[Halloween Fics] - NINE
[NINE]
Kairi had very distinct opinions of all the members of this strange black-coated group that she’d become prisoner to. It had taken time, but she’d eventually gotten all of their names straight. It was harder than it sounded with all those stupid X names. Xemnas, Xigbar, Luxord, Saix…. It’s like they were making it difficult on purpose.
As far as Kairi could tell, the members of the organization each took turns guarding her. Well, all of them except Xemnas, of course. She hadn’t even seen him yet. Judging from the attitudes of the others, Xemnas didn’t deem her important enough to merit his personal attention.
Some of them liked to talk while they were on guard duty, Kairi discovered. The tall one with the scars and the eye patch (she called him the Pirate until she had them all sorted out) would sometimes talk without pause for hours on end during his shift. Then, other times, he wouldn’t say anything at all. That’s when Kairi got nervous. He’d just sit there and stare with his one blank eye - sometimes at her, sometimes out the window… sometimes at nothing at all.
Saix and Xaldin never spoke aside from an occasional curt growled order. Kairi wasn’t sure if she preferred this to Xigbar’s erratic moods or not, but it was certainly boring.
On the other hand, Luxord wasn’t boring at all. In fact, Kairi might have preferred it if he had been more boring. The problem with Luxord was that he loved to talk and every time he opened his mouth, something profane, perverted or just plain frustrating came out. His way of twisting words into knots drove Kairi out of her mind.
“’ello, love.” Luxord’s usual greeting rang out in the still air as he walked in to replace Xaldin, who was currently on duty. The lancer looked up, raising a thick brow and eying Luxord with a certain degree of contempt. While he was fairly sure that the “love” bit hadn’t been addressed to him, he never really could tell with Luxord. In the interest of not appearing weak and fighting with a teammate in front of the captive, he merely shook his dreadlocks with distaste and walked from the room.
“I trust you and Xaldin had an enlightening conversation,” Luxord pulled a chair up close to the bars of Kairi and Pluto’s cell. Pluto looked up at Luxord, decided that he wasn’t going to try anything stupid and put his head back down.
“Are you kidding me? He doesn’t talk at all.” Kairi watched him warily.
“That’s why I assumed you’d have an enlightening conversation.” He grinned as he sat down.
“More enlightening than talking to you.” Kairi sneered at him. “All you ever do is insult me and babble about stuff you know I don’t understand. How about talking about something real for a change?”
“We’re feeling fiery today, I see.” Luxord smirked and leaned back in his chair. A small table appeared between them on his side of the bars. “I’ll tell ya what. You play a game with me and for every round you win, I’ll answer a question.”
“Will you answer honestly?” Kairi had learned quickly that specifics were everything around here.
Amused by her skepticism, Luxord grinned.
“As honestly as I can.”
Well, that’s as good as I’ll get around this place… Kairi moved closer to the bars. “Okay, what game? I want a chance game.”
“How about Evens ’n’ Odds? Can’t get much more chancey that that, love.” Luxord produced a pair of dice in his palm and showed them to Kairi. She peered between the bars at the dice. They looked normal…
“I’ll roll them.” Kairi looked at him.
Luxord laughed.
“Your skirt on fire? Wait a moment.” Luxord handed her one of the die and kept the other for himself. “We each roll one. That good enough for you, princess?”
Kairi nodded, even though she still felt doubtful. He handed her a cup and threw his own die in another that he kept for himself. She did the same and shook furiously, though he sat perfectly still.
“Okay, I’m ready,” she looked at him across the table and between the bars at him.
A smile quirked the corner of Luxord’s mouth,
“All right then. One… two… three.”
On three, both of them slammed their cups and dice down on the table. They stayed still, hands still on cups, and looked up at one another.
“Odds.” Kairi said before Luxord could even ask.
“Odds, hm? Let’s see if you’re lucky…” Luxord lifted up his cup and Kairi did the same.
The white dice winked up at them from the glossy black tabletop. A three and a four - seven total.
“Odds! I win.” Kairi proclaimed smugly. She grinned at Luxord. “I get to ask a question and you have to answer.”
“Go ahead, love. I’ve got all the time in the world.” He leaned back, apparently unconcerned. Kairi ignored him, determined not to be annoyed.
“What are you people?” She asked.
“Now you see, you’re off to a bad start already.” Luxord clicked his tongue. “We aren’t people. We’re Nobodies.”
“What’s a Nobody?” Kairi asked.
Luxord held up the dice with that smile that she hated. “You’ll have to win again to find out, love.”
Much to Kairi’s annoyance, Luxord won the next five rounds. She changed her guess each round and slammed the cup down angrily, but Luxord was as cool as ice. He didn’t seem concerned about anything, least of all her questions.
“Ha! Finally!” Kairi looked at him. “Okay, what are Nobodies?”
“It’s what’s left over after someone loses their heart - the mind and body and all that.” Luxord cracked his knuckles. “In general, they’re fixated on getting their hearts back and becoming ‘whole’ again.”
Kairi grabbed the dice again and threw it forcefully into the cup, shook and slammed it onto the table.
“Odds.” She proclaimed, before Luxord even had picked up his die.
He raised a brow at her as he rolled. However, when they picked up their cups again, the dice showed a five and a four - odds again.
“You’re obviously after Sora and Riku, so I’m not going to waste a question on why since that’s not important,” she said.
“Clever girl,” remarked Luxord with amusement.
Kairi ignored him again. “So here’s my question - where are Sora and Riku now?”
“Hmm…” Luxord stroked his goatee. “Right now they’re… on their way here, actually.”
Kairi felt her stomach lurch. “Are they - nevermind. Let’s roll again.” She reached for her die and cup.
“Wait a minute now, princess.” Luxord grabbed her wrist, smirking. “You’re getting into the big questions now. I’m afraid we’ll have to up the ante.”
“…To what?” Kairi asked warily.
“If you win, you get two questions. If you lose, you have to give me a kiss.” The gambler’s eyes met Kairi’s, alive with perverse pleasure.
Kairi drew back, absolutely repulsed.
“Are you kidding me?! That’s ridiculous!” She made a face. “No way!”
“Well then,” Luxord leaned back in his chair again. “Apparently you aren’t as eager as I’d thought. Have it your way then.”
Kairi felt like she was being torn in two. On the one hand, she was desperate for information, but on the other hand… ugh.
“…What kind of kiss?” She asked after a moment. If it was on the cheek, maybe…
“On the lips, love.” Luxord snorted derisively, clearly affronted by the idea of anything less. “A real kiss. I’m not in this game for half the prize. I want all or nothing.”
Damn. Kairi tried to ignore the feeling of increasing worry that was building in her stomach. From in the corner, Pluto’s shoestring tail whumped against the floor anxiously.
“…Okay.” She said finally. “Let’s get this over with.”
Luxord picked up his die and cup and waited for her to do the same. This time, she wasn’t quite so eager when she shook the cup.
“Evens,” she said hopefully just before their cups were raised.
Luxord grinned.
“Three and five is eight, love. You lose.”
Kairi’s spirits sank and she looked up at Luxord. He rose from his chair and walked over to the bars and gestured for her to do the same. She did so reluctantly.
“…This is the stupidest bet ever.” She told him.
“Pay up, love,” was all Luxord said in reply.
She closed her eyes and tiled her chin up, gripping the bars so hard that her knuckles began to ache. He wasted no time, pressing his lips to hers. His large hands (with callouses from playing cards, she noted) curled around her wrists so that she couldn’t pull away. She stayed still, unresponsive as he kissed her and kissed her deeply. His mouth was hard, but not really unpleasantly so, although it was oddly cool. Kairi wondered at it, then realized she was distracted and pulled away.
“That’s enough! Let go.” She demanded harshly.
Pluto was barking in the background, clearly distressed. Luxord pulled away, amused.
“Not bad,” he said. Inwardly, Kairi fumed, though she wasn’t sure why. What difference did it make if he liked it or not?
“Let’s just roll again. Asshole.” She glowered at him and went back to the table. She threw her dice in the cup and rolled without even waiting for him. “Odds.” She proclaimed.
Luxord rolled in his typical lazy manner when he returned to the table.
“Five. You win.” He looked into her eyes again.
Kairi felt a sense of relief wash over her. She was safe… for now.
“Sora and Riku are going to have to fight all of you when they get here, aren’t they?” She asked.
“Naturally. We’re not just going to wrap Kingdom Hearts up with a bow and hand it to them, you know.” Luxord rolled his die around with his long fingers.
Kairi sat still for a long moment before she asked her next question,
“…Is there any chance of them winning?”
“Probably not, but it’s anyone’s guess.” Luxord studied the dice. “They’re up against VII, X, II and I. Moon, time, space and the superior. It isn’t likely.”
Kairi was quiet for another several minutes. Luxord occupied himself by playing with the dice, then tossed it in the cup.
“Care for one more, love? Press your luck?”
Kairi, jerked out of her reverie by his speech, nodded and grabbed her dice. She placed it in the cup, shook and slammed it down on the table, just as Luxord did the same.
“Let’s take a peek and see what we got here.” Luxord reached for the cup, but Kairi stopped him.
“Wait,” she placed a hand over his cup as she looked up at him. “I have an idea.”
“Oh? And what might that be?” He crooned.
“One last bet, but let’s really raise the stakes.” Kairi looked at him. “If I lose, you can do whatever you want to me. Anything.”
“…A tempting offer. And what if you win, hm?” Luxord was intrigued despite himself.
Her gaze caught his and held it. “If I win, you have to lose to Sora and Riku.”
Luxord merely looked at her for a moment, then threw his head back and laughed.
“Why not? I’ve got nothing to live for. I’m not even really living.” He smiled at her. “So what’ll it be, love? Evens or odds?”
“Odds.” Kairi said softly.
Kairi and Luxord raised their cups slowly and in unison. The three total white dots on the dice was the most beautiful thing that Kairi had ever seen. She sat back in her chair with a sigh of relief, still eying Luxord warily.
However, the gambler merely picked up the die and looked at them thoughtfully.
“I suppose my luck had to run out sometime,” he murmured to himself.
~
I hope you enjoyed this! Comments are extremely loved!