Roll Of The Dice: Organization XIII

by Gext (of Organization VI)

A/N: A series of drabbles about the Organization XIII--members chosen and matched to themes at random. Some are quite short, others...well, not long, but not as short. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: All KH:CoM and KH2-related materials belong to Square Enix and Disney. This fic makes no profit from the temporary usage of said materials. Please do not sue me.

1. Luxord & Demyx: Stars

Not for the first time, Luxord wondered aloud how Demyx had edged in just one rank above him. Demyx's answer: "Star power, man!"

The next day Demyx was cursing his stars and wondering why he kept getting talked into poker with that man.

2. Roxas & Luxord: Heart

Roxas made Luxord nervous, being the thirteenth and final member of their little game. Luxord was well aware he was number ten, but try as he might he somehow couldn't fit Roxas as neither king nor ace of hearts.

3. Xaldin & Saïx: Ice Cream

The blinding pain in his canines was only exacerbated by Xaldin's condescending response: "Idiot, why would you bite into something called ice cream?"

4. Larxene & Xigbar: Castle

"I see it only looks like a castle from the outside." The new recruit huffed as Xigbar gave her the orientation tour, arms folded tight over her chest and wary eyes scanning everywhere. Inside Xemnas' stronghold, flickering computer readouts scanned across the silver monoliths that simply...hung there, suspended on nothing in vaulted hallways.

"That's right, sweetheart--inside, it's a palace."

5. Xigbar & Axel: Candy

Axel had been thrown rather for a loop when his superior likened him to a candy apple, and couldn't look at him straight again until he found out that Xigbar only meant his hair was that red and nothing more.

6. Axel & Saïx: Clock

Axel and Saïx never trusted nor liked each other, but had managed to refrain from open hostility. That changed when Axel returned alone from Castle Oblivion. Already suspicious, Saïx had been there to greet him: "The clock's ticking, Axel."

It all went downhill from there.

7. Demyx & Axel: Old

Axel hadn't said a word, nor even looked up from his book, when Demyx flashed into his room, favoring his right arm and hanging his head, dragging the sitar with broken strings behind him. The other man hadn't spoken either, just pouted furiously in one corner. This state of affairs continued for the next thirty-two pages of Neuromancer, until Demyx finally said: "Those elders are fucking bitches, man."

"Old news."

8. Vexen & Marluxia: Shadows

It didn't made sense to Vexen, allowing a naturalist into the Organization XIII. Someone like Marluxia, talented though he may--may--be would only end up a liability to their group and its purpose. Plants don't grow in shadows, after all. Naturally, he expressed this doubt to the Superior, along with the desire for the current Number Eleven's disposal.

Apparently, Marluxia found out.

Vexen stood surveying the remains of his basement laboratory the next morning--all of it broken and twisted by massive roots, and thought bitterly that while he may have been wrong about Marluxia's efficacy in the shadow realm, he was still correct about his place in the Organization XIII.

9. Xemnas & Xigbar: Fireworks

"When Kingdom Hearts is ours--and we make real the world inbetween," Xemnas whispered softly in his ears, deep and mournful, "I want to have a celebration." He wrapped his arms around Xigbar's neck. "And I want you to do the fireworks."

10. Roxas & Xaldin: Yellow

Keyblade Master or no, Number Thirteen was far more trouble than he was worth. This was the fourth time in as many days he'd gone missing. And every time it happened, they all had to go search for Xemnas' precious "favorite." Xaldin finally found him in some god-forsaken backwater of a world, sitting atop a clock tower and just staring out over the scenery.

"There you are." Roxas jumped at the voice and had the grace to look sheepish--but for only a second.

"I like yellow. That's all." He said defensively, pointing at the town. And it was indeed very yellow--not only in the color of the buildings, but in the golden light of the world's eternal twilight.

"I see." Xaldin said, still glaring down at the tiresome boy with his arms crossed.

"If I get my heart back," Roxas said in a softer tone, leaning against the tower, a sort of...sort of nostalgic expression on his face that made Xaldin rather uncomfortable, "I mean--when I get my heart back--I want to live somewhere like this place."

A breeze stirred their coats and made Xaldin's hair whip around his head. When it was gone, the warmth of the summer day wrapped back around them, soothing and almost luxuriant.

"Time to go, boy." Xaldin said, a little less gruff than before. Roxas stood and after one last glance at the sunset, followed his superior into the darkness.

11. Lexaeus & Larxene: Don't

"You can't be serious!" Larxene shrieked, fists clenched--not that she could hope to punch this messenger out. "There's no way--I won't stand for it! That brat--he isn't joining this group! He's not to be ranked next to me! I won't allow it! I'll tear him apart with my own hands if I need to! And you! Stop that! Don't--don't turn around! Don't you dare walk away from me--"

"Larxene." Lexaeus said, his rumbling voice automatically shushing her. "Don't." And he left her there, spluttering incoherently in the doorway.

12. Lexaeus & Marluxia: Frogs

Marluxia had made his own quarters into something any merely human gardener would cut off his left arm to spend ten minutes in. The assortment of flora and fauna within provided not only a source of bragging rights but also endless amusement: one should pity the fool who trespassed. Which was one of the reasons Marluxia was so impressed by Lexaeus: Very few men, no matter how steadfast, were capable of calmly continuing a summons after being divebombed by a large green bullfrog.

13. Demyx & Xemnas: Sorry

"I'm certain you'll find much to amuse you in the Underworld, Demyx. It should, unlike briefing speeches, be very much to your tastes, and certainly won't put you to sleep like guard duty did. Nor will it really pose a threat to you--what do you have to fear from a dead man?"

"I said I was sorry, Xemnas," Demyx pouted from the top of a very tall stone pillar, wishing he had something to distract Cerberus with.

14. Demyx & Marluxia: Darkness

Marluxia only discovered the darker side of Demyx when he asked what water--light, sparkling, life-giving water--could have to do with darkness, and Demyx told him what it was to drown.

15. Lexaeus & Xaldin: Young

"Have you noticed?" Lexaeus asked him one day. "We haven't changed at all--not in nine years." Xaldin gave him an incredulous look, and he clarified, "Our physical appearences."

Xaldin hadn't noticed. "...We've discovered the fountain of youth." He remarked after a moment of thought.

"If so, then the rest of the world can have it." Lexaeus said, with only the smallest amount of bitterness. Xaldin agreed.

16. Xaldin & Axel: Mountain

Axel had always pegged Xaldin as the mountain ascetic-type. Lives in a hut, meditates under waterfalls, breaks stone blocks with his forehead, that kind of stuff. Xaldin was slightly flattered by this on some obscure level, and would probably have been more so if the impudent bastard didn't keep spouting off about "zamurai" and "sensei" and "yamabushi" and that kind of nonsense. Fortunately for him, sending Axel flying into one of said freezing mountain waterfalls generally shut him up for a while.

17. Axel & Xemnas: Alone

If being alone with Roxas felt like having a heart, then being alone with Xemnas felt like having it broken, again and again and again.

18. Vexen & Luxord: Surprise

After repeated urging from Lexaeus to actually try and get along with the new recruits, Vexen decided to spend an evening with Luxord (he seemed the most intelligent). They were both surprised to discover that the "ol' icicle" was actually quite good at poker.

19. Vexen & Demyx: Pictures

"Whoa! Man, you shoulda took more pictures with Ansem, 'cos next to him you don't look half as old!"

"You! Out of my laboratory! Now!"

20. Demyx & Larxene: Music

"If you even think about saying something lame like 'making sweet music together,' I'll kill you," Larxene said levelly to the man lying beside her. Demyx's eyes glinted with amusement and he made one of those funny trying-not-to-smile faces.

"You thought about it, didn't you?"

He grinned and actually laughed a little then, so Larxene hit him over the head with a pillow.

21. Luxord & Lexaeus: Papers

Luxord could get over seeing that craggy mountain of a man doing paperwork like any pencil-pusher, or reading a thick book with a long Russian name, or sitting at a table with coffee and a newspaper just like the rest of them. But Lexaeus' little reading glasses undid him every time.

22. Saïx & Marluxia: Hope

Marluxia had been becoming skeptical about the wisdom of joining up with Xemnas' scheme, particularly his odds of achieving lasting power through it, and (discreetly, of course) set out to...investigate matters, first by asking Saïx what he hoped his loyalty would bring him.

"Hope?" Saïx said, a twisted little smile on his face. "You really are new to this Nobody business, aren't you?"

23. Saïx & Zexion: White

White sheets, white teeth; white moon and stars, the white palace and his own white skin; Zexion was drowning in the whiteness and too happily letting Saïx hold him under.

24. Larxene & Xaldin: Memories

When Xaldin complained, Larxene blamed the memory witch: She had to keep coming back every night to make sure they both still had their memories.

25. Larxene & Axel: Promise

"Let's make a promise." The new girl--Larxene--said to him, sassy smile on her face, pinky finger extended like she was still a child.

Axel looked from her face to her hand and back to her face again, one eyebrow raised. "What for?"

"I like breaking them." She shrugged.

He grinned at that and held out his own little finger, but quickly withdrew when her hand drew close. "Only if I can break the next one." He explained, smirking.

Larxene returned the expression and wrapped his finger around hers. "I promise."