#khux brain

Lol, writing out that title was so fucking funny to me. 

~~~~~

           That booming thud jars the young man awake. Fueled with startled adrenaline, he spouts the first thing that comes to mind.

           “D!”

           Every eye in the room stares at the young man, some with annoyance and some amusement. Master Odin, on the other hand, is as stoic as ever.

           “That’s right. D is the correct answer, Eraqus. However, I understand, based on your exam scores that you originally guessed B. So can you explain to the rest of us why D is the actual answer?”

           “Uh…” His gaze frantically searches his barely-passed exam paper, trying to find out what question they’re on. From the corner of his eye, he noticed Xehanort, drumming his fingers against the table—four of them.

           Question four.

           “Um, D is correct because a keyblade user’s ability is augmented by the keyblade, so using specific charms to boost specific skills is vital against certain enemies. In this case, using the magic boost from Lady Luck would be more effective against enemies with elemental weaknesses than the other charms that are strength based.”

           All the attitudes from earlier have become awe—even Master Odin is surprised by his answer. The only one not impressed by Era’s answer is Xehanort, who smacks a hand against his face.

           “While that concept is indeed correct, that answer applies to question four, which you also got wrong. We are on question eight.”

           His eyes drop to his paper. “Eight?!”

           The class laughs at his mistake, which isn’t a new experience for him. Even the master is a bit lighter towards Eraqus as he says, “Perhaps if you spent less time napping, you would be able to pay attention to the rest of the class.”

           “Aw, but Fleetfoot needs his beauty sleep,” snickers Bragi.

           “Eraqus is pretty enough without sleeping through my class.” The class erupts at the master’s response. Even Eraqus cracks a smile as his ears burn.

           Things have been going better for Eraqus since he spilled his darkest secret to Xehanort. That goofy demeanor he used to fake is much more realistic and the nightmares aren’t quite as frequent. He still feels the guilt—he’ll never be able to forgive himself of everything—but he knows there no use dwelling on it and that he has to start repenting now. He’s far happier because he’s no longer alone.

           That doesn’t stop Eraqus bickering with his new boyfriend.

           “Why the hell did you tell me we were on question four?!” Eraqus complains after class as the group heads towards the dorms.

           “I didn’t. I tapped four fingers twice,” Xehanort nags back. “What was I supposed to do? Tap eight fingers.” The young man mimics the ridiculousness of tapping eight fingers at once. “Did you want us both to get caught?”

           Bragi and Vor snicker at the lover’s quarrel. Then the little blond says, “But that sure was a smart answer you gave the Master.”

           “Smartest thing I think Tardy Fleetfoot has ever said in his life,” agrees Bragi.

           A corner of Xehanort’s mouth quirks. “If you keep that up, somebody might start to think you know more than you let on.”

           Bragi throws his arms behind his head. “I dunno. Not sure I’ll ever forget that time he tried to convince us he could use the flare spell.” Xe’s silver eyes dart to Era who grins. “But dude can barely pass his classes.”

           “Not that you’re one to talk, Mr. D’s-Get-Degrees,” Vor mocks.

           The red-head retorts, “Hey, I’m pulling C’s at the moment.”

           “At the moment.”

           “Ah, what do you know.”

           Their argument devolves to raspberries until Vor falls back to walk beside Eraqus. “Hey.”

           “Mm?”

           “I’m really glad you’re feeling better.”

           The young man smiles. “Me too.”

           There’s a pause. Then she asks, “Was it Xe?”

           That grin turns cheesy. “Maybe.”

           Vor’s not nearly as childish as she looks, however, she does gasp as she covers her mouth with her oversized sleeves. “Did you kiss?” He can’t help that he’s still smiling even as the blood rushes to his face. Vor whispers her screams, “Are you dating now?!”

           It doesn’t matter if Eraqus answers or not; this girl already has it in her head what it is and she bolts past Bragi towards the others. Watching her frenzy, Bragi lifts a fist towards Xehanort. Xe shakes his head but takes the fist bump before Bragi ambles ahead to watch Vor’s show.

           “You realize they’re going to be all over us for the next week, right?”

           “Meh, pretty sure they all knew it was gonna happen anyway.”

           “You think so?”

           “You’re observant: you think I only just started loving you?” Eraqus winks.

           It’s not very often that Xehanort is abashed. “Look, things have been kinda crazy lately.”

           “I won’t deny that.” Era playfully bumps into his boyfriend. “But thanks for sticking it out anyway.”

           Xehanort is so cute when he’s embarrassed. “Yeah yeah.”

           Eraqus notices Xe fidget, as he has been lately, by playing with the ring hanging from his neck. Despite it being some form of comfort, Eraqus knows that the ring’s mysteries bother Xehanort; he got cracked ribs for it after all. But of all Era’s secrets, that’s probably the one that hurts the most. Even though he’s been asked multiple times, Eraqus hasn’t divulged the truth behind the jewelry.

           Eraqus reaches out, taking Xe’s worrying hand to displace the ring. The two eye each other before Xehanort does a one-eighty and drags Eraqus in the other direction.

           “Ah, hey! Where are we going?”

           “The training grounds.”

           “What? But class already ended today. I don’t wanna train anymore.”

           His determination aimed straight ahead, Xe growls, “Quit complaining.”

           As promised, the boy in black doesn’t stop until they reach the training grounds, where he pulls Eraqus around to face him.

           “Fight me,” he says, filled with determination.

           “What? Why?”

           A fist squeezes at the jewelry on the chain. “If I win, you tell me what the ring is.”

           He gets it now. “Oh yeah? And what if I win?”

           “If you win…I’ll do your next ten assignments.” Eraqus bursts out laughing and Xe snaps, “What?!”

           “You want me to bet one of my biggest secrets against ten assignments?”

           “Okay, fine. What doyou do want?”

           “Nothing. I’m not betting my secret.”

           Xehanort stews. “I’ll do whatever you want—bet whatever you want.”

           The desperation coming from Xe is shocking. Yes, Eraqus expected Xehanort to ask about it again and again but he didn’t realize it bothered his boyfriend this much. It’s almost painful how much Xehanort wants to know the only thing Eraqus wants to keep to himself. He doesn’t understand why, but it’s clear that Xehanort needs this.

           The ivory haori slips from his shoulders. “Fine, but on top of whatever I ask, you can’t ask me about this ever again.” Xehanort nods in agreement and Eraqus brightens. “Good. Now lighten up.”

           “Lighten up? I could be betting my life on this.” Despite his words, Xehanort does relax somewhat.

           “You think I’d take your life for this?”

           “No, but I’m willing to bet it.”

           “Geeze. You’re crazy.”

           His opponent cracks a laugh, taking his place on the field. “Says the guy who tried to aero himself out a third story window.”

           Era stands at the opposite side. “That aside, I’m not taking your life. But I’m not gonna make this easy.”

           Throwing his arm back, Eraqus draws a keyblade he hasn’t used in fifteen years: the Master’s Defender. The look of surprise written on Xe’s face is so satisfying.

           “I’m about to wreck that winning streak of yours.”

           Shaking his shock, Xehanort grins and summons his keyblade. “Nah. I love you, but you’re gonna stay in second place.”

           There’s a pregnant pause. Then it happens: boots grind against the dirt a split second before the boys fly at each other. Keyblades collide with a screech, sparking with force. There’s a brief struggle, but the stronger Eraqus pushes Xehanort back. Not willing to back down so easily, Xehanort pushes off the back foot and retaliates.

           Concerning their competitions, Eraqus only put in as much effort as he felt—often not much, even if he pretended otherwise. This time, however, is different and Xehanort is finding that out very quickly. He may not be up to par with his old master self, but Eraqus is giving it his all, putting Xe on defense more than he’s used to.

           Xehanort, to his credit, manages to fend off Eraqus and get in his own attacks now and then. Though he’s struggling, he refuses to admit it.

           The boy in black taunts a foe that perhaps he shouldn’t. “C’mon old man. Surely you’d know a good spell or two that would knock me on my ass.” His attack is easily blocked.

           Eraqus swings back, catching only air. “Of course I do. Problem is, this body’s still young. Let me put you in the body of a toddler and see if you can keep up.”

           “Sounds like a bunch of whining to me.”

           Weapons cross again. Xehanort holds for a moment, until the point of the keyblade in his face glows purple. His resistance is short lived as the violet field brings Xehanort to his knees. Standing over him, Eraqus grins.

           “You think so?” Seeing this strong young man bowed before him does feed Eraqus’s ego a bit.

           “Gravity spells, huh?” Xe’s voice shakes as his body fights against the magic.

           “Oh yeah. I’ve got a lifetime’s worth of combat knowledge. Your saving grace is this body’s limitations.”

           “Well then—” The heavy gravity fades and Xehanort stands. “—I’d better take advantage of that.”

           Their back and forth continues, Xehanort always at a disadvantage. He did almost catch Eraqus with a raid attack; Era was prepared for the keyblade, but didn’t realize Xehanort knew how to apply magic to the technique and ended up encased in ice. Unfortunately for Xehanort, it wasn’t strong enough to contain Eraqus and resulted in a surprise comeback for the captive.

           Then Xehanort makes a mistake. Eraqus watches him set up for an attack Xe hasn’t used yet but that Era recognizes. Zantetsuken is a last resort kind of move—very powerful while using the last of the user’s energy. Just as the glow envelops the attacker and he moves to attack, Eraqus enforces his own last resort. Xehanort is stuck in time. The next part of the attack teleports Eraqus behind his victim where he strikes in a flurry. Due to his limited ability, the combo cannot be completed and Eraqus backs away. However, by the time Xehanort is free, he feels the damage.

           A knee trembles; Xehanort is struggling to stay standing. Eraqus loosens up because he knows. Only a second later, the silver-haired boy goes down.

           “Dammit,” he growls on his back.

           Eraqus flops down beside him, equally exhausted. “Get used to this feeling, kid.”

           “Oh shut up.” He’s disappointed but Xe made a deal. “So what do you want?”

           The joy of victory slips away. Xehanort’s dying to know that ring means, which is understandable; it would probably bother Eraqus too.

           But what is it Eraqus really wants?

           He takes a deep breath. “That’s an engagement ring. The last time I saw it, I gave it to my significant other with the promise I’d return and propose with it. But I never saw either of them again.” His breath wavers and the sky blurs, but he manages to keep a grip on his emotions. “I don’t know how or why you have it, but I’d like to think that it’s a sign.”

           Xe’s voice is soft. “A sign?”

           “I know it’s weird,” he laughs. “But maybe it means I was supposed to meet you; that you were sent to save me.”

           “What does this have to do with the deal?”

           “One day, I want that ring back. And I’m gonna use it to ask you to marry me.”

           Xehanort sits up. “What?!”

           Eraqus grins. “Can’t back out now.” Gods, a flustered Xe must be the most beautiful thing in all the worlds. “But until then, hold onto it for me, okay?”

           The young man hesitates for a moment. Then, his hand fidgets with the ring and he lies back down.

           “Okay.”

           A warm feeling blossoms in Eraqus’s chest at the feel of Xehanort’s fingers between his.

           He’s made many mistakes, he thought he’d spend the rest of his existence suffering alone, but for the first time in a long time, there’s light in his life—granted to him by his last light. And he can’t help thinking that, with Xehanort at his side, things might go right this time around.