Underneath the Surface

Disclaimer: Nope…

Thanks so much to the few people that read this! You are the bestest buddies I could ever have!

Chapter 6

Apparently… my parents enjoyed the fact that I would potentially save the earth's waters from pollution.

So they were really happy when I brought Zexion home so that we could start the process.

When we finally got to my house, we walked up the steps and got inside.

"By the way… if you're away from the ocean? Isn't that dangerous?" I asked.

"My father is guardian of the pacific. He can handle it until I return… though I don't particularly like leaving my shore waters to him." Zexion said.

I nodded. "Are you okay? Are your clothes bothering you?" I asked.

Zexion frowned. "I am not a baby and do not need to be coddled…"

"I'm not trying to coddle you, I'm trying to avoid you having unnecessary pains." I said.

"What's wrong with his clothes?" My mother asked.

I lifted Zexion's shirt suddenly and he hissed angrily.

"Sorry Zexion… but did you see the brush burn, mom? His skin is too delicate for rough clothing." I said.

My mother frowned. "That's terrible."

I nodded. "C'mon Zexion." I said.

Zexion followed me. I took him into the bathroom.

"Mom… I'm putting Zexion in the bath tub." I said.

"Did you hear that? Riku is monopolizing the bathroom… if you need to go, go to the one in the shed." My mom called out to my dad.

"Oh! I hate that bathroom… it's so cold and creepy… it reminds me of Davey Jones's locker or something!" my dad shivered.

"Is this permissible? Am I allowed to sit in the bath tub for a extended period of time?" Zexion asked.

"Yes… one thing you must understand about humans is that they are willing to accommodate people who are struggling… well, the good one's at least… and I'd say about 60 percent of the population are nice… then about 35 percent are decent… and then the rest are just rotten…" I explained and turned the water on.

Zexion just nodded.

"Would you like hot water, warm, cold?" Riku asked.

"What would a human choose?" he asked.

"Hot. It's very relaxing for aching muscles." Riku said.

"Then I shall choose hot." Zexion said.

I filled the tub half way with hot water and turned to Zexion. "Alright! Clothes off!" I said.

"J-Just what are you doing in there!" My dad stuttered loudly from the living room.

"He's getting in the tub isn't he? I'm mature enough to push back any indecent thoughts about a naked person in front of me!" I yelled back.

"Why don't we close the door?" I said and walked over to it.

Zexion began to take off his clothes and when I had finished closing the door, I walked over to sit on the toilet.

I felt bad when he started to lift his shirt… stop and then pull it back down… then try again… only to put it back down.

It was my fault he was so reluctant to take off his shirt.

"I already told you that you were not to blame for this…" Zexion said as if he has read my mind.

"Well, why don't you get in the water with the shirt on and then just take it off after it's soaked?" I suggested.

Zexion nodded before taking a step into the tub.

I smiled when Zexion sighed and submerged himself completely under the water.

Zexion remained under the water for about ten minutes before he came back up.

He took off his shirt with ease and relaxed in the tub.

I smiled again. "I'm glad you like it." I said.

He and I sat quietly for another ten minutes before he spoke again.

"I just do not understand…" Zexion trailed off.

I looked at him.

"Humans can acquire so much power… why, why would your people want to use the powers for something so despicable as destroying a water source… a habitat that contains millions of species… some not ever seen by men." Zexion contemplated.

"Well, I don't think that we do it on purpose… a lot of people tend to forget about long term consequences because it usually doesn't apply to them. By the time it starts, they are already gone and have reaped all of the rewards. I won't lie and tell you that that is always the case though… there are times when people do things just for the sake of doing them, no matter how bad." I said.

Zexion lowered himself into the water so that only half of his head was above the surface. He gave me a sour look before he started making bubbles. I watched as the bubbles started to become frothy and white. I smiled.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

Zexion stopped his bubble making to speak. "The bath tub water is running out of oxygen so I was aerating it. That way I can still breath under here." He said before returning to his bubble making.

I giggled. I couldn't help but think it was really cute. He was like a little kid making bubbles during bath time.

"I would appreciate it if you wouldn't look at me as if I was cuttlefish." Zexion said.

I laughed again. "A cuttlefish? I certainly wasn't thinking about anything even close to a cuttlefish." I said.

Zexion sent me another sour look before he spoke again. "Yes you did, you were definitely thinking that I was like a cute cuttlefish. They are the cutest animal in the ocean."

I laughed. "Really? You think so?" I asked.

"Stop laughing at me… and yes, everyone in the ocean would agree that cuttlefish are the cutest." Zexion argued.

"Wow, the animals that live in the ocean have a strange perception of cute. Dolphins are WAY cuter than cuttlefish… actually, cuttlefish are kind of scary looking." I said.

It was Zexion's turned to laugh. "AHAH! The human destined to save the world's oceans is afraid of a cuttlefish! That is absolutely preposterous! They are the sweetest creatures in the water."

I frowned. "I'm sorry that I'm a little put off by tentacles. Fins are cute… tentacles are creepy."

"I beg to differ." Zexion said and returned to his bubbles.

I shook my head at him and chuckled. I was kind of amazing how different we were. But I still thought he was really cute.

I jumped when I was sprayed suddenly. Zexion was shooting water out of his mouth like a water gun.

"That's not fair! You can't use your special abilities on me!" I said and jumped again when he continued to shoot water out at me.

"We have a bond, you have all the abilities I have… but this time I have all the water!" Zexion laughed before spraying me.

"I'm getting soaked!" I laughed and tried to deflect the jet of water aimed at me.

"It is only water." Zexion said.

I moved towards him, hoping I could splash him a little with the bath water but I moved away when he shot water in my face.

"Ah! That got in my eye." I said and started to rub my eyes at the discomfort. I back up till my back touched the door of the bathroom.

I heard splashing noises and opened my eyes. Zexion was in front of me with a frown on his face. His hands went up to cup my face.

"I'm sorry." He said.

I shook my head. "It's fine. It caught me off guard. You didn't hurt me or anything."

I jumped when I suddenly felt him poke me with his nose against my cheek. "What are y-ha!" I laughed when I suddenly felt a tickling sensation in my face. I laughed again when I heard a strange noise come from Zexion.

"What are you doing!" I barked through my laugh as he continued to nuzzle my cheek.

"I am trilling." He said before trilling again, with it came a warm feeling and the urge to laugh.

"Why?" I asked with a giggle.

"It spreads happiness." Zexion said and pressed his nose to my neck before trilling once more. He sounded like a dolphin or something but it tickled!

"Okay! Hahaha! Y-You can stop n-now!" I stuttered through my laughter and Zexion pulled away.

"I like it when you make this face." He said calmly and I smiled.

"You mean smiling?" I asked.

"Smiling?" Zexion repeated.

"Yeah, people smile when they're happy… you do it too." I said and stood.

Zexion moved back into the tub and sighed. I moved to the edge of the tub. "Do you think there's room for two in there?" I asked, a blush rushing to my face at how strange the question seemed.

"I would be honored to share with you." He said and I shook my head. Zexion was really good at making things seem simple… without even realizing it.

I stripped to my boxers and climbed in. I didn't really think it would be appropriate to climb in the tub with no clothes on, especially with my parents in the house.

The water was still warm and with my body taking up space, the water rose almost to the brim of the tub. Zexion hummed before looking at me. "I have a question." He said.

"Shoot." I said and sputtered when water was sprayed in my face.

"What was that for?" I asked with a huff.

"You asked me to shoot you with water did you not?" Zexion asked.

I laughed and shook my head. "No… I meant shoot off your question… it's like… well it's like a slang word or an expression for 'go ahead with your question,' or 'say what you gotta say' get it?" I asked.

Zexion nodded. "I am sorry for misunderstanding." He said.

I chuckled before leaning over and pressing my face to his neck. "You are not to blame." I said.

Zexion let out another trill and I sat up. "So what was your question?" I asked with a smile.

"Ansem says I need to learn the way of the humans… but how do I know when I understand?" he asked.

"That's a damn good question… I mean… It's kind of impossible to know everything… people are so different… even I don't know things about the human race and I'm actually part of it." I said.

Zexion's face seemed to riddle itself with worry and doubt; I couldn't help but feel a little guilty for making things seem impossible.

"But don't worry Zexion, I'm sure the things you need to know will come naturally to you. I mean, what better way to learn that to experience it all first hand. To be honest… I can't wait to learn about your customs… I'm sure their amazing to learn about." I said.

"It will surely be an adventure… What I truly want… I want to be able to understand you… I want to know you better than anyone else." Zexion said and I blushed.

"Well I think that might actually be a good idea… by learning to understand who I am as an individual, it might give you insight on the human race as a whole." I said with a smile, though my heart was still pounding at his statement.

No one has ever told me something like that before.

Zexion just sent me a look that seemed to bore right into my soul. I shivered a little and waited for him to say something. I watched as he moved closer to me and I swallowed a lump in my throat when he moved between my legs. "Tell me everything…" he said softly.

The eye that wasn't hidden by his hair seemed to glow with anticipation and I took a deep breath before beginning.

That water was freezing by the time I ran out of things to say and I was hugging myself to keep my body from shaking. Zexion asked a lot of questions and I couldn't help but feel as though we had made some progress.

"Your hands…" I heard Zexion say and I smiled at my prune-y hands.

"This is what happens when humans are in the water for a really long time, the skin on our hands and feet become strange." I said.

"Are you in danger?" Zexion asked his voice hinting alarm.

I chuckled. "No… I'm fine… but I am really cold and I need to get out of the water." I said and stood.

I got out of the tub and turned when Zexion took my hand. "I want to remain by you…" he said giving me a pleading look.

"Maybe I can find some clothes for you that wont irritate your skin." I said and sent him a reassuring look. "It'll be fine, I promise." I said before walking out of the bathroom after drying off.

"Hey, Mom… do you think there are any clothes here that wont harm Zexion's skin? I don't want to just leave him in the tub all day." I asked and my mother thought for a second.

"It may be a little embarrassing…" she said with a sheepish look.

"What are you thinking…" I asked and my mother took me to hers and my father's bedroom and pulled a nightgown from the closet.

"The material is really soft and when he stands, the sides of it might not even touch his skin. Believe me, if I had any other options… I would have offered them. We can go shopping for better things later." She said.

I looked at my mother's nightgown. It was a sea foam green color and it just looked really girly.

I sighed and took the gown from her. "It'll do for now." I said and moved back to the bathroom.

Zexion stood and I offered him my hand to help him out of the tub. He stepped out and I asked. "Do you think it will hurt if I try and dry you off with a towel?" I asked.

Zexion sent a nervous glance at the towel and touched it. "I don't want to risk it…" he said and I didn't fault him for thinking that way.

Those brush burns looked pretty brutal.

"So, my mother found this for you… sadly it's the only thing in this house that is delicate enough not to hurt your skin… sorry it's so girly." I said and handed it to him.

Zexion seemed to give a shrug before putting on the nightgown. Zexion walked out of the bathroom and smiled. "This will work." He said.

I smiled at the sight of him. A weird part of me thought the nightgown looked adorable on him. The way it silhouetted his body made him seem so small. "It's not so bad actually." I said and took his hand.

Zexion gently pressed his body to mine. "When do humans sleep?" he asked.

"Mainly whenever we are tired… is it any different from your kind?" I asked.

"Do you sleep in a bed?" Zexion asked and snuggled even closer to me. I couldn't help but think it was really cute. I wrapped my arms around him. "Yes. Are you tired Zexion?" I asked.

He nodded. "I want you to take me to bed." He said simply and I heard a spluttering noise down the hall. I laughed when I saw my father coughing in his place by the bar in the kitchen. "You shouldn't say things like that Zexion… it could be taken the wrong way!" my dad sputtered before standing.

"What does he mean?" Zexion asked before yawning.

"I'll tell you later." I said before pulling him towards my room so that he could sleep.

A/N: REVIEW! PRESS THE BUTTON BELOW! This chapter was a little bit of a filler but the plot is going to move.