Categories > Games > Kingdom Hearts > Facade
Chapter 6: Pursue the Truth
1 reviewDeath can be the symbol of rebirth. The members of what was once Organization XIII find themselves in a strange new world. This time, however, they are split down the middle with a fine line drawn ...
0Unrated
Though it had been warm further inland, the coastal area was relatively cold, especially as the sun had just disappeared from its spot in the sky. Several sea animals watched the foolish man approach the shrine. A rabbit, which had been in the middle of a meal, scurried behind a stone, but poked its head out to watch as well. Humans never really learned from their past mistakes at all.
Lexaeus paid no mind to any of the animals nearby. Distractions were not an option at the moment. He simply concentrated on the large stone at the top of the hill. It was difficult to believe that people worshiped and feared this simple rock, but he figured he may as well see if he could confirm the suspicions of the people around the continent. The rumors of men disappearing when they went alone were thoroughly ridiculous in his opinion. He glanced around and frowned when he spotted a young woman sitting on the ground nearby. It was certainly odd, as she hadn't been there before. He approached her slowly, curiosity getting the better of him.
"Excuse me, ma'am?" he knelt down in front of her, his brows creasing into a frown.
"Have you come to save me?" she asked, looking up at him. She was very pretty. She had jet black hair and crystal blue eyes, giving her a rather eerie look. Her face was red, but it was most likely due to the cold ocean air that had just started to pick up.
"Save you?" he inquired, glancing around. "No, that wasn't really my intention, but I suppose I could..." She smiled and stood, walking toward him, fixing him with that eerie gaze.
"My hero," she stated, leaning forward and latching onto the front of his shirt. He reached out and grabbed her wrists to pry her off.
"Yes, you're very welcome," he told her. "But what precisely am I saving you from?" It was then that she began to laugh. Her shrill cackle filled the air, more frightening than the gaze she still had him fixed with. Lexaeus began to slowly back away, but she held tight to his shirt with almost superhuman strength. It surprised Lexaeus as she had looked quite frail when he first approached her. "Ma'am?"
"Foolish human!" she exclaimed, smirking. "You have wandered into our domain! Now you will never leave!" Lexaeus lifted an eyebrow. She couldn't be serious... and yet she didn't quite look as though she were playing some sort of elaborate joke on a stranger, especially as she began to drag him toward the rock in the center of the shrine.
He attempted to protest, but she would have none of it. Suddenly, he felt a white hot pain coursing through his body-almost as if he were being ripped apart from the inside. He did his best not to show weakness, but when he did eventually try to cry out in pain, no sound came out. He glanced down at his feet just in time to see them disappear from under him. Then, everything went dark.
Lexaeus awoke in some sort of cave. However, it was difficult to tell, due to the severe lack of light. He wasn't even sure how he had managed to get there. He felt something wet on the back of his head, allowing him to assume that he's hit his head on something and was lying in a shallow puddle of his own blood. He lifted himself up into a sitting position, running his hand over the back of his head, though he couldn't see what it was. He sighed and glanced around, blinking, attempting to allow his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Perhaps in the year that he'd been away from it, he had somehow become unfamiliar with it.
Soon enough, a faint light could be seen. Lexaeus squinted, wondering what it could be, attempting to make out the figure that was slowly approaching. He materialized his tomahawk, ready for whatever it could be. As the light got brighter, Lexaeus could make out the form of a young woman. It wasn't, however, the young girl whom he had encountered earlier. She had to have been the one who brought him to the cave.
He put his tomahawk away as she approached with a lit torch in her hand. As he opened his mouth to speak, she held up a hand, halting him. She said nothing, simply reached out her hand to help him up. He reached out as well, feeling obligated to accept her help. She then pulled him up with surprising strength, almost the same that the girl had earlier. She motioned for him to follow and, once again, Lexaeus was compelled to do as she wanted. He followed the light of her torch, absently rubbing his head where, he was almost positive that he was bleeding from.
The woman led him into a lavish chamber. There was another woman there, dressed far more outrageous than he had ever seen. She had a crown of golden leaves placed delicately upon her equally golden hair. Her dress was pure white-somehow, despite the dank cave. As Lexaeus stood before her, her lips spread into an almost predatory grin.
"Welcome!" she exclaimed, standing and stepping down from her throne, examining him as she did so. "My, you are handsome."
"I... thank you..." he fumbled for words, but she merely nodded and made a gesture with her hand. The woman who brought him into the chamber seized him by the arm and dragged him toward another doorway. This time, they entered a much larger room, similar to the Olympus Coliseum. However, Lexaeus was distracted from the architecture by the amount of women who filled the stands. His eyes widened as he attempted to approximate the size of the crowd. There were hundreds of them at the very least and, what seemed to be worse was that they all seemed to fall silent as they laid eyes upon him.
After a moment, a few of the women who had been in the other room approached him, bringing a chair and a bowl of fresh fruit. They forced him down into the chair, and then offered to feed him forcibly. He frowned and attempted to stand and leave, but was immediately forced back into the chair. He began to protest, but immediately realized that it was a mistake. The females who had started giggling fell silent. A shocked silence instead of the seemingly awestruck silence that had occurred previously. Eventually, the young woman who had led him in wrenched him back up, dragging him back out the door to the queen.
"My queen!" she exclaimed, sounding enraged. "He refuses!" The queen said nothing. She only smirked and waved her hand. As they began to drag him away, she finally said something.
"If he refuses to stay, we will force him!" Lexaeus' protests fell upon deaf ears as they dragged him to a chamber, giving him the ability to watch the door slam behind them.
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Zexion usually would have no problem with searching for members, especially traitors like Thirteen. What aggravated him was the fact that he was forced to look for him and Nine with Saïx. They would accomplish absolutely nothing with him around unless Xemnas didn't mind having two mangled carcasses dropped at his doorstep where members should have been.
Zexion looked up when Saïx announced that they were approaching a village. He would have been pleased with such a thing, but when he saw which village it was, he groaned and glanced over at the other Nobody. It was a holy village. An extremist holy village. The exact village that Lexaeus had told him never to go within a ten mile radius of, lest he wish to be kidnapped and kept as their personal god for a little less than a week. Zexion wasn't particularly keen on entering a village of fantasies.
"I think it would be in our best interests to go around," he told Saïx. The other Nobody snorted and looked over at him.
"I think I have learned not to trust your judgment," he stated.
"It would do you well to listen to me this time," Zexion snapped, growing irritated. "I know this land far better than you. I really think you should listen to my advice now."
"The Superior sent you here to assist me in the capture of Thirteen," Saïx reminded him. "He didn't send you to avoid possible places that Thirteen may be."
"If Thirteen is at all intelligent, he would have avoided this place too," Zexion grumbled. "I really, really suggest that we avoid this place at all costs."
"And we're really, really done talking about this," Saïx snapped mockingly. "Let's go."
"You're sending us directly into the lion's den..." Zexion sighed, not moving from where he was standing.
"End of discussion," Saïx said, glancing back at him. "Start walking." Zexion crossed his arms over his chest. Saïx growled and grabbed him by the elbow, dragging him in the direction of the village. Zexion wrenched his arm away after a moment's struggle before following him. He was reluctant, but if Saïx was to send them to an early grave, he would prefer to go dignified and at his own will, at least for now.
Upon arriving, Saïx immediately regarded the town with intense dislike. There was a cross hanging from every door and a temple was obviously the town's most important building. Saïx glanced over at Zexion, who, in turn, gave Saïx a look that plainly said 'I told you so.'
"Where are all the people?" Saïx asked, more to himself than to Zexion.
"The temple," Zexion answered him, pointing. "Here, they pray until noon. As I said, if Thirteen knows what's good for him, he will stay as far away from this place as possible. We should follow that example and leave before prayer is over."
"Oh?" Saïx actually chuckled. "And what are religious fanatic villagers going to do us?"
"You'd be surprised," Zexion said, in quite a hurry at the moment, grabbing Saïx's arm. "I'll explain once we get out of here." The sun was high in the sky, allowing Zexion to assume that it was nearly noon, meaning they did not have very much time to linger before they were discovered.
"Not without Thirteen," Saïx snapped, pulling away from him.
"If he's in there, he's a lost cause," Zexion protested. "We need to go!"
However, it was too late, as the doors to the temple burst open and a flood of people exited, heading straight for them. Zexion's eyes widened as did the man's who first spotted them. The crowd continued to gather around until there were only hushed whispers that were coming from all sides. They were surrounded.
"Shit..." Zexion wasn't usually one to curse, but at that particular moment, it seemed appropriate.
"Excuse me. Pardon me. What is going on?" At that point, the priest pushed his way through the crowd. He paused and stared at the two Nobodies in wonder. For a moment, Zexion thought he was paralyzed, but then a wide grin spread across his face. "Oh, goodness! The gods are among us!" He then collapsed to the ground, groveling before them. Saïx glanced over at Zexion, smirking.
"See?" he said. "Nothing to worry about."
"This is what I was worried about," Zexion hissed.
"Oh, please, wondrous gods," the priest said, lifting his face off the ground. "Allow us to bring you into our temple. We shall give you what you desire from us!"
"Very well," Saïx said, waving a hand, seeming quite interested in this praise. Zexion, however, was still very worried. Not because of the god treatment, but what was to come after it.
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It was a little past noon when Larxene finally decided to emerge from her room. Luckily it hadn't been later, as tempers were wearing thin. Axel seemed perfectly content with setting Marluxia's hair on fire; Luxord had moved to another table and was currently winning at a game of poker. Naminé had actually taken refuge behind a fake plant in the corner and was drawing numerous pictures of Axel and Marluxia holding hands and being friendly. Larxene smirked and placed a hand on Axel's shoulder as he approached and shoved him down into a chair.
"Nice to see you boys get along so well," she mused, sitting down in what was previously Luxord's chair.
"Nice to see you've decided to join us," Marluxia said, ignoring her comment, sitting down again and picking up a hairbrush. Though he didn't care to say it, he was grateful that Larxene showed up before his hair was destroyed.
"It's about time," Axel snapped, crossing his arms. Naminé rejoined them at that point, returning to her seat at Marluxia's side.
"So what's the plan for today?" Larxene asked, choosing to ignore Axel for the moment.
"I'm not entirely sure," Marluxia admitted, running a hand through his once again immaculate hair. "What else can we do besides walk around and look?"
"I thought you were so positive that we were going to find someone today," Axel pointed out. "What happened to that optimism?" Once again, Axel's statement went ignored.
"Then maybe we should split up," Larxene suggested. Marluxia cocked an eyebrow.
"I suppose that's the best plan we've got," he admitted. "We'll cover more ground that way and heighten our chances of finding someone."
"Exactly," Larxene nodded. "We'll have the advantage if we get going right now." She glanced over at Luxord. "Hey! Gambler of Fate! Stop cheating and get over here!"
"Cheating! I beg your pardon!" he snapped, gathering his winnings from the disgruntled man and rejoining them anyway.
"Right," Larxene said, rolling her eyes. "I'll take the 'lucky' one and Mr. Grumpy Face here." Both Luxord and Axel shot her a glare, but Marluxia spoke before another fight could break out.
"Then Naminé and I will head toward the shrine," he said with a short nod.
"Sounds good," Larxene said, tilting her chair back. "When do you want to meet back here?"
"We'll say three days," Marluxia said after a moment of silence. "That will give us time to look carefully and get back here. We can meet at the cottage if anyone gets back early."
"Sounds good to me," Larxene let her chair fall to the ground with a 'thud.' "Let's move out you two!"
"Who made you captain of this operation?" Luxord demanded.
"What if we don't want to go with you?" Axel added.
"Then you two can stay here and try to find your allies in a land that you know absolutely nothing about." She smiled sweetly and turned to leave. It didn't take long for the two males to grumble as they stood to follow after her. Marluxia chuckled and watched them go before glancing over at Naminé.
"Are you ready to go?" he asked. Naminé looked up at him and nodded her head slowly, not speaking. "Excellent. Let's get going then. We have quite a bit of ground to cover." She nodded once again and allowed him to steer her out of the room.
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Lexaeus was going to go insane, plain and simple. He had come to the shrine to find out what was going on in the world. What he had discovered was that the goddesses were hussies, causing problems and kidnapping humans for their own amusement. There were several of them at the moment, attempting to shove grapes down his throat. While he appreciated that they didn't want him to starve, every single one of their hands touching every inch of his body was a bit much.
"Ladies, please!" he demanded. "I've had just about enough! I thank you for your kindness, but I implore you, return me to the surface!"
"Why should we?" one asked. "When you... amuse us so?"
"While I am thrilled to have been your entertainment for this evening," he told them. "I really must be going." There was a unanimous giggle, signaling the fact that he was only succeeding in amusing them further. He groaned, growing more anxious by the second.
"If you are not going to cooperate, you will be locked in your cell until you do!" another one told him. Then, they all seemed to turn on him at her words. They grabbed him by the arms and legs, pulling him toward the cell she spoke of. He could easily draw his tomahawk, but it came down to the fat that they had yet to attempt to do him bodily harm. Secondly, though he scarcely believed in such a thing, it would result in a cruel fate to invoke the wrath of a goddess, no matter how terribly obnoxious they were. There had to be a better way to escape. Though, at the moment, the situation looked grim.
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Vexen, in attempting to figure out the secret to this strange world, had developed a new tactic. He had abandoned the vials of blood and had taken to lying on his bed and staring up at the ceiling. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing. He'd even drawn Xaldin's blood while he was in animal form, but it was no different from a regular raccoon's blood.
The door opened, but Vexen paid it no mind until Xigbar was standing directly at his side.
"You done brooding yet?" Xigbar demanded, dragging a chair over and plopping down on it.
"Not nearly," Vexen admitted. "I just... don't understand." It pained him to admit such a thing, but there was nothing else he could do.
"Yeah, that makes all of us," Xigbar rolled his eyes. "This is pretty lame. It's not every day you learn you can turn into an animal... at least you can control it."
"I suppose," Vexen muttered, sitting up to regard the other Nobody. "It just doesn't add up."
"Well, duh." Xigbar rolled his eyes. There was a knock on the doorframe as Xigbar spoke. Without waiting to be invited, Xaldin entered the room and sat at the edge of the bed.
"Would you gentlemen mind if I joined your little party?" he asked. Vexen waved a dismissive hand.
"Knock yourself out," Xigbar told him, grinning. Vexen sighed and shook his head, still greatly confused.
"This is maddening," he groaned. "It doesn't particularly help when the Superior feels the need to downplay my research."
"I think it's become clear that he hasn't the slightest clue as to what he's talking about," Xaldin told him, reassuringly.
"Well, yeah," Xigbar agreed. "He's got a few screws loose, that's for sure. His mind's set on one thing all the time."
"He's such an idealist," Vexen stated, frowning over at Xigbar. "It should have been clear to us long ago that ideas are all that he has."
"So... what're we going to do about it?" Xigbar asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "He won't be happy if we just up and leave."
"We can't follow a clueless leader," Xaldin stated. "But if we betray him, we're just like Number Eight."
"What else can we do then?" Vexen asked. "We can't possibly reason with him."
"Yeah, that'd be a trick," Xigbar rolled his eyes. "'Hey, Xemnas, buddy! You've been great, but now we think you suck. Later, dude!' As if!"
"I think the best thing we can do for now is simply appease him," Xaldin answered. "We'll work in secret and conduct research that should lead us to a better conclusion. We'll just have to do what seems right."
"So we're to act on impulse?" Vexen demanded.
"What else can we do?" Xaldin asked. Vexen fell silent and simply nodded. Xigbar grinned.
"All right!" he exclaimed. "This is my kind of plan!"
END CHAPTER SIX
Lexaeus paid no mind to any of the animals nearby. Distractions were not an option at the moment. He simply concentrated on the large stone at the top of the hill. It was difficult to believe that people worshiped and feared this simple rock, but he figured he may as well see if he could confirm the suspicions of the people around the continent. The rumors of men disappearing when they went alone were thoroughly ridiculous in his opinion. He glanced around and frowned when he spotted a young woman sitting on the ground nearby. It was certainly odd, as she hadn't been there before. He approached her slowly, curiosity getting the better of him.
"Excuse me, ma'am?" he knelt down in front of her, his brows creasing into a frown.
"Have you come to save me?" she asked, looking up at him. She was very pretty. She had jet black hair and crystal blue eyes, giving her a rather eerie look. Her face was red, but it was most likely due to the cold ocean air that had just started to pick up.
"Save you?" he inquired, glancing around. "No, that wasn't really my intention, but I suppose I could..." She smiled and stood, walking toward him, fixing him with that eerie gaze.
"My hero," she stated, leaning forward and latching onto the front of his shirt. He reached out and grabbed her wrists to pry her off.
"Yes, you're very welcome," he told her. "But what precisely am I saving you from?" It was then that she began to laugh. Her shrill cackle filled the air, more frightening than the gaze she still had him fixed with. Lexaeus began to slowly back away, but she held tight to his shirt with almost superhuman strength. It surprised Lexaeus as she had looked quite frail when he first approached her. "Ma'am?"
"Foolish human!" she exclaimed, smirking. "You have wandered into our domain! Now you will never leave!" Lexaeus lifted an eyebrow. She couldn't be serious... and yet she didn't quite look as though she were playing some sort of elaborate joke on a stranger, especially as she began to drag him toward the rock in the center of the shrine.
He attempted to protest, but she would have none of it. Suddenly, he felt a white hot pain coursing through his body-almost as if he were being ripped apart from the inside. He did his best not to show weakness, but when he did eventually try to cry out in pain, no sound came out. He glanced down at his feet just in time to see them disappear from under him. Then, everything went dark.
Lexaeus awoke in some sort of cave. However, it was difficult to tell, due to the severe lack of light. He wasn't even sure how he had managed to get there. He felt something wet on the back of his head, allowing him to assume that he's hit his head on something and was lying in a shallow puddle of his own blood. He lifted himself up into a sitting position, running his hand over the back of his head, though he couldn't see what it was. He sighed and glanced around, blinking, attempting to allow his eyes to adjust to the darkness. Perhaps in the year that he'd been away from it, he had somehow become unfamiliar with it.
Soon enough, a faint light could be seen. Lexaeus squinted, wondering what it could be, attempting to make out the figure that was slowly approaching. He materialized his tomahawk, ready for whatever it could be. As the light got brighter, Lexaeus could make out the form of a young woman. It wasn't, however, the young girl whom he had encountered earlier. She had to have been the one who brought him to the cave.
He put his tomahawk away as she approached with a lit torch in her hand. As he opened his mouth to speak, she held up a hand, halting him. She said nothing, simply reached out her hand to help him up. He reached out as well, feeling obligated to accept her help. She then pulled him up with surprising strength, almost the same that the girl had earlier. She motioned for him to follow and, once again, Lexaeus was compelled to do as she wanted. He followed the light of her torch, absently rubbing his head where, he was almost positive that he was bleeding from.
The woman led him into a lavish chamber. There was another woman there, dressed far more outrageous than he had ever seen. She had a crown of golden leaves placed delicately upon her equally golden hair. Her dress was pure white-somehow, despite the dank cave. As Lexaeus stood before her, her lips spread into an almost predatory grin.
"Welcome!" she exclaimed, standing and stepping down from her throne, examining him as she did so. "My, you are handsome."
"I... thank you..." he fumbled for words, but she merely nodded and made a gesture with her hand. The woman who brought him into the chamber seized him by the arm and dragged him toward another doorway. This time, they entered a much larger room, similar to the Olympus Coliseum. However, Lexaeus was distracted from the architecture by the amount of women who filled the stands. His eyes widened as he attempted to approximate the size of the crowd. There were hundreds of them at the very least and, what seemed to be worse was that they all seemed to fall silent as they laid eyes upon him.
After a moment, a few of the women who had been in the other room approached him, bringing a chair and a bowl of fresh fruit. They forced him down into the chair, and then offered to feed him forcibly. He frowned and attempted to stand and leave, but was immediately forced back into the chair. He began to protest, but immediately realized that it was a mistake. The females who had started giggling fell silent. A shocked silence instead of the seemingly awestruck silence that had occurred previously. Eventually, the young woman who had led him in wrenched him back up, dragging him back out the door to the queen.
"My queen!" she exclaimed, sounding enraged. "He refuses!" The queen said nothing. She only smirked and waved her hand. As they began to drag him away, she finally said something.
"If he refuses to stay, we will force him!" Lexaeus' protests fell upon deaf ears as they dragged him to a chamber, giving him the ability to watch the door slam behind them.
------------------------------
Zexion usually would have no problem with searching for members, especially traitors like Thirteen. What aggravated him was the fact that he was forced to look for him and Nine with Saïx. They would accomplish absolutely nothing with him around unless Xemnas didn't mind having two mangled carcasses dropped at his doorstep where members should have been.
Zexion looked up when Saïx announced that they were approaching a village. He would have been pleased with such a thing, but when he saw which village it was, he groaned and glanced over at the other Nobody. It was a holy village. An extremist holy village. The exact village that Lexaeus had told him never to go within a ten mile radius of, lest he wish to be kidnapped and kept as their personal god for a little less than a week. Zexion wasn't particularly keen on entering a village of fantasies.
"I think it would be in our best interests to go around," he told Saïx. The other Nobody snorted and looked over at him.
"I think I have learned not to trust your judgment," he stated.
"It would do you well to listen to me this time," Zexion snapped, growing irritated. "I know this land far better than you. I really think you should listen to my advice now."
"The Superior sent you here to assist me in the capture of Thirteen," Saïx reminded him. "He didn't send you to avoid possible places that Thirteen may be."
"If Thirteen is at all intelligent, he would have avoided this place too," Zexion grumbled. "I really, really suggest that we avoid this place at all costs."
"And we're really, really done talking about this," Saïx snapped mockingly. "Let's go."
"You're sending us directly into the lion's den..." Zexion sighed, not moving from where he was standing.
"End of discussion," Saïx said, glancing back at him. "Start walking." Zexion crossed his arms over his chest. Saïx growled and grabbed him by the elbow, dragging him in the direction of the village. Zexion wrenched his arm away after a moment's struggle before following him. He was reluctant, but if Saïx was to send them to an early grave, he would prefer to go dignified and at his own will, at least for now.
Upon arriving, Saïx immediately regarded the town with intense dislike. There was a cross hanging from every door and a temple was obviously the town's most important building. Saïx glanced over at Zexion, who, in turn, gave Saïx a look that plainly said 'I told you so.'
"Where are all the people?" Saïx asked, more to himself than to Zexion.
"The temple," Zexion answered him, pointing. "Here, they pray until noon. As I said, if Thirteen knows what's good for him, he will stay as far away from this place as possible. We should follow that example and leave before prayer is over."
"Oh?" Saïx actually chuckled. "And what are religious fanatic villagers going to do us?"
"You'd be surprised," Zexion said, in quite a hurry at the moment, grabbing Saïx's arm. "I'll explain once we get out of here." The sun was high in the sky, allowing Zexion to assume that it was nearly noon, meaning they did not have very much time to linger before they were discovered.
"Not without Thirteen," Saïx snapped, pulling away from him.
"If he's in there, he's a lost cause," Zexion protested. "We need to go!"
However, it was too late, as the doors to the temple burst open and a flood of people exited, heading straight for them. Zexion's eyes widened as did the man's who first spotted them. The crowd continued to gather around until there were only hushed whispers that were coming from all sides. They were surrounded.
"Shit..." Zexion wasn't usually one to curse, but at that particular moment, it seemed appropriate.
"Excuse me. Pardon me. What is going on?" At that point, the priest pushed his way through the crowd. He paused and stared at the two Nobodies in wonder. For a moment, Zexion thought he was paralyzed, but then a wide grin spread across his face. "Oh, goodness! The gods are among us!" He then collapsed to the ground, groveling before them. Saïx glanced over at Zexion, smirking.
"See?" he said. "Nothing to worry about."
"This is what I was worried about," Zexion hissed.
"Oh, please, wondrous gods," the priest said, lifting his face off the ground. "Allow us to bring you into our temple. We shall give you what you desire from us!"
"Very well," Saïx said, waving a hand, seeming quite interested in this praise. Zexion, however, was still very worried. Not because of the god treatment, but what was to come after it.
----------------------------------
It was a little past noon when Larxene finally decided to emerge from her room. Luckily it hadn't been later, as tempers were wearing thin. Axel seemed perfectly content with setting Marluxia's hair on fire; Luxord had moved to another table and was currently winning at a game of poker. Naminé had actually taken refuge behind a fake plant in the corner and was drawing numerous pictures of Axel and Marluxia holding hands and being friendly. Larxene smirked and placed a hand on Axel's shoulder as he approached and shoved him down into a chair.
"Nice to see you boys get along so well," she mused, sitting down in what was previously Luxord's chair.
"Nice to see you've decided to join us," Marluxia said, ignoring her comment, sitting down again and picking up a hairbrush. Though he didn't care to say it, he was grateful that Larxene showed up before his hair was destroyed.
"It's about time," Axel snapped, crossing his arms. Naminé rejoined them at that point, returning to her seat at Marluxia's side.
"So what's the plan for today?" Larxene asked, choosing to ignore Axel for the moment.
"I'm not entirely sure," Marluxia admitted, running a hand through his once again immaculate hair. "What else can we do besides walk around and look?"
"I thought you were so positive that we were going to find someone today," Axel pointed out. "What happened to that optimism?" Once again, Axel's statement went ignored.
"Then maybe we should split up," Larxene suggested. Marluxia cocked an eyebrow.
"I suppose that's the best plan we've got," he admitted. "We'll cover more ground that way and heighten our chances of finding someone."
"Exactly," Larxene nodded. "We'll have the advantage if we get going right now." She glanced over at Luxord. "Hey! Gambler of Fate! Stop cheating and get over here!"
"Cheating! I beg your pardon!" he snapped, gathering his winnings from the disgruntled man and rejoining them anyway.
"Right," Larxene said, rolling her eyes. "I'll take the 'lucky' one and Mr. Grumpy Face here." Both Luxord and Axel shot her a glare, but Marluxia spoke before another fight could break out.
"Then Naminé and I will head toward the shrine," he said with a short nod.
"Sounds good," Larxene said, tilting her chair back. "When do you want to meet back here?"
"We'll say three days," Marluxia said after a moment of silence. "That will give us time to look carefully and get back here. We can meet at the cottage if anyone gets back early."
"Sounds good to me," Larxene let her chair fall to the ground with a 'thud.' "Let's move out you two!"
"Who made you captain of this operation?" Luxord demanded.
"What if we don't want to go with you?" Axel added.
"Then you two can stay here and try to find your allies in a land that you know absolutely nothing about." She smiled sweetly and turned to leave. It didn't take long for the two males to grumble as they stood to follow after her. Marluxia chuckled and watched them go before glancing over at Naminé.
"Are you ready to go?" he asked. Naminé looked up at him and nodded her head slowly, not speaking. "Excellent. Let's get going then. We have quite a bit of ground to cover." She nodded once again and allowed him to steer her out of the room.
-------------------------------
Lexaeus was going to go insane, plain and simple. He had come to the shrine to find out what was going on in the world. What he had discovered was that the goddesses were hussies, causing problems and kidnapping humans for their own amusement. There were several of them at the moment, attempting to shove grapes down his throat. While he appreciated that they didn't want him to starve, every single one of their hands touching every inch of his body was a bit much.
"Ladies, please!" he demanded. "I've had just about enough! I thank you for your kindness, but I implore you, return me to the surface!"
"Why should we?" one asked. "When you... amuse us so?"
"While I am thrilled to have been your entertainment for this evening," he told them. "I really must be going." There was a unanimous giggle, signaling the fact that he was only succeeding in amusing them further. He groaned, growing more anxious by the second.
"If you are not going to cooperate, you will be locked in your cell until you do!" another one told him. Then, they all seemed to turn on him at her words. They grabbed him by the arms and legs, pulling him toward the cell she spoke of. He could easily draw his tomahawk, but it came down to the fat that they had yet to attempt to do him bodily harm. Secondly, though he scarcely believed in such a thing, it would result in a cruel fate to invoke the wrath of a goddess, no matter how terribly obnoxious they were. There had to be a better way to escape. Though, at the moment, the situation looked grim.
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Vexen, in attempting to figure out the secret to this strange world, had developed a new tactic. He had abandoned the vials of blood and had taken to lying on his bed and staring up at the ceiling. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing. He'd even drawn Xaldin's blood while he was in animal form, but it was no different from a regular raccoon's blood.
The door opened, but Vexen paid it no mind until Xigbar was standing directly at his side.
"You done brooding yet?" Xigbar demanded, dragging a chair over and plopping down on it.
"Not nearly," Vexen admitted. "I just... don't understand." It pained him to admit such a thing, but there was nothing else he could do.
"Yeah, that makes all of us," Xigbar rolled his eyes. "This is pretty lame. It's not every day you learn you can turn into an animal... at least you can control it."
"I suppose," Vexen muttered, sitting up to regard the other Nobody. "It just doesn't add up."
"Well, duh." Xigbar rolled his eyes. There was a knock on the doorframe as Xigbar spoke. Without waiting to be invited, Xaldin entered the room and sat at the edge of the bed.
"Would you gentlemen mind if I joined your little party?" he asked. Vexen waved a dismissive hand.
"Knock yourself out," Xigbar told him, grinning. Vexen sighed and shook his head, still greatly confused.
"This is maddening," he groaned. "It doesn't particularly help when the Superior feels the need to downplay my research."
"I think it's become clear that he hasn't the slightest clue as to what he's talking about," Xaldin told him, reassuringly.
"Well, yeah," Xigbar agreed. "He's got a few screws loose, that's for sure. His mind's set on one thing all the time."
"He's such an idealist," Vexen stated, frowning over at Xigbar. "It should have been clear to us long ago that ideas are all that he has."
"So... what're we going to do about it?" Xigbar asked, crossing his arms over his chest. "He won't be happy if we just up and leave."
"We can't follow a clueless leader," Xaldin stated. "But if we betray him, we're just like Number Eight."
"What else can we do then?" Vexen asked. "We can't possibly reason with him."
"Yeah, that'd be a trick," Xigbar rolled his eyes. "'Hey, Xemnas, buddy! You've been great, but now we think you suck. Later, dude!' As if!"
"I think the best thing we can do for now is simply appease him," Xaldin answered. "We'll work in secret and conduct research that should lead us to a better conclusion. We'll just have to do what seems right."
"So we're to act on impulse?" Vexen demanded.
"What else can we do?" Xaldin asked. Vexen fell silent and simply nodded. Xigbar grinned.
"All right!" he exclaimed. "This is my kind of plan!"
END CHAPTER SIX
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