Categories > Games > Kingdom Hearts > Facade
Chapter 7: A Game of Cat and Mouse
2 reviewsDeath 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 ...
1Exciting
The sun was beginning to sink gracefully below the horizon. A small, domesticated house cat had wandered into the field beyond the town in search of more food than its owner had set out for it. The animal was quite nervous. It had never ventured so far from the village before. It wanted to catch a mouse for its pet humans, though, so it ventured on. Surely they would appreciate the gift.
It spotted a tiny field mouse, not very far from where it had stopped to scratch behind its ear. It lowered itself into the tall grass, readying himself for a short chase. It was set to pounce when it heard something else stalking through the grass. The mouse heard it too and scrambled away quickly before diving into its burrow. The cat cursed its rotten luck and bounded away toward the village. Maybe next time.
Marluxia escorted Naminé toward the village. The two of them had walked in silence since that morning, both lost in their own thoughts. Naminé had stolen small glances in his direction out of curiosity, but he either didn't notice or didn't particularly care. Either that or he simply didn't say anything about it. He was a complete mystery to Naminé.
When they reached the town, he took her by the arm and quickly led her to the inn. Before she knew it, he had led her into her own room and she was in bed, just as the sun was spreading its final rays through the window. He followed her gaze toward the glass pane and stood to leave her be. She frowned and reached out to grab onto his shirt sleeve. He paused, tilting his head back to regard her with utmost curiosity.
"Don't go," she told him. The surprise was apparent in the expression on his face, so she went on to explain. "I'm... afraid. I don't know this place very well. Don't leave me alone here." It was then that she suddenly realized the irony and hypocrisy in her words. In all her time at Castle Oblivion with him, she had spent every minute begging him to leave her be. He was acting so different now; it was as if he were a totally different person. Somehow... kinder after his death.
"I see..." he said after a moment. "Then I'll stay for now." She smiled as he sat down next to her. She reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, nuzzling her face against his chest. There was a warm, fuzzy sensation and she wasn't quite sure where it came from. She tilted her head up to study his face, trying to learn more about him. He watched her for a moment before glancing up at the window. A small grin spread over his features as he glanced down at her once again. He then dipped his head slightly to press his lips to hers in a gently kiss. Her eyes widened for a moment, but then she closed her eyes and tightened her hold around his waist, no longer wishing to let go. The kiss was different from the times he had kissed her before in Castle Oblivion. His hands in her hair were gentle, not demanding, as they used to be so many times before. At any other time, she would have been afraid of him, only returning his kiss because of her fear. Right now, however, he made her feel safe.
Reality, however, returned to her as he pulled away. This was Marluxia. He was the man-if he could even be called that-who had made her life a living hell. Who had enslaved her and caused her so much pain and suffering. She backed away from him and noticed the sun sink below the horizon. She transformed then and suddenly the room and everything in it was so much larger. He stood and offered her a small smile.
"Goodnight, my lovely flower." He reached out to pet her tiny head. He then turned from the tiny mouse and left her to sleep.
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The cat was sitting by a tree, scowling off into the distance. It had received absolutely no food that day. Because of that, his companion was beginning to look like a tasty feast. He held off, though. He wasn't used to cannibalism anyway. Surely his hunting instinct would kick in and would certainly come in handy.
"I'm hungry," the rabbit whined, glancing over at the cat. The cat rolled his eyes.
"Stop complaining," he commanded. "I'll go hunt for food."
"But you don't know how to hunt," the rabbit pointed out, lifting his head from his paw to regard the cat with skepticism.
"It's not like you could do any better," the cat snapped. "I'll figure it out."
"But I'm an herbivore..." The cat hissed, greatly annoyed.
"Are you hungry or not?"
"Yes..." the rabbit said softly, lowering his head.
"Beggars can't be choosers." The cat turned his tail to leave.
"Roxas..."
"What, Demyx?" The cat turned back to glare at his companion.
"...good luck!" Roxas turned again and bounded away to hunt for something. Anything. Demyx watched the cat until he was out of sight. He slumped against a tree to relax, sighing softly. And people thought animals had it easy. Demyx was quite ready to just sit there and wait for Roxas, but he heard voices quite close by, causing his ears to perk up in alarm.
"Next time it would do you well to listen to my advice." That had to be Zexion.
"That was just an unfortunate situation," another voice growled. It was not human, Demyx could tell that much. His eyes widened as realization dawned. Zexion was talking to a wolf!
"Yes, unfortunate that you're so stubborn," Zexion retorted. "We were only just able to escape due to your transformation. We were lucky they only feast at night."
"Exactly. So it was because of me that we escaped."
"However unintentional it may have been..." Zexion muttered. Demyx was confused about why Roxas wanted to keep away from him. Zexion was nice. But that wolf... that worried Demyx.
"Be quiet," the wolf snapped, sniffing the air.
"I've already resolved never to follow your instructions again. I'm not willing to die because of your stupid mistakes," Zexion said. His words were lost, however, as a predatory smirk appeared on Saïx's features. He let out a howl and charged. Zexion was greatly confused for a moment until he spotted the rabbit. He let out a string of uncharacteristically colorful curses and took off after them. He picked up a branch that had fallen from the tree. Saïx caught up with the rabbit and snatched it in his powerful jaws, none too gently.
"Seven! Number Seven! Saïx, dammit!" Zexion scolded and brought the branch around to hit the wolf on the nose. Saïx yelped and growled, dropping the rabbit to the ground. He continued to growl angrily as Zexion stooped down to pick up the fallen rabbit. He used Saïx's shirt to wrap it up and sighed. He turned to the wolf and frowned. "Let's go. The Superior is waiting." Saïx growled again, but made no move to attack again. Zexion turned and hurried back toward the hideout. They didn't have much time and he had a feeling that this was no ordinary rabbit.
Not long after they had left, the cat returned to the grisly scene. He wasn't at all prepared for the sight that greeted him. There was blood everywhere and Demyx was nowhere to be found. He hissed and moved to hide under a bush. He wasn't going to take any chances if the predator was still there. He would wait until morning and then go to town for help. Hopefully Demyx had better survival skills than Roxas thought he did.
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Everything was extremely blurry at first. It was difficult to make out exactly what anything was. There were two people leaning over him, discussing something that sounded really serious. Demyx blinked, attempting to focus. As his eyes adjusted he realized who was standing over him and he started to panic. Vexen glanced down at him, an almost concerned look on his face.
"Oh, good," he said, drawing Zexion's attention to him as well. "You're awake. How do you feel?"
Demyx attempted to sit up slowly, but Zexion placed a hand gently on his chest and pushed him back down, looking as though he would scold him if he tried it again. Demyx watched Vexen study a red something in a vial for a moment. He was feeling greatly on-edge, especially with Zexion there.
"Well," Vexen finally said, after examining him. "You're lucky. That's for sure."
"Lucky?" Demyx inquired, glancing between the two of them. All he could remember was running away in fear. Vexen sighed and pointed down at his chest. Demyx frowned and sat up, wincing slightly as he did so. He finally realized what Vexen had meant. His chest and stomach were now bandaged tightly. "I... what happened to me?"
"You were attacked," Zexion explained simply, looking away from him. "You're lucky I was nearby, otherwise you wouldn't have made it." Demyx nodded, falling silent, trying to think about the past night's events. Vexen glanced between the two of them and took a step back, obviously sensing the tension between them.
"I'm going to inform the Superior of your condition," he told Demyx. He then nodded to Zexion and left the room.
There was a complete and awkward silence for a while. Demyx shot glances toward the other Nobody, but his eyes did not linger for long. He wanted to say something, but he wasn't sure exactly what he could say. From what he remembered, the original six were always so stuffy about how their inferiors addressed them. As Zexion opened his mouth to break the silence, Demyx managed to cut him off.
"I'm sorry for..."
"Don't worry about it," Zexion told him before he could finish. "It really doesn't matter."
"Yeah, but, Zexion... I mean, um... Number Six!" Demyx stumbled for his words before sighing and lying back down on the bed. "Okay... never mind. It doesn't really matter, right?" Zexion nodded his head. There were a few more moments of a rather tense silence before Zexion spoke again.
"What the hell is a kid like you doing in an Organization like this?" Zexion asked, shaking his head. Demyx glanced up at Zexion to see the other Nobody studying him. He frowned a little bit at his superior.
"Hey, I'm just as important as you are! I do my missions! I mean, I don't always remember what to say and they don't always get done well, but I can do it!" Demyx protested.
"I'm not talking about your competence or ability to complete a mission," Zexion informed him, sitting down on the metal table beside him.
"Oh..." Demyx looked down, his face flushing slightly.
"I'm talking about... just..." he frowned and sighed. "I'm talking just about you," he managed to finish, going on as if Demyx hadn't spoken.
"Wait..." Demyx told him. "You're not trying to trick me again, are you?" He could have sworn that Zexion almost smiled, but in a second, whatever faint trace of a grin was gone.
"No," Zexion told him, leaning back and resting his hands on the bed behind him. "I'm not trying to trick you anymore." Demyx hesitated and sighed, finally deciding that if Zexion really wanted to trick him, there was no point as he was already in his house and that he really couldn't go anywhere anyway.
"All right," Demyx nodded his head. He fell silent once more. He never really had a conversation with Zexion before, so he had no idea what to say.
"So... a rabbit, hm?" Zexion glanced over at him, lifting an eyebrow.
"Huh? Oh, yeah," Demyx grinned a little bit, lifting his hand to rub the back of his neck. "I'm a rabbit. Wish I could be something..."
"Alertness, safety... overcoming your fears," Zexion said, cutting him off. "There's nothing wrong with being a rabbit." Demyx paused for a second and smiled.
"Yeah, I guess you're right!" he said. "It's just all the fuzz. It gets in the way."
"I suppose it would," Zexion agreed.
"I can hide, though," Demyx told him, now feeling a bit more comfortable in the presence of the older Nobody. "I've been able to run away from a lot of predators and people and sometimes even goddesses don't see me!"
"What do you mean by that?" Zexion asked, fixing him with a rather confused look.
"Well, I saw Lex-er, Number Five at this rock thing and some goddess pulled him in. I mean... I figured she was a goddess, since she could drag him like that... where are you going?" Zexion had stood up and was heading toward the door, cutting off Demyx's conversation.
"I have to go. He may need help." Zexion then rushed out of the room, toward the front door and out.
Demyx sat on his bed for a few moments, glancing around and kicking his feet off the side. When he was sure that no one was coming, he got up slowly and left as well. He greatly preferred to be around Roxas than Vexen or the Superior. That was for sure.
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Roxas had begun his search of the village the very second the sun broke the horizon and he had gotten his clothes back on. So far, he had no luck in finding Demyx, alive or his corpse, but Roxas was not willing to give up so easily. It was partially his fault anyway for leaving him alone when he knew full well that he was defenseless as a rabbit. He sat down at the bar in the inn and sighed. It seemed hopeless. He could be anywhere by now. He might not even be in one piece.
The inn wasn't busy at all, which Roxas was quite grateful for. There was hardly anybody there, though he assumed it was only natural that most people didn't hang out in bars in the early morning. He glanced around, however, to see if somebody looked as though they could help him. He heard footsteps from the stairs nearby. Roxas stood and walked over, deciding to as whoever it was for help as soon as they emerged. Roxas then found himself face to face with the last person he ever thought he'd see again: Naminé.
"Oh, hello Roxas," she smiled at him as his shock wore off. She didn't seem surprised in the slightest, which struck him as odd.
"Naminé... he said. "Good! I need your help!" He grasped her hands and tried to pull her toward the door.
"My help? Wait, Roxas," she frowned and squeezed his hands. "What do you need help with?"
"Demyx is missing," he told her. "Help me find him. It's my fault if he dies or gets kidnapped."
"We have to wait for someone..." she told him, quite surprised that he actually seemed to care. Roxas frowned and looked back at her.
"Naminé, he could die!" he practically yelled, causing several people to glance back at them. He tried to say it gently, but it just wasn't in his nature. "Who are we waiting for that's so important?"
She knew he would be angry. Even Zexion would have rolled his eyes at her for this and he didn't even care. She bit her lip and glanced toward the stairs, hoping he would appear. That would be explanation enough, she figured. However, he did not come. She sighed and looked back down at Roxas, who was waiting none too patiently for her explanation. She looked down at her feet and opened her mouth to explain, but another voice spoke for her.
"Surely you aren't thinking of leaving without me." Naminé glanced up and saw Marluxia with his hand on Roxas' shoulder. Roxas' eyes widened and he jumped away from him, drawing his Keyblade and readying himself for a fight. Several patrons screamed and one woman grabbed her child and ran out the door.
"You!" Roxas snapped, glaring at Marluxia and completely ignoring the panic around him.
"Yes, me," Marluxia told him, calmly. "Are you planning to kill me before or after asking for an explanation?"
"Roxas, wait!" Naminé told him, taking hold of his elbow gently, trying to hold him back before he did anything rash.
"Why should I? He betrayed us!" he snapped.
"Roxas..." Naminé said kindly. "You... kind of did too..."
"That was different!" he snapped at her, glaring.
"How so?" Marluxia inquired. "A traitor is a traitor, apparently, as you don't seem to like listening to excuses."
"Shut up!" Roxas yelled at him.
"Roxas, wait, please," Naminé told him again. "We'll both help you look for Demyx. We've been looking for him too. We need to work together so that the others don't have the advantage." Roxas hesitated and eyed Marluxia with disdain before finally putting his Keyblade away.
"Fine..." he said, sighing. "But I don't trust him." The pandemonium seemed to calm down as Roxas put his weapon away, but the patrons were still wary. Marluxia seemed to notice this and nodded his head.
"Of course," he smiled. "We've lingered long enough. We should return to Axel and the others before we look for Demyx, especially if he is where I think he is at the moment."
"Axel?" Roxas asked, his brows creasing together in a frown. They had quite a bit that they needed to talk about. Marluxia nodded and turned, smirking, before he led the way out of the inn, finally relieving all people inside.
END CHAPTER 7
It spotted a tiny field mouse, not very far from where it had stopped to scratch behind its ear. It lowered itself into the tall grass, readying himself for a short chase. It was set to pounce when it heard something else stalking through the grass. The mouse heard it too and scrambled away quickly before diving into its burrow. The cat cursed its rotten luck and bounded away toward the village. Maybe next time.
Marluxia escorted Naminé toward the village. The two of them had walked in silence since that morning, both lost in their own thoughts. Naminé had stolen small glances in his direction out of curiosity, but he either didn't notice or didn't particularly care. Either that or he simply didn't say anything about it. He was a complete mystery to Naminé.
When they reached the town, he took her by the arm and quickly led her to the inn. Before she knew it, he had led her into her own room and she was in bed, just as the sun was spreading its final rays through the window. He followed her gaze toward the glass pane and stood to leave her be. She frowned and reached out to grab onto his shirt sleeve. He paused, tilting his head back to regard her with utmost curiosity.
"Don't go," she told him. The surprise was apparent in the expression on his face, so she went on to explain. "I'm... afraid. I don't know this place very well. Don't leave me alone here." It was then that she suddenly realized the irony and hypocrisy in her words. In all her time at Castle Oblivion with him, she had spent every minute begging him to leave her be. He was acting so different now; it was as if he were a totally different person. Somehow... kinder after his death.
"I see..." he said after a moment. "Then I'll stay for now." She smiled as he sat down next to her. She reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, nuzzling her face against his chest. There was a warm, fuzzy sensation and she wasn't quite sure where it came from. She tilted her head up to study his face, trying to learn more about him. He watched her for a moment before glancing up at the window. A small grin spread over his features as he glanced down at her once again. He then dipped his head slightly to press his lips to hers in a gently kiss. Her eyes widened for a moment, but then she closed her eyes and tightened her hold around his waist, no longer wishing to let go. The kiss was different from the times he had kissed her before in Castle Oblivion. His hands in her hair were gentle, not demanding, as they used to be so many times before. At any other time, she would have been afraid of him, only returning his kiss because of her fear. Right now, however, he made her feel safe.
Reality, however, returned to her as he pulled away. This was Marluxia. He was the man-if he could even be called that-who had made her life a living hell. Who had enslaved her and caused her so much pain and suffering. She backed away from him and noticed the sun sink below the horizon. She transformed then and suddenly the room and everything in it was so much larger. He stood and offered her a small smile.
"Goodnight, my lovely flower." He reached out to pet her tiny head. He then turned from the tiny mouse and left her to sleep.
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The cat was sitting by a tree, scowling off into the distance. It had received absolutely no food that day. Because of that, his companion was beginning to look like a tasty feast. He held off, though. He wasn't used to cannibalism anyway. Surely his hunting instinct would kick in and would certainly come in handy.
"I'm hungry," the rabbit whined, glancing over at the cat. The cat rolled his eyes.
"Stop complaining," he commanded. "I'll go hunt for food."
"But you don't know how to hunt," the rabbit pointed out, lifting his head from his paw to regard the cat with skepticism.
"It's not like you could do any better," the cat snapped. "I'll figure it out."
"But I'm an herbivore..." The cat hissed, greatly annoyed.
"Are you hungry or not?"
"Yes..." the rabbit said softly, lowering his head.
"Beggars can't be choosers." The cat turned his tail to leave.
"Roxas..."
"What, Demyx?" The cat turned back to glare at his companion.
"...good luck!" Roxas turned again and bounded away to hunt for something. Anything. Demyx watched the cat until he was out of sight. He slumped against a tree to relax, sighing softly. And people thought animals had it easy. Demyx was quite ready to just sit there and wait for Roxas, but he heard voices quite close by, causing his ears to perk up in alarm.
"Next time it would do you well to listen to my advice." That had to be Zexion.
"That was just an unfortunate situation," another voice growled. It was not human, Demyx could tell that much. His eyes widened as realization dawned. Zexion was talking to a wolf!
"Yes, unfortunate that you're so stubborn," Zexion retorted. "We were only just able to escape due to your transformation. We were lucky they only feast at night."
"Exactly. So it was because of me that we escaped."
"However unintentional it may have been..." Zexion muttered. Demyx was confused about why Roxas wanted to keep away from him. Zexion was nice. But that wolf... that worried Demyx.
"Be quiet," the wolf snapped, sniffing the air.
"I've already resolved never to follow your instructions again. I'm not willing to die because of your stupid mistakes," Zexion said. His words were lost, however, as a predatory smirk appeared on Saïx's features. He let out a howl and charged. Zexion was greatly confused for a moment until he spotted the rabbit. He let out a string of uncharacteristically colorful curses and took off after them. He picked up a branch that had fallen from the tree. Saïx caught up with the rabbit and snatched it in his powerful jaws, none too gently.
"Seven! Number Seven! Saïx, dammit!" Zexion scolded and brought the branch around to hit the wolf on the nose. Saïx yelped and growled, dropping the rabbit to the ground. He continued to growl angrily as Zexion stooped down to pick up the fallen rabbit. He used Saïx's shirt to wrap it up and sighed. He turned to the wolf and frowned. "Let's go. The Superior is waiting." Saïx growled again, but made no move to attack again. Zexion turned and hurried back toward the hideout. They didn't have much time and he had a feeling that this was no ordinary rabbit.
Not long after they had left, the cat returned to the grisly scene. He wasn't at all prepared for the sight that greeted him. There was blood everywhere and Demyx was nowhere to be found. He hissed and moved to hide under a bush. He wasn't going to take any chances if the predator was still there. He would wait until morning and then go to town for help. Hopefully Demyx had better survival skills than Roxas thought he did.
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Everything was extremely blurry at first. It was difficult to make out exactly what anything was. There were two people leaning over him, discussing something that sounded really serious. Demyx blinked, attempting to focus. As his eyes adjusted he realized who was standing over him and he started to panic. Vexen glanced down at him, an almost concerned look on his face.
"Oh, good," he said, drawing Zexion's attention to him as well. "You're awake. How do you feel?"
Demyx attempted to sit up slowly, but Zexion placed a hand gently on his chest and pushed him back down, looking as though he would scold him if he tried it again. Demyx watched Vexen study a red something in a vial for a moment. He was feeling greatly on-edge, especially with Zexion there.
"Well," Vexen finally said, after examining him. "You're lucky. That's for sure."
"Lucky?" Demyx inquired, glancing between the two of them. All he could remember was running away in fear. Vexen sighed and pointed down at his chest. Demyx frowned and sat up, wincing slightly as he did so. He finally realized what Vexen had meant. His chest and stomach were now bandaged tightly. "I... what happened to me?"
"You were attacked," Zexion explained simply, looking away from him. "You're lucky I was nearby, otherwise you wouldn't have made it." Demyx nodded, falling silent, trying to think about the past night's events. Vexen glanced between the two of them and took a step back, obviously sensing the tension between them.
"I'm going to inform the Superior of your condition," he told Demyx. He then nodded to Zexion and left the room.
There was a complete and awkward silence for a while. Demyx shot glances toward the other Nobody, but his eyes did not linger for long. He wanted to say something, but he wasn't sure exactly what he could say. From what he remembered, the original six were always so stuffy about how their inferiors addressed them. As Zexion opened his mouth to break the silence, Demyx managed to cut him off.
"I'm sorry for..."
"Don't worry about it," Zexion told him before he could finish. "It really doesn't matter."
"Yeah, but, Zexion... I mean, um... Number Six!" Demyx stumbled for his words before sighing and lying back down on the bed. "Okay... never mind. It doesn't really matter, right?" Zexion nodded his head. There were a few more moments of a rather tense silence before Zexion spoke again.
"What the hell is a kid like you doing in an Organization like this?" Zexion asked, shaking his head. Demyx glanced up at Zexion to see the other Nobody studying him. He frowned a little bit at his superior.
"Hey, I'm just as important as you are! I do my missions! I mean, I don't always remember what to say and they don't always get done well, but I can do it!" Demyx protested.
"I'm not talking about your competence or ability to complete a mission," Zexion informed him, sitting down on the metal table beside him.
"Oh..." Demyx looked down, his face flushing slightly.
"I'm talking about... just..." he frowned and sighed. "I'm talking just about you," he managed to finish, going on as if Demyx hadn't spoken.
"Wait..." Demyx told him. "You're not trying to trick me again, are you?" He could have sworn that Zexion almost smiled, but in a second, whatever faint trace of a grin was gone.
"No," Zexion told him, leaning back and resting his hands on the bed behind him. "I'm not trying to trick you anymore." Demyx hesitated and sighed, finally deciding that if Zexion really wanted to trick him, there was no point as he was already in his house and that he really couldn't go anywhere anyway.
"All right," Demyx nodded his head. He fell silent once more. He never really had a conversation with Zexion before, so he had no idea what to say.
"So... a rabbit, hm?" Zexion glanced over at him, lifting an eyebrow.
"Huh? Oh, yeah," Demyx grinned a little bit, lifting his hand to rub the back of his neck. "I'm a rabbit. Wish I could be something..."
"Alertness, safety... overcoming your fears," Zexion said, cutting him off. "There's nothing wrong with being a rabbit." Demyx paused for a second and smiled.
"Yeah, I guess you're right!" he said. "It's just all the fuzz. It gets in the way."
"I suppose it would," Zexion agreed.
"I can hide, though," Demyx told him, now feeling a bit more comfortable in the presence of the older Nobody. "I've been able to run away from a lot of predators and people and sometimes even goddesses don't see me!"
"What do you mean by that?" Zexion asked, fixing him with a rather confused look.
"Well, I saw Lex-er, Number Five at this rock thing and some goddess pulled him in. I mean... I figured she was a goddess, since she could drag him like that... where are you going?" Zexion had stood up and was heading toward the door, cutting off Demyx's conversation.
"I have to go. He may need help." Zexion then rushed out of the room, toward the front door and out.
Demyx sat on his bed for a few moments, glancing around and kicking his feet off the side. When he was sure that no one was coming, he got up slowly and left as well. He greatly preferred to be around Roxas than Vexen or the Superior. That was for sure.
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Roxas had begun his search of the village the very second the sun broke the horizon and he had gotten his clothes back on. So far, he had no luck in finding Demyx, alive or his corpse, but Roxas was not willing to give up so easily. It was partially his fault anyway for leaving him alone when he knew full well that he was defenseless as a rabbit. He sat down at the bar in the inn and sighed. It seemed hopeless. He could be anywhere by now. He might not even be in one piece.
The inn wasn't busy at all, which Roxas was quite grateful for. There was hardly anybody there, though he assumed it was only natural that most people didn't hang out in bars in the early morning. He glanced around, however, to see if somebody looked as though they could help him. He heard footsteps from the stairs nearby. Roxas stood and walked over, deciding to as whoever it was for help as soon as they emerged. Roxas then found himself face to face with the last person he ever thought he'd see again: Naminé.
"Oh, hello Roxas," she smiled at him as his shock wore off. She didn't seem surprised in the slightest, which struck him as odd.
"Naminé... he said. "Good! I need your help!" He grasped her hands and tried to pull her toward the door.
"My help? Wait, Roxas," she frowned and squeezed his hands. "What do you need help with?"
"Demyx is missing," he told her. "Help me find him. It's my fault if he dies or gets kidnapped."
"We have to wait for someone..." she told him, quite surprised that he actually seemed to care. Roxas frowned and looked back at her.
"Naminé, he could die!" he practically yelled, causing several people to glance back at them. He tried to say it gently, but it just wasn't in his nature. "Who are we waiting for that's so important?"
She knew he would be angry. Even Zexion would have rolled his eyes at her for this and he didn't even care. She bit her lip and glanced toward the stairs, hoping he would appear. That would be explanation enough, she figured. However, he did not come. She sighed and looked back down at Roxas, who was waiting none too patiently for her explanation. She looked down at her feet and opened her mouth to explain, but another voice spoke for her.
"Surely you aren't thinking of leaving without me." Naminé glanced up and saw Marluxia with his hand on Roxas' shoulder. Roxas' eyes widened and he jumped away from him, drawing his Keyblade and readying himself for a fight. Several patrons screamed and one woman grabbed her child and ran out the door.
"You!" Roxas snapped, glaring at Marluxia and completely ignoring the panic around him.
"Yes, me," Marluxia told him, calmly. "Are you planning to kill me before or after asking for an explanation?"
"Roxas, wait!" Naminé told him, taking hold of his elbow gently, trying to hold him back before he did anything rash.
"Why should I? He betrayed us!" he snapped.
"Roxas..." Naminé said kindly. "You... kind of did too..."
"That was different!" he snapped at her, glaring.
"How so?" Marluxia inquired. "A traitor is a traitor, apparently, as you don't seem to like listening to excuses."
"Shut up!" Roxas yelled at him.
"Roxas, wait, please," Naminé told him again. "We'll both help you look for Demyx. We've been looking for him too. We need to work together so that the others don't have the advantage." Roxas hesitated and eyed Marluxia with disdain before finally putting his Keyblade away.
"Fine..." he said, sighing. "But I don't trust him." The pandemonium seemed to calm down as Roxas put his weapon away, but the patrons were still wary. Marluxia seemed to notice this and nodded his head.
"Of course," he smiled. "We've lingered long enough. We should return to Axel and the others before we look for Demyx, especially if he is where I think he is at the moment."
"Axel?" Roxas asked, his brows creasing together in a frown. They had quite a bit that they needed to talk about. Marluxia nodded and turned, smirking, before he led the way out of the inn, finally relieving all people inside.
END CHAPTER 7
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