Disclaimer: As much as I hate to admit it, neither the characters nor the basis of the plotline belong in any way to me.
Author's Note: Woohoo! Chapter one is complete! I'm actually really excited to write this story. It's going to be fun, I think. The members of Organization XIII are fascinating, and…the dynamics seem to be working out well. This chapter happened very easily, actually, which is always happy-making :D. Anyway, here you go. Enjoy, and please review!
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"That's….Castle Oblivion?" We had all heard of it, but never seen it.
The hooded man next to me nodded.
"Oh. And…it's completely necessary that I go in there? Because I'd really rather just...not."
He gave me another nod.
"Right. Okay." And with that, I bolted in the other direction. Only to run directly into another, freshly materialized hooded man.
"Not so fast, shorty. You're kind of ours, now. Into the Castle you go."
I sighed as the man grabbed my arm, and dragged me back to his companion. "Come on Ze—Number 6. Let's not keep Xemnas waiting."
My original captor nodded, grabbing my other arm. And thus I was half-dragged into Oblivion.
The halls were white. Everything was white, which only made the black of the hooded mens' coats all the more prominent. Dramatic.
They walked me through a couple of halls, and finally the taller man stopped. "Six, we should take the shortcut."
"He couldn't handle it," the other argued, his voice cold. Mocking.
"I like shortcuts," I interjected, and they promptly ignored me.
"Meh. I don't believe it. We should try."
"He's a Whole. It would break him."
The one said nothing more, but instead, darkness began to pool at his feet. "Come on," he whined. This no longer sounded like a good idea, and I pulled away.
"Um, I'm thinking—"
"Fine. Take him up. I'll meet you momentarily."
And then he pushed me into the darkness. I felt arms around me, and then it felt as if my entire body was being squeezed, wring into nothingness. I hurt more than anything, and yet numbed me at the same time. I couldn't breathe, couldn't move. I was being crushed into….
And then it was over, as quickly as it began.
"Well, I'm glad you survived—I'd be in trouble if you hadn't—but….Why did we—"
"Demyx," a voice snapped behind us. The man next to me flinched. "Is that a Whole?"
He turned, grinning now, and said, "Yup, sure is."
"Why, might I ask, are you traveling the Halls of Darkness with a Whole?" His voice was deadly quiet.
"If you don't know," Demyx finally said, "I'd say it's none of your business, Riku."
"It's strictly forbidden by the Codes, Demyx. I'd say it's most certainly my business."
Demyx spluttered a little. "Just because you're Xemnas's favorite, Riku—"
"It gives me great power, actually, Demyx. So, what are you doing?"
"I'm just taking the Whole to Xemnas. Found him on patrol. Okay?"
"Not my question. Why'd you take him through—"
"It's freaking faster, okay?" Demyx shrieked. "We're leaving now. Thanks for the chat."
"I'm coming with you," Riku said, a hint of a smirk on his face. "And we will walk."
Demyx spluttered some more. The words 'nosy' and 'bastard' came up a lot, both preceded and followed by colorful expletives. The flustered man stalked ahead of us, and Riku remained next to me. I found myself glancing over at him. He walked with a command not often found in one his age—I had decided that he couldn't be much older than me—and his gaze….I wondered if he had every made stone cry before.
After what seemed like forever in the monotonous white halls, I began to understand Demyx's desire to…do his shadow travel-thingy. It had been painful as hell for me, and I still would've preferred it to walking. I was bored. And no one was talking. I sure as hell wouldn't be the one to start.
Forever turned into an eternity, and I had decided that I might end up falling asleep on my feet when we stopped in front of a door. Demyx lowered his hood, showing a weird Mohawk thing, and placed a hand on the door. Nothing happened for a moment, and I wondered if he was simply bracing himself, when the door finally opened and I was pushed inside.
Inside, it was darker. Still white. But a darker white. Not cream or gray, just….dark white. It was creepy.
"What took you so long?" a voice off to the side asked. I looked over, and saw a man with silvery blue hair leaning against a wall.
"We had…complications," Demyx answered, his eyes flicking to Riku.
"Obviously. I left you alone for what should've been just a second, and…." So, was this the guy from earlier?
"Zexion. You caught the Whole?" Riku interrupted.
The man nodded grudgingly, and Riku nodded as well.
"I figured. Demyx, stand outside the door. Zexion and I will speak to Xemnas."
"But, I—"
"Demyx," Zexion said. Demyx glared for a moment, then turned to exit through the door.
We went through another small series of hallways—this was ridiculous. Who designed this place?—before reaching another door.
"Wait here," Riku said, placing his hand on the door.
Zexion opened his mouth to argue, only to shut it again. And then they were gone.
I wondered why they hadn't just left me with Demyx. And then wondered if I could get out of here. Glancing at the now-closed door behind me, I crept forward one inch, then another. Maybe these guys weren't used to dealing with captives—my hands weren't even tied After glancing around one more time, I started running down the hall. There wasn't much point—I had no idea where I was, or where I was going, but it would make me feel better if I at least tried.
Not that I had anything to get back to.
I took a couple of turns, but everything looked the same, so I couldn't even tell if I had made progress.
"This is stupid," I huffed, slumping against a wall. After a moment, I slid to the floor. "I'm stupid."
It had been my patrol session, and I just…wasn't paying attention, I guess. They caught me out of nowhere, and dragged me here.
I hoped the others were okay.
"Having fun?" I recognized the voice as Demyx's.
"Loads," I answered, not looking up. I didn't care to know how he had found me.
"They're coming to pick you up. Good luck, shorty." And with that, he was gone.
"Have trouble remembering where you were supposed to stand?" I looked up to find Riku starting down at me. Yeah, thanks for the helpful tip, Dem. I didn't answer him, looking back down at the ground.
"Come," he said after a moment, and spun on his heel. Needless to say, I didn't move.
He noticed after a moment and turned to me again. "Come!" I met his eyes and glared.
"Give me one good reason I should obey you. I'm not a dog; I have no leash. You have no power over me," I spat, suddenly furious. Something flashed in his eyes, and the next moment, he had me pinned against the wall.
"It is my doing that you are being spared from the lab. It is my doing that you will be fed, and treated by a human. That makes you my dog, and if you do not keep your tongue in leash, you will be left subject to the whims of Castle Oblivion."
He let this sink in for a moment, his eyes boring into mine, and then he shoved away and began down the hall.
I didn't move for a moment, and decided to take his pleasantly given advice. I followed him.
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And here ends Chapter 1. I hope you enjoyed. Please review! It makes my day :D
