use trying to escape. He wanted to ignore his rambling, but if Xigbar saw that Zexion wasn't paying attention to him, there was no telling what he would do to him. Either way, the next few minutes were going to be very uncomfortable and drag on for what would seem like an eternity.
On her way up the staircase, Mikage encountered Vexen next. "Good morning, Even-san," she said.
"Hello," he said uncertainly. "You're supposed to call me Vexen now, remember?"
"Very well. You do seem vexed."
"Why does everyone have a joke today?" Vexen grumbled before continuing down the stairs in a huff, complaining about the snark of some people.
The truth was that she was just trying to find ways of remembering their new names. What she hadn't realized at first was that he had passed both Xigbar and Zexion on his way down. She looked up and saw them on the next landing talking together - well, Xigbar was doing most of the talking while Zexion just stood there looking like he wanted nothing more than to extricate himself from the situation. In order to save him, she decided to yell a greeting from where she was before joining them. "Hey you two! Good morning to you!"
"Morning, Musume!" Xigbar shouted back.
"Her name's Mikage," Zexion said.
"It was a joke. Maybe you're too young to get it. Oh well. What's up, Mikage-chan?"
Mikage made it to the landing. "Nothing much. What about you, Braigo-san? Ienzo-chan?"
"How many times have I asked you not to call me that?" Zexion complained.
"Sorry. Zexion...chan?"
"Ha! Little Zexy," Xigbar laughed, pinching Zexion's cheek.
Zexion looked perturbed but held his composure. "Stop..."
"But I don't see why we can't use our real names when it's just us. Isa and Lea do it all the time."
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna tattle," Xigbar assured her. "What are you doing out of your cage anyway?"
"Since I don't leave the castle, Xehanort-"
"Xemnas," Zexion corrected her. "Or the Superior."
"He's given up on trying to keep me in there. I'm more concerned about you, Braig. I don't understand how you get away with mouthing off to him in the first place."
Xigbar shrugged, as if trying to forget the incident that had scarred his face. "I do what I'm told without question now, so I guess he lets it slide. If he ever stops though, ugh, it's not gonna be pretty. Well...nap time for me. You kids play nice."
"If we can teleport, why do we bother with the stairs?" Mikage asked after Xigbar teleported away.
"I'm not going that far," Zexion said, continuing up the stairs.
"Where are you going?"
"That's my business." He knew she'd probably read it from his mind anyway if she really wanted to know. This is getting bothersome.
She changed subjects. "Speaking of bothersome, do you agree with what Braig said earlier?" She'd heard part of the conversation in which Xigbar had referred to Ansem the Wise as bothersome.
Zexion stopped again and sighed. "I don't know. I really don't want to think about it. Every time I do, my chest gets tight." Their estrangement from Ansem wasn't a subject he could easily ponder, especially without a heart. It was a never-ending cycle of inner turmoil with no outlet.
"If Nobodies had hearts I would weep for days." Zexion stared at her. She was an odd one, to be sure. "Why did you stand up for me before?"
"Because I..." Zexion tried to come up with the right words without incriminating himself. "I thought I had to do something. I couldn't let you be turned into a Dusk."
"You could've been turned into a Dusk too for your trouble."
"I know."
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it." You would have done the same for me. "Can you do me a favor, though?"
"What?"
"Could you bring me some food later? I'm going to be up in the research room all day and I'll probably forget to go down and get it myself."
"Of course."
"Thanks, nee-san."
"What'd you call me?"
"Uh, I said Kage-san." Embarrassed at his slip-up, he opened a portal directly into the research room and vanished.
A few hours later, Mikage went to the kitchen and found Xaldin there. "Thought you'd be locked up," Xaldin said to her.
"I'm out on parole. Zexion asked me to bring him something to eat while he's working."
"I'll make it. You still smell like cleaning solvent."
"Xaldin, Xaldin, Xaldy Xaldy Xaldin," Mikage said to herself, trying not to call him Dilan anymore. It still annoyed him though.
"You are severely odd," he said, shaking his head. "By the way, why do you use -san for me and -kun for Lexaeus?"
"His name ends with S, so it's just easier to say -kun after it."
"You know, I wouldn't mind it if you used -kun for me too."
"O-okay."
"Say it."
"Xaldin...kun."
"Again."
"Xaldin-kun." For some reason it made her blush. Saying "Dilan-kun" after he'd finished packing the food walked away made it even worse.
"What's with the face?" Braig asked, raiding the fridge.
"Xaldin said I should use -kun with his name from now on."
"He's such a ladykiller," Braig scoffed. "All during academy training, when the three of us would go out to the tavern, he'd get all the attention. Don't listen to that guy."
Mikage didn't think she had a crush on Xaldin. All the girls at school would talk about how handsome he was. She was just feeling awkward because she got to use a familiar honorific with the cool guy.
Xigbar took his snack and paid Vexen a visit in the lab. "Whatcha got there?" he asked, crunching his apple right in Vexen's ear.
"You know full well what," Vexen snapped, not wanting to be disturbed.
"The replica project, right?"
"Indeed."
Xigbar chuckled to himself.
"Is there something humorous about it?"
"Your job is to play with dolls!" Xigbar choked out, laughing hysterically and slamming his fist on the table.
"If you think that's all it is, then you are sadly misguided!" Vexen yelled, mortified.
"Then can I read your report?" He reached around Vexen for the neatly stacked and labelled dossiers, but Vexen slapped his hand away.
"Only the Superior may read those."
"I'll just look at 'em later, like how I used to copy your notes in school without you knowing."
"I wondered how you were able to get into the same schools as me."
"I'm not stupid. It's not like I copied your test answers or anything. I just needed a little help to get over the hump."
"I would have been more inclined to help if you had bothered to pay the slightest bit of attention in class yourself!"
"Now where's the sense in that? If I didn't understand all of it, I sure as hell wasn't going bother to write down any of it since I'd get it from you later!"
In the research room next door, Zexion listened as their bickering quickly escalated to Vexen threatening Xigbar with various tools. He decided to ignore it, a practiced skill of his against these two since before they were Nobodies. Sighing, he focused on what was on the screen in front of him. Before, the me who researched and had a heart thought he understood a little of what a heart was. The uplifting feelings from the time I had a heart, engraved in my memories, cannot be felt anymore. Now I can only remember, and work hard to try and taste it once again. He turned around as he sensed two other Nobodies appear behind him - Lexaeus and Mikage. "I found that book you were looking for the other day," Lexaeus said, handing it over to him.
"Thank you, Lexaeus." He was by far Zexion's favorite in the Organization and the only one he knew he could depend on; Lexaeus held him in the same regard.
"And I brought you dinner," Mikage added, offering him a tupperware container. "Dilan - I mean, Xaldin made it. He said my hands reeked of chemicals and wouldn't let me touch anything in the kitchen."
"They do, but thanks." He noticed she was making an effort to remember their new names, even if it annoyed them in the process. Despite her awkwardness, she had always meant well.
Mikage looked in the direction of the lab as Xigbar screamed like Vexen was murdering him. "Should we...?"
"It's best not to get involved," Lexaeus said.
Then it suddenly went silent. Mikage looked at the lab questioningly again. "I'm sure he's alive," Zexion said off-handedly. "He probably just bolted."
"Try not to stay up too late," Lexaeus reminded him, ushering Mikage through a dark portal.
Even if I do, you'll just come and get me. It had been their routine since he was a child. Perhaps the fact that they continued to do so was unreasonable, a reflection of a relationship that should no longer exist, but the memories they shared remained strong. It shouldn't have been possible without a heart. It baffled him, but he decided not to question it.
Early the next morning, Mikage was headed for the stairs when she encountered Axel and Larxene at the bottom. The latter was showing off her Organization coat to the former, twirling around as she did so. Mikage smiled; it reminded her of when Relena was starting high school a year ahead of them and was showing off her uniform. She thought it was cute that she still did that. "Morning, Lea! Looking good, senpai!" she greeted them.
Larxene scowled at her and strode away, the clacking sound of her heels echoing throughout the stairwell.
"It's Axel. Get it memorized," Axel advised.
"Oh. Right." It's not like you're going to call me by my name either.
Simultaneously, at the top of the stairs, Vexen ran from the lab, urgently looking for Xemnas. The first person he saw, however, was Xigbar. "Xigbar, have you seen the Superior?"
"The Superior, you say? Hmm. Have I seen him?" Xigbar sounded like he was trying to remember, but what he was really doing was wasting Vexen's time.
"Well? Do you know where he is or not?" Vexen asked again impatiently.
"I know where he's not," Xigbar said finally.
"Don't tell half-baked jokes like that!" Vexen pushed past him on the stairs and hurried on his way.
Mid-way up the stairs, Zexion was making his way up to the research room, which was next to the lab. He heard Vexen running down the stairs before he saw him. "Zexion!"
Zexion made a face like the following encounter was going to be a pain. "What is it?"
"Zexion, do you know where the Superior is?"
"He's in his usual place."
"The Chamber of Sleep?" Vexen said irritably. Zexion nodded. "He would be there at a time like this."
"If it's so important, why don't you go there and ask him?"
"Don't be absurd!" Vexen knew that bothering Xemnas in the Chamber of Sleep was sure to result in being turned into a Dusk, as did Zexion. Vexen continued down the stairs, muttering angrily to himself the whole way.
Zexion did not take more than two steps before someone called his name again. "He seemed to have his panties in a twist, didn't he, Zexion-dono?" Xigbar jumped down from the next landing and stood next to him.
"Don't you have work to do?" As much of a pain as Vexen could be, Xigbar was unbearably annoying. At least he's started calling me -dono instead of -bocchan, Zexion thought. Despite that, it's always been like he's looking down on me...Although, he acts that way toward almost everyone, so it just must be his personality.
"Lexaeus is covering for me today so I can be rested up for tomorrow. Besides, I earned my keep the other day when I brought in that Number XI guy, Mar-something."
"Marluxia," Zexion reminded him. Does he really not care what their names are?
"Right. Glad you're staying on top of things, Zexion-dono! That's just like you."
Whatever, condescending jerk. "Enjoy your nap. I've still got work to do today."
Zexion started to walk away again, but Xigbar wasn't done with him. "Don't go yet," Xigbar said, reaching out and grabbing his shoulder. "I just wanted us to have a nice little chat."
I thought we just did, Zexion wanted to say, but he knew better, just like he knew that when Xigbar had his arm around him like this, it was no use trying to escape. He wanted to ignore his rambling, but if Xigbar saw that Zexion wasn't paying attention to him, there was no telling what he would do to him. Either way, the next few minutes were going to be very uncomfortable and drag on for what would seem like an eternity.
On her way up the staircase, Mikage encountered Vexen next. "Good morning, Even-san," she said.
"Hello," he said uncertainly. "You're supposed to call me Vexen now, remember?"
"Very well. You do seem vexed."
"Why does everyone have a joke today?" Vexen grumbled before continuing down the stairs in a huff, complaining about the snark of some people.
The truth was that she was just trying to find ways of remembering their new names. What she hadn't realized at first was that he had passed both Xigbar and Zexion on his way down. She looked up and saw them on the next landing talking together - well, Xigbar was doing most of the talking while Zexion just stood there looking like he wanted nothing more than to extricate himself from the situation. In order to save him, she decided to yell a greeting from where she was before joining them. "Hey you two! Good morning to you!"
"Morning, Musume!" Xigbar shouted back.
"Her name's Mikage," Zexion said.
"It was a joke. Maybe you're too young to get it. Oh well. What's up, Mikage-chan?"
Mikage made it to the landing. "Nothing much. What about you, Braigo-san? Ienzo-chan?"
"How many times have I asked you not to call me that?" Zexion complained.
"Sorry. Zexion...chan?"
"Ha! Little Zexy," Xigbar laughed, pinching Zexion's cheek.
Zexion looked perturbed but held his composure. "Stop..."
"But I don't see why we can't use our real names when it's just us. Isa and Lea do it all the time."
"Don't worry, I'm not gonna tattle," Xigbar assured her. "What are you doing out of your cage anyway?"
"Since I don't leave the castle, Xehanort-"
"Xemnas," Zexion corrected her. "Or the Superior."
"He's given up on trying to keep me in there. I'm more concerned about you, Braig. I don't understand how you get away with mouthing off to him in the first place."
Xigbar shrugged, as if trying to forget the incident that had scarred his face. "I do what I'm told without question now, so I guess he lets it slide. If he ever stops though, ugh, it's not gonna be pretty. Well...nap time for me. You kids play nice."
"If we can teleport, why do we bother with the stairs?" Mikage asked after Xigbar teleported away.
"I'm not going that far," Zexion said, continuing up the stairs.
"Where are you going?"
"That's my business." He knew she'd probably read it from his mind anyway if she really wanted to know. This is getting bothersome.
She changed subjects. "Speaking of bothersome, do you agree with what Braig said earlier?" She'd heard part of the conversation in which Xigbar had referred to Ansem the Wise as bothersome.
Zexion stopped again and sighed. "I don't know. I really don't want to think about it. Every time I do, my chest gets tight." Their estrangement from Ansem wasn't a subject he could easily ponder, especially without a heart. It was a never-ending cycle of inner turmoil with no outlet.
"If Nobodies had hearts I would weep for days." Zexion stared at her. She was an odd one, to be sure. "Why did you stand up for me before?"
"Because I..." Zexion tried to come up with the right words without incriminating himself. "I thought I had to do something. I couldn't let you be turned into a Dusk."
"You could've been turned into a Dusk too for your trouble."
"I know."
"Thank you."
"Don't mention it." You would have done the same for me. "Can you do me a favor, though?"
"What?"
"Could you bring me some food later? I'm going to be up in the research room all day and I'll probably forget to go down and get it myself."
"Of course."
"Thanks, nee-san."
"What'd you call me?"
"Uh, I said Kage-san." Embarrassed at his slip-up, he opened a portal directly into the research room and vanished.
A few hours later, Mikage went to the kitchen and found Xaldin there. "Thought you'd be locked up," Xaldin said to her.
"I'm out on parole. Zexion asked me to bring him something to eat while he's working."
"I'll make it. You still smell like cleaning solvent."
"Xaldin, Xaldin, Xaldy Xaldy Xaldin," Mikage said to herself, trying not to call him Dilan anymore. It still annoyed him though.
"You are severely odd," he said, shaking his head. "By the way, why do you use -san for me and -kun for Lexaeus?"
"His name ends with S, so it's just easier to say -kun after it."
"You know, I wouldn't mind it if you used -kun for me too."
"O-okay."
"Say it."
"Xaldin...kun."
"Again."
"Xaldin-kun." For some reason it made her blush. Saying "Dilan-kun" after he'd finished packing the food walked away made it even worse.
"What's with the face?" Braig asked, raiding the fridge.
"Xaldin said I should use -kun with his name from now on."
"He's such a ladykiller," Braig scoffed. "All during academy training, when the three of us would go out to the tavern, he'd get all the attention. Don't listen to that guy."
Mikage didn't think she had a crush on Xaldin. All the girls at school would talk about how handsome he was. She was just feeling awkward because she got to use a familiar honorific with the cool guy.
Xigbar took his snack and paid Vexen a visit in the lab. "Whatcha got there?" he asked, crunching his apple right in Vexen's ear.
"You know full well what," Vexen snapped, not wanting to be disturbed.
"The replica project, right?"
"Indeed."
Xigbar chuckled to himself.
"Is there something humorous about it?"
"Your job is to play with dolls!" Xigbar choked out, laughing hysterically and slamming his fist on the table.
"If you think that's all it is, then you are sadly misguided!" Vexen yelled, mortified.
"Then can I read your report?" He reached around Vexen for the neatly stacked and labelled dossiers, but Vexen slapped his hand away.
"Only the Superior may read those."
"I'll just look at 'em later, like how I used to copy your notes in school without you knowing."
"I wondered how you were able to get into the same schools as me."
"I'm not stupid. It's not like I copied your test answers or anything. I just needed a little help to get over the hump."
"I would have been more inclined to help if you had bothered to pay the slightest bit of attention in class yourself!"
"Now where's the sense in that? If I didn't understand all of it, I sure as hell wasn't going bother to write down any of it since I'd get it from you later!"
In the research room next door, Zexion listened as their bickering quickly escalated to Vexen threatening Xigbar with various tools. He decided to ignore it, a practiced skill of his against these two since before they were Nobodies. Sighing, he focused on what was on the screen in front of him. Before, the me who researched and had a heart thought he understood a little of what a heart was. The uplifting feelings from the time I had a heart, engraved in my memories, cannot be felt anymore. Now I can only remember, and work hard to try and taste it once again. He turned around as he sensed two other Nobodies appear behind him - Lexaeus and Mikage. "I found that book you were looking for the other day," Lexaeus said, handing it over to him.
"Thank you, Lexaeus." He was by far Zexion's favorite in the Organization and the only one he knew he could depend on; Lexaeus held him in the same regard.
"And I brought you dinner," Mikage added, offering him a tupperware container. "Dilan - I mean, Xaldin made it. He said my hands reeked of chemicals and wouldn't let me touch anything in the kitchen."
"They do, but thanks." He noticed she was making an effort to remember their new names, even if it annoyed them in the process. Despite her awkwardness, she had always meant well.
Mikage looked in the direction of the lab as Xigbar screamed like Vexen was murdering him. "Should we...?"
"It's best not to get involved," Lexaeus said.
Then it suddenly went silent. Mikage looked at the lab questioningly again. "I'm sure he's alive," Zexion said off-handedly. "He probably just bolted."
"Try not to stay up too late," Lexaeus reminded him, ushering Mikage through a dark portal.
Even if I do, you'll just come and get me. It had been their routine since he was a child. Perhaps the fact that they continued to do so was unreasonable, a reflection of a relationship that should no longer exist, but the memories they shared remained strong. It shouldn't have been possible without a heart. It baffled him, but he decided not to question it.
Mikage: A Nobody's Story part 6
Chapter 7: Reflections
It had been a nice trip, something that Mikage thought about for weeks afterward. Through a combination of the stress of losing her heart and the ESP which came unbidden, she was going a bit insane. As Xaldin had previously mentioned, they all had different ways of dealing with it; most of them used it as an excuse to become cruel and uncaring, or something else they hadn't the nerve to be when they were whole. Isa and Relena had changed in this regard. "Relena-senpai used to be nice," Mikage remembered after Larxene kicked over her mop bucket out of spite. They weren't all like that, though, at least not all the time. Demyx used his power over water to put the water back in the bucket for her. She was glad he hadn't changed.
Larxene and Demyx often argued; one time she told him his music was too loud and stormed off, muttering that she wouldn't have to hear it much longer. "She's the one who's noisy," Demyx complained. "What a pain!"
"One of the main points of the opposite sex," Luxord commented.
"Um, sorry," Mikage muttered, about to plug in a vacuum just a few feet away.
"Oh! I didn't see you there, my dear," Luxord exclaimed. "No, I didn't mean you."
"Yeah, you've always been one of the guys," Demyx said brightly.
Gee thanks, Myde, she thought sourly.
Lexaeus and Zexion appeared in the room just then. "Hey, are they bothering you?" Lexaeus asked protectively, seeing that she looked anxious.
"Not really," Mikage muttered.
Zexion grabbed her hand. "Let's go, Kage-san."
"But, where?"
"Anywhere."
Roxas looked at Axel quizzically. "What...?"
"You'll understand when you're older," Luxord snickered, missing the point.
Axel shook his head. "Never mind, Roxas. That's not for you to worry about."
When they were far enough away, Zexion took Mikage aside. "Kage-san, may I ask you something?"
"Sure. What?"
Zexion looked uneasy. "Can you detect scents?"
"You mean like you can?"
"Y-yeah. For instance, can you smell the darkness and people's scents and know where they are?"
"Yes, I can sense these things a little..."
Zexion looked disappointed. "That's what I thought. Everyone can do it. I'm not special at all."
"But you're really good at it," Mikage said supportively.
Zexion shook his head, clearly bothered by this. "It doesn't matter if I'm better at it if everyone can do it to some degree. That and projecting illusions are my only abilities, and it turns out that they're not so unique after all." He summoned his lexicon, a sort of spellbook. "This is my only weapon too. Everyone else has real weapons and abilities." He wasn't about to explain to her about the data cards for Castle Oblivion that further stole his thunder. What did they even need him for?
Mikage's shoulders sagged. She didn't know what else to say to him. Saix walked up to them and ended the conversation. "Shouldn't you be cleaning something?" he asked her.
"Yes, sorry." She didn't really know why she had to apologize to him.
"It was my fault," Zexion spoke up. "I engaged her in conversation to get her away from those in the lobby."
Saix looked at him, his senior in number but his junior in years; it was a source of friction between them, mostly on Saix's part. He addressed Mikage again. "You're lucky to have the higher-ups vouch for you. Otherwise you'd be cleaning the castle as a Dusk instead of your current form." The lesser Nobodies did most of the chores, including laundry and keeping everyone's rooms tidy. Mikage didn't have her own room, only the jail cell.
Mikage nodded. Saix brushed past them and continued to the lobby. "Was he always this way?" Zexion asked.
"No. The Isa I remember was nicer than this," Mikage answered.
"Sorry to have bothered you with my insecurities." He decided to leave her alone so he wouldn't get her in trouble.
"No, not at all. I think you're really-" But Zexion had already opened a portal and disappeared before she could finish her sentence. Special.
Continuing down the hallway, she ran into another Organization member, Marluxia, who had pink hair and carried a scythe. Then she remembered something. "I thought it would be fun to cut through the hedge maze on my way over...but I got lost," Miku replied sheepishly. "The pink-haired guy tending it found me and walked me out, but by the time I got to the outer gardens, you had already left." Marluxia caught her staring at him. "What is it? Do you need something?"
"I'm sorry for staring. Did you tend a hedge maze back in Radiant Garden?"
"So what if I did?"
"My friend Miku got lost in there one time and said you helped her out. Thank you." She bowed, but Marluxia didn't seem to have a reaction.
"I don't recall," he said dully as he walked away.
It had been a nice trip, something that Mikage thought about for weeks afterward. Through a combination of the stress of losing her heart and the ESP which came unbidden, she was going a bit insane. As Xaldin had previously mentioned, they all had different ways of dealing with it; most of them used it as an excuse to become cruel and uncaring, or something else they hadn't the nerve to be when they were whole. Isa and Relena had changed in this regard. "Relena-senpai used to be nice," Mikage remembered after Larxene kicked over her mop bucket out of spite. They weren't all like that, though, at least not all the time. Demyx used his power over water to put the water back in the bucket for her. She was glad he hadn't changed.
Larxene and Demyx often argued; one time she told him his music was too loud and stormed off, muttering that she wouldn't have to hear it much longer. "She's the one who's noisy," Demyx complained. "What a pain!"
"One of the main points of the opposite sex," Luxord commented.
"Um, sorry," Mikage muttered, about to plug in a vacuum just a few feet away.
"Oh! I didn't see you there, my dear," Luxord exclaimed. "No, I didn't mean you."
"Yeah, you've always been one of the guys," Demyx said brightly.
Gee thanks, Myde, she thought sourly.
Lexaeus and Zexion appeared in the room just then. "Hey, are they bothering you?" Lexaeus asked protectively, seeing that she looked anxious.
"Not really," Mikage muttered.
Zexion grabbed her hand. "Let's go, Kage-san."
"But, where?"
"Anywhere."
Roxas looked at Axel quizzically. "What...?"
"You'll understand when you're older," Luxord snickered, missing the point.
Axel shook his head. "Never mind, Roxas. That's not for you to worry about."
When they were far enough away, Zexion took Mikage aside. "Kage-san, may I ask you something?"
"Sure. What?"
Zexion looked uneasy. "Can you detect scents?"
"You mean like you can?"
"Y-yeah. For instance, can you smell the darkness and people's scents and know where they are?"
"Yes, I can sense these things a little..."
Zexion looked disappointed. "That's what I thought. Everyone can do it. I'm not special at all."
"But you're really good at it," Mikage said supportively.
Zexion shook his head, clearly bothered by this. "It doesn't matter if I'm better at it if everyone can do it to some degree. That and projecting illusions are my only abilities, and it turns out that they're not so unique after all." He summoned his lexicon, a sort of spellbook. "This is my only weapon too. Everyone else has real weapons and abilities." He wasn't about to explain to her about the data cards for Castle Oblivion that further stole his thunder. What did they even need him for?
Mikage's shoulders sagged. She didn't know what else to say to him. Saix walked up to them and ended the conversation. "Shouldn't you be cleaning something?" he asked her.
"Yes, sorry." She didn't really know why she had to apologize to him.
"It was my fault," Zexion spoke up. "I engaged her in conversation to get her away from those in the lobby."
Saix looked at him, his senior in number but his junior in years; it was a source of friction between them, mostly on Saix's part. He addressed Mikage again. "You're lucky to have the higher-ups vouch for you. Otherwise you'd be cleaning the castle as a Dusk instead of your current form." The lesser Nobodies did most of the chores, including laundry and keeping everyone's rooms tidy. Mikage didn't have her own room, only the jail cell.
Mikage nodded. Saix brushed past them and continued to the lobby. "Was he always this way?" Zexion asked.
"No. The Isa I remember was nicer than this," Mikage answered.
"Sorry to have bothered you with my insecurities." He decided to leave her alone so he wouldn't get her in trouble.
"No, not at all. I think you're really-" But Zexion had already opened a portal and disappeared before she could finish her sentence. Special.
Continuing down the hallway, she ran into another Organization member, Marluxia, who had pink hair and carried a scythe. Then she remembered something. "I thought it would be fun to cut through the hedge maze on my way over...but I got lost," Miku replied sheepishly. "The pink-haired guy tending it found me and walked me out, but by the time I got to the outer gardens, you had already left." Marluxia caught her staring at him. "What is it? Do you need something?"
"I'm sorry for staring. Did you tend a hedge maze back in Radiant Garden?"
"So what if I did?"
"My friend Miku got lost in there one time and said you helped her out. Thank you." She bowed, but Marluxia didn't seem to have a reaction.
"I don't recall," he said dully as he walked away.
Mikage: A Nobody's Story part 5
Chapter 6: Betrayal
Mikage sat in her jail cell hugging her knees to her chest. She looked up as Zexion appeared on the other side of the bars. You can read my mind, can't you? he asked mentally. She nodded to confirm it. He continued speaking aloud, "This is your fault, you know, for having such a strong heart. If you had been born into this world a Dusk, then it wouldn't hurt as much."
Mikage jumped up and grabbed onto the bars. "My fault?! Whoever sent those monsters to attack everyone in town is at fault!"
Zexion sighed. "They're called Heartless." He explained to her what had happened.
"It was you? But why?"
"It was an experiment, but it failed. We should have listened when he told us to stop. We should have known better. Are you angry with me?"
"I'm not pleased." She folded her arms across her chest and turned away from him. She decided not to tell him about her run-in with Ansem the Wise upon her arrival as a Nobody.
"I don't know why I asked. It's not like our emotions are real."
"Not real? You've got to be kidding me!" she shouted, turning back around. She resisted the urge to grab his ear and give it a good twist.
"What did you expect without a heart? By the way, how did you come up with that name for yourself?"
"I was trying to remember my name, but it came out jumbled and sort of stuck that way."
Zexion couldn't think of calling her anything except Kage-san, so that worked for him. If Xemnas had made an anagram of her first name with an X, he wouldn't have recognized it. He'd thought about calling her by her first name, but it sounded inappropriate coming from him. While he would have been required to call her by whatever name Xemnas had been about to give her, it would have taken a while to get used to.
"Aren't you going to apologize to me?" she asked, interrupting his thoughts.
"What?"
"Say you're sorry."
"But I'm not sorry. I mean, this isn't what any of us had in mind at all, but the experiment...even though it was a failure...it was worth it to find out..."
"Find out what?"
"Never mind. I've said too much already. I have to get back to work. I'll see you around."
She watched him go. All she had were more questions. She vowed to make use of her new power and get to the bottom of things.
Zexion had to admit to himself that he did have a twinge of guilt, but there was nothing he could do about it. He had been okay with what they had done, even if he didn't like the results. The consequences of their actions were all around them, but Mikage had been his friend. Although she had been his babysitter, she'd treated him almost like an equal. He remembered a conversation he'd had with her once before about books and holiday worlds.
"Once when I was six, I had a nightmare that the library was closing and I was only allowed to choose one book and I couldn't decide. It was awful," she'd said, laughing.
He'd laughed too. "Yeah, that sounds pretty bad," he'd agreed.
She'd spotted the Halloween Town book on his shelf. "Hey I have this one too. I wish the holiday worlds were real. I'd like to go there."
"Me too. It looks like it would be fun."
"Then let's go together someday."
"Right." They'd both laughed again.
His only regret had been the outcome of the experiment, that was for sure. Mikage was part of that outcome, so it followed that he regretted her heart being devoured as a result of the Heartless overrunning their world unchecked. He had to make it up to her somehow, even though nothing could measure up to what he and the others had caused.
He approached her cell again the next day. "Kage-san, I'm sorry the Heartless got out and took away your heart. I understand if you won't forgive us, but I have something to show you. Have you figured out how to move through the darkness yet?" he asked. She shook her head. "If you promise not to run away, I'll teach you."
"Where would I run? I wouldn't leave you guys," she replied.
"Even after what I told you?"
"I don't like what you did, but you had to have had some reason for doing it. You're still you, after all. I'm not giving up on our friendship."
Zexion smiled. "Okay. Reach your arm out like this and focus." Mikage opened up a portal from the inside of her cell and reappeared outside of it next to Zexion. "Now you can go wherever you want to...with permission, of course. In fact," he added, opening a portal of his own, "I have to go to Twilight Town to do recon. It shouldn't take that long, so you can go with me if you want. We'll be back before anyone notices you're gone."
Mikage agreed and held his hand. They were about to step through the portal, but Vexen suddenly came up behind them and stopped them. "And just where do the two of you intend to go skipping off to?" he asked disapprovingly.
"I'm taking her to see Twilight Town, that's all," Zexion replied.
"Neither of you has any business going out on your own."
"Then why don't you come with us?" Mikage suggested, grabbing Vexen's hand.
"Well...fine. For the sake of the research," Vexen conceded reluctantly. Zexion didn't want him to be their chaperone, but if they hadn't brought him along he would have told the Superior on them.
As they skulked around the streets of Twilight Town, Vexen having warned them that they should try not to be seen by the inhabitants, Zexion tried to shake off a strange inkling of familiarity. They had not been to Twilight Town too many times already, so it wasn't that. Mikage still had not let go of their hands, and if anyone had seen them they probably would have thought they were a family. They weren't, of course, but Zexion had memories deep in his subconscious of his real parents that were being triggered by walking around with these two.
Soon, though, Vexen had had enough and told them they had to return to the castle. "We haven't been gone that long," Zexion protested.
"If any Heartless show up, we won't be able to fend them off," Vexen pointed out.
"Why do we need to be worried about Heartless?" Mikage asked. "We already don't have hearts. What more can they do to us?"
Vexen let go of her hand so he could summon his shield for no reason other than to point out that he was the only one with an actual weapon. "They are still very dangerous, and the two of you are practically defenseless. What would you do if I hadn't come with you?"
Zexion let go of her other hand and summoned his lexicon. "I could cast an illusion to confuse them. That's my specialty."
Vexen scoffed. "You wouldn't have time if they jumped you out of the blue."
"I can also sense them as soon as they appear. That's my other specialty."
Mikage backed away as they continued to argue about the usefulness of their abilities. After a couple of minutes they realized that she wasn't with them anymore. Vexen was furious. "She's run off! This is your fault for taking pity on her."
"I was just trying to apologize to her for what we did!" Zexion explained.
Vexen looked at him solemnly. "Nothing can make up for that."
Zexion hung his head dejectedly. "I know."
To their surprise, Mikage returned with a sea salt ice cream for each of them. "Don't go off on your own like that, young lady! You know I hate that!" Vexen scolded.
"Sorry for not saying anything. Are you done arguing now?"
"You went and got ice cream because we were arguing?" Zexion asked in disbelief.
"What? You thought I was running away? I told you I wouldn't do that."
They put their weapons away and accepted the ice cream. None of them got a winner stick, but Mikage kept them anyway as a memento.
Mikage sat in her jail cell hugging her knees to her chest. She looked up as Zexion appeared on the other side of the bars. You can read my mind, can't you? he asked mentally. She nodded to confirm it. He continued speaking aloud, "This is your fault, you know, for having such a strong heart. If you had been born into this world a Dusk, then it wouldn't hurt as much."
Mikage jumped up and grabbed onto the bars. "My fault?! Whoever sent those monsters to attack everyone in town is at fault!"
Zexion sighed. "They're called Heartless." He explained to her what had happened.
"It was you? But why?"
"It was an experiment, but it failed. We should have listened when he told us to stop. We should have known better. Are you angry with me?"
"I'm not pleased." She folded her arms across her chest and turned away from him. She decided not to tell him about her run-in with Ansem the Wise upon her arrival as a Nobody.
"I don't know why I asked. It's not like our emotions are real."
"Not real? You've got to be kidding me!" she shouted, turning back around. She resisted the urge to grab his ear and give it a good twist.
"What did you expect without a heart? By the way, how did you come up with that name for yourself?"
"I was trying to remember my name, but it came out jumbled and sort of stuck that way."
Zexion couldn't think of calling her anything except Kage-san, so that worked for him. If Xemnas had made an anagram of her first name with an X, he wouldn't have recognized it. He'd thought about calling her by her first name, but it sounded inappropriate coming from him. While he would have been required to call her by whatever name Xemnas had been about to give her, it would have taken a while to get used to.
"Aren't you going to apologize to me?" she asked, interrupting his thoughts.
"What?"
"Say you're sorry."
"But I'm not sorry. I mean, this isn't what any of us had in mind at all, but the experiment...even though it was a failure...it was worth it to find out..."
"Find out what?"
"Never mind. I've said too much already. I have to get back to work. I'll see you around."
She watched him go. All she had were more questions. She vowed to make use of her new power and get to the bottom of things.
Zexion had to admit to himself that he did have a twinge of guilt, but there was nothing he could do about it. He had been okay with what they had done, even if he didn't like the results. The consequences of their actions were all around them, but Mikage had been his friend. Although she had been his babysitter, she'd treated him almost like an equal. He remembered a conversation he'd had with her once before about books and holiday worlds.
"Once when I was six, I had a nightmare that the library was closing and I was only allowed to choose one book and I couldn't decide. It was awful," she'd said, laughing.
He'd laughed too. "Yeah, that sounds pretty bad," he'd agreed.
She'd spotted the Halloween Town book on his shelf. "Hey I have this one too. I wish the holiday worlds were real. I'd like to go there."
"Me too. It looks like it would be fun."
"Then let's go together someday."
"Right." They'd both laughed again.
His only regret had been the outcome of the experiment, that was for sure. Mikage was part of that outcome, so it followed that he regretted her heart being devoured as a result of the Heartless overrunning their world unchecked. He had to make it up to her somehow, even though nothing could measure up to what he and the others had caused.
He approached her cell again the next day. "Kage-san, I'm sorry the Heartless got out and took away your heart. I understand if you won't forgive us, but I have something to show you. Have you figured out how to move through the darkness yet?" he asked. She shook her head. "If you promise not to run away, I'll teach you."
"Where would I run? I wouldn't leave you guys," she replied.
"Even after what I told you?"
"I don't like what you did, but you had to have had some reason for doing it. You're still you, after all. I'm not giving up on our friendship."
Zexion smiled. "Okay. Reach your arm out like this and focus." Mikage opened up a portal from the inside of her cell and reappeared outside of it next to Zexion. "Now you can go wherever you want to...with permission, of course. In fact," he added, opening a portal of his own, "I have to go to Twilight Town to do recon. It shouldn't take that long, so you can go with me if you want. We'll be back before anyone notices you're gone."
Mikage agreed and held his hand. They were about to step through the portal, but Vexen suddenly came up behind them and stopped them. "And just where do the two of you intend to go skipping off to?" he asked disapprovingly.
"I'm taking her to see Twilight Town, that's all," Zexion replied.
"Neither of you has any business going out on your own."
"Then why don't you come with us?" Mikage suggested, grabbing Vexen's hand.
"Well...fine. For the sake of the research," Vexen conceded reluctantly. Zexion didn't want him to be their chaperone, but if they hadn't brought him along he would have told the Superior on them.
As they skulked around the streets of Twilight Town, Vexen having warned them that they should try not to be seen by the inhabitants, Zexion tried to shake off a strange inkling of familiarity. They had not been to Twilight Town too many times already, so it wasn't that. Mikage still had not let go of their hands, and if anyone had seen them they probably would have thought they were a family. They weren't, of course, but Zexion had memories deep in his subconscious of his real parents that were being triggered by walking around with these two.
Soon, though, Vexen had had enough and told them they had to return to the castle. "We haven't been gone that long," Zexion protested.
"If any Heartless show up, we won't be able to fend them off," Vexen pointed out.
"Why do we need to be worried about Heartless?" Mikage asked. "We already don't have hearts. What more can they do to us?"
Vexen let go of her hand so he could summon his shield for no reason other than to point out that he was the only one with an actual weapon. "They are still very dangerous, and the two of you are practically defenseless. What would you do if I hadn't come with you?"
Zexion let go of her other hand and summoned his lexicon. "I could cast an illusion to confuse them. That's my specialty."
Vexen scoffed. "You wouldn't have time if they jumped you out of the blue."
"I can also sense them as soon as they appear. That's my other specialty."
Mikage backed away as they continued to argue about the usefulness of their abilities. After a couple of minutes they realized that she wasn't with them anymore. Vexen was furious. "She's run off! This is your fault for taking pity on her."
"I was just trying to apologize to her for what we did!" Zexion explained.
Vexen looked at him solemnly. "Nothing can make up for that."
Zexion hung his head dejectedly. "I know."
To their surprise, Mikage returned with a sea salt ice cream for each of them. "Don't go off on your own like that, young lady! You know I hate that!" Vexen scolded.
"Sorry for not saying anything. Are you done arguing now?"
"You went and got ice cream because we were arguing?" Zexion asked in disbelief.
"What? You thought I was running away? I told you I wouldn't do that."
They put their weapons away and accepted the ice cream. None of them got a winner stick, but Mikage kept them anyway as a memento.
Mikage: A Nobody's Story part 4
Chapter 5: Nothing
Kagemiya's Nobody wandered the realm of the in-between in a daze. Ansem, who'd been banished by Xehanort and the others, was the first one to find her. "You...What is your name?" he asked, trying not to give his true identity away. He'd disguised his appearance and his voice to create a new identity for himself, as Xehanort had been so bold as to steal his name in addition to his apprentices.
She couldn't remember it right away. "Mi...kage..." she stammered. Not only was she in a daze but she could also hear a familiar voice in her head similar to the one speaking to her aloud. "Hey...aren't you...Ansem...?"
Ansem admitted to nothing. "My name is DiZ. You are going to be caught by Organization XIII. You are not to use your power to help them. Do you understand?"
"Wh-what power?" For some reason she had a notebook and pen in her hands; she tried to remember what she had been doing before those things attacked.
"Your ability is reading minds. Stop it." With that, DiZ disappeared and she was alone again, but not for long.
"Hey! You!" shouted a familiar voice gruffly.
Mikage spun around. "Dilan-san...? You don't look happy anymore..."
Xaldin glared at her but explained, "That's because I no longer have a heart. Don't you know what Nobodies are? You're one too." He dragged her off to the Organization's castle.
"Where are you taking me?"
"To see the others."
"They're here too?"
They met Lexaeus and Zexion upon arrival. "Look who I found," Xaldin announced. "Remember her?"
"Aeleus-kun...Glad to see you haven't changed..." Mikage said. Lexaeus didn't know how to react. "Ienzo-chan? Kiddo! You've gotten so tall since I last saw you!" All this in front of other members milling about as well.
"What's wrong with her?" Zexion asked Xaldin, mortified.
"She's still adjusting," he replied. "I told her she no longer had a heart, and we all react differently to that news." He was about to go tell the Superior, but someone else had already gotten him.
Xemnas made her first name appear - Sayuri - and tried to anagram it with an X, but she yelled "No! I am Mikage! And I'll never work for you!"
"Then I'll turn you into a Dusk for your impudence."
"What's a...?"
"Wait!" Zexion spoke up, surprising most.
"Do you want to share her fate, VI?" Xemnas threatened.
Six? Mikage didn't know why Xehanort was calling him that instead of his name.
"Kage-san, please," Zexion urged, giving her a pleading look. Do something to save yourself. A Dusk is the lowest form of Nobody. You won't have a will of your own or any sense of self. He didn't know she could hear him, so he was surprised when she repeated back the information he'd thought about Dusks.
"A Dusk. The lowest form of Nobody. I won't have a will of my own or any sense of myself."
"That's correct," Xemnas said, unphased. "Will you reconsider?"
She glanced briefly into his mind and found nothing good there. "Your intentions are evil. I won't help you. However, I don't want to make an enemy of any of you. I'll do whatever chores you ask me to do, and I won't act against you, but that's all."
"She is good for doing chores," Xigbar said. "We could always use someone for that...someone who isn't a Dusk for a change."
Xemnas scowled. "I couldn't care less what you call yourself. If you prove to be useful, you may continue to exist as you are. Just remember that you are nothing to this outfit and will be treated as such." He opened a portal of darkness and sent her to a locked cell somewhere in the castle.
Kagemiya's Nobody wandered the realm of the in-between in a daze. Ansem, who'd been banished by Xehanort and the others, was the first one to find her. "You...What is your name?" he asked, trying not to give his true identity away. He'd disguised his appearance and his voice to create a new identity for himself, as Xehanort had been so bold as to steal his name in addition to his apprentices.
She couldn't remember it right away. "Mi...kage..." she stammered. Not only was she in a daze but she could also hear a familiar voice in her head similar to the one speaking to her aloud. "Hey...aren't you...Ansem...?"
Ansem admitted to nothing. "My name is DiZ. You are going to be caught by Organization XIII. You are not to use your power to help them. Do you understand?"
"Wh-what power?" For some reason she had a notebook and pen in her hands; she tried to remember what she had been doing before those things attacked.
"Your ability is reading minds. Stop it." With that, DiZ disappeared and she was alone again, but not for long.
"Hey! You!" shouted a familiar voice gruffly.
Mikage spun around. "Dilan-san...? You don't look happy anymore..."
Xaldin glared at her but explained, "That's because I no longer have a heart. Don't you know what Nobodies are? You're one too." He dragged her off to the Organization's castle.
"Where are you taking me?"
"To see the others."
"They're here too?"
They met Lexaeus and Zexion upon arrival. "Look who I found," Xaldin announced. "Remember her?"
"Aeleus-kun...Glad to see you haven't changed..." Mikage said. Lexaeus didn't know how to react. "Ienzo-chan? Kiddo! You've gotten so tall since I last saw you!" All this in front of other members milling about as well.
"What's wrong with her?" Zexion asked Xaldin, mortified.
"She's still adjusting," he replied. "I told her she no longer had a heart, and we all react differently to that news." He was about to go tell the Superior, but someone else had already gotten him.
Xemnas made her first name appear - Sayuri - and tried to anagram it with an X, but she yelled "No! I am Mikage! And I'll never work for you!"
"Then I'll turn you into a Dusk for your impudence."
"What's a...?"
"Wait!" Zexion spoke up, surprising most.
"Do you want to share her fate, VI?" Xemnas threatened.
Six? Mikage didn't know why Xehanort was calling him that instead of his name.
"Kage-san, please," Zexion urged, giving her a pleading look. Do something to save yourself. A Dusk is the lowest form of Nobody. You won't have a will of your own or any sense of self. He didn't know she could hear him, so he was surprised when she repeated back the information he'd thought about Dusks.
"A Dusk. The lowest form of Nobody. I won't have a will of my own or any sense of myself."
"That's correct," Xemnas said, unphased. "Will you reconsider?"
She glanced briefly into his mind and found nothing good there. "Your intentions are evil. I won't help you. However, I don't want to make an enemy of any of you. I'll do whatever chores you ask me to do, and I won't act against you, but that's all."
"She is good for doing chores," Xigbar said. "We could always use someone for that...someone who isn't a Dusk for a change."
Xemnas scowled. "I couldn't care less what you call yourself. If you prove to be useful, you may continue to exist as you are. Just remember that you are nothing to this outfit and will be treated as such." He opened a portal of darkness and sent her to a locked cell somewhere in the castle.
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