HalloweenTownby: Betti

Prologue

I was walking down a street in one of Halloween Town's humanly populated carnivals for the moon and stars of the night's skies, when I saw a young boy of about fifteen walk slowly away from the activities of the night.

I was here not only to celebrate with the people who I knew here, but also to look for recruits for the Organization I was also in.

You see, I'm a Solas Nobody, a Nobody without a Soul; I was recruited by one of the three Rangers before me. There are six Rangers including me, we were now searching for Apprentices, or the other type of Nobody (the Heartless Nobody) for ourselves so once we gain a Soul our stories live in and with the Heartless that will gain a Heart once Kingdom Hearts is completed. I already have an Apprentice. His name is Xigbar; he isn't the brightest of the Heartless, but he isn't the worst pick one could have.

I have dreamed of one day receiving a Soul that would save me from this darkness I and the other Solas' live in.

See the thing is that if I am to get a Soul I am to first teach a Heartless Nobody everything s/he is to know about being a Nobody. So basically I am supposed to teach Xigbar everything I can possible drain from my brain, implant it into his energy, and pray for it to sink into that thick skull of his.

Beside the point, I am not only supposed to protect and train a Heartless Nobody, I'm supposed to look out for them too. Meeting this boy is the first Heartless Nobody I have ever seen without a Sensei.

It feels weird stocking someone who you don't know, but I guess it is in my blood. The soft wind flicks my hair around my face; it feels good being free to walk around and not have to worry about secrets. The festival sounds dies down as I follow the boy into a dark alley.

Now is the chance to make my move. I pull up my hood and summon a portal and walk into it appearing in front of the boy with blue hair.

"You seek answers?" I say not trying to sound awkward and creepy.

The boy looks down at his shoes and nods his head gloomily. It honestly pained me to see such a fine, soulful teen so depressed, I wanted to remove my hood but I knew that would infuriate the others.

"I know not of your story, but can give you purpose." I raise my hand and letters appear before the boy, they dance around him and he looks amazed at what they were doing to him.

"Saïx." The boy breaths, his big, golden eyes look up as the letters begin to glow before him.

I smile under my hood and take his hand. "That is right the new you, the claymore you shall summon when the moon is above you…" I trail off as I notice a definite change in the boy, almost as though I have seen him before this unintended meeting.

He smiles awkwardly and his eyes change as his smile weakens and I notice a scar in the shape of an X forms on his face between his eyes.

I have seen him before! I look into the yellow eyes of this Heartless I have just met.

"Is there something wrong?" Saïx asks cautiously.

"You need a uniform," I say distractedly. I summon a uniform that I hope will fit him. I turn away as I hear him unzip his jacket. I couldn't help but notice the pack he had underneath his shirt. I smile but shake it off with one simple statement: A Heartless and a Solas could never be together.

Saïx taps my shoulder when he is in his uniform. I turn around and nod, "summon your blade." I say as I called on my own blade, which just so happened to be the claymore he would soon adopt as his own. I felt something cold and wet slide down my face.

He blushes and says, "How?"

I told him that he had to do it by himself and I would release mine into Oblivion so that he could summon his blade. "Each one of us has a different way of calling our blade, so I can't tell you how to call on your blade."

I smile sadly to myself as I watch my claymore disappear from my hand for the final time. That blade had saved my life one too many times over the past few years, and to think that it was just going to go to another Nobody… so sad, so pitiful.

Just then I felt cold and to my utter horror, Saïx looked up to the moon and lifted his hand and instantly the Claymore appeared in his outstretched hand. I felt as though something was being ripped out of me, my breath went short, and I stumbled back ever so slightly.

I had to hold back the many tears that were forming in my eyes, some slid down my face anyway- I couldn't let Saïx see me cry. "Good; now that you have called your blade our business here is done. You are to do exactly what I say and follow it as I tell you." Saïx looked wide eyed at the Claymore in his hand. Then he looked away, "of course…" and the Claymore vanished as he lost focus.

I opened a portal and said quietly, "Walk into this portal and meet me on the other side. I will be with you shortly; I just... I just need to do one thing." I could feel the tears starting to choke me and I knew timing was everything now.

"Ok, but where will it take me?" Saïx asked as he started to walk towards the portal I had created.

"The only thing you need to worry about is walking through it; once you step out don't go anywhere else." I could tell he knew I was starting to sound choked up, yet I know Saïx would never understand how painful loss was- unless Kingdom Hearts was fulfilled.

Saïx stepped into the portal and once I knew he was through, I fell to my knees and cried. Letting all my built up emotions flow from my eyes I had just lost the only thing I had ever owned: my Claymore and my Will to be free. I had just stepped into my own nightmare...

Chapter I

Over the years I watched and guided Saïx throughout his training as a Heartless Nobody. I was amazed at how fast he learned and how he improvised the moves he had learned from me and the others. I was truly proud of my first and only pick, even though when he swung the claymore- my claymore- I wanted to show him the correct way- my way- of doing that one move correctly without fallacy. I smiled as he was ranked higher and higher every now and then. I wasn't the only one monitoring his progress though: Xemnas, number VI in Rangers Apprentice, was also very interested in Saïx's progress.

Then one day something terrible happened.