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Desire For the Devil	By : WolfGoddess77 Category: Kingdom Hearts > General Views: 1339 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any characters therein, nor do I own you. No money is made from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Desire For the Devil
- 1
A/N: I had no idea how much fun it was to write Xigbar. I should have done this a long time ago. I first intended to make Axel's oneshot the only one I did, but then I started thinking, why not do a few more? I eventually want to do one for all four of my favorite Organization members (Axel, Xigbar, Saix, and Xemnas). The final two are going to be tricky, though...

A little note, the reader's Organization title and abilities are the same as in Solace in Nihility, but in this story, those events never happened, so we're starting with a clean slate.

It had been raining for two days now, and you were bored. The night before, you had gotten back from a solo mission, only to find that everyone else had been sent off while you were gone, leaving you alone in the Castle That Never Was. Not even the quiet Saix was in his customary place in The Grey Area, though you weren’t sure if this was because he had been sent out as well, or if he was simply in a different part of the Castle.

First, you had gone to the common room, thinking that someone might eventually show up there. You waited for a while in the quiet, the only sound coming from the rain tapping against the windows. Soon, the vast sense of emptiness began to press in, and you couldn’t stand being in the large room alone anymore, so you retreated to your bedroom, planning to take a nap to recharge from your assignment. You had been stretched out on your bed for an hour before you realized that sleep was not an option. The mission hadn’t been overly tiring, so you couldn’t make your body sink into unconsciousness.

At last, you got up with a sigh, leaving your room. You considered for a moment, thinking. Well, if you weren’t yet tired, you could remedy that easily enough. Making your way through the corridors, you finally found yourself in a massive room that was at least twice the size of The Grey Area. Through the windows that made up the far wall, you could see the faint glow of Kingdom Hearts in the sky. Unable to help yourself, you walked slowly over to them, placing your hand against the cold glass. The moon was pretty, you had to admit, even if you weren’t sure what exactly it was.

You turned away, retreating back to the center of the room and held out your hand. Jagged black light in the shape of thorny vines surrounded your arm, and a black whip, more than twice as long as you were tall, appeared, spiraling to the ground and pooling at your feet. It had been four months since Xemnas had forced out your ability, called Fading Corrosion, and subsequently given you your Organization title of Manipulator of Dissolution. You controlled the power of disintegration; whatever your whip touched would rot away, from flesh to inanimate objects. However, you could decide whether to activate this particular ability. If you chose not to utilize it, your weapon would be a simple whip; still dangerous, but not necessarily deadly.

Languorously, you flicked your hand to the side, and the whip responded. As it swished through the air, it began to shimmer, minute black particles rising from it to vanish into the air as it was activated. You spun in a tight circle, and the weapon broke apart into two, four, then nine, blossoming like some sort of writhing flower. As you came to a stop, you froze, the soft, almost-invisible down on the back of your neck rising in warning. You weren’t alone.

Before you could turn around to see who else was in the room with you, a gloved finger trailed slowly, almost intimately up the back of your neck, parting your hair and caressing the delicate skin there, making a shiver run up your spine. How had they gotten so close to you without you noticing? Snapping your arm sharply, you sent Fading Corrosion lashing out…into thin air. Whoever had touched you was gone. Impossible. The room was huge; no one could just disappear like that.

Unless…

A soft laugh confirmed your suspicions as the Organization’s Number Two, Xigbar, stepped out of a rift in the air a few feet away, his trademark smirk in place. He had used his spatial distortion ability to let his arm get close enough to touch you – only his arm. He must have known that you would retaliate like you had, and he didn’t want to be in the way of it.

“Easy there, sweetheart. You could hurt someone, swinging that thing around like that,” he drawled, his rough voice amused. His catlike yellow eye watched you as you completely turned to face him, lowering your arm. Faded Corrosion writhed, melting back into a single piece, the particles dying away as you deactivated it.

“That’s the point,” you replied mildly, not intending to let him know that his touch had sent a chill through you. The back of your neck was sensitive to touch, it seemed. Reaching up with your free hand, you ran your fingers along the skin, trying to dispel the tingling that lingered along the path he had taken. “It would serve you right, for sneaking up on people like that.” Truthfully, you weren’t really angry at him. It was hard to stay mad at someone who was so…well, charming. His personality was such that he rubbed a lot of the other members the wrong way, and you as well, on occasion. But then he would say or do something to put himself back into your good graces, and all would be forgiven. Until the next time.

It didn’t help that he had this habit of never using your actual name. Upon meeting you, he had immediately dubbed you “sweetheart”, and then proceeded to call you that from then on. It was a nickname that you didn’t tolerate from anyone else, but the way he said it was affectionate, rather than condescending, and so you put up with it, until one day, you realized that you had actually come to like it. The one time the youngest member, Demyx, had tried to call you that, he had found himself on the receiving end of Fading Corrosion. You hadn’t hurt him, really, but you’d put enough bite into it to remind him never to use that name again.

“Where’s the fun in life, if you can’t occasionally do things like this? It’s not like we have a lot to do around here when we’re not on missions, so I have to entertain myself somehow.” He took a step closer, looking down at your weapon. “What were you doing, anyway?”

“I had nothing to do,” you admitted. “I tried going to my room and taking a nap, but that didn’t work out, and I didn’t want to stay in The Grey Area when no one was there. So I thought, maybe if I came here, I would be able to tire myself out enough to sleep.” Slowly, you began to coil up the whip, even though you weren’t ready to dismiss it just yet. You weren’t finished here; Xigbar’s appearance had just put your plans on hold, rather than derailing them completely. He would probably lose interest and wander off within a few minutes.

“If you were bored, you should have said something. I know plenty of cures for that.”

Then again, maybe he wouldn’t.

“How exactly was I supposed to have said something? I didn’t even know you were still here until just now. I thought the Castle was empty.” It was possible that he had simply been in his room, and you would have been able to open a Corridor to bring you directly to him, but you had never thought about trying that. You didn’t usually actively seek out the others, unless you specifically needed one of them for a mission.

“Oh, you would have found me, if you wanted to.” He circled around you, moving closer to the rain-dappled windows and looking out of them. It was rather amusing to hear him say something like this; his ego was legendary among the other Nobodies, and it was clearly in effect now, thinking that you would have wanted to come only to him to help relieve that boredom you had been feeling.

“If I had wanted to,” you echoed, stressing the first word. “That’s assuming a lot. Tell me one reason why I would come to you instead of someone else.” Your voice was light rather than challenging; he wasn’t the only one who could tease, even if he was better at it than you were. Over the weeks, you had learned that he liked it best when his taunts were returned, rather than ignored.

His head cocked slightly to the right, and he turned it enough that he could see you out of the corner of his undamaged left eye. His expression was observant, calculating. “Because I’m a lot more fun than anyone else in this place, and you know it.”

You couldn’t stop yourself from swallowing hard at this. Exactly what did he mean by fun, you wondered? So many different definitions ran through your mind, each one less pure than the last, and you had to fight to keep your expression impassive. He was uncannily perceptive more often than not, and you had no doubt that he would be able to read your thoughts if you allowed even the slightest hint of them to appear on your face.

What made it that much worse was that he was correct. The two of you had become friends very quickly after you first met, and you enjoyed being sent out on missions with him the most. There was never a dull moment when he was around.

You knew you were playing with fire with your next words, but you couldn’t help yourself. “All right, then. You say you’re the most fun? Prove it. Entertain me.”

A wide smile spread across his face, and he fully turned to face you. As he stalked towards you, your hand tightened on the whip you still held. He was very fast in a fight, and with his teleportation abilities, you had to watch him at all times, or you would find yourself on the receiving end of his arrowguns without a chance to defend yourself.

He swiftly closed the distance between the two of you and reached out with one hand. You just barely had time to feel his gentle touch as he cupped your chin and see the wicked smirk on his face before he vanished. Four fading words echoed through the room. “As you wish, babe.”

The next thing you knew, thin bullets of light rained down on you, and you spotted Xigbar up near the ceiling, seemingly hovering upside down. His purple weapons were pointed straight at you, the tips glowing dangerously as he prepared another round of fire.

You brought Fading Corrosion up, and the whip divided into nine segments again as you lashed out with it, knocking away the projectiles before they could connect. As the second barrage shot towards you, you leapt back out of the way this time, rather than blocking. One thing that could be said about doing things like this with Xigbar was that his attacks were extremely fast, so it presented you with the best opportunity to increase your own speed. What was more, he was a long-distance fighter, so you didn’t have to worry about accidentally striking him with your ability and hurting him.

Xigbar vanished again, and you saw movement out of the corner of your eye, just in time to see him level his weapons at you and fire another volley. You spun around, bringing your arm across in a horizontal arc to once again deflect them. Unfortunately, because your abilities were the same in that they were the powers of a Nobody, your disintegration didn’t work on the bullets. You had learned this early on; you could potentially injure your comrades, but even with the ability at full power, it did nothing to their weapons. However, the same was true in reverse, so Fading Corrosion was never at risk of being damaged, or even outright destroyed.

Just as you completed the turn, you saw him bring his own arm out to the side, and it disappeared up to the elbow into a tiny rift. Your eyes widened as you realized what he was up to. Looking around, you searched for any sign of the direction from which he would be attacking. There would only be a moment’s notice…

There! A faint shimmer on your other side, just before more bright bullets tore through the air. He was attacking from both sides at once. You leapt into the air, twisting your body away from the projectiles. As they collided in midair, they shattered, sending fragments of light exploding around you. You brought one arm up to shield your face from the sharp shards, coming to a stop a few feet away. Your leap had carried you farther away from him, but you knew that distance meant nothing to him. He could still reach you.

Just as you landed, another stream of bullets were already on their way, more than you would be able to deflect under normal circumstances. You frowned in concentration, and the tendrils of Fading Corrosion divided again and again, nine becoming eighteen, and eighteen turning into thirty-six. They became thinner as they split apart, but no less effective, as they rose up from the ground like snakes to knock the bullets away from you. You had wondered if he was going to make you do this. It was your most devastating ability, used only as a last resort, and not one you had a chance to use often, so you liked to practice with it whenever you had the chance. It was only a small fraction of what you could do with it, but you refrained from unleashing it fully; that would completely drain you.

As you lowered your arm, preparing for another round, you went still. Xigbar was gone. Again. As much as his abilities were beneficial to you most of the time, this was perhaps the biggest downside to fighting him. The Freeshooter was very hard to pin down since he could warp space to his liking, literally disappearing into thin air and moving around wherever he wanted, including places that completely defied the laws of gravity. One of his favorite tricks was the first one he had used on you; adhering himself to the ceiling, or anywhere up above his opponent’s eye-line, where they would never think to look. You had learned this early on, however, so you had been prepared. But no matter where you looked, you couldn’t seem to find him. He was taking longer than usual to resurface.

Out of nowhere, Xigbar appeared right behind you, and you felt the deadly point of one arrowgun come to rest against the side of your head, not quite hard enough to hurt, but with enough pressure to remind you of where it was. His other arm hooked around your neck, forcing you to tilt your head back a little. You gasped softly in surprise, not having expected him to get close enough to actually touch you. You could feel his warmth pressed lightly against your back, his breath tickling over your skin as he whispered in your ear, “Gotcha, sweetheart.” In response, your face heated up, for more than one reason. His body was hard against you, giving you a hint of the sharp angles of his lean figure through the fabric of the coats you both wore. A small part of you was tempted to lean back just a little…

Your brow furrowed; you couldn’t be thinking like that! There were more important things to worry about. You were still in the middle of a fight, and you had very few options left. The way he was holding you, you weren’t able to turn around. He wouldn’t kill you, or even seriously injure you, but those bullets of his still hurt, even when he wasn’t being serious, and you wanted to avoid that. But you weren’t completely helpless.

Your hand tightened on the handle of the whip, and one tendril began to creep up, stealthily winding around his ankle. Just when you were about to yank on it, hopefully pulling him off-balance, you heard the sound of a Corridor of Darkness opening somewhere to your left.

“That’s enough,” Saix’s cool voice called, and you turned your head to look at the Organization’s second-in-command. Obediently, you let your weapon fade from existence. Xigbar was a bit slower to follow.

“Tch… Talk about bad timing,” he muttered, lowering his arrowgun with a heavy sigh, and releasing his hold on you. “Things were just about to get good.” The purple arrowguns disappeared, and he stepped back away from you, waiting to hear what Saix had to say.

“The Dusks have brought in reports of a large Heartless roaming the streets.” His unsettling golden eyes bored into you, and you had to fight to hold his cold gaze. “You are to find and destroy it before it can make its way deeper into the City.”

“A Heartless, huh? Sounds like fun. Maybe I’ll tag along,” Xigbar said, arching one sharp eyebrow.

“You are not needed,” Saix replied, as calm as he ever was. “One is sufficient to deal with this intruder.” He jerked his head towards the still-active Corridor. “Go.”

Not willing to push Saix the way Xigbar seemed to enjoy doing, you nodded, moving past the Freeshooter. You turned back to look at him, giving a small shrug of apology as the swirling darkness swallowed you up.

The rain had not let up by the time you stepped out of the Corridor of Darkness, and it took only a couple of minutes before you felt the cold liquid beginning to seep through the fabric of your coat, chilling your upper body. You pushed away this discomfort, narrowed eyes scanning the street you stood in the middle of. It had to be around here somewhere…

How a Heartless had managed to make its way this deep into The City That Never Was, you had no idea. Normally, the Dusks that you and the other members could summon at will kept any wandering Heartless at bay. Then again, not including you, everyone except Saix and Xigbar were currently out on missions, so the City was left with less protection than usual. The three of you weren’t enough to keep the multitude of dark streets completely cleared. Dusks could only do so much, and even in large numbers, they were still rather stupid.

Speaking of Dusks… You raised one hand, closing your eyes. The ground in front of you shimmered, and a single, lanky creature faded into existence. It was snakelike in appearance, crawling towards you on four legs that were so thin it was a wonder that they didn’t fold under the body’s own weight.

It came to a halt at your feet, tilting its head slightly to look at you. Or rather, you thought it was looking at you, since it had no eyes with which it could see.

“Find the Heartless,” you commanded it. “Bring it here, to me.” Rapidly, its body curled back on itself, scuttling away from you. The Dusks that you commanded, given the title Blights, all looked like this; they were flexible to the extreme, and didn’t seem to have any kind of skeletal system, though this was nothing new, really. All Dusks could virtually tie themselves in knots if they so wished.

You sighed, tilting your head back and brushing away a lock of wet hair that had plastered itself to your cheek. Now to wait… Moving out of the street, you took cover in a narrow alley, so the Heartless wouldn’t see you until it was too late. The fingers of your right hand twitched, and with a flickering of jagged, thorn-like light, Fading Corrosion appeared in your palm, coiled up neatly. Your fight with Xigbar had tired you, but you hadn’t exhausted yourself, thankfully, even though that had been the plan in the beginning.

If you had known that you would be sent out on a mission, you might have forgone the boredom relief the mock-battle had provided in favor of making sure that you were fresh for this fight, which was most certainly more serious than the one you’d had with the Freeshooter. Then again, it was just a Heartless. What could one Heartless do against a Nobody? You’d already lost your heart; there wasn’t much left to take.

The minutes ticked by, slowly stretching into a half-hour; the only sound was the rain as it cascaded around you. Where had that little thing gone? They had never disobeyed your orders before, so either it hadn’t found the Heartless yet, or… Or it had been killed. You were just contemplating summoning a second one, when the ground rumbled beneath you, and, peering out into the street you had just vacated, you saw a long, ragged tear appearing in the asphalt. Your eyes widened; there was something beneath the street, and it was massive. Movement caught your attention, and the Dusk you had sent out as bait came skittering towards you. One of its legs and part of its torso had been ripped off, you saw; it was having trouble balancing on its remaining limbs.

Swiftly, you raised your free hand, dropping it in a sharp motion. A tiny version of the Corridor of Darkness appeared before the Dusk, swallowing up the pitiful creature before it could come any closer. Mindless the Dusks might be, as well as completely disposable, but they were obedient to a fault, and had always served you well. You didn’t intend to let this one suffer any more than it already had. Better to send it back to…wherever Dusks spawned from, so it could recover in peace.

Just as the Dusk disappeared, the street split open, and something rose out of the fissure. It looked like some kind of deformed dragon, with four spindly wings attached to its back. Unlike the lower-ranked Heartless, which were largely black, this one shone with a multitude of colors, its body glistening in the rain. Its long neck was curved down almost to its chest, and two rows of vicious-looking teeth lined its jaws, protruding out over the seam of its mouth. Slowly, it raised its head and looked around, possibly for you.

Well, this explained how it had gotten so close to The Castle That Never Was. The Dusks wouldn’t have been able to handle this one. You were shocked that your little courier had managed to make it back alive; the claws that tipped the beast’s four paws were easily as large as the Dusk’s entire body, and capable of destroying something that small with a single swipe.

You took a deep breath, loosening your fingers from around your weapon. The whip uncoiled to its full length, beginning to writhe with black tendrils as you activated its ability.

Waiting until the Heartless had its head turned in the other direction, you leapt from your hiding place, swiftly closing the distance between the two of you and drawing your arm back. Fading Corrosion flicked out with a loud crack, slicing across the creature’s chest and leaving a deep gouge in the smooth scales. The wound began to seethe as the disintegration took hold, and the edges of the furrow started flaking away, making the beast shriek in what could either be pain or anger.

You jumped back as the massive paw swept out towards you. Because of its size, it was slow; you had the advantage. At least, as long as you didn’t let yourself be hit by it. You knew that it would deal massive damage if even a single blow landed. You would have to chip away at it, bit by bit.

Your eyes narrowed as you saw it turn its head in your direction, opening its fanged mouth. A bright light appeared deep in its throat, and you rolled out of the way just before the energy ball could strike you. It detonated against the ground, sending asphalt raining down around you. There was a crater gouged into the ground where the attack had landed. You had been right. If it could tear apart the street, what could it do to your comparably fragile body?

Standing up, you began to circle around the Heartless, looking for any kind of weak spot it might have. Or, if not a weakness, then a place where it wouldn’t be able to see you. Directly behind it seemed to be your best bet, but that was risky; even if it couldn’t reach you with its claws or that energy, it could strike you with its spiked tail. That was when you had an idea. If you could get past it, there was a perfect place for you to attack: between the two sets of its wings. It was probably vulnerable there, as well as on the back of its neck.

The hand holding the grip of Fading Corrosion lifted, and you snapped it sharply to get the beast’s attention. Those eyes fixed on you, and you lunged forward as it started to turn towards you. One massive paw was already raising in response, and you dodged beneath it. You snapped your wrist again, and the single lash divided into four squirming tendrils. You flung your arm outwards in a horizontal arc, and the four sections struck out, two wrapping around the creature’s neck, and the other two fastening to the closest wing.

The beast roared again as the shadowy particles rising off of the whip began to eat into its flesh, biting deeper as each moment passed. You used it as a rope to scale the dragon’s back, deftly dodging the claws that sought to sink into you as you came within range. The creature bowed its head, its neck arching in an attempt to bite you as you climbed up its shoulder.

Wrapping the handle of your weapon tightly around your hands, you hung there for a moment, using both legs to deliver a powerful kick to the beast’s jaw, and its teeth snapped together with a painful crack. You took advantage of the moment, scrambling up the makeshift rope before the Heartless could regroup and bite at you again.

Planting yourself firmly between the wings, you yanked hard on the whip, and the weapon hummed as the tendrils slid over the beast’s scales, digging deep furrows into its neck and wing. As it came loose, you snapped it again, and the whip split once more, fanning out into nine individual sections that bubbled with its disintegrating effects. You watched as small pieces of the dragon’s scales rotted away into blackness, dissolving before they hit the ground.

The dragon shuddered heavily, trying to dislodge you from your perch, but you were having none of it. You knelt down, determined not to lose your footing on the slick back and tumble to the ground, where you would no doubt promptly be seized by those teeth and disposed of. In the back of your mind, you had to wonder just what would happen in the event of such an outcome. You were already a Nobody; it couldn’t take a heart that wasn’t there. Would you just…fade from existence? You didn’t want to find out.

Lashing out with Fading Corrosion again, you spun it in a circle over your head to give it momentum, jumping into the air and bringing your arm down in a sharp arc. Eight of the tendrils wrapped around the Heartless’s wings, two apiece, and as you began to fall, you yanked upwards, causing them to bite deeply into the flesh, slowly tearing apart the thick muscles that attached the wings to the main body. The dragon gave a shriek as one of them fell away, hitting the ground and crumbling into nothingness. One thing that could be said about Heartless; they cleaned themselves up when they were exterminated.

Beating its remaining wings heavily, the beast launched itself into the air, and you slipped from its back. A moment of fear gripped you, and you tightened your hold on your weapon, your only lifeline that kept you from falling to the street that was rapidly shrinking below you. The dragon rolled over in midair, trying its best to dislodge you. This allowed you to find purchase as its roll caused you to fall against its stomach, and you quickly wrapped your arms around one of its legs, where it wouldn’t be able to snap at you.

In fury, the dragon launched another energy ball into the air, and it exploded over your head, momentarily lighting up the area and causing the raindrops to glitter and refract the sudden brightness.

Now secure in your hold, you let the whip fade from existence, and simply clung to the muscular leg, waiting for the dragon to tire itself out. Thankfully, this didn’t take long, and within five minutes, the beast was back on four legs again, its mangled wings drooping. You rolled out from beneath it, quickly summoning your weapon again and lashing out with it, pouring all of your power into the attack. The nine tendrils quadrupled in length, splitting apart into a little more than a thousand needle-thin strands that exploded outwards into a cascade of surprisingly heavy blows that seemed to have a life of their own. It took all of your concentration to maintain the attack, channeling your will into each individual thread, making them writhe like they were alive. This was the last attack you had used against Xigbar, pushed to its absolute limit. You could only hold it for a couple of minutes; that would have to be enough.

The tendrils rained down on the Heartless, piercing into its body, the street, and the faces of the nearby buildings. Only you were safe, standing in the metaphorical eye of the storm as your weapon swirled around you, laying waste to everything it touched.

The air sang as it was sliced apart by the razor-sharp threads, and deep lacerations appeared along the creature’s body, shredding its wings and ripping away a multitude of protective scales. Not even they could resist the disintegrating effects of your weapon. You would feel your strength rapidly waning, and finally, you let the tendrils fall to the ground, where they retreated back towards you, forming into the single whip once again. The dragon was motionless for several long seconds, its entire body vibrating violently. You watched it warily, not trusting that it had been completely nullified. It was still standing, which meant it was still dangerous. Only once it had disappeared would you be truly safe.

Your legs trembled beneath you, and you went down on one knee, breathing hard. Just when you were convinced that the dragon was about to disappear, it turned to look at you, opening its mouth. In the back of its throat, you saw another bright light beginning to form. This time, the ball of energy continued to expand, getting almost too big for the toothy mouth to contain. Your eyes widened in alarm. An attack like that would wipe out a large section of the street, along with anything that was on it, including you, and the Heartless itself. You couldn’t hesitate; you had one shot at this. Your strength was gone – this was all you had left.

Lunging forward, you cracked the whip sharply, the single, thick tendril streaming out and wrapping around the beast’s mouth. It writhed, trying to dislodge the painful weapon as its flesh began to flake away, but you were persistent, not letting go, even when it threw its head back, lifting you off the ground and shaking you like a rag doll.

Beams of light began to shine out between the dragon’s teeth, and you braced yourself as the world exploded around you. You felt the dragon’s body fade into nothingness; though whether from the blast, or because it had exhausted its life force, you didn’t know. You hit the ground painfully hard, rolling to a stop a short distance away as large chunks of asphalt peppered your body.

You had won. Somehow, you had won. But it had come at a price. It took all of your remaining strength to pull yourself to your feet, moving over to the front of the nearest building and letting it take your weight, your weapon dragging along the ground behind you. Your legs folded beneath you, unable to keep you upright any longer. As you slumped back against the wall, breathing hard, you felt Fading Corrosion disappear from existence; you were too exhausted to keep it manifested. You were completely soaked through by this point, and the rain continued to pour down, running in rivulets down your face. Shivers wracked your aching body every few seconds; your coat was no protection against the near-freezing liquid. The fabric was, unfortunately, quite absorbent, rather than shedding the water. Not that you really cared anymore; all you wanted to do was sleep, even if it meant doing it out here in the deluge. That fight had been far more difficult than you had anticipated; really, two members should have been sent to deal with it, rather than just you alone. This meant one of two things: Xemnas had had a great deal of faith in your abilities, and hadn’t thought that you needed any help, or he hadn’t known just how strong that Heartless was, and had sent you out, thinking it was something that could be handled easily. The first one was the most likely, you reasoned, since Xemnas always seemed to know almost everything that went on in his City. Although, that might have just been your pride talking.

Whichever one of those options was the truth, he might have overestimated you just a little; you had gotten the job done, but you were now too tired to even summon a Corridor of Darkness back to the Castle. You would have to remain where you were until you recovered a bit. Raising your head slightly, you looked around. The street was trashed, as were the faces of several nearby buildings. You didn’t think this was too much of a problem; no one ever walked these streets except Nobodies, so keeping them pristine wasn’t much of a priority. Deep down, you had to admit that you were slightly proud of yourself. The state of the impromptu battlefield showcased nicely that you were a formidable fighter. True, some of the damage had come from the Heartless, but much of it was your own handiwork. Smiling faintly to yourself, you closed your eyes, your head lowering until your chin was brushing against your chest.

Distantly, you heard the sound of a Corridor of Darkness opening somewhere nearby, followed by footsteps drawing nearer. They stopped right in front of you, and your eyes cracked open again. Who…?

A low whistle reached your ears. “Wow, sweetheart, looks like you did a number on that thing. You might have done a little too much, though; you look like you’re on your last legs yourself.”

The lazy drawl, combined with that rough voice was a dead giveaway for who had found you. “Xigbar…” you murmured, raising your head to look at the yellow-eyed Freeshooter. He had one hand on his hip, surveying the area for a minute before turning his gaze back on you. “What are you doing here? I thought Saix said that you weren’t needed; did Superior tell you to come find me?”

He scoffed. “As if. Thought I would come to lend a hand anyway, but it looks like I was too late.”

“How generous of you,” you said dryly; you might have been tired, but you still had a sense of humor, especially in inappropriate moments such as this. “But I’m guessing Saix won’t be overly pleased if he finds out you disobeyed his orders.”

This drew a light chuckle from the one-eyed man. “He might be Xemnas’ second-in-command, but I’m second in rank. I’m not afraid of a little disobedience every now and then. It’s not like I was doing anything else. I thought of that more as…a suggestion, rather than an order. Anyway, we should head back. Your mission is over; no reason to stay here.”

Easier said than done. You weren’t even sure you had the strength to stand up, much less walk the short distance to a Corridor that would take you back to the Castle. “You go on ahead,” you told him. “I’ll be…right behind you.” Eventually.

He gazed down at you for several long seconds, looking almost thoughtful. Suddenly, a wicked smile came to his face. Before you knew what was happening, he had closed the distance between the two of you, scooping you up into his arms.

“Hey!” For a moment, you were able to forget your exhaustion in favor of something dangerously close to panic. “What do you think you’re doing?!” You struggled in his arms, but he was deceptively strong, holding you tightly against his chest. While he might not have looked very muscular, there was power in his lean frame; more than enough to keep you from squirming free, especially in your current state.

“Relax, princess. I’m not about to let a lady stay out here and soak in the rain. You’re already drenched, on top of being worn out. Stop wiggling, we’ll be back in a minute.” He turned, and a Corridor appeared in front of you.

Xigbar was many things, but chivalrous wasn’t one of them. He had taken the liberty of giving you a nickname that was exclusive to him, but never before had he done something as bold as outright picking you up like you were some kind of damsel in distress, which you most certainly were not. You were suddenly glad everyone else was out on missions; if anyone had seen you like this, you would never hear the end of it.

In the back of your mind, though, a small part of you was happy that he had shown up. You didn’t relish the thought of staying out in the rain for any longer than absolutely necessary, even if you had been prepared to do it when you thought you hadn’t had another choice. You were already freezing, and he was very warm as he held you close. Slowly, your struggling died away, and you went still.

“That’s my girl,” he said as he felt you stop moving, and stepped through the Corridor. You made a face at his choice of words.

“Knock it off, will you? This is a one-time thing, and if you ever tell anyone else about this, I’ll make sure you have a matching eyepatch on the other side by the time I’m finished with you.”

This drew another laugh from him. “Whatever you say.”

By this time, the Corridor had deposited you at your destination. You raised your head, expecting to find yourself in your room, or even The Grey Area. Instead, Xigbar was standing in an unfamiliar bedroom, furnished the same way yours was; that is to say, not at all. Still, something about it was subtly different. Your room seemed to have absorbed some of your presence, imbuing it with a sense of belonging to you, and even though this room was virtually identical, you knew that it wasn’t yours.

It was his.

You stiffened in his arms. “What are we doing here?” you asked. You were aware that your coat was dripping onto the floor, creating a small puddle, and you had probably soaked the front of the one he wore, but he showed no signs of putting you down yet.

“I don’t know where your room is,” he said simply, “and you’re in no shape to go wandering around trying to find it. It’s hard to open a Corridor to a place you’ve never been to, and all the bedrooms in this place look the same, so I could spend all night trying to find the right one. So I thought mine would do just as well as any other. Got a problem with it?”

You hesitated. “Well, no, but…”

Moving over to the bed, he finally lowered you to the surface, dropping you rather unceremoniously onto it instead of putting you down slowly. It was a drop of only a few inches, and the bed was soft, so you didn’t protest, though you were inwardly annoyed. So much for being gentle with you…

He turned, his form flickering for a moment, then vanishing, which startled you. Up close, his spatial distortion always took you by surprise, no matter how many times you saw it. Even though he usually only utilized it during battle, you knew that he could do it whenever he wanted. That was one reason why he was able to be so stealthy; unlike the Corridors of Darkness, this ability of his made no sound, so he was able to move around without notice.

When he returned a moment later, he had a coat folded over one arm, which he tossed to you. “Put that on. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

You instinctively caught the garment, shaking it out. It was cut in the same style of the one he was currently wearing; it wasn’t one of yours. “Where are you going?”

“Someone has to report back that the mission’s finished, and I don’t think you’re going to be able to move any time soon. I don’t want to come back and sleep in a wet bed, so get changed.” Without a backwards glance, he left the room, leaving you alone in the dimness.

While you were grateful that he had offered you a dry coat, that was all he had offered you. You had no pants to wear beneath it. Not that his clothes would have fit you; he was taller than you were. A fleeting thought crossed your mind: had he done that on purpose, knowing that you wouldn’t be able to wear anything besides the coat? Even that would be too big on you, but it would at least cover everything that needed it.

Pulling yourself shakily to your feet, you unzipped your drenched coat, the fabric heavy with the accumulated moisture. Folding it up, you placed it on the ground at the foot of the bed, along with your pants, gloves, and boots. Still shivering faintly, you slid on the dry coat you had been given. It was loose around you, the sleeves coming well past the tips of your fingers, while several inches of the hem pooled on the ground. But at least it was warm. For that, you were very grateful.

You zipped it up, pulling your wet hair from beneath it. That done, you sat back down, sliding up until your back was against the wall at the head of the bed. You crossed your arms across yourself, drawing your knees up. You noticed that, while the opening in the coat usually would have started about mid-thigh, now it came down a little past your knees. This was a relief; you didn’t mind your legs being bare, just nothing any higher than that. It wasn’t as bad as you had first thought, though it felt weird to wear a coat that was designed differently than yours.

Truthfully, you had intended to return to your own room as quickly as you could. It was disconcerting, being in someone else’s. You had never visited any of the other members in their personal rooms before, nor had they ever come to yours. But you were just so tired, and the bed was so soft… A few minutes more couldn’t hurt. Leaning your head back against the wall, you closed your eyes, letting your body relax. Within a few minutes, you were in a light doze.

Xigbar made his way through the halls of The Castle That Never Was, heading towards The Grey Area. It would have been quicker to simply open a Corridor, which would have transported him there instantly, but he wanted to give you a chance to get changed before he returned. As much as he liked teasing you, he knew there was a limit, and he didn’t want to push you too far. He had already stretched the boundaries by taking you back to his own room, rather than yours, even though he had a good excuse for it.

It wasn’t long before he reached the common room where the members of the Organization liked to relax in their spare time. As usual, Saix was present, standing in front of the floor-length windows, and gazing at the still-small moon of Kingdom Hearts, one of his favorite pastimes. Its image was distorted through the rain-streaked glass, giving it the appearance of being fractured.

Saix didn’t turn around as Xigbar approached. “I take it the mission was successful?” he asked.

“You could say that. There wasn’t anything left of the Heartless when I got there. Street was a mess, though. It looks like it gave her a run for her money.” He crossed his arms, taking his weight onto one leg as he looked away from the blue-haired man, turning his attention to the golden moon outside. “Too bad we don’t have that ability. That Heartless probably had a lot of hearts we could have used.”

“It’s only a matter of time before we find someone who has it,” Saix replied. “We had no other choice but to destroy that Heartless, even if it meant destroying everything that it contained. It was getting too close to the Castle.” Still, it was a heavy blow. Xigbar was right; the larger the creature, the more hearts it had accumulated. What a waste.

Xigbar shrugged. “Ah, well. Plenty more where that came from, right? It’s not like the Heartless population is lacking. If anything, they’re multiplying faster now. Killing one or two won’t make much difference in the long run.” He paused for a moment. “It’s been a long time; someone is bound to show up soon.”

“It won’t be enough,” Saix rumbled. “One wielder cannot complete Kingdom Hearts on their own. We’ll need more with that ability. Ideally, we need Nobodies, who can be controlled.”

“I know. Shame, really. I would have liked to get my hands on one of those things, myself. Too bad they seem so picky about who they choose. One day, though.”

This made the amber-eyed man look over at him, his expression almost unreadable, though Xigbar thought he could see a hint of calculation on the quiet man’s face. The Freeshooter waited, but Saix said nothing else about it. Instead, he changed the subject, turning his attention back to the moon floating in the darkness of the sky.

“I will tell Xemnas that the threat has been taken care of. You can go.”

Xigbar’s single yellow eye narrowed slightly. Because the Freeshooter didn’t like the administrative side of things, Saix had been appointed second-in-command, despite Xigbar officially being second in rank. He was a few years older than Saix, and perhaps this was part of why he didn’t like being bossed around by the Luna Diviner. Xemnas, he didn’t mind taking orders from, but Saix’s authority got under his skin more than he liked to admit. The man had no sense of humor whatsoever, and was so uptight it was a wonder that he didn’t petrify from sitting so still.

“Loosen up, man. You look like a chunk of living marble.” Xigbar turned, waving over his shoulder as he left The Grey Area, heading back towards his room. He took his time walking through the halls, and he couldn’t help but wonder if you were still where he had left you. Probably not, he decided. You had clearly not been happy about being taken anywhere other than your own room, so you had most likely gone as soon as the door had closed behind him.

So it came as something of a surprise to the Freeshooter when he opened the door and found you curled up in his bed. Or, more accurately, curled against the wall. You looked similar to how he had found you in the rainy street; legs tucked up, arms folded across yourself, head bowed. Your hair was still damp, but at least you weren’t shivering anymore. But the biggest change that he noticed was that those legs were currently bare. He hadn’t expected you to remove your pants, as well. How interesting…

He closed the door behind himself, moving stealthily across the room. For a moment, he simply gazed at your still form, wondering if you were truly asleep. Your breathing was slow and steady, and you hadn’t reacted at all when the door was opened. If you weren’t asleep, you were doing a good imitation of it.

This presented a problem, though. The bed was big enough for two, if you slept close enough, but he didn’t think you would appreciate waking up to find yourself tangled up with him, especially while you were half-naked. Still, the thought made an amused grin spread across his face. What he wouldn’t give to see your reaction to that.

He reached up, unfastening the metal chain that decorated the front of his coat, and unzipped the garment. The front and sleeves were quite wet, and it was more than a little uncomfortable. As cool as it was in the room, it was even worse to have the sodden fabric pressed against him like that. Letting the coat slip from his body, he tossed it carelessly aside, completely at odds with the care you had taken with your own clothes. His gloves were next to follow, adding to the growing pile of fabric on the floor. He knew that he could always get replacements, but he had a better idea. There was something that he had been planning for a while now, and he’d thought that he had a good opportunity to enact it earlier, but he had been interrupted by Saix. That wouldn’t happen this time.

Taking a seat next to the bed, he leaned back against it, closing his own eye. The floor wasn’t the most comfortable place to sleep, but he had slept in worse places over the years. Besides, you probably wouldn’t be napping for much longer. The position you were in was going to get painful soon, and when your neck or back began to cramp, you would wake up, if only to find a better way to sleep.

His prediction was correct. It wasn’t half an hour later that your eyes slowly opened, and you winced as the muscles in your neck threatened to seize up. Ouch… One hand came up to rub at the discomfort, trying to work out the soreness that had set up residence there. You would have to remember not to fall asleep like that again… Suddenly, you went still. Wait a minute. Fall asleep? When had that happened?

You sat upright, remembering exactly where you were. It was impossible to tell how long you had been asleep; it didn’t feel very long, your hair still hadn’t dried. At least your quick nap had restored some of your strength. You didn’t feel like you would collapse in a strong breeze anymore. Now you could return to your own room, get a change of clothes, and…

You froze, spotting a shape right beside you. Xigbar was sitting on the floor, his back against the bed. His hands were folded behind his head, his long legs stretched out in front of him and crossed at the ankle. Was he asleep…? Your eyes widened slightly as you soaked in just what you were seeing. He was bare from the waist up, not even wearing his gloves. But then, of course he would be. His own coat had probably absorbed moisture from yours when he had picked you up, as had his gloves. What you couldn’t figure out was why he hadn’t just retrieved a spare set, as he had done for you.

Unable to help yourself, your eyes roamed over his torso, taking in the sharp lines of his body. Lean and wiry, you were surprised to see that he had no scars besides the one etched into the left side of his face. Given his battle-hardened appearance, you had thought for sure he would be decorated with multiple healed wounds. From this angle, it was hard to see him entirely, but you were fairly sure that you were right about this. It was just that single scar, and his damaged eye, both of which you had always been curious about, even though you had never asked. They gave him an air of mystery and danger that you quite liked, whether you would admit that aloud or not.

The sight of him puzzled you, though. You had never thought the Freeshooter was the type to be a gentleman and give you his own bed. You didn’t exactly think that he would have shoved you off onto the floor and taken it for himself, but… It was just an odd picture. First he brought you back to the Castle when you were too tired to get back there yourself, then he gave you one of his own coats to wear, since yours was drenched, and now he had even given you his bed to sleep in.

As you shifted on the bed, Xigbar’s head turned, dispelling the idea that he might have been sleeping, and he fixed you with his single yellow eye. It almost seemed to glow in the shadows of the room, though that was probably your imagination. The color was certainly bright enough to seem luminescent, though. Like his scar and eyepatch, that intense color had always intrigued you. It was too light to be called a true gold, nor was it the deep amber of Xemnas’, or even, to a lesser degree, Saix’s. If anything, it most resembled the color the Luna Diviner’s eyes turned when he was angry.

“Well, Sleeping Beauty awakes,” he said, amused. “Did you have a nice nap? I’ll be honest, I didn’t think I would come back to find you in my bed, but I can’t say I’m upset about that.”

Determined to hide the fact that you had been unabashedly staring at him just moments ago, you rolled your eyes, tucking your bare legs under you. Even with the coat covering most of your body, you still felt oddly exposed beneath his piercing gaze. “Do you ever stop teasing people?” you couldn’t help but ask, not liking the way his words sent a faint trickle of heat into your cheeks. You were not going to blush because of something he said to you.

He simply grinned. “Who said I was teasing?” Raising his arms over his head, he stretched lazily, tilting his head back so it was resting on the edge of the bed. He crossed his arms over his chest, the wolfish smile never fading from his face.

“No one has to. You don’t seem to be able to do anything else except tease.” Was it your imagination, or did he seem to pick on you more than anyone else? It was possible that he only did this because you had a tendency to give as good as you got, returning his taunts with sarcasm. Most of the others simply ignored him, so he liked to pay more attention to those he knew he could rile up. That made you a prime target.

“I’m hurt, sweetheart. I can be serious when I want to. It’s not my fault that most everyone around here has no sense of humor. Is it so wrong to want to liven the place up every now and then? Someone has to.”

You were silent for several long moments, simply watching him. He gazed back, matching your silence for once. Finally, you spoke. “I should get going. Thank you for the coat. I’ll return it once I’ve changed.” You turned, as if to slide off the opposite end of the bed, but were brought up short as a hand snaked beneath the sleeve of the coat and wrapped firmly around your wrist.

“What’s your hurry? You haven’t been asleep all that long; I’m willing to bet you’re still weak from that fight. One bed is as good as another, right? I don’t mind sharing for a while.”

You felt a tingle spread out from the point of contact, raising gooseflesh on your body that had nothing to do with the chilly air. You quickly shook yourself out of whatever kind of twisted metaphorical hold he had on you, though he was still physically gripping your arm. He had no trouble wrapping his entire hand around your wrist, you noted, with room to spare – his thumb easily overlapped his fingers. You had never noticed this before. It was an interesting little detail. You didn’t like to call yourself “small”, but the fact was, you were, especially compared to the others. Apart from Larxene, who was about half an inch taller than you, the Organization was filled with men who towered over you; this was especially true in two cases. Xigbar wasn’t as massive as either Xaldin or Lexaeus, but he was still quite tall in his own right.

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea. If I stay here, where will you sleep? The floor can’t be all that comfortable.” He still hadn’t released your wrist, and even though you knew that you could pull away if you so chose, you kept still, waiting to hear what he would say.

“It’s not, but I don’t intend to sleep on the floor.”

You blinked. He couldn’t be suggesting what you thought he was…could he? The wicked look in his eye told you that yes, he certainly was. You had seen that look many times before, so it was easy to recognize. He was at his most devious right now, trying to see just how much he could toy with you, and what kind of reactions he could provoke. A part of your mind wondered if that wasn’t the answer to why he had shed his coat without bothering to get a new one. Waking up to find him partially undressed and mere feet away was guaranteed to get some kind of response from you.

Seeing the shocked look on your face, he pulled himself up on the edge of the bed, reaching out with his free hand and running a rough finger along your jawline. “Come on, am I really so bad to have as a bedmate? I don’t bite. Unless you want me to, that is.”

This movement turned him so that he was completely facing you, and you couldn’t help but let your eyes flick downward. As you had thought; the tanned skin was unmarked. You took in every detail, bottom to top, noting the beginnings of the shallow furrows above the top of his pants that delineated where the muscles of his abdomen gave way to his hips. His chest was sharply defined, and you could see the graceful outline of his collarbones just above. Distantly, you realized that your mouth had gone dry. It had been one thing to feel his toned body beneath the coat when he had been holding you, and quite another to actually see that body.

A shiver threatened to dart up your spine at his touch, and his following words made it that much harder to fight it off. If you didn’t know any better, you would think he was coming on to you. His tone dripped with seductiveness, and his rough voice had dropped in pitch, becoming more intimate. He had never done anything like this before. At least…not so blatantly. But now that you thought about it, you could recall times that might have been precursors to this, some of which had happened just a short while ago: that touch on the back of your neck that had lingered just a little too long when he had found you alone in that room, trying to tire yourself out. His subsequent words: If you were bored, you should have said something. I know plenty of cures for that. And then, shortly afterwards, Because I’m a lot more fun than anyone else in this place, and you know it. And that was just the tip of the iceberg. Now that you had started identifying them, many more similar instances presented themselves.

Had he been dropping hints for some time, and you just never noticed? No, that wasn’t right. You could remember them, pick out the individual instances in your mind, so you hadn’t been oblivious to them. Perhaps you just hadn’t allowed yourself to think they were anything more than they appeared on the surface. But Xigbar was filled with deception; it was one thing that made him so interesting to be around. He was utterly unpredictable, and he had just proven that by completely throwing you for a loop.

You forced your gaze back up to his face, and you realized that he was smiling at you with an almost predatory expression. Your staring had not gone unnoticed. Now you were sure; he had done that on purpose, but you still didn’t know whether he was just screwing with your mind, or…

This close, you could see that the pupil of his eye was extremely dilated; only a thin ring of yellow remained around the outside. It was dark in the room, so your eyes had to adapt, widening to adjust to the lack of light, but you weren’t sure that could account for what you were seeing. His finger had moved slightly, so it was now curled beneath your chin, and he was still grasping your wrist with his other hand.

“Like what you see, babe?” he drawled, running his thumb lightly across your chin. This time, you did blush, just a little. It was so faint you weren’t even sure he would be able to see it in the dimness of the room. You certainly hoped he couldn’t. That was the last thing you wanted; to give him even more ammunition to tease you with.

Your eyes widened slightly as he slowly began to lean forward, closing the distance between the two of you. A burst of heat exploded in your chest as you realized that he intended to kiss you. Or at least, that was what it seemed like. It was possible that he was just toying with you, like he always did, and would stop himself just before your lips actually touched. You wouldn’t put it past him to do something like that.

“That’s all right,” he continued, apparently not expecting an answer from you. “To tell you the truth, I could say the same thing about you.”

You paused for a beat. “That’s not funny.”

“I’ll say it again. Who said I was joking?” With this, his mouth brushed across yours in a fleeting – but unmistakable – kiss. Your stomach was suddenly seized by an iron fist, squeezed tightly. It was a bit uncomfortable, but at the same time, though it was a contradiction, it wasn’t unpleasant. It took you a moment to identify what you were feeling: it was desire. You had always been vaguely attracted to the Freeshooter, but you hadn’t realized just how much until now.

Before you knew what you were doing, the hand that he didn’t have a hold of came up to rest on his arm, and you had to fight off the instinct to pull him closer. That kiss was too brief; you wanted more.

A deep rumble vibrated through his chest, and it took you a moment to identify it as a soft laugh. “Well, now, I wasn’t expecting this,” he murmured, pulling away enough that he could look you in the eye. His hand finally released your wrist, and his fingers slid lightly up your arm, leaving a tingling sensation in their wake.

Your hand immediately dropped back to your lap, and you looked away, slightly annoyed with yourself. What were you doing? His teasing always drove you crazy, sometimes to the point where you were sorely tempted to use Fading Corrosion on him, with its ability fully activated. He could be so irritating, and yet here you were, wishing that he would kiss you again. He was abrasive, conniving, infuriating, and…

…and you wanted him. Badly.

Making up your mind, you pushed away all thoughts of annoyance, turning to face him once more. “You’re not the only one who can surprise people,” you replied.

His yellow eye narrowed as he saw the heat reflected in your own gaze, and he smirked. When he had kissed you the first time, he had been unsure whether you would allow it, or even wanted it. Even though he liked to push boundaries, he never outright crossed them, and this was no exception. If you hadn’t wanted him to continue, he would have backed off. He liked to tease, but there was a limit, and this might have been yours. But now he was sure; he didn’t have to hold back. The hand that had been skimming up your arm suddenly wrapped around your waist, while the other curled behind your head, tangling in your damp hair. You suddenly found yourself crushed against his chest, and his mouth came crashing down on yours again. There was no hesitation in his kiss this time; it was hard and fierce.

Now prepared for it, you returned the kiss, your hands coming up to slide over his shoulders. The long, silky hair of his ponytail brushed against your arms, tickling the skin. This was another mystery you had often wondered about; those silver streaks in his hair. They only added to his roguish looks, even if they puzzled you. He wasn’t old enough for the black strands to start to fade, so where had they come from? They must have appeared when he became a Nobody, you figured.

This unanswered question was abruptly erased from your mind as you felt him nip at your bottom lip, demanding entry. You opened your mouth for him, and his tongue swept inside, exploring. On impulse, your forced him back out, not willing to give him complete control. This didn’t last long, however, as he found his way back inside once more. He tasted nice, you noticed, even though you weren’t able to pinpoint exactly what the flavor was.

You felt him shift suddenly, hooking his arm around your back and reversing your positions so he was sitting with his back against the wall, and you were resting sideways in his lap, both legs thrown over one of his. The way you were arranged, you could feel him pressing into your thigh through the material of his pants, and this made you arch one eyebrow. Apparently, you were having an effect on him, just as he was on you. You were oddly self-satisfied by this revelation, as it meant that his words earlier hadn’t been a bluff, as you had feared. Words could lie, but the body couldn’t.

He reached up with one hand, the other curled lightly around your waist. His fingers found the swell of your breasts through the fabric of your coat, and he began to caress them. Soon enough, he found the peak of one, and gently tugged at it. The material of your coat was thin enough that you could feel the warmth of his hand, but you wanted more. A soft whine tore from your throat, and unsurprisingly, he interpreted it correctly.

Leaving off his ministrations, he pulled down the zipper of the coat just enough that he could slip his hand inside, and he resumed his work, the rough digits coasting over first one sensitive nipple, then the other and making you arch into his touch. Faint pleasure uncurled within you, tingling through your blood. It felt good, but at the same time, it was torturous. It only stoked the flames of arousal spreading through your body, and he probably knew that. You didn’t really mind taking it slow, as long as you had the assurance that he wouldn’t stop partway through, and leave you frustrated. Maybe there was a way to guarantee that he wouldn’t. This wasn’t your only motivation, though. You wanted him. All of him. You wanted any pleasure he felt to come from you.

Not breaking the kiss, you let one hand slip down over his shoulder. At first, you simply traced over his collarbones, then trailed a single finger down the center of his chest. When you reached his stomach, you felt him tense slightly in anticipation. But he was about to learn he wasn’t the only one who could tease. Just before you reached the top of his pants, you reversed trajectory, running the backs of your fingers up his stomach and returning to his chest. Upon finding his collarbones again, you slid your hand back down. This time, you skimmed over the skin just above the fabric of his pants, your thumb moving down to tug gently at the top button without ever undoing it.

A soft growl rumbled in his chest, and he pulled back, watching you with a blazing eye. You couldn’t help but notice that the color had darkened to a molten gold, rather than the usual yellow. “Sweetheart, either touch me, or keep that hand still. I can’t take much more of that without losing my patience.”

A faint smile came to your face. So he could dish it out, but he couldn’t take it. That was good to know. Finally, you gave in, letting your fingers creep lower and brushing lightly over his clothed length. He inhaled sharply, closing his eye for a moment. You repeated the motion, a little more firmly this time, and felt him twitch in response.

“Harder,” he breathed, and you felt the hand he had around your waist tighten its grip.

Thinking about it for a moment, you decided to give him what he wanted. You found the buttons on his pants again, unsnapping them and easing your hand inside. When your fingers came into contact with his heated flesh, he shuddered, and you responded by wrapping your hand around him. You began to stroke softly, varying the pressure you used in order to see what elicited the most reaction out of him. Your thumb glided across the top, and you felt a drop of liquid break against your skin.

“Harder, I said.” His voice was a growl now. The hand that wasn’t wrapped around you came up to brush your hair back off of one shoulder, and he pulled you to him. Pushing aside the collar of the coat, he placed a deceptively soft kiss on the skin before delivering a sharp bite which made you gasp. Unintentionally, your hand tightened on him, and you heard him give a faint moan. “That’s more like it,” he murmured against your neck.

Now that you had an admittedly unintentionally better idea of exactly what he wanted, you kept the semi-tight grip you had on him, moving down to the base, then back up to the tip. You could feel him beginning to breathe faster, each exhale warm against your skin. The bite he had given you stung a bit, but you realized that you weren’t really bothered by it. It seemed that he liked to be a bit rough sometimes, and that was fine with you.

His hand found the zipper of your coat, and he drew it down until it reached your stomach. Because it was already a bit loose on you, the garment slipped down off your shoulders, exposing the tops of your breasts to his gaze. Before you could even think about keeping the fabric from dropping farther, he had leaned forward, nipping gently at the curves of the soft mounds. His teeth scraping across the sensitive flesh made you shiver pleasantly. That felt surprisingly good. You jumped slightly when you felt his mouth suddenly drop lower, opening the coat more and engulfing one of your nipples. The hand that was resting on his shoulder tightened, and you closed your eyes, your other hand going still for a moment as he began to suck on the peak, his tongue flicking against it occasionally.

At the same time, you felt the arm he had wrapped around your waist begin to creep towards your thigh, and you had a feeling that you knew what his destination was. A tight coil of anticipation formed in the pit of your stomach; you couldn’t deny that you wanted to feel him touching you, heightening the faint pleasure that he was already providing.

When his hand came into contact with the bare skin just above your knee, you felt your breath catch in your throat. It occurred to you that you had stopped your ministrations when he had unzipped your coat, and you didn’t want him to retaliate by doing the same thing to you; your hand resumed its motion, pausing every now and then to let your thumb dance across the tip, which seemed to elicit the most pleasure, if the way his body tensed up when you touched him there was any indication.

His rough hand slid up the silky skin of your thigh, curling inward towards your center. You squirmed against him; what he was doing felt nice, but it also tickled a little.

Without warning, he released your breast, and you felt a faint trickle of disappointment, only to have him switch to the other and repeat the process. His hand took up where his mouth had left off, pinching the nipple gently and rolling it between his fingers. The digits of his other hand were tracing lazy circles on your inner thigh, just centimeters away from where you wanted him to be. It seemed that he was getting revenge for earlier; you should have expected that, really.

He continued this treatment for what felt like several minutes, though it could have been no more than a handful of seconds. By that point, you didn’t care, you just wanted some relief.

“Stop teasing,” you chided breathlessly. “I get the point already.”

That single yellow eye glanced up at you, and you could see the wickedness dancing in it; he was enjoying himself with this. His mouth raised from your chest, and he flashed you a devilish grin. “Ask nicely, and I might just decide to give you what you want, babe.”

He couldn’t be serious. Sure, you had teased him a little, but it couldn’t have been enough for him to decide to do something like this. The punishment was blown completely out of proportion to the crime. Besides, after all that he had done to you in the past, he was past due for some payback.

It seemed that he didn’t seem to agree. “I’m waiting,” he said in a singsong voice. His fingers continued to trace patterns on the delicate skin of your thigh, making you tremble with a mix of desire and frustration.

“Please…” you said at last, knowing that he wasn’t going to relent on this. “Please touch me.”

Thankfully, he didn’t seem to want any more than that, as his fingers went directly to your core, slipping between your already-slick folds and finding the bundle of nerves without hesitation. He pressed down on it, then began to circle the highly-sensitive bud. The fiendish smile that had been on his face grew slightly as a jolt of pleasure shot through you, making you squirm in his lap.

“Well, how about that… You’re already wet for me.” A single finger dipped inside of you, running along your inner walls. The entire time, he never stopped manipulating the area that had given you the most pleasure, causing intense heat to unfurl within you, spreading slowly through your blood. Warmth also crept into your face, and you knew that you were blushing at his words.

Suddenly, he withdrew his hand, his fingers glistening with traces of your essence. Arching one sharp eyebrow in what you swore was a thoughtful expression, he looked from them to your face. “I wonder what you taste like...” In horror, you watched as he brought the digits to his mouth and deliberately licked them clean.

You froze, mortified. This went beyond anything he had done to you thus far. His past teasing had been nothing compared to what he had just done. Your hand slipped from around his length, and you caught his wrist, pulling his hand away from his mouth, but it was already too late. He licked his lips, his piercing gaze locked with yours. He knew exactly was he doing, and was loving every minute of it, curse him.

With nothing left to do, you waited, your breath held. The seconds ticked by, each one seeming longer than the last, and still, he remained silent. You were beginning to wonder if he was ever going to say anything when he suddenly pushed forward, his legs sliding out from beneath you as he tucked one under him, the other lowering to the floor. You had a moment to feel his hands on your shoulders before you found yourself on your back, gazing up at him as he knelt over you.

His hands slid down your arms before going to the zipper of your coat, drawing it the rest of the way down. The garment fell open, completely revealing your body to him. You felt no embarrassment from this; he had already done his worst. Anything after that was easily handled.

Or so you thought, until he stretched out on his stomach, placing his palms on your thighs and pushing them open. Your eyes widened in horror as he began to lean down, his mouth hovering just inches above your most intimate place. “How about another taste, hmm?”

“Xigbar, wait. Don’t-” Whatever protest you had been about to make was quickly wiped from your mind as you felt the first touch of his tongue along your folds. You gave a soft cry, a shudder running through you as he found the bundle of nerves again and flicked it, sending a hot lance of pleasure through your body. Placing his entire mouth over it, he began to apply suction, and you squirmed beneath him as the sensations spiked sharply, arching your back off the bed. Your fingers curled tightly into the blankets, and your eyes closed. It was so strange, feeling him do this. His mouth was so warm, almost hot against your flesh, and you could feel his breath every few seconds as he exhaled.

While his mouth continued its work, he slipped a finger inside your passage, and after a moment, added a second, when he was sure that you would be able to accept the intrusion. Beneath his other hand, he felt the muscles of your thigh flex as the pleasure cascaded through you, leaving you breathless. What you were feeling was beyond anything you had experienced in… Well, in a very long time.

He began to move his hand, his eye glancing up at you every now and then, watching your reactions with something akin to satisfaction. You gasped as his tongue lashed against you, drawing out pleasure that you hadn’t even known you could feel. The combination of his mouth and his fingers were intense, and it wasn’t long before you felt yourself beginning to climb towards release. Your legs were trembling uncontrollably, and you began to unconsciously move your hips in time with his fingers as the pressure continued to build within you. Finally, just before it could explode, sending you over the edge, he stopped, sitting back up.

Unable to help yourself, you gave a soft whimper of disappointment as the coil that had been growing in your abdomen began to fade. You hadn’t meant to make that sound, but it had slipped out before you could stop it. You wanted more, much more. His tongue was extremely talented, and he had been pushing you towards a peak that promised to be mind-shattering. The quality of the pleasure had been a bit different than anything you had experienced in the past, and you had been curious to find out just what the end result would have been.

As your eyes opened, you watched him crawl over your body, his long ponytail falling over his shoulder to trail across your stomach. Your body twitched as the strands tickled over the sensitive skin. As he came closer, he leaned down, capturing your mouth in a searing kiss, and you could taste yourself on him; slightly sweet, with an underlying tanginess. Not as bad as you had feared, thankfully.

Bracing his weight on one hand, he used to other to fully unfasten his pants, and he began to push them down, struggling a bit. You saw his difficulty, and reached up to help him remove them. He kicked off the garment, along with his boots, and finally, both of you were fully undressed. Your hands came up to rest on his chest, and you slowly trailed your fingers down to his stomach, spreading them over his hips and as far down his lean thighs as you could reach.

He leaned down, resting himself on his elbows, and he looked at you, his gaze questioning. What he had done so far could be considered intense foreplay, and he wanted to make sure that he had your permission to continue. It was a thoughtful gesture incongruous with his rough exterior. Not that you had a problem with him continuing. If he hadn’t, you would have.

Bringing one hand down to align himself correctly, he slowly pressed forward, his arm curling around your waist so you were slightly elevated. You brought your legs up to wrap around his waist, allowing him to go deeper than he otherwise would have been able to. When he was sure that you were feeling no discomfort, he slid the rest of the way inside, stopping when his hips met yours. Again, he paused, looking up at you. You could feel the strain in his body; it was difficult for him to hold himself back like this.

Instead of saying anything, you curled your hands around the back of his head, pulling him down to you in a hungry kiss. He might have been callous most of the time, grating on your nerves more often than you would have liked , but he was a surprisingly considerate lover, even if he still had a tendency to tease, even in moments of intimacy.

As he returned the kiss, you felt him beginning to move his hips, slowly at first, then faster, setting up a steady rhythm that soon had you moaning into the kiss. Your fingers tangled into his long hair, and on impulse, you found the tie that held the strands back, unfastening it. His bi-colored hair cascaded over his shoulders and onto your body, feathering across your skin in a way that bordered on torment to your nerves. By bringing you almost to the peak and then denying you, he had effectively heightened the sensitivity of your skin; you could feel everything, every minute movement.

He broke the kiss, resting his head against your shoulder so he could whisper in your ear. “What was that about?”

“I always wanted to see what you looked like with your hair down,” you said, both to yourself, and to him. You had never admitted it, but it was the truth. Apart from perhaps Xaldin, Xigbar had the longest hair in the Organization, though it was always pulled back in a slick ponytail. Soon after you had first met him, once you had started noticing your attraction to the Freeshooter, you had begun wondering what that hair would look like loosed from its restraint, falling around his shoulders, down his lean back. You just hadn’t been brave enough to try it until now, though you had been sorely tempted quite a few times.

“Always?” he repeated silkily, his hips keeping up their smooth rhythm. By this point, you had begun moving with him, rising to meet him when he slid into you, then reversing the motion as he pulled back. “Is that so? I am finding out all kinds of things about you tonight, sweetheart. You’re just one surprise after another.”

Suddenly, you felt the arm wrapped around your back pull you up against him, and your positions were reversed to what they had been when you first begun; he was leaning back against the wall, and you were in his lap. Only this time, you were fully straddling him, and he was still buried to the hilt inside of you.

“Go on, then. Surprise me again.” One hand came up to trail along your jawline again, then down over your collarbones. He let you set the rhythm this time, and buried his face between your breasts, holding you close to him. As you began to move your hips, you felt him placing kisses up the center of your chest, then around your neck. Every now and then, the kisses would be punctuated with a soft bite, and you knew that you would be left with marks after this. Not that you cared. Quite the opposite, in fact; you liked the idea.

Your pace was slow at first; this was a new experience for you, and it took you a few tries to establish a rhythm. Once you did, however, you quickened the movements until pleasure was once again spiraling through you, setting your blood alight. Determined not to be outdone, you brushed a lock of his hair off his shoulder, bending forward and returning the first bite he had given you. It was hard enough that you knew there would be an imprint for at least a day afterwards. If you were his, then he was yours.

He hissed in response, drawing in a sharp breath, the hand that was still resting on your hip tightening. He closed his single eye as you reached up, running your fingers lightly along the ragged, almost-vertical scar cut into his left cheek. Surprisingly tenderly, you brushed your lips over it before finding his mouth, kissing him deeply.

Experimentally, you rolled your hips in a circle, rather than simply back and forth, testing to see what felt the best, and what got the most reactions out of him. As you did this, he broke the kiss, and you felt his warm breath ghosting across your chest before he took the peak of one into his mouth, gently biting down and flicking his tongue over the smooth skin. His free hand came up to tease the other one, and he pinched the nipple almost hard enough to cause pain. You arched your back against him, making a sound that was a mix between a sigh and a moan. Your hands, wrapped around his shoulders, once again slid through the long black and silver strands of his hair as you pulled him as close as you could possibly manage. Since it had been freed of its usual ponytail, you couldn’t seem to stop yourself from touching it.

Now that you had gotten the hang of the movements of your hips, you felt the pleasure beginning to condense in your lower belly, swirling into a tightening ball. You didn’t know how close he was, but you realized that you wouldn’t be able to hold yourself back for much longer. You didn’t want to leave him hanging; there had to be some way to push back your own release.

Perhaps it was the tensing of your muscles that gave you away, but he read you like an open book. He shifted beneath you, and you found yourself on your back again, your positions once more reversed. He pulled one of your legs over his hip, while he let the other hook over his arm, allowing him to reach deeper inside of you, striking places that forced the coil within you ever tighter. “I already denied you once; that’s not going to happen again. Let yourself go. I want to hear my name on those pretty lips.” Not breaking the pace you had set, he thrust inside of you almost roughly, not letting you stop yourself from reaching your peak.

When the intense pressure broke, sending searing pleasure shooting through your blood, you arched against him, crying out his name. Your nails scraped lightly across his shoulders, making him shudder.

It seemed that hearing his name was the trigger he needed; before your inner walls had even stopped contracting around him, he reached his own peak with a low moan. Finally, both of you completely drained, he slid out of you, laying down on his side against you and pulling you close to him. Reaching over, he picked up the coat he had given you, and covered you both with it. Now that your bodies were going to begin cooling off, the chill in the air was seeping into your skin, and even with his warmth against you, soon you would have gotten cold. You took this as an invitation to stay with him, which you were happy to take.

As you lay twined together in his bed, you couldn’t help but reach up and touch the scar on his face again. “How did you get this?” you asked at last, unable to restrain your curiosity any longer.

For a long time, he didn’t speak, and you were just beginning to think that he was going to remain silent when he finally answered. “I got it in a fight, a long time ago; back when I was still whole,” he replied. “I lost my eye at the same time. Jerk took me by surprise, and left me with this.”

“Someone got the better of you in a fight?” That was difficult to do; you had first-hand knowledge of just how hard it was to gain the upper hand against him. His spatial distortion ability made that almost impossible, since he could teleport to a safe distance whenever the situation wasn’t going to his liking. He had used that tactic many times against you, much to your annoyance.

He scoffed. “As if. I never said he got the better of me, just that he surprised me. I let him go, but that doesn’t mean he won. It wasn’t time for him to die yet, that’s all. He was still too useful to kill.”

You gave a soft, thoughtful hum. Whoever had been able to do that to him wasn’t someone you ever wanted to meet. He must have been a formidable fighter. “I like them,” you said suddenly.

He looked down at you curiously. “Like what?”

“Your scar,” you replied. “And your eyepatch. They make you look…” You trailed off, trying to think of an appropriate word to describe them, but nothing came to you. “They suit you,” you finished after a moment. Yawning, you moved closer, tucking your head beneath his chin.

“Stop chattering and go to sleep,” he chided gently, amusement in his voice. You hadn’t even come close to recovering from your fight with the Heartless, and your exertions had absolutely exhausted you. Apparently, he had noticed this. “You can talk more about how pretty I am tomorrow.”

You made a face at this. “Does that ego of yours ever take a break?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, babe.”

You smiled. At least that was one mystery solved. But there were plenty more that surrounded the Freeshooter – your new lover – and you intended to find answers for all of them eventually, enjoying yourself every step of the way.
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Desire For the Devil