It seemed as though a deathly silence had fallen over Traverse Town. Yohji glanced up once he left the Hotel, staring at the sky full of falling stars, worlds dying. It made him feel sick, empty. With this many stars falling, the skies would seem very empty from now, that much more vast. What if one of those worlds had been where one of Weiss had been? They were lost now.
He stepped out from the light cast by the Hotel's windows, deciding the check this district first. He wasn't entirely sure where Integral had gone and he'd hate to miss her just because he couldn't be bothered to check properly.
If he focussed on business then he could ignore just a bit of the gnawing terror running through him.
And then, out of the corner of his eyes he saw a flare of darkness, like a hole appearing in the air and then a man stepped out. He seemed completey unconcerned with what was happening, turning his face to the sky as though welcoming it.
Yohji narrowed his eyes. That wasn't a good sign. He took a few steps towards the man, watching him
If Yohji listened very carefully, he would hear the sound of muffled footsteps. The air shimmered once where Zexion stood but he didn't appear to move anywhere at all.
He raised an obviously empty hand at Yohji, curling two fingers back so his hand made the shape of a gun. He wasn't even looking at the other man. He cocked his fingers back, breaking the silence. "Bang."
Yohji watched the man impassively, not even blinking at the pretence of the gun. His hand was so obviously empty and Yohji had had real loaded guns pointed at him more than once; this was hardly threatening, just weird.
He glanced up at the sky for a second, feeling the same sense of nausea and loss as before. It felt like the feeling would never go away. "Compared to that, anything would lack drama," he replied coolly, fixing his eyes on the man once again.
He didn't reach for his watch just yet, but it was a relief to know that it was there if he needed it.
"An encore would be impressive, but there isn't much left for that." Zexion's expression was mildly contemplative, his fingers curling beneath his chin. He understood very well what had happened, but not how or why.
He glanced at the man, darkness slowly spreading from the shadows around them. "It must be heart-breaking to face this alone."
Yohji kept his expression blank and impassive, even though the man's words made his blood boil. "All of them returning would be an even more impressive encore," he stated coolly. Mentally, he was taking a checklist of the area, noting the lay of the land and examining the man as closely as he could.
A hiss of indrawn breath followed the man's words, Yohji's eyes widening in shock for a second. How had he... "Heart-breaking to face it in any way," he replied flatly.
"You think so?" The stars above began winking back into existence, cold glimmering points in a distant sky. "If they died one by one, would you have noticed at all?"
Zexion's features were impassive as ever, slightly curious. "I'm interested in knowing why it makes a difference to you."
He winced inwardly at that, knowing it was true. Worlds died everyday and there was nothing that they could do to save the majority of them. Stars bliniking out of existence and no-one ever knew any better unless it was somewhere they'd visited. Unless it was somewhere 'important'.
"Of course it makes a difference," he said sharply. "milions of people died in an instant. I think anyone would be hard pressed not to care."
"You're mistaking guilt for something else." Zexion replied absently. Far be it for a Nobody to talk about emotions but Zexion had been twisting them long enough to know how they worked.
He finished shaping reality, putting all the stars back in a sky only he and Yohji were seeing. He was testing his own power and it seemed to hold, solid and sure despite the stretch. That was good.
"I didn't say anything about guilt," Yohji replied with a shrug, although it wasn't so far of the mark. This guy seemed way too calm considering what had happened. Wasn't that a sign of guilt?
He glanced back up at the sky again and gasped softly at the sight. The stars were back? But how? They'd been destroyed, he'd seen them!!
"What do you think it is, then?" He asked, glancing at the blond man. His gauze didn't hold any obvious malice, just the same vague curiosity. He followed Yohji's gauze to the sky, his eyes half-lidded for a moment like a content cat before he drew them down again.
"It's only comfort to see them all there. Nothing's changed." Not to him, at any rate.
Yohji sighed, running a gloved hand through his hair. This guy was absolutely baffling. "Like hell I know," he said, not in the mood for playing games with some stranger.
He blinked over at the other man in confusion. "If they're back, then of course it's a comfort. People are alive."
"I read somewhere that light travels through space so slowly, in some cases we see it even when the source is gone." Zexion raised his hand towards the illusionary sky. Upon closer inspection the stars were disappearing again, not streaking across the sky, and certainly not all at the same time. Just one distant point going out every few seconds, a rate no one would notice unless they tried.
"An afterimage, see?" He let his hand fall back to his side. "It's only there for your comfort."
Zexion placed two fingers on his lips, eyes half closed as if in thought. "That's just the nature of light."
"Eight minutes," Yohji said under his breath. That was how long it had taken for the light from the sun of his own world to reach the Earth. Eight minutes to travel millions of miles. Of course, that was all gone now, and who knew how far away those other worlds had been?
He shivered slightly. It was damn cold and he'd left his bloodstained coat back in the hotel room, leaving him in just a thin shirt and pants. He gave the other man a hard look. "I don't need comfort." He'd seen too much death to allow it to affect him much anymore, although he could still feel the gaping emptiness in his chest.
Zexion laughed, that same breathy chuckle that lacked any humor. He was pleased with his metaphor, and even if Yohji hadn't meant to, Zexion was happy to carry it. "The heartless will only take you quicker. They like your kind."
He turned to Yohji fully now, watching him for long moments with a gauze that gave nothing of his thoughts away. "You may not need 'comfort', but you look like you want it."
That drew a wince from Yohji, hitting too close to home. Heartless were drawn to hearts with darkness in them, and Yohji wasn't exactly pure. "I'm nardly defenceless against them," he said, a smirk twisting his lips to hide his discomfort. He'd killed so many of them until now and he'd keep killing them.
He stood perfectly still beneath Zexion's scrutiny, not letting his body give anything away. "What difference does it make?" he asked.
Zexion's lips took on a vicious twist, as if for a moment he wanted to close the space between them... But the expression passed in a heartbeat, like he couldn't hold it unless he tried.
"You shouldn't be ashamed." He soothed, just an edge of false sympathy. "It's just a function of what you are."
Zexion finally lowered the hand on his lips to the place where his heart should have been. "I shouldn't be so ungracious. Your name?"
He stepped out from the light cast by the Hotel's windows, deciding the check this district first. He wasn't entirely sure where Integral had gone and he'd hate to miss her just because he couldn't be bothered to check properly.
If he focussed on business then he could ignore just a bit of the gnawing terror running through him.
And then, out of the corner of his eyes he saw a flare of darkness, like a hole appearing in the air and then a man stepped out. He seemed completey unconcerned with what was happening, turning his face to the sky as though welcoming it.
Yohji narrowed his eyes. That wasn't a good sign. He took a few steps towards the man, watching him
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He raised an obviously empty hand at Yohji, curling two fingers back so his hand made the shape of a gun. He wasn't even looking at the other man. He cocked his fingers back, breaking the silence. "Bang."
"It lacks some drama in comparison, doesn't it?"
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He glanced up at the sky for a second, feeling the same sense of nausea and loss as before. It felt like the feeling would never go away. "Compared to that, anything would lack drama," he replied coolly, fixing his eyes on the man once again.
He didn't reach for his watch just yet, but it was a relief to know that it was there if he needed it.
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He glanced at the man, darkness slowly spreading from the shadows around them. "It must be heart-breaking to face this alone."
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A hiss of indrawn breath followed the man's words, Yohji's eyes widening in shock for a second. How had he... "Heart-breaking to face it in any way," he replied flatly.
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Zexion's features were impassive as ever, slightly curious. "I'm interested in knowing why it makes a difference to you."
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"Of course it makes a difference," he said sharply. "milions of people died in an instant. I think anyone would be hard pressed not to care."
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He finished shaping reality, putting all the stars back in a sky only he and Yohji were seeing. He was testing his own power and it seemed to hold, solid and sure despite the stretch. That was good.
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He glanced back up at the sky again and gasped softly at the sight. The stars were back? But how? They'd been destroyed, he'd seen them!!
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"It's only comfort to see them all there. Nothing's changed." Not to him, at any rate.
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He blinked over at the other man in confusion. "If they're back, then of course it's a comfort. People are alive."
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"An afterimage, see?" He let his hand fall back to his side. "It's only there for your comfort."
Zexion placed two fingers on his lips, eyes half closed as if in thought. "That's just the nature of light."
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He shivered slightly. It was damn cold and he'd left his bloodstained coat back in the hotel room, leaving him in just a thin shirt and pants. He gave the other man a hard look. "I don't need comfort." He'd seen too much death to allow it to affect him much anymore, although he could still feel the gaping emptiness in his chest.
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He turned to Yohji fully now, watching him for long moments with a gauze that gave nothing of his thoughts away. "You may not need 'comfort', but you look like you want it."
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He stood perfectly still beneath Zexion's scrutiny, not letting his body give anything away. "What difference does it make?" he asked.
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"You shouldn't be ashamed." He soothed, just an edge of false sympathy. "It's just a function of what you are."
Zexion finally lowered the hand on his lips to the place where his heart should have been. "I shouldn't be so ungracious. Your name?"
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