The Pathway of the Heart

Chapter 1 – Imaginary Friends

"Do-do-do-do-do," muttered Yuki under her breath. She was sitting at her computer like usual, waiting for it to load up. It took a while, and although she was used to its slow speed, she was still impatient with it.

Once she was on, she immediately logged onto IM, and opened up the internet so she could check out the forums. She glanced down the online contact list of IM, and paused at three, like she always did. The three names that caught her eye were Kairi, Sora, and Riku. She smiled at the fact that all three were online. Although she had to start the conversations most of the time, they were close to her.

She knew she had quite a few contacts, but barely any of them actually talked to her. She cherished the friendships of those who did talk, and was always smiley, friendly and happy. Or at least… she thought she was.

After about half an hour of discussing yaoi with Kairi, random things with Sora and the etcetera with Riku, she received an anonymous e-mail.

"Eh? Who could this be from?" she wondered, as she clicked on the link. It opened and she sat and read it.

Thinking of you, wherever you are.

We pray for our sorrows to end,

And hope that our hearts will blend.

Now I will step forward to realise this wish.

And who knows:

Starting a new journey may not be so hard

Or maybe it has already begun.

There are many worlds,

But they share the same sky –

One sky, one destiny.

♥

The poem pulled a little at Yuki's heart. She stopped smiling, and slumped back against her seat. Sora had told her this poem once before, but she couldn't figure out why it suddenly moved her like this.

"Maybe the sender has some kind of aura," she thought, scratching her head. The flashing orange bars at the bottom of the screen pulled her out of her thoughts. It was the conversation with Riku that she began to become most interested in.



Riku says:

Hello? You there? You ok? o.o

Yuki says:

Yeah… yeah I'm fine. Just reading an e-mail lol

Riku says:

Oh I see… what's it about? Must have been important to stop you like it did

Riku says:

Lol

Yuki says:

Don't worry, it was nothing

Riku says:

You can't fool me. I'm your brother P

Yuki says:

No, really, it doesn't matter

Riku says:

Do I have to poke you? ¬¬

Yuki says:

No! No pokie T-T

Riku says:

Then tell me.

Yuki says:

It was just a poem. It moved me a little, though I've heard it before without effect.

Riku says:

What was it about?

Yuki says:

I'm not really sure… it was just saying about a journey, how we all share the same destiny and how our hearts connect us.

Riku says:

In what way has it moved you?

Yuki says:

I don't know… it kinda opened my eyes, yet saddened me.

Riku says:

Don't worry about it, you're probably tired. It is quite late.

Yuki says:

True. Very true.

Riku says:

I gotta go bed now. Bye! xxx

Yuki says:

Bye! xxx 3 xxx



Yuki sat back on her chair, her hands behind her head. She was suddenly confused. Why did it seem like he made up an excuse for her feelings? They felt true to her heart…

Her heart. She automatically put her right hand up to her chest and clenched it. Memories suddenly came rushing back to her. Memories she wished could have stayed. She became even more confused, to the point where she had to say goodbye to everyone on IM and appear offline. Before she logged out completely, she went back to the e-mail, and re-read it. On impulse, she copied and pasted it into three other e-mails. One to Riku, one to Kairi and the other to Sora. She sent them off, turned off the computer and rushed upstairs into her room. She looked at her bedside clock. It read 12:30am. She sighed, and snuggled under the covers, turning the light out as she did so.

"I've been having these weird thoughts lately. Like… is any of this for real? Or not?" – Sora, Kingdom Hearts 1

Chapter 2 – Lost In Darkness

She fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow. She began to dream. She dreamt she was walking through darkness, through a place that didn't seem to exist. Suddenly she heard a voice say, "Starting a new journey may not be so hard. Or maybe it has already begun."

"Who's there?" she demanded. A door suddenly appeared in front of her. Curious, she opened it, and was engulfed in blinding white light. When it had died down, she opened her eyes. She was lying on a beach. She sat up and looked around. It was paradise. The sea lapping up against the shore was bright blue and crystal clear, it wasn't too unbearably hot, the sand was white and there was lush green vegetation everywhere. She also noticed that this place was inhabited, as there were many wooden buildings built onto the bigger trees.

"Lazing around are we?" asked a voice. Yuki jumped, and turned to face a girl with red hair, and looked a little older than her.

"K...Kairi?" Yuki asked, totally stunned. The girl grinned and nodded.

"I sure am! Now come on, the others have been waiting! You wouldn't believe how whiny those two are," she said, and helped Yuki up, who brushed herself off and followed her friend.

"The other two? Where are we?"

"We're on Destiny Islands. Riku and Sora are here too."

One sky, one destiny…

Yuki jumped and looked around. Kairi looked at her strangely. "You feeling alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine!" replied Yuki, jumping around a bit.

They soon reached another part of the island, where two boys were sat on the beach talking. Kairi ran out to them and the turned around, grinning. Time seemed to slow down, and Yuki watched the three of them chatter and laugh and poke each other. Although she wanted to smile, she found that she couldn't.

Things speeded up again, and she realised they were calling her over.

"C'mon, we're going to explore this place!" grinned Riku. Sora put his arm over Yuki's shoulder and nuzzled into her neck.

"I'm so glad we can finally be together," he whispered.

"Oi! You two! Hurry up before we loose you!" shouted Kairi. She and Riku were already quite far ahead. As Yuki and Sora ran up and met them, the sky darkened.

One sky, one destiny…

Black lightning suddenly struck, and the wind got up. The four of them grouped together and held on for dear life as things were suddenly ripped up and started flying around their heads.

"What's going on?!" shouted Riku over the mayhem. The island unexpectedly shattered, and they all fell. When Yuki hit her head on something, it all went black again. After a while, she regained consciousness and opened her eyes. The island was back to normal… except it seemed quieter, and had a colder atmosphere to the warm and friendly one it had before.

Worried about her friend, she ran to the spot where she and Kairi had found the two boys. Lying there was Kairi, out cold. As Yuki knelt down to wake her up, a dark spot appeared and dragged Kairi in, then disappeared, leaving Yuki all alone again.

Trying to push the image out of her mind, she ran on, until she saw Sora standing waist deep in the sea water. A tidal wave drew upwards, and Sora turned around and held out his hand. On impulse, she ran towards him, arms outstretched, but the tidal wave reached him before she did, and was sent tumbling backwards until she hit shore again. When she opened her eyes, Riku was stood over her. She sat up and looked at him. He started to laugh, and she joined in, happy that one of her friends had not been claimed. The sun suddenly grew brighter, and everywhere else went darker, and he and his laughter faded.

She looked up into the sun and saw all three of them smiling and laughing. They beckoned to her, and she ran, but the sun grew smaller and smaller with every step she ran. Soon she was in complete darkness again.

We pray for our sorrows to end, and hope that our hearts will blend.

A pinkish glow was emitted from her chest, and a heart appeared. She cupped it in her hands and felt its warmth.

And who knows: Starting a new journey may not be so hard.

Her heart began to float upwards, and it disappeared. Abruptly, she felt cold and all emotion left her.

.. Or maybe it has already begun.

She shut her eyes, expecting to cry. But she didn't. She had no feeling anymore. When she opened them again, there was another door in front of her.

"Now I will step forward to realise this wish," she said, and opened the door. When she did, she awoke. She was in a bed, but not her own. She sat up and looked around. The room and everything in it was white.

"H…huh?" she whispered.

"Regardless of warnings, the future doesn't scare me at all" – Simple and Clean Lyrics, Kingdom Hearts 1

Chapter 3 – Meeting the Family

Yuki climbed out of bed. She realised she wasn't wearing anything, so she grabbed a sheet off the bed and wrapped it carefully around herself. As she went towards the door, it opened and a man in a black cloak and shocking red hair walked through, carrying a silver tray.

He dropped it in shock when he realised she wasn't wearing anything but a bed sheet.

"Hey! Get back into bed!" he blushed, pushing her back over to the bed. After he had done so, he rushed to the tray and bent down next to it. "All my hard work!" he said as he held his head.

"Umm… sorry," said Yuki. He jerked his head upwards and then shook it.

"Ah, doesn't matter. Roxas said it looked a bit dodgy anyways," he sighed, and lifted up his hand. The tray and all the mess disappeared in a dark portal, and he stood up and walked to her bedside.

"It's good to see you're awake now. You had been walking in the darkness for quite a while," he said, and sat on the side of the bed.

"I have a question," she muttered. He nodded and smiled. "Shoot!"

"Why am I naked?" she whispered. Axel blushed and rubbed the back of his head.

"When you pass from one dimension to the other, all other objects are left in the other dimension, because they don't belong in this one. Hence why we found you naked," he explained.

"So you saw everything?!" Yuki exclaimed, holding her head in despair.

"Hey, I didn't see anything. Roxas, Demyx, Xigbar and I weren't allowed to come. The others know too well that we're not 'mature' enough to handle the situation. It was Saix, Xemnas and Xaldin that brought you here," he said, holding his hands up in a defensive manoeuvre. "Demyx is getting you some clothes now. He should be here any second-"

A blonde young man suddenly appeared out of a black portal holding some clothes.

"-now" finished Axel.

"Ah, she's awake! Hi, I'm Demyx. I see you've already met Axel," he smiled, and sat on the other side of the bed. Yuki began to feel a little uncomfortable with these two men sitting on a bed, in which she was sitting naked in. "I got some clothes for you. When you're changed, just come find one of us or any other Organization member. We'll take you to the meeting room to explain why you're here."

Demyx handed her the clothes. They consisted of a simple black long sleeved top, black trousers, boots and a cloak.

"Thanks," she smiled. He nodded, and got up, and dragged Axel out with him. Yuki quickly got dressed, and opened the door into white corridors, plastered in a strange pattern, like some sort of upside down heart with a cross on top of it.

Feeling a bit weary in such a place, she brought her hands up and held her upper arms to comfort herself. She hurried on, turning silent corners and hearing nothing but her own footsteps. She began to run, wondering if there was actually anyone in this place. She stopped running after a while, and leant against a window to catch her breath. She looked out of it and saw a moon shaped like a heart. "That's pretty," she whispered.

"It is, don't you think?" came a male voice. She jumped and spun around. A blonde boy of around her age stood there, looking at her.

"Y...yes," she stuttered.

"If you feel fear, I don't know why Xemnas brought you here," he replied, walking towards her and looking out of the window.

"I'm not afraid… just a little startled. You made me jump," she replied. He smiled.

"I see. I didn't realise I had that sort of effect on people," he said.

"I didn't mean that!"

"I know, I'm just messing," he laughed. She knew it was meant to be a friendly laugh, but she heard no warmth or any coldness in it.

"What's your name?" she mumbled.

"Ah, sorry. I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Number 13, Roxas," he said, holding out his hand for her to shake it. She did so, and smiled.

"Demyx said if I find one of you, I'll be shown to the meeting room?" she said. Roxas nodded.

"Yeah. I was hoping I'd get to you first," he said.

"Why?" she asked, looking a little confused.

"I'm the youngest member. Everyone else is older than I am. I thought I should get to know you more," he smiled.

"That would be nice," she replied, smiling back.

"And besides, if anyone else found you they wouldn't have bothered to talk to you like I have just now. They would have just grabbed you and dragged you off. Now that would have been plain rude," he said, folding his arms. She nodded, and smiled.

"C'mon, I'll take you there now. Don't want any of the others to tell us off for being late," he grinned, and took her wrist. He led the way to a huge door, where he pushed it open. There were seats all the way around the room at different levels, and Roxas showed her to a seat lowest to the floor, and then sat on the one next to it.

"We are all present?" said a hooded figure extremely high up. There was a murmur and nod of heads. Yuki looked around the room and spotted Axel and Demyx. The rest of them had their hoods up.

"Then I shall start. This meeting has been called in honour of our new member, Number 14, Kiyxu," said another figure.

"But my name is Yuki," she muttered.

The figure shook his head. "No, that name is a lie. Your true name is Kiyxu. As I was saying, Kiyxu has been newly found. She was found wandering alone in the darkness, watching an illusion of a dream pass her by. Xemnas, Xaldin and I were the ones who brought you here, Yuki. Because you had passed into a new dimension, you were found naked."

She then found that her hood had a brilliant use of hiding her embarrassment.

"Do not hide away from us Kiyxu," called the highest voice from across the room. "It may be hard to face that we found you in that state, but I can assure you, we sent the most mature members to help you. Be glad the others were not there to get tempted, and we did not allow Roxas to come. You should know that he was extremely worried about you, which is hard to feel since we are Nobodies."

"N...Nobodies?" she stuttered.

"You lost your heart in the darkness, right?" said Demyx.

She nodded. "I think so; it came out of my chest and flew away."

"Then you too are a Nobody. When you loose your heart, you loose all your emotions. Did you notice you did not feel much fear, or embarrassment just then? We are Nobodies. We're not even supposed to exist-"

"But I do exist! I have friends!"

"It was all an illusion my dear," said another figure.

"It wasn't! I know it wasn't! I have a loving family, lots of nice friends and a devoted boyfriend! I was happy, and I had dreams!" she protested. She saw Roxas tense a little in the corner of her eye.

"That was all back in the other dimension. You must live with the fact that you live in this one now," said the highest figure.

"No! I want to go home!"

"Kiyxu, what was your dream about?" asked Axel.

"My name is Yuki! I dreamt that I was on the Destiny Islands with my friends and boyfriend. Suddenly the darkness came, and they were taken into the sun and I was left alone. Near the end I saw a door, so I went through it. The next thing I knew I was in that bed, naked," she exclaimed.

"Do not agitate yourself," said another figure.

"Well can I at least see and hear you all? I already know Roxas, Axel and Demyx. I want to know the rest of you!"

There was a little discussion between the highest and second highest members, and the highest nodded.

"All members remove your hoods," he said, pulling down his own. He had long white hair and tanned skin for young man.

"My name is Xemnas. I am the leader of Organization 13."

The second highest figure pulled his down also, to reveal a man with a cross like scar across his face and bright blue hair. "I am Saix."

There was also a man with long blonde hair and goatee named Luxord, a man with braided black hair and long sideburns on his face named Xaldin, and a man with black hair and an eye patch named Xigbar.

"We are Organization 13. Our mission is to restore Kingdom Hearts so we can have our own hearts and live normal lives. Kiyxu, we once had 13 members. Now we only have 8, as the other 5 were destroyed. 2 were killed by Axel because they were planning to betray the Organization. Kiyxu, as the 14th member, you must help us, so we can help you," said Xemnas.

"I will," she replied.

"Good. This meeting has no need to go on any longer. You are all dismissed," he said. The majority of the Organization disappeared in black portals. The only ones remaining were Yuki, Roxas and Xigbar. The two guys walked towards her, sympathizing looks on their faces.

"We are Nobodies… we have no hearts." – Saix, Organization XIII

Chapter 4 – Big Brother

"Kiyxu? You ok?" asked Xigbar. She shook her head.

"I've just been taken away from my home, my family, my friends, my name changed. I can't talk to him anymore, and my heart has been taken. What do you think?" she said, her head in her hands.

Roxas and Xigbar looked at each other, and then back at her.

"Kiyxu … we're your family and friends now. At least until we get our hearts back. Maybe when you get your heart back you can return home," said Xigbar. She got up and walked out of the room, and to a window, where she looked up to Kingdom Hearts. She felt a hand on her shoulder, and saw Axel.

"What's up?" he asked, a soft look on his face.

"I want to go home. I want my name back. Can't I at least have him hold me one more time?" she asked. Tears came to her eyes.

"Who's him?" asked Axel.

"Sora… Sora-kun…" she said, as the tears rolled down her cheeks. Axel pulled back her hood and wiped away her tears. He smiled.

"I know you have no heart right now… but you still have spirit. Maybe that's what still remembers some of your emotions. If you couldn't remember your emotions, you wouldn't be feeling small amounts of them. You wouldn't be crying. You wouldn't have been embarrassed. You wouldn't have been scared," he said, and pulled her into a hug. She sobbed onto his shoulder as he stroked the back of her head.

"Now don't mention this Sora too much alright? Especially in front of Roxas. Got it memorized?" he smiled when she had calmed down.

"Why? Is he an enemy of Roxas'?" she answered. Axel shrugged.

"It might turn out that way. I can't say anymore, it's against what Xemnas told us-"

"Axel! Are you harassing her?!" exclaimed Roxas from down the corridor.

"Aww Roxas why do you people always suspect I'm doing wrong? I was just comforting Kiyxu," he said, putting on a puppy dog face.

"Because you usually are. You alright?" he asked Yuki. She nodded.

"He was just being friendly," she replied.

"See, I told you! But did you listen? Did you listen to little old me? Nope. I'm not loved by anyone," said Axel, folding his arms and pretending to be annoyed. Yuki smiled and hugged him, surprising both of the boys.

"Eh?"

"Thanks Axel. You made me feel better. I'll do my best for you, for Roxas, and all the other members! Maybe that way I'll be able to go home again," she whispered. Axel blushed and patted her head.

"That's nice… now if you'll excuse me, I promised Demyx I'd listen to him practice. It's not like we got much else to do today anyway. It'll be time for bed soon, it's been a long day," he said, before winking and disappearing into a black portal.

"He's a nice guy, isn't he?" said Roxas after a while. Yuki turned around and nodded, smiling.

"He acts all tough, but he's just a big softie on the inside," she replied. Roxas nodded.

"He's my best friend. I'd do anything for him."
"You're lucky to have such a good friend Roxas. I have lots of friends, but none like Axel."
"Thanks… listen, I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to call you Yuki," said Roxas, looking determined. Yuki looked at him in surprise.

"Of course, only when we're alone. The other members wouldn't like me calling you that," he babbled.

"I'd love you to call me Yuki," she smiled, and hugged him. He clenched his eyes tight and held her close.

"Yuki, I know you probably don't feel the same way as me, but ever since I heard about you, I've been thinking. I've been alone for so long now, with only Axel to be my friend. All the other members are occupied with destroying heartless to restore Kingdom Hearts. There's only ever been one female member, but she planned to betray us, so Axel has to spill her blood," he said.

"Roxas… what's wrong?"

"I wanted so badly to go and help you when we sensed you cross the dimensions. I even tried to beg Xemnas himself, but he wasn't having it. He thought I would just perv on you. But I can honestly say to you, Yuki, I would never do anything to hurt you," he said, still holding her. More tears came to her eyes.

"Roxas… I'm sorry…" she said, and silently cried into his shoulder.

"I didn't mean to make you cry!" he exclaimed, panicking a little.

"What's all this racket?" called a voice down the corridor. Demyx and Axel stood there, Demyx carrying some sort of blue instrument.

"Roxas, did you upset her again? Don't make me come up there!" shouted Axel. They disappeared again in the black portals, and appeared closer to them.

"Hey, I thought you'd like to hear me play," smiled Demyx, as Roxas and Yuki pulled apart. She wiped away her tears and nodded.

"Atta girl," grinned Demyx, rubbing her head and ruffling her hair. He pulled everyone into a black portal, and they reappeared in a room.

"Welcome to my room! This is one of the largest rooms in the castle, since I need a lot of room to practice," he grinned. Pushed against the walls were a bed, a wardrobe, a chest of drawers and a chair. The rest of the room looked rather bare. Demyx walked to the middle of the room and picked up his instrument.

"This is called a Sitar! It's my weapon, so don't ever underestimate the power of music," he said, and began to play. "Dance water dance!"

Suddenly some water like musical notes appeared and began to dance around the room. Yuki smiled. She could understand why these droplets of water could want to dance. He played his instrument very well, and was currently playing a very good tune. Eventually she could stand it no longer, and grabbed Roxas' hand. She held both of his hands and began to dance. He was a little shy at first, but he soon got into it. Axel soon came running, and joined in with them.

When Demyx stopped playing he looked at Yuki. "Will you sing for us?" he asked.

Yuki was still dancing, "la li la la la!"

"Kiyxu?" said Demyx, a little sharper but with a smile on his face.

"Hm?" she replied, stopping a looking at him.

"Will you sing for us? It's been a while since we've heard a girl sing. I'll play my sitar at the same time too of course," he pleaded. She blushed and nodded.

"I'm not a singer though, so if I deafen you, I'm sorry," she said. Demyx nodded.

"You start, I can get a tune going then," he said. She nodded and walked to the centre of the room. She felt them all looking at her, but she took a deep breath and began to sing anyway.

Demyx began to play the sitar at this point, and the water rose up again. She swayed and closed her eyes, imagining she wasn't in Demyx's room. She wasn't Kiyxu of Organization 13.

Soon she was dancing around the room, her arms outstretched as if she was dancing with someone. Roxas went to go and dance with her, so she wasn't dancing with the air, but Axel stopped him, and shook his head.

When she finished, she fell to her knees, holding her arms and sobbing.

"I want him. I want my heart. I want to go home," she whispered.

"Kiyxu …" said Demyx, dropping his sitar and running to her. He sat beside her and put an arm around her, and pulled her in.

"Shh it's ok, I'm here," he whispered, putting his chin on top of her head.

"D...Demyx…" she sobbed. Axel tugged at Roxas' arm. "Let's go."

"I can't, she needs me!" he protested.

"If anyone can help her at the moment, it's Demyx. Leave them be," he said firmly. Roxas sighed, took a look at the broken Yuki, then back at Axel.

"Fine. I need to ask Saix something anyway," he said, and the two of them disappeared into black portals.

"We do to have hearts! Don't be mad…" – Demyx, Organization XIII

Chapter 5 – Saix's Moonlit Enlightenment

They reappeared in Saix's room. He was standing at the enormous window as usual, staring up at Kingdom Hearts.

"What brings you two here?" he asked, not looking round.

"Saix, I heard that 3 other people crossed dimensions. I have a feeling they have something to do with Kiyxu," said Roxas.

"Ah, so you're not stupid. Yes, there were two boys and another girl. They were in her dream. One of the four had to lose their hearts, and it just so happened it was hers."

"Why her? Of all people, why Kiyxu?" pleaded Roxas.

"Because she was the one who was most willing to give up her own happiness for other people. And this is the result. She cannot feel happiness any longer."

"She didn't deserve it! Why did one of their hearts have to be taken?"

"There are only 3 sides to the pyramid Roxas. Only 3 hearts can become a trinity. The remaining heart is swallowed by darkness. She was too weak; the trinity needs 3 strong hearts."

"Kiyxu is not weak!"

"Believe what you will. We all had weak hearts. Why do you think we are here? Now leave me in peace," he said. Roxas clenched his fists and stormed out of the room, closely followed by Axel.

"Why? Why of all people?!" he exclaimed. He looked up at Axel for an answer. Surprisingly, he too looked angry.

"I don't know Roxas. I don't think it's anything we can really explain. Let's go and find Kiyxu, maybe Demyx has managed to calm her down," he replied, putting his arm around Roxas' shoulders.

When they re-entered Demyx's room, Yuki was sitting on the bed laughing. Demyx was holding her and telling her stories about what he had been up to in the Organization.

"Ki…Kiyxu?" stammered Axel in surprise. The two looked up, Demyx blushing a little but both grinning.

"Oh hello! Demyx was just telling me about the time he, Axel and Xigbar were dancing, and Xaldin joined in but he couldn't do it," she laughed. Demyx nodded.

"Laughter was the cure," he smiled. Roxas and Axel looked at each other in surprise, and moved in close.

"Never thought you were so motherly Demyx," grinned Axel, nudging him.

"I am not motherly! I think the word you're looking for is brotherly," he insisted.

"Brotherly?" asked Yuki, tilting her head to one side, and looking at Demyx.

"S-sure! I'll be your big brother. Any problems, you come see me, alright Yuki?" he grinned, hugging her close against his side.

"Aww ain't that sweet? Just don't call her that in front of anyone else. Got it memorized?" said Axel, and walked out.

"Where are you going Axel?" asked Roxas.

"Going to find Xigbar. Thought he'd fancy having another dance off without Xaldin interrupting. He can't dance to save his life!" he called, chuckling a little. And with that, he disappeared into a black portal.

"You want to see what happens?" asked Roxas, looking at Yuki.

"Sure, as long as you and Demyx join in too," she giggled. Roxas and Demyx looked at each other, and before Roxas could open his mouth, Demyx replied, "You got yourself a deal sis! C'mon, let's go!"

He grabbed hold of her and they suddenly disappeared into a black portal, and reappeared in a large hall, where Axel and Xigbar were talking. Roxas appeared beside the two as well.

"Ah, we've been waiting for you three. C'mon let's get this party started!" grinned Xigbar. Demyx clicked his fingers and some music started. He started dancing with Yuki, who was more than happy to dance with her new older brother. Axel quickly joined in, closely followed by Xigbar and Roxas.

"I like to move it move, I like to – move it!" sang Axel, deliberately bumping bums with Yuki. She lost her balance and fell into Roxas, who caught her.

"You ok?" he asked her, holding her hands. She fell silent, nodded and blushed.

"Yeah… I'm fine," she smiled. Roxas smiled and nodded, and let go of her before marching over to Axel and tapping him on the shoulder.

"Whaddya want Roxas?" he grinned innocently. Roxas drew himself up to his full height which was still quite small compared to Axel and said, "For bumping Yuki, and nearly hurting her, I challenge you… to a dance off!"

"I accept your foolish offer!" laughed Axel and dragged Roxas to the middle of the room. The pair of them started dancing. They weren't too bad, until they stopped being serious and began to muck about, using ridiculous dance moves to try and outdo the other.

Yuki, Demyx and Xigbar were in hysterics, pointing and laughing at the sight of the two best friends trying to outdo each other with silly dance moves such as night fever, shaking bums, party arms etc.

Xigbar pushed Yuki into the pair of them, where they began to try and win her over, by dancing with her gracefully, and then being tripped up by the other who wanted a go.

This went on for what seemed like hours, before a dark portal appeared and Saix, Luxord and Xaldin emerged.

"You imbeciles were having a party without me?!" exclaimed Xaldin, pretending to look miffed. He lumbered over to them and began to dance worse than Axel and Roxas were in their dance off. What made it even funnier was that it was his serious dancing.

Luxord chuckled and Saix smiled, before he walked over to Yuki and whispered in her ear, "Xemnas would like to talk to you."

"What about?" she replied. Saix shrugged but smiled again.

"Come, I'll take you. Luxord, I think you should remove Xaldin from this wild party and send him off somewhere to make himself useful," he said. Luxord nodded and walked over to Xaldin, where he had to avoid flailing arms and legs.

Saix held Yuki's hand gently and walked her to the door.

"I won't use the dark portal. Xemnas doesn't like to be invaded in his privacy like we usually do to everyone else. It isn't worth risking it with him," he explained. They didn't walk too fast, which was perfectly fine with Yuki.

"Will I get to use them?"

"That's probably what he wants to see you about, come to think about it. Keep practicing with it, and you'll be able to do it anytime," he replied. He still had Yuki's hand in his. She blushed a little.

"You don't seem like the type of person who would worry about someone like me," she mumbled with a smile.

"Ah, people always make that mistake with me. I care a lot about those dancing numbskulls. They just don't realise it yet. Actually, we're growing closer to you and each other. The only female we've had in the Organization was called Larxene. She was a brutal girl, and was one of the ones who were planning to betray us. I guess most of us here could say they think of you as a daughter. Obviously Roxas, Axel and Demyx don't," he said.

"Roxas and Axel are really close friends, and Demyx has declared himself my new big brother," she giggled.

"Oh, has he now? Well you listen to me; I don't want him clouding your judgement and skills. He's not a good fighter; he's too far into his music. If you want to know anything about combat, or anything else that you don't wish to approach him with, I'm always open to conversation," he said. They came to a door, and Saix stopped. "I shall wait outside for you. Xemnas is just inside here. Don't worry; he only acts as a head of family. He won't hurt you."

Yuki nodded and turned to the door, pushing it open with a loud creak.

"Xaldin can't dance to save his life!" recalling traumatic events – Axel, Organization XIII

Chapter 6 – Head of the Family

Yuki was immediately shadowed by the tall figure of Xemnas. He nodded and showed her to a seat. Shyly, she sat down and waited for him to speak. It seemed like the other members paid him a lot of respect.

"Kiyxu… you are our newest member of the Organization.