Author: Trilies
Genre : Romance
Word length 2328
Sypnosis Lexaeus has a lot to learn about their new seventh member.
Rating PG-13, for mentionings of injury
Yaoi/Yuri/Pairings: Saix/Lexaeus
Lunar Eclipse
"One arm broken. Multiple lacerations. A black eye. I doubt you'll feel anything but pure pain in your left leg for a while, considering that the entire thing is covered in bruises. And, the cherry on top of the cake..."
Zexion sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose. Subtly and quietly, he glances at the unconscious figure lying on the nearby bed. "Saix has been unconscious since the moment you got back from your joint mission. Yet you don't want me to inform Xemnas, or any of the other three members of this."
With one arm in a cast and the other fists gently on his lap, Lexaeus only nods solemnly. "That's right."
I need to go on another cooking binge Zexion thinks to himself as he places his arms akimbo from his hips. "So this is the sort of tomfoolery Vexen must go through when he isn't unfortunately ill," he sighs. The comment earns a small smile from Lexaeus. "I can only imagine how much worse his temperament will become when this mere group of seven grows larger."
"With any luck, we'll come upon a Nobody who was a doctor," Lexaeus says, running his hands over the cast in curiosity. Even as Elaeus, he never had to suffer from a broken limb before.
"Ah, if only." Zexion falls silent, looking over his friend. Bandages are wrapped tight over Lexaeus' bare chest, with red blossoms staining the clean white. The flesh around one side of his face is bruised black and purple, and there's a small cut on his lip. With a frown, Zexion sits next to him on the clean green sheets.
"I'll keep my silence, but Lexaeus... Can I at least know what happened?"
--------------------------
"So. This is why you were reluctant to leave the Castle."
Saix doesn't reply to the observation, but the grimace which twists across his face says it all. Blood coats his face from the x-shaped wound which crosses over the bridge of his nose. Luckily, it looks as if it's the only serious wound he has; the rest are only scratches and scrapes, from what Lexaeus can see. Although... Refusing to look up into Lexaeus' eyes,Saix leans heavily against his massive claymore. His breath puffs out harshly, a sharp sound in the eerie after-battle silence. Stains of darkness still linger on the shining blue metal of his weapon, reluctant to fade away.
Altogether, it makes for a desperate, almost pitiful picture.
Lexaeus is sure he looks no better. One arm feels almost completely shredded, a final farewell from a particularly vicious Heartless. Tightening his grip on his tomahawk, Lexaeus frowns at Saix. "Why didn't you tell us this before?" he asks, and watches as the light from the torches along the forest path reflects on Saix's dark blood.
The other Nobody's tongue flickers out to catch a small drip of blood, perhaps out of nervousness. "Only a coward gives excuses," Saix responds, even as he stares up at the moonless sky which lies above them, peering through the branches of trees.
"A rule of Isa's clan?"
"Yes."
"Well." The massive tomahawk is dismissed from Lexaeus' hand, and he instantly feels better with the weight gone. Rolling his shoulders, Lexaeus walks over to Saix. Once he's close enough, Saix finally looks at him, but by that point, it's too late. Lexaeus picks him up with a grunt, and Saix just barely manages to dismiss his own weapon before he's carted away.
"What are you doing!?" Saix hisses, almost unsure of what to do. Nothing like this has ever happened to him before, and he isn't sure what would be acceptable with a superior, especially as the Organization is still new to him.
"It's not just your face that's injured, is it?" Saix quickly falls silent and still. "You were keeping most of your weight on your left leg."
"It's only a minor wound!" Saix protests.
"You and I seem to have different ideas of 'minor'," Lexaeus observes dryly.
A few minutes later, and he's managed to create a small camp in the nearest clearing Lexaeus can find. Rocks protrude from the earth in a protective wall of a kind, and a few torches were liberated from the path. All in all, it's a decent temporary camp. Shedding his coat, Lexaeus takes a moment to inspect the injures on his arm. Numerous scratches ooze the dark blood of a Nobody, and, to make matters worse, a disgusting kind of boil litters the edges, dark purple in colorization. Thinking back, Lexaeus guesses that the aggressive Heartless was somewhat poisonous. He'd rather not use himself as a guinea pig regarding the lethality of an unknown Heartless' venom.
When he digs through his pockets for supplies, Lexaeus is disappointed to learn that Xigbar underestimated the difficulty of this world: only a potion and an anti-venom. Still... Lexaeus glances up at the lunar eclipse that's lasted longer than any he's ever seen. Perhaps that's to blame for the rise in aggression for the Heartless.
Saix remains perfectly silent, stoic as he sits obediently before the fire they've created. Shyness seems to be a foreign concept to him, as he doesn't seem bothered by his lack of clothes. Lexaeus had asked him to take them off, to see the extent of the damage. They lie in a pile besides him, leaving Saix wearing only a pair of boxers. Judging by how he tugs at them occasionally while holding his shirt to his forehead, they're uncomfortable and new. His ears twitch at the sound of Lexaeus' heavy footsteps, and Saix is quick to speak. "I'll be fine, I can still accomplish our mission."
"Lay down," Lexaeus orders, ignoring that. Hesitantly, Saix obeys, and only makes a small noise of protest when Lexaeus removes the bloodied shirt. At this point, almost his entire face is stained a light dirty pink, and his facial wound still leaks a bit of blood.
Thanks to Xigbar, however, Lexaeus has some skill with wounds like these. Making sure to be slow and gentle, he pours the potion into the wound. A hiss slips out of Saix's mouth, even as the torn skin begins to slowly mend itself. When Lexaeus finally places the empty potion bottle down, there's an x-shaped scar on Saix's face, still pink and fresh. "Is that better?"
Cautiously, Saix traces his new scar, wincing slightly from the bolts of pain. "Yes... And the other wounds, as well." He sits up and looks over his body in surprise and curiosity, amazed that there are no scratches. Shakily, he stands up, and presses his right foot against the ground. It doesn't hurt. As he looks over to Lexaeus, he asks, "What was that?"
"A hi-potion. It's a liquid which heals the person who either drinks it, or the injuries it touches."
"Amazing..." Saix doesn't have much time to wonder at how different all of the other worlds are from his own, however; spotting another empty bottle on the grass, Saix looks over Lexaeus again. All of his wounds are still there, still fresh. At his stern and puzzled stare, Lexaeus holds out his injured arm.
"The other bottle was a very general anti-venom. Since the other Heartless poisoned me, I decided to use that on myself while you used the hi-potion." A moment of silence. "...Is this a foreign concept on your homeworld as well?"
"Yes," Saix answers without hesitation. "Everything went to the battle leader in times of violence." This time, it was Lexaeus' turn to look curious. "That would be your role, if this were a clan. The others... turn to you the most. Xemnas is our alpha, but... You are the practical role of leadership, the pillar which holds this all together." His usual aloof and stoic mask breaks as Saix frowns, almost unsure. "Is this assumption... wrong?"
Humming thoughtfully, Lexaeus finally shakes his head. "No, you're right, I suppose." He gives a small smile as he stands up as well. "The others do rely on me, somewhat. Now, I think we'll stay here for the night. There daytime is obviously much safer. We'll switch taking watch."
"But what of your injuries? You can't leave them like that." Even the youngest cubs in Isa's clan knew that.
Everytime Lexaeus moves his arm, he winces, but he seems determined to ignore it. "I'll make some bandages of my shirt. It's not something I prefer, but it's better than nothing." It would be understood if they went back, but the Heartless are undoubtedly crowding the corridors. It's suicide to try those now.
For am oment, Saix just stares at him, his thoughts hidden. Then- "Hold on." And he's gone, disappearing into the shadows of trees. Lexaeus follows only to the edge of the firelight, unable to go much farther. Feeling the vibrations in the earth can only get him so far. Minutes pass by, but Lexaeus doesn't leave his post. He's just begun to tear his shirt apart to make makeshift bandages when Saix finally limps back through the branches, carrying an armful of leaves. "They had these kind of plants on my world," he says, as if that explains it all. Without another word, he goes over to their fire and sits down. Content to take his time, he slowly feeds the flames with his bounty. This causes smoke to puff and curl out from the fire, creating thick clouds.
Once a scientists, always a scientist. Lexaeus is unable to resist watching this foreign procedure, especially with how focused Saix is. The other Nobody's eyes flicker from one piece of twisting smoke to another, as if he's reading a book. To Lexaeus' eyes, there's only smoke. To Saix, there is information to be learned.
"Your arm is also broken," he says out of the blue. "The same arm which suffered most of the Heartless' attacks. Also... The Heartless populate this world so heavily because of the nightly eclipses. The moon here might as well not exist. They live in this forest because the trees offer a lot of shadows... Advantageous." He pauses for a moment, staring blankly into the smoke. "It's their home. We're invading it."
As the smoke fades away, Saix slumps forward, elbows on his knees as he looks exhausted yet again. He almost looks as if he'll collapse, which he does so when Lexaeus attempts to guide him to a nearby rock wall. "I'll keep watch first," Lexaeus decides wisely, and Saix doesn't say a word this time. He only curls up against the wall while Lexaeus stands guard.
Eventually, they switch shifts when Saix has rested enough. The next time Lexaeus wakes up, he notices three things: it is now morning, his wounds have been somehow cleaned and given makeshift bandages, and Saix is practically right on top of him, without his shirt and staring at his face in blatant curiosity.
As if it couldn't be any more obvious, Saix says, "I cleaned your injures last night."
"Thank you." Years of knowing both Ienzo and then Zexion have ingrained Lexaeus with a stern set of manners. Those same years have also made him quite observant, a skill Elaeus possessed as a carpenter's son and which only sharpened over the years. They let him spot the tiny blood stain on the corner of Saix's mouth and how often he rubs one wrist. "Was there another attack?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't you wake me?"
"..." Saix shifts awkwardly in place before he moves away so Lexaeus can sit up. Thankfully, he's managed to get his pants on. "You were resting. I had no wish to disturb you."
We really must talk about conflicting cultures Lexaeus thinks to himself as he pinches the bridge of his nose. However, he doesn't say anything aloud except, "Let's try and make our way home. Attempting to finish the mission now will be foolish, and it is not worth risking our lives. We'll return and prepare ourselves better for the next trip." As he stands up, Saix hesitantly mimics him and doesn't stop staring. "...Is there something the matter?"
Crossing his arms, Saix frowns, the scar on his face twisting to follow the expression. After a moment of thought, he begins carefully. "Back in the clan, the way you treated me last night would make the two of us seem as though we were blood consorts."
"Blood consorts?"
"Lovers who are bound by battle and sacrifice. One will often give up their own treatment so that their consort, who they believe to be in more danger, is healed first. When one leaves without warning, the other waits diligently, and so on and so forth."
"...Ah." Lexaeus isn't quite sure how to respond to that.
Oblivious to the awkwardness of the conversation, Saix tilts his head to the side. "It's a high honor to be chosen by the battle leader. I was wondering how one would accept in your culture."
Ah. He thinks he sees now... "If you just want to be with me because you believe it as an obligation to your superior, you don't have to," Lexaeus says patiently as he bends down to pick up his jacket.
Saix looks surprised at this. "Even if you were not so important, I would still wish to be your blood consort. You're adept at battle, highly intelligent, perceptive, strong, and your body is impressive by itself." As if to show what he means, Saix runs his hands up one of Lexaeus' muscular arms. "You're the perfect mate."
Not once has Lexaeus ever thought some one would tell him that. After getting over the small shock, he shakes his head and his mouth twitches upwards just a bit. "Thank you. You are impressive as well, Saix, and I should say I'm the honored one in that you think that of me." Even as the other Nobody looks doubtful, Lexaeus summons his tomahawk to his hand while Saix does likewise with his claymore. As they turn by an almost unspoken agreement, a dark corridor beginning to open, Lexaeus says thoughtfully, "You'll have to tell me more about your homeworld when we have the time."
This time, Saix seems to catch the subtlety, and gives a small smile that borders on reserved and a smirk. "I would be glad to."
