She knew right away that something was wrong

She knew right away that something was wrong.

Flashes of memories.

Sights and sounds and feelings rushed through her and left her torn between unscathed and ripped to shreds.

Everything hurt and yet she was numb.

Everything was tangled and jumbled and confused.

She could sense bits and pieces of her former life through an oppressive darkness. For she knew it was her former life. She could tell that nothing would ever be the same.

A field...Green...no grey. It's raining hard...she can feel rain? Everything's grey, grey, grey around.

"Daddy where's mummy?"

voices, why were there voices, there was no one around

"Daddy's gone, but where? Is he coming back?"

Wait she knew that voice, could, could it be….

An image, a woman with hair like flame, two children, brother and sister cling to her hands, all of them looking down at a slab of stone.

A graveyard,

That girl was her, the boy her brother, that woman her mot…

"Mommy you mean he's never coming back why? Doesn't he like us?"

No that isn't it, Daddy died because of that bad man, because he wanted us

Yes that's it...It's all my fault

"Are we going back home then?"

What, where, this isn't

A simple house, identical to others on the street.

"Grampa Albus?"

the old man that clutched her hand tightly as if to stop her from running away

"I want Mummy and Ha….."

Suddenly a large warus like man and hourse faces woman loomed over them,

The sound of coins

"Stay here Hal…"

A whispered word, blue light

Then darkness

She shuddered as awareness brought her back to reality, Something was wrong.

Something dripped from the young girl's forehead, she held up the little particles of darkness that seemed to cling to her fingers for a moment before dissolving into the darkness around her.

Where am I?

She took in her surroundings, a city, a town maybe? But then, where were all the people? Why was nobody there?

Why does it hurt?

She clutched the place on her chest where her heart should be. Pain began to overwhelm her. She fell to her knees, still holding herself.

"Make it stop!" She cried, her body shaking violently, tears leaking from her closed eyes

Where's my heart?

"It's not there!"

Who is that?

A figure stepped from the shadows, the dark of night making it difficult to see, but the fact that it wore a black cloak with a hood didn't help either, the silver chains that hung at the front of the cloak jiggled when ever the figure moved.

"I can make the pain go away for you, but you'll have to come with me." The figure said, making his way closer to her. At least, she assumed it was a man. His voice was deeper than that of a woman's.

"Who are you?" She asked trying to distinguish features of the mysterious figure

The man pulled down his hood to look down at her. He had silvery hair and rather dark skin. His yellow-orange eyes stood out oddly against that skin. He smiled an odd smile. It wasn't what a smile should look like. He then spoke. "You are different. There is no way you can be accepted here. You are nothing, worthless, less than scum."

The girl merely raised an eyebrow, laying a hand on her right hip as she looked him over once more, before glaring challengingly into those molten orange eyes. "Gezz thanks for that wonderful assessment now if that's all leave me alone"

Xemnas smirked, he like this girl she seemed feisty, concentrating for the slightest moment The leader of Organization XIII glanced at the young woman before him- not really surprised with what he saw waves of pure energy flowed like lightening in her veins, permeated every cell of her body. Did anyone realize what forces lay within this girl's body? Did she?

To his second sight, she glowed with more power than he had ever encountered in a living being, more then enough to dispose of both himself anyone else who got in her way. He would have to be extremely careful. "Fiery, I like that. And as for who I am, I am like you. Just a Nobody. My name is Xemnas"

The girl frowned as she hugged her ripped and torn jumper more tightly about herself, yet a single bronzed hand released it's grip so it could lay on her breast, resting where her heart should have been

"A Nobody," the stranger, Xemnas confirmed. "We are the leftover bodies and souls of those who have had their hearts lost to the darkness. With no hearts we are neither light nor dark. We exist in-between. We exist in twilight. In essence, we should not exist, but still do. Thus, we are Nobodies."

Beings that shouldn't exist? No heart? She thought. Yes, that seemed right. Inside she was... empty... detached. There was a hole inside her chest.

Her hand above the empty are grasped the material tightly, as her head bowed and her eyes clenching shut.

No, this isn't right, I should know-

"Perhaps"

The girls head snapped up, sending her hair flying back from her face, wide eyes stared at him

"Perhaps you would like a purpose" Xemnas offered calmly, he would have some mercy on this nobody, everything was new and confusing. "Tell me your name"

Again the girls eyes narrowed her whole attention on focused on the silver haired man

"Your name" Xemnas ordered once more

A soft hiss filled the air as the girl shook her head, sending her long hair flying, and allowing Xemnas a view of the thick black band encircling her neck, like a permanent brand of slavery.

No, all this talking was getting her anywhere She needed answers.

"Was that a no, you do not know your name?" the annoying bastard aka Xemnas questioned, that twisted smile playing on his lips.

"Yes, I can not remember my name, but I also know that your screwing with me" The newbee growled

"Do you have any memories at all of who you were before?"

A frown formed on the girls face, as she shivered, her arms wrapping about her slender figure once more "I- I remember fragments, pieces."

"Very well..." Xemnas commented mildly, nodding once to himself "Only those of us who had strong hearts in our last life are blessed with our humanity in tact. We are the most powerful of Nobodies. We can control the lesser Nobodies to help us gain our hearts back."

The girl's head snapped up and she moved forward a pace before pausing again. "We can get our heart's back?"

"That is what my organization is dedicated to." Xemnas commented as he spread his arms wide. "If you join us, we can help you. You are like us. You have retained your humanity."

"I feel a 'but' coming..."

Xemnas laughed as his arms dropped back to his side. "All I must do is test your strength."

"How do you do that?"

"Like this..." He waved a hand and suddenly five white... things appeared. Humanoid things with electricity running up their sides. They moved back and forth in a graceful, hypnotic, gyrating dance. Their "lips" unzipped, revealing rows of sharp teeth. The girl recognized them for what they were: lesser Nobodies. Dusks

The long haired girl frowned, "I know these creatures, they killed me, I won't let that happen again"

"Defeat them," Xemnas ordered simply.

She ignored the fact that this creature, Xemnas was trying to order her about as she dropped into a fighting stance that felt strangely comfortable.

Dammit! I need a weapon... And then felt it. In the back of her mind, a little 'click,' similar to a lock being opened.

Unbeknownst to the girl, the older nobody was smiling.

Ignoring the Dusks dancing about her, she closed her eyes, weapon. come to me!

Suddenly the lesser Nobodies lost patience, leaping onto the girl, as she mentally willed the image she held in her mind into existence, although she some how knew that she would never again be able to create something like this again, as within her something flared once before it vanished forever.

--

The Dusks were easy to dispose of. A couple hacks at each one and they simply vanished in a puff of darkness.

The sound of clapping reminded her she wasn't alone, the thrill of battle still thrummed through her as she snarled out, "I want answers, and I want them now or your next"

This time the stranger laughed outright, but it was a hollow, bitter sound. The sound that comes from those without a heart "You can have your answers, child, but you must join us first." Xemnas held out his hand, the creepy grin once more on his face.

Raising an eyebrow as she took the offered hand, mirroring the others strange smile "What all of this was an entrance exam how wonderful"

Xemnas pulled his hand away first, shadows entwining around it. He threw the shadows, now a coat similar to his, at the girl.

The girl caught it and stared at it before dismissing her weapons, knowing that they were hers now and forever, that she could summon them to her hand at whim. Before she pulled the thick cloak on.

Xem smiled "From this moment you exist as Hexlia, Sand shifter,to Organization XIII. I am Xemnas, the Superior."

A humorless spell of laughter spilled past the new members lips "Okay boss man lead the way"

Xemnas summoned a portal, chuckling when the newly named Hexlia breezed past him, confidently into the portal. Most didn't go through the portal unless forced.

Shaking his head the Superior followed at a more leisurely pace, she would be a very interesting addition to the Organization.