Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ The Gambling Series ❯ Happy Birthday Xemnas! ( Chapter 5 )

He felt like stirring up trouble. It wouldn't be good news for him, as it never was, but it was boring sitting around doing nothing. If some of their other members hadn't been out doing missions, or if Roxas hadn't been missing again, he might have something to do. As it was, Zexion, Marluxia, Demyx, and himself were there to keep Xemnas happy. He had narrowly escaped playing some odd game with the Superior, but that meant he was by himself with nothing to do. Having mulled various schemes in his mind, there was nothing he was quite up to the task for doing, except maybe one that was still crawling into his mind from the pool of churning thoughts. He would need Demyx for it and someone willing to get naked and a little dirty. Someone who might not mind being exposed to Xemnas…. Then again, knowing the plot, it was more likely<i> he</i> would end up in major trouble as opposed to his cohorts.

 

Searching for Demyx, he wandered around their Organization house, looking for the blonde before stumbling across him outside Xemnas' room, a rather perplexed expression gracing his face.

“<i>There</i> you are!” he said in exasperation, making his point to grab Demyx's arm and tote him along.

 

“Er, Axel. Uh where are we going?” the blonde asked, skipping to keep up with the brisk pace, his arm being pulled.

 

“To the kitchen,” was the reply, Axel concealing his grin.

 

“Um, what are we doing in the kitchen?”

 

“<i>You</i> are baking me a cake.” The pyro pivoted on his heel, releasing Demyx's arm as soon as they were in the kitchen.

 

“A cake? What for?”

 

“Because,” the red head grinned deviously, “it's Xemnas' Birthday and I wanted to be nice.”

 

“It is?” Demyx was curiously intrigued. “I didn't know Xemnas had a Birthday.” Being Nobodies they really didn't… not entirely.

 

“Sure.” It was a distracted response to the water boy's first question.

 

“It's gotta be a surprise. Now, you're going to make a big cake that someone can fit in…”

 

“Someone can fit in… I'm not sure if I could…..”

 

“You'll think of something and you're the only guy around here who can cook, especially sweets. Now, get busy while I go find someone else.”

 

“Uh you're sure about his?” Demyx asked nervously, sheepish as Axel turn to face him, having started to leave. The pyro rolled his eyes and sighed.

 

“Of course. Now I'll be back to help in a bit okay?” Demyx nodded, for a moment standing there before slowly pulled out a couple bowls. This would be interesting, and would surely take a long while.

 

 

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The pyro had found Marluxia, wandering through halls, walking through walls via darkness just to appear in someone else's room, humming quietly and reading a magazine upside down.

 

“Hey, Pink Panther!” Axel called out, stopping Marluxia with one upraised foot, about to walk through another wall, darkness whirling.

 

“Yes Axel?” He put his foot down, turning to the red head.

 

“Hey I need you for something. Come to the kitchen okay?” Marluxia blinked.

 

“Did you set the rice maker on fire again?” Axel scoffed and rolled his eyes.

 

“No, but I'll set your magazine on fire if you don't hurry up!” With crossed arms and defiant step Axel pushed the flower boy into the portal, following behind before it closed. They both stumbled into Zexion's room, empty for the brunette was entertaining Xemnas. Redirection their route they made it back to the kitchen in a flourish, Demyx already measuring dry ingredients.

 

“What am I doing here?” Marluxia asked, having dropped his magazine off in Zexion's room, on his bed before he was pulled off again.

 

“Making a cake for Xemnas' Birthday,” Axel explained. The flower child nodded without question, as if it all made sense and he approved.

 

Sitting backwards in a chair, the pyro watched as Demyx began to add things together, mixing and blending and stirring until he needed the egg beater.

 

“So what am I here for?” Marluxia asked, returning from the refrigerator with a cup of tropical juice and sipping it.

 

“You're here to help. You're also going inside the cake,” Axel said nonchalantly. “Get me a popsicle will ya?” The pink one complied, unfazed.

 

“I always wondered how you fit someone in a cake,” he pondered, unwrapping the ice cream and starting to eat it before Axel growled and snatched it away.

 

“Well,” Demyx started as he set aside the eggbeater, dripping with white cake mix, “I'm going to have to build it around you. It'll have to be on a cloth and I'll have to make it with a whole bunch of thinner cakes stacked atop each other. I have some large stainless steal paneling I can shape into a ring. It'll be like building a gingerbread house.” He licked his fingers and he poured and pat the cake down, sliding it into the preheated oven and setting the timer, already starting on another cake.

 

His gloves were off, a white T-shirt tucked into jeans, his coat lying draped over a chair; an apron was tied about his waist, the words `Make Your Own Damn Sandwich' on the front. As he worked, he hummed, Axel finishing his popsicle as Marluxia floated about the room, settling to help Demyx measure out ingredients and making cakes as well, the blonde leading him through the instructions. The room was filled with the aroma of cakes, almost palpable, sugary and redolent. The pyro stalked over to observe what Demyx was doing, flour powdering the black front of the apron as well as his hands. He was a little messy, albeit with dry ingredients it was hard not to be. He was finishing mixing chocolate cake batter, noticing Axel behind him he smiled, mind wandering as he baked, Marluxia beside him and singing something silly.

 

“Chocolate and vanilla?” he asked, glove tugged off and about to steal a lick from the bowl. Demyx handed him a beater to lick instead.

 

“Yep. I want to do a third chocolate, a third vanilla, and a third mixed. The pyro nodded as he stuck the beater in his mouth. “Hey, will you go look for the sheets to line the inside of the cake with? Oh and a clean table cloth as well?” Axel nodded as he handed the clean beater bake to Demyx.

 

“Sure thing.”

 

 

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Over a dozen cakes later with Marluxia finishing and Demyx making galleons of whipped frosting, Axel had set up the basic structure of the cake, the thin metal sheets easily bending to accommodate Marluxia's crouching girth. This would be fun. Granted Xemnas could be a complete killjoy and the three would be left to themselves and the cake. Regardless, they positioned the cakes, pasting them together with frosting atop the cloth sheet, spread over the tabletop. Fortunately, Marluxia was short and the ceiling was high enough to avoid him getting hurt for when he jumped up. The longest part had been baking all the cakes, their oven only being able to hold four at most, having to keep several timers on. When Marluxia had finished, letting the last cakes cool, Axel ordered him to strip, having picked out a few choice items to wear, the basis for a chip `n dale.

 

On his way to finding Demyx's steel plating and the table cloth he had to make sure Xemnas was still in his room, sneaking into a few other member's rooms until he had found the pieces of the outfit in Zexion's room. Having Zexion and Xemnas both enraged at him sounded like so much….. mischief; definitely not fun. The flower child crouched in the cake as they frosted it, like a large and odd skirt, standing on chairs to reach as Demyx decorated the edges with blue frosting, squeezed into small flowers much to Marluxia's enjoyment. Chocolate on one side, vanilla on the other, and chocolate vanilla swirl in the middle. It had taken fatiguing hours to make but Demyx was pleased after lifting the top on carefully and smoothing it over with a countless numbered bowl of frosting. He had been surprised they hadn't ran out of resources, but they wouldn't be making anything else any time soon. Licking the spoon and finishing the decorations he stood back and sighed, Axel beside him with an armful of birthday candles.

 

“Time to light things up. Go fetch Xemnas, ok Demyx. HEY MARLUXIA!” The water boy nodded, wishing he could have a break to relax but complying anyway. He'd give the pyro enough time to light the candles before pulling Xemnas in. He didn't want them to melt all over his masterpiece anyway.

 

“Yeah?” came a muffled reply.

 

“CAN YOU HEAR ME?” Axel very nearly shouted.

 

“It's dark,” Marluxia observed. The red head lower his voice, Demyx walked out of the room and out to find Xemnas. Climbing atop the table he placed each candle, not too particular with any pattern, just so long as he used all of them. Small candles scarcely far apart, he lit all 107 of them, all at once and sure to not catch the whole cake on fire. Stepping down he turned off the lights.

 

“Marluxia, when I say, `It's time,' jumped out ok? I don't want the place to be set on fire from candles that haven't been blown out.”

 

“Ok.” Several long seconds passed as the candles flickered, a small blaze in the middle of the room.

 

“This had better be good,” he heard Xemnas mutter before he stepped into the room, stopping short as his gaze fell in the enormous cake. Zexion was right behind.

 

“A cake?”

 

“Happy Birthday Xemmy,” Axel said casually, leaning against the wall and smirking.

 

“Birthday?” The Superior gaped. Axel had really hit it. He wanted to just turn on his heel and leave. Parties weren't his thing, not these kinds anyway, unless he was throwing them of course. “I don't have a `Birthday.'” Demyx whimpered.

 

“But it took so long to make….” He didn't want his cake to be rejected—not his masterpiece! The leader sighed and ran a hand through his hair, tired already.

 

“So what, you want me to blow out the candles?” he asked, eyeing the flaming monument as if it might explode. Axel nodded.

 

“Yep.” Sighing, he hesitantly climbed a chair to reach the top, shying away from the blaze. How many candles were there? Zexion remained quiet the whole time, sensing what was soon to come and scrutinizing Axel's grinning face. Taking a deep breath the Leader blew his lungs out, managing most of them. Snarling at the ones that were still flaming, he blew those out as well, standing back on the chair with arms crossed and looking disgruntled. It was bad enough he was doing this with little questioning.

 

“Now what,” he asked. Had someone just giggled? It sounded like the caked….. Axel cleared his throat.

 

“It's time,” he announced. There was a second's pause of silence before the cake seemed to explode. Demyx wanted to cry. His beautiful baby had been ruined. He knew it was inevitable but nonetheless. Zexion patted his shoulder good-naturedly.

 

“Surprise!” Marluxia yelled as candles and cake alike went flying, frosting in his hair, arms held out as he smiled, a little unsure. Startled, Xemnas nearly fell from the chair, catching himself and cringing as frosting splattered his cloak.

 

Shaking cake and frosting from him he snarled, looking over to Axel who just grinned, gulping. Eyes flaming, blazing brighter than the cake had he growled, scrambling from the chair and throwing it aside, the image of a probably naked Marluxia save for a bow tie and cuffs standing amidst a cake fresh on his mind.

 

“AXEL! You're DEAD!” Blanching the pyro opened a portal to darkness and disappeared, his words, “C'ya!” lingering before Xemnas barely caught up, falling through the doorway behind his fleeing prey. The other three weren't sure what to make of everything. Zexion shook his head and couldn't save a smirk from being flashed. Demyx was crying for his lost cake and Marluxia was as clueless as always.

 

“I taste good,” the pink boy said thoughtfully as he licked cake from his hands. Demyx continued to sob.