A/N: Hey there! Thanks for reading Koa! :D I have many more chapters already written, I just gotta get them up, hehe. Well, what are you reading this for? Go ahead and get reading!

:D

I hopped off the bus, landing perfectly on my toes. It was Friday and boy was I tired of school. I tossed my black hair over my shoulder with a flick of my head as the sun shone bright, warming my face.

I flipped my sunglasses down onto my eyes as the bus drove away with a loud rumble. It just felt good to be off that bus for a whole weekend. I sighed happily, breathing in the warm air. I was tired of the winter weather… good thing its spring. I smiled again to myself and then continued though the neighbor's yard to my house.

Suddenly, I saw something out of the corner of my eye and turned. There. Leaning against a tree was a person in a black coat, all the way down to his (or her) feet. I blinked. I was about to say something like a greeting, but someone driving by honked the car horn loudly. I whipped around and witnessed a narrowly avoided crash between the two cars. I watched for a second longer, then turned back to the person.

But he was gone. Once again, I blinked. That was odd. I shrugged to myself; maybe it was just the neighbors. They liked to dress up sometimes.

Once in my house, I yelled, "Hey, mum, I'm home!" The smell of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies was in the air. Yum! I ran to my room and threw my backpack on my bed before running into the kitchen. Snatching up a cookie off of a hot pan, I stuffed it in my mouth and wiped my lips off, getting rid of the evidence. Mouth full of cookie, I ran back to my room, almost tripping over a box in the process, and closed the door.

I pressed a button on my computer and it beeped, turning on. I fell back onto my bed, staring up at the ceiling. I sighed contentedly after I swallowed my cookie. That was a really good cookie; no surprise there, considering my mother is such a good cook. I winced and turned on my side. Well, at least she is good when it comes to cooking desserts… I remembered one time when she tried to make soup, she added too many spices and she overcooked it.

I laughed and shook my head, sitting up. My computer was now on and fully functional. I might as well get some playing in before mom makes me do chores. Setting my mouth in a grim line, I stood up and sat down at my computer.

After checking my email and my usual Internet sites and talking to my friend for a while, I sighed and stood up, my rolling chair creaking underneath me. I flopped down onto my bed once more and grabbed a book. Flipping it open to the page where I had my bookmark, I pushed it out of the way and began reading.

I read for about two hours, completely oblivious to the passing of the time. I get like that for some reason. "Hey, I'm going off to work now. Make sure you eat dinner," said mom, sticking her head in my room.

I nodded. "Yeah, sure. I'm reading right now, mum."

She shook her head. "Right. See you later." She walked away as I listened to her open the door, close it, and I knew I was alone.

I sighed happily and replaced my bookmark, putting my book away after looking at how far I read. I smiled and rolled over onto my back. Awesome; mom's going to work and won't be home until at least four in the morning or so. See, she was a nurse, and she always took the graveyard shift. She'd sleep most of the day away and then leave around this time.

My dad was off on a business trip in Canada. He was an engineer and helped with blueprints; he was also quite high on the food chain, so he was the one who had to go and meet with customers. It happened quite often, so I was used to it. Anyway, he wasn't coming home any time soon.

I had the whole house to myself for the next few hours. I was definitely not hungry, and I had no intention of making dinner, so that was taken care of. I sat up and ran my fingers through my hair. "What to do, what to do," I murmured, crossing my arms. I looked around my room for a moment before deciding upon playing a video game.

After about two hours flying by without notice, I ran to the kitchen to grab a snack. "One cookie, coming up," I said to myself, grabbing another chocolate chip cookie. I put it in my mouth, held it with my teeth, and ran back to the living room, but tripped over a bunched up rug. "Oomph!" I lithely spun myself out of the fall, continuing on as if nothing had happened. After all, I tripped like this at least eight times a day; I've learned to roll with the punch. After wiping my hands on my pants, I picked up the controller and resumed playing.

I yawned and saved my game. After waiting for it to turn off, I pressed the off button on the TV and stood up, stretching. My head was pounding slightly from a headache that appeared about an hour ago. Glancing at the clock, I grunted. It was already 10:00, and I still hadn't taken a shower. I went to my room and took off my necklace, bracelets, and rings, grabbing my brush in place of them.

I trudged off to the bathroom and turned on the hot water, getting ready to take a shower.

After about twenty minutes, I got out and blew-dry my hair. Feeling fresh and clean, I brushed my teeth after stripping myself of my towel and pulling pajamas on. While walking out of the room, I stepped in a puddle and slipped. "Woah!" Luckily, I caught myself and no harm was done. Like I said, I've always been like that; I always trip a lot but happen to right myself at just the right moment. I'm real nimble, I guess. Anyway, it seemed like just a few seconds ago I was eating the cookie for a snack before resuming my game. My, how time flies.

Even though it was Friday, my head hurt and I wanted to get to bed. I turned on my night-light and turned off the room light. I don't really think I'm afraid of the dark; I just don't like not being able to see right before I fall asleep. A strange habit, but hey, I'm a strange girl.

Talking about strange, I picked up my two bracelets; one is made entirely of blue buttons and the other is a hemp bracelet that says my name, Arii, on it. Next, I slipped on my one white and two black rings onto my left hand, and my single pink ring onto my right. I lastly picked up my arrowhead necklace that I got on vacation a while back. I smiled as I clasped it behind my back, and then smiled at my reflection.

I wasn't pretty, but I sure wasn't ugly, either. My jet-black hair was more or less straight, and my face was adequately proportioned. I loved my eyes the most of all. I had nice, full lashes, and a pretty bright gold shade of eyes. I nodded at myself and turned around.

I giggled and smiled sleepily at the view of my bed. Warm, comforting, soft… all the qualities that sound so good to me right now. I closed my eyes and smiled a bit when I suddenly noticed I was still just standing next to my bed. I laughed once to myself and walked over to it, accidentally tripping over a shoe I left on the ground. "Ooh!" I turned the trip into a summersault by grabbing my bed and rolling over my back to land safely on the bed. I crawled under the covers and curled up. "Ahh…" I let out a relieved sigh. I feel so comfortable at this time. It's my time to relax and unwind; time to let go of things that stress me out and bother me. It is just about my favorite time of the day.

It took me a few minutes for my eyes to get adjusted to the darkness. My mind drifted and I started to think about different things, weaving their way through my thoughts, like a technicolor blanket.

Suddenly, the hair on the back of my neck stood up and my eyes snapped open. It felt like someone as watching me. I slowly sat up and looked around my dark room. I suddenly noticed that my night-light isn't on. It must have burnt out; I leave it on every night, and it is getting kind of old. I quickly regret not changing the light bulb as I strained my eyes to see if there was anything in my room.

I hate feeling like someone is watching you… it is so creepy. I shuddered and goose bumps appeared on my arms, making my hair stand up.

Then, I heard a thump, like as if someone just tripped and put their foot out to stop him or herself from falling. I opened my mouth to shriek, when fast as lightning, something tackled me back onto my bed. I struggled, fueled by panic, when a hand was clamped over my mouth, pushing me down into my pillow.

"Hey, hey shush! Don't struggle!" muttered a guy's voice. It sounded oddly familiar, but in my fear, I didn't even have half a mind to care. I tried to look up at the man, but I couldn't see his face. It looked… almost like he was wearing a hood. I swallowed and noticed he is sitting on top of me, on my stomach.

He had me pinned to my bed during our struggle. He slowly got off of the bed and me, but kept his hand on my mouth, holding my head to the pillow. "Okay, now don't talk. I'm here to take you away. I promise that you won't be hurt or anything, but if you don't cooperate, I'll have to hurt you."

I blinked and involuntarily shivered. I can't believe this is happening to me… I know this guy's voice, I know I know it. I can't believe this… it's like I'm in a fictional story or game or something…

At the back of my mind I started to feel comforted. I didn't feel any fear at all; I could only feel happiness for some reason. It felt like I was in a strange place, and I had just started on my way home. Thoughts of comfort and happiness flowed through me.

"Promise to keep quiet if I take my hand off your mouth?" whispered the guy. I swallowed and nodded slightly; that's all I could do. I was too confused to do anything else. "Alright. Now come on, stand up," ordered the guy in a muted tone.

I nodded and stood up as he took his hand from my mouth. "Who… who are you?" I asked in a hushed voice.

The man took my hand with a lack of interest. "Hold on," he murmured, and then put his other hand out in front of him. Suddenly, a dark sphere opened up in front of him and grew until it is the size of two people.

I gaped. What the hell was that? This is not happening. I pinched my arm to see if I was dreaming and winced as I felt pain. So, no, I wasn't dreaming. I felt a tug on my arm and looked up. The guy was looking back at me and I could finally see him clearly; the sphere gave off an eerie purple glow.

He was wearing a long black cloak down to his feet with the hood up. I gaped and blinked once.

My mind clicked as gears turned and I noticed who this guy was.

"Xigbar…?" I asked quietly in an unsure voice. The man twitched and slowly turned his head to look right at me. I could feel his eyes boring into me but I couldn't see his face; it unnerved me and I squirmed slightly.

"How… do you know my name?" he asked so quietly that I almost didn't hear him.

My eyes grew as wide as saucers. How did I know his name?

Even though it was so dark in my room, I knew immediately what he looked like; the long scar running from his left eye to his neck, the eye patch on his left eye, his bright yellow eyes… his greasy black hair pulled back into a tight ponytail.

What… was happening to me? I had never seen this man before in my life. How did I know who he was? How did I know what he looked like?

I almost fell over as a rush of emotions hit me; confusion, shock, joy... The latter of them hits me like a brick wall and a huge smile grew on my face. I felt like I had been marooned on an island, and Xigbar had just arrived on a boat to save me. I couldn't hold myself back, and I suddenly leapt at him, throwing my arms around him in a hug, like as if I were drowning and he were the only one keeping me alive.

It threw Xigbar totally off guard. Hell, it threw me off guard. He stared at me in confusion, wondering why there was a girl sobbing her eyes out silently clinging to him.

What is going on with me? Suddenly, I got so excited and couldn't wait to step through the black sphere. I let go of Xigbar slowly, grabbing his hand and holding it tightly; I had to go with him to Castle Oblivion. I already knew that was where we were headed.

Why I knew that, don't ask me. I had no clue; but it felt like it was the place to be. I wanted to be there.

Xigbar still stared at me, his mouth hanging open slightly. He didn't understand my odd mix of emotions. One minute I was freaked as hell, the next I was sobbing on his shirt, and the next I was holding his hand and smiling and beaming brighter than a basket of daisies.

"Uh…" he mumbled, not sure of what happened.

I flashed him a brilliant smile. "I… don't know," I murmured, my eyes shining bright in the purple light from the sphere. "I feel like this is what I'm supposed to be doing. But it feels wrong somehow. I am so…"

"In trouble?" finished Xigbar quietly. I felt like we suddenly connected as if we were friends. Deep down, I felt that he's my savior. I can't wait to go to the new place.

I smiled and shook my head. "No, lucky."

I saw a small smile flicker on Xigbar's face and he said, "Well, I guess you already know my name, so there is no need for introductions. I know you are Arii; it's in our job to find out about who we are finding."

I smiled and nodded. It sounded so familiar to me, but I could hardly pay attention. The black sphere seemed to be drawing me to it, and my toes twitched eagerly as I wanted to go. Who knew what could be on the other side?

"Well, Arii, I'm Xigbar!" said Xigbar, extending his free hand.

I laughed and took his hand. "I thought you said no introductions?" He seemed like a good guy. I liked him already.

He blinked and then shrugged as he pumped my hand up and down in a handshake. "Eh, It's all good. So, I'll drop you off at your room in the castle and we'll have a tailor bring over some clothes."

I blinked. "Clothes?" I motioned to myself. "But I already have clothes."

I glanced down at my plaid pajama bottoms and my dull gray tank top and Xigbar laughed once quietly. "Yeah. You see, in our world, it's… nothing like this world. You change into who you are on the inside." His dark eyes skimmed my outfit. "You are a person who is nimble. You're carefree, you flow easily. Therefore, your clothes will be very big and you will need smaller ones, because you'll be smaller. Catch my drift?"

I smiled and nodded. I won't have to work out to be skinny? This is even better than I thought! I tightened my grip on his hand and looked at the sphere. "Come on, let's go!" I murmured excitedly.

I took a step forward and Xigbar stopped me again. He turned and faced me fully and looked right into my eyes. "Just warning you beforehand," he muttered, unblinking. "You should stay away from most of the Organization. They…" he winced slightly and his gaze broke.

I blinked. "They?"

He looked at the ground and sighed. "How can I put this?" he muttered, rubbing the side of his face. "Well… there are 12 guys in a Castle, and you will be the only girl there besides Larxene, and she is one nasty little bitch, pardon my French. Catch my drift?"

I furrowed my brow and pondered this. He can't possibly mean…?

He looked down at me and tilted his head slightly. "Catch my—"

"Yeah, yeah," I muttered, finally understanding and blushing slightly.

Xigbar nodded and turned back around, facing the sphere and still clutching my hand. "Just watch out for them. I don't want…"

The rest of his words were lost as he stepped forward, pulling me along behind him.

He stepped through the sphere, and I took a breath. I closed my eyes and took a big step forward.

It felt like I just stepped through an icy waterfall. I jerked my arm over my head to keep the water off of my head, but I noticed no water hit me at all. As soon as it happened, it was over.

I opened my eyes and I was suddenly in a long white hall. It stretched as far as I could see, and farther still. The ceiling must have been as high as about two school busses stacked on top of each other, nose to nose. It was an immense hallway and was made of pure white marble checker boarded on the ground with black squares.

I tightened my grip on Xigbar's hand again on instinct and I gripped air. I whipped around and suddenly noticed that he wasn't there at all. I blinked and felt my heart start to pound as I remembered Xigbar's advice. Alone in a Castle with 12 guys… I shivered slightly, both scared and slightly excited about the fact.

I mentally berated myself for even thinking of being excited about that. I am supposed to be afraid, dammit! I sighed and tried to calm my nerves. I glanced down the hall in both directions, wondering where I should go. I couldn't help but feel that I've… been here before, or something. But that's impossible; I'd know if I had been somewhere as elaborate as this place before.

I decided upon going right, and so I worked up the courage and started walking.

Suddenly, I noticed my pajama bottoms are around my ankles. With a yelp that echoed down the bare hallway, I pulled them up as quickly as possible, turning three shades of red and glancing around to make sure no one saw me.

I clutched my pants to my thighs and suddenly noticed that my pajama bottoms, what once fit me perfectly before, were now about five sizes too big. It looked like when as a child I stepped into my father's pants and shoes, trying to imitate him. I smiled slightly and then it disappeared quickly. Would I ever see my parents again? I hadn't asked Xigbar about that. I decided it would be best to start walking again.

Clutching my pants to my waist, I started walking again. I noticed the bottoms of the legs dragged on the ground as I tried to walk, almost tripping about four times. Of course, I righted myself easily each time.

Suddenly, I tripped again, and slid my foot out quickly and stop. I lost my balance and waved one hand in the air, wind-milling to keep myself up. I glanced to the side once I stopped, and noticed a door.

I smiled to myself and accidentally let go of my pants again. With a squeal, I grabbed them before they could fall any further than my thighs. Blushing again, I trudged to the door and put one hand on the handle.

I stopped. Maybe I shouldn't just… barge in. I took my hand off the knob and knocked on the door, three times in succession. My hand was still in the air when I heard a voice.

"Just hold on a moment… I'm almost done," came a bored voice from inside.

I blinked. That voice wasn't Xigbar. I gulped and backed up slightly, remembering his warning. Suddenly, my pajama bottoms got in the way and I fell to the ground with a slip of my feet and a thud. Where the hell did my nimbleness go? I landed hard on my backside and winced. Now on the ground, it was safe to take my hands from keeping my pants up and I rolled up my pant legs. They were getting on my nerves.

I had the pant legs rolled up, and so I stood up, keeping a hand on my waistband. I really regretted not wearing my pants with the drawstring; that would have helped a ton. I sighed.

I suddenly stiffened as the door opened. I looked at the door with wide eyes as a man walked out. He was about a foot taller than me and had an orangey-blonde color hair. The top was spiked and he had bright, icy blue eyes. He gaped at me and I stared at him, my eyes huge.

"Uh… uh…" he said; he looked like a fish, with his mouth open and gaping like that.

"Wh- who are you?" I asked, blinking.

A big smile grew on his face, as he looked me up and down slowly after looking both left and right to make sure we were the only ones in the hallway.

My nose twitched and I wished I were both closer to him and farther away from him at the same time. I wanted to both slap and hug him. He just gave off that vibe, you know?

"Me? Well… I'm Lexal." His eyes trailed over me and then he looked up into my eyes with interest and smiled. "So, who are you, little lady? I don't think I've seen you around here…" he said in a low voice, obviously meant to seduce. He stuck his hands in his pockets and slowly meandered towards me.

I took a step backwards and swallowed. This wasn't going the right way…

"Oh, er, uh, I'm… lost…" I murmured; I immediately wanted to take it back. I'm lost? What the hell am I thinking? I should have said… I should have said… I don't know!

Lexal kept looking me up and down slowly, his eyes resting in certain areas. I kept backing up, one hand on my waistband and one held loosely at my side, just in case. I didn't like where this was going.

A sly smile spread across his face and it chilled me to the bone. "I'll help you find your way," he purred, still taking step after step closer to me.

One. In front. Of. The other.

I took another step back and my foot bumped into something. I glanced over my shoulder and to my despair, it was the wall.

He had backed me against the wall.

A/N: Oooh, Lexal... what is going to happen? What'll happen to Arii? Why didn't she follow Xigbar?

Next chapter'll be up soon, methinks :3 Please review!