–"If he had met Sora, things might've been different."–

"Is it true you're almost semi-competent now? Maybe we should've let you in on- nothing."

These two lines - while I was replaying 365/2 Days out of boredom - are what encouraged me to write this little what-if scenario.


It's been a week since I got here. Saïx told me to keep a diary, but he said nobody would check it. What am I supposed to write about?
Today they told us to go to the Round Room, where we met our new member, No. XIV. Was I like that when I first got here? I think I was. But I don't remember too well.

...

A boy woke up in an empty room.

It had been eight days since he first joined the Organization, since he first started 'existing', if it could even be called that.

The existence of a Nobody wasn't a true existence after all – without a heart of their own, that was what they needed Kingdom Hearts for. They all desired to become whole again, to feel. He didn't understand that same desire, but…he followed them nevertheless. He didn't know much at this point, and the past seven days had drifted by, teaching him things that were vaguely planted into his head, such as his name.

His name was Roxas, Number XIII, the Key of Destiny.

The day before, a new member had been chosen to wear the coat, and for some reason he glanced at him. It was strange. It shouldn't have meant anything, but it did.

"Eww, you're awake?" remarked Larxene as he entered the room, but she was ignored. The words were empty and didn't mean anything.

"Roxas, your work begins today. I will issue missions, which the Organization expects you to carry out," Saïx informed him coldly. He was Number VII, the Luna Diviner, as well as the second-in-command. "Think of these early missions as exercises. You still have much to learn before we put you to a real test."

"…" No reply.

Saïx's glare turned to the left, and Roxas followed it. Leaning by the wall was a man with red hair and two small tattoos below his eyes, lazily hanging around – the antithesis of the devoted Saïx. He was Number VIII, or the Flurry of Dancing Flames.

"Axel will be joining you your first time out. Isn't that right?"

"Oh boy…" Axel sighed, wearing an annoyed expression as he walked over to them. "What, are you making me the kid's mentor now?"

Saïx turned around. "Surely you don't mind showing Roxas here the ropes? Teach him well, Axel." Then he walked away, leaving the two Nobodies.

"Well, you heard the man. Starting today, I'm your babysitter," said Axel. "Don't worry. I'll be sure you make the grade."

"…" No reply.

"Sheesh… quit acting like a zombie, and let's get this show on the road. C'mon, Roxas."

Roxas glanced at the newest member, Number XIV of the Organization. He was fully cloaked, his face covered in shadows, but he seemed short. Silently he stood there, not saying a word, while Roxas continued to stare at him.

"Oh, you worried about the new kid? What's her name again… ah, Xion."

"Xion," said Roxas, prompting a chuckle from Axel.

"Got it memorized, Roxas?" he asked.

The boy looked away. "…Yeah."

"Good! Now, let's get going."

Showing his hand to an empty space in the lobby, a dark corridor materialized. The walls between worlds were steep, so they had to use these corridors of darkness, which lead to every place imaginable. However, as it resides in the realm of darkness, the members had to wear these cloaks to shield themselves from its harmful effects.

Together, the two of them walked in.

It had taken Roxas a while to understand words and move about, but he had managed to get the gist of it. Another thing was the object he could summon into his hands, a light key-shaped weapon, though its uses were as of yet unknown to him.

The day passed by in a way that he decided he should get used to. During the mission, all he had to do was find a chest. After looking around for a bit while jumping about, he managed to find it - a strange object that he had never seen before, decorated in a strange manner. Axel informed him that chests were supposed to be opened, so he opened it. It was a mission accomplished.

Afterwards, to his confusion, Axel brought him to the top of a high tower whereupon they sat. He offered him what he called 'the icing on the cake' while having one himself, an ice cream called sea-salt ice cream. It was salty, but sweet too.

"Here you are, out on the field, working for the Organization…" remarked Axel. "Today, you're one of us."

"I guess it's a start," replied Roxas, uncertain.

The day ended shortly afterwards.

Axel and I went to Twilight Town today. He taught me a lot.
Before we RTC'd (Returned To the Castle) we swung by the clock tower and had some sea-salt ice cream. Axel called it the "icing on the cake" after a successful mission. Well, except there was no cake—just the ice cream.
I don't know what to write in this thing!

He woke up. Xemnas once mentioned that Nobodies sleep because they need to store up power, for some reason, which was why he had slept.

Another day had begun. The young boy didn't know how they defined a day, but he had to assume it meant each time a person slept and woke again. Each and every day, the same as ever, only now there were missions.

"Roxas, today you will be working with Marluxia," Saïx informed him.

Standing nearby was a flamboyant pink-haired man who seemed glad to take this mission upon himself. They both watched as Saïx walked away, before he turned back to Roxas, with a slow yet eager look on his face.

"Well, there you have it. Welcome to the fold," he greeted, projecting a corridor of darkness that led into the outer world of Twilight Town, ready for another mission.

It was an unfamiliar setting to Roxas, but he looked up to see the familiar tower he had been on with Axel the day before.

"Roxas, was it?" asked Marluxia. "I never got to properly introduce myself, did I? I am Marluxia, Number XI."

"Okay," replied Roxas. "So what do I have to do today?"

"Today, your job is to collect hearts. Could you summon your Keyblade for me?"

"Well…sure, all right." Willing it, the key-shaped weapon materialized into his hand with a thin burst of light. Marluxia looked down at it with a smile, almost one of obsession.

"Lucky Number XIII… At last, a chosen wielder of the Keyblade amongst our ranks."

Before anything could continue, several black creatures with yellow-beaded eyes appeared, confusing Roxas. The mission had begun. Under Marluxia's instructions, he managed to destroy them all, with little effort.

Afterwards he was informed that they were Shadows – weak Heartless who roam about, searching for hearts, coming in two varieties. Purebloods and Emblems, the latter of which was the one he should be destroying, because they released hearts. They would then gather as one, to create an almighty force known as Kingdom Hearts.That was the Organization's primary objective above all else.

Marluxia told him that he was special in this with his Keyblade, this was a part that he and only he was capable of. It held vast potential unlike any other.

The day ended, and afterwards Zexion told him a little more about Kingdom Hearts, about how it would complete their existences. They were all Nobodies, a name for those who were missing a vital piece of who they were; their hearts. He himself didn't have one either, making him incomplete, a Nobody. Only Kingdom Hearts had the power to complete them. Therefore, only having a heart would make that difference.

The day after that was yet another day, as he woke up. Once more he walked into the lobby, observing it. Each and every one of these people present was a Nobody, lacking a heart of their own and desiring to be complete. That was what he understood. That was why they needed Kingdom Hearts, and that was why they needed him. Because Nobodies need hearts.

"Roxas, Larxene will be your partner today," Saïx informed him as he entered.

Or at least, as far as he knew.

"Larxene…right. Um."

Roxas looked around, searching for the somewhat-familiar woman. She was Number XII, the Savage Nymph, and the member to join the Organization right before him. Why he remembered that, he wasn't sure, but maybe it was her attitude that was so different from the rest of the members – even Axel. Wearing a black coat like all the others, she had blonde hair like a nymph and clear-blue eyes. And she didn't appear to be around.

"She already left. Meet her on-site."

"Oh…alright."

Moving his hand to an empty space, he concentrated on projecting a dark corridor, the waypoint through the realm of darkness, giving access to other worlds of which each was different. The dark gathered to form a portal, and he walked into it, sending him to Twilight Town.

"Nice of you to show up," said Larxene, with a fed up expression.

"Umm, hi," Roxas greeted back awkwardly.

"Ugh, this is the worst." She really looked annoyed. "Whose idea was it to send me along on your stupid baby mission? Do I look like I run a nursery school?"

"…" No reply.

"Let Demyx handle this stuff. It's not like he's good at anything else. Ugh."

"…" No reply.

"What? WHAT? You got something to say?" Larxene shot at him, noticing his manner. "Pfft, you'd be nothing without that Keyblade… Oh-hoh! I just got an idea." A sinister grin formed on her face. "You can do today's mission WITHOUT your Keyblade!"

"What? Why?!" exclaimed Roxas, baffled. Without his Keyblade, he wouldn't be able to fight at all.

"Because I said so, that's why! Saïx told you to practice magic today, didn't he? Well, sink or swim."

"No, he didn't- and I don't know how to use magic!"

"Well, you're not gonna learn if you keep whipping around that oversized key…ah, just in time." Nearby, a Heartless in the shape of a flower had materialized. "Go on, take it out–but you can't use your Keyblade! I'll just stand here and watch."

Thanks a lot,thought Roxas sarcastically.

But in all honesty, she was different from the other Nobodies...somehow. Wasn't his purpose to use the Keyblade to destroy the Heartless and collect hearts, so they could all eventually gain their own? However, she didn't seem too concerned about that, instead trying to taunt him by not allowing him to use it…what was the deal with that?

Suddenly, a ball of poison came flying his way, and Roxas dodged it before it could hit him. He was about to summon his Keyblade, but Larxene's glare was enough to stop him from doing that. He had to focus. He didn't know how, but he had to try it. Something… fire.

Thrusting his hands forward, he focused, and a ball of fire formed. It was working! Without hesitation, he fired it at the Heartless, and the two forces collided – immediately incinerating the flower-like creature. Although it was defeated, it didn't release a heart like last time. Of course it wouldn't, he needed the Keyblade to do that.

"Ooh ooh, here come some more. Go on, wipe 'em out!" Larxene commanded him, noting several more Emblem Heartless approaching.

They were all Emblems, yet…she didn't seem too concerned either about his Keyblade or about the Hearts they could potentially obtain. Didn't she want her own heart? It made no sense. They were all Nobodies, so they should all want hearts…right? Yet she expected him to waste them all. Larxene noticed he wasn't doing anything.

"Ugh, at the speed we're going, we'll be here all month…" she breathed out, shaking her head. "Fine, go ahead. You can use your Keyblade this time-"

"No," Roxas cut her off. "What happened to learning magic? I have to prove that I can fight without 'that oversized key'…as you called it."

"Oh?" Larxene seemed surprised at his response, but then she shrugged. "Up to you. Just finish this mission already."

He didn't know why he had said that. It would've been much easier if he had just allowed her to let him use the Keyblade, but her words were right. If he kept on going like this, then he would only be some boy whose only talent was wielding a Keyblade. He had to show her, prove to her that he was better than that.

The Heartless approaching, he ran at them. Thrusting his hands forward, he brought forth a fireball like the one before and threw it at one of them – incinerating it within moments. He followed through with several other enemies until they had all been burnt to a crisp. The whole battle lasted less than ten seconds.

"Sheesh, it's about time," said Larxene, shattering his triumphant expression.

"…" No reply.

So even all that hadn't been enough.Roxas hung his head low.

"…But I'm glad to see that at least our big-shot Keyblade wielder isn't some total loser," she finished with a shrug, and he grinned. At the very least, he had managed to gain her recognition.

"Thanks, Larxene," he replied, looking back up to her.

"Well, you'd better pull it together, or else we'll never finish Kingdom Hearts," taunted Larxene. "Unless of course, we put someone else on Keyblade duty…"

"I have a question," said Roxas, ignoring her comment. It was probably just sarcasm or something. "Do you really care about forming Kingdom Hearts?"

Larxene had turned away, about to project a portal that would bring them back to the castle, when she froze at his question. Her arms dropped by her side, and she turned back to him with an amused expression.

"You know, kid, having a heart is painful. Personally, I think Nobodies are probably better off without them…" she told him, drifting off before catching herself. Then she looked annoyed. "Ugh, let's go – before you kill any more of my brain cells."

He wanted to ask her more, but she had already entered the dark corridor before he could. What did she mean, by hearts being painful? She was different from the others somehow, in many ways. Did she actually enjoy being a Nobody…?

The next day after the past few days, he woke up again. Everything was empty. He had no memories, no goals, no desires. The one thing he might've dedicated himself to – collecting hearts – was now put into question. None of it made sense.

Roxas entered the lobby and saw Larxene sitting on a white sofa. He took a step towards her, planning on continuing the conversation from yesterday-

"What do you want?" she asked, still annoyed. "I'm busy. Go hit your head against the glass or something."

Frowning, he turned around and walked away. She hadn't appeared to be doing anything, but he decided not to disturb her nevertheless, assuming she was in a bad mood or something. Looking around, he saw Demyx – Number IX, who had apparently witnessed his interaction with her.

"Man, why's Larxene gotta be such a witch all the time?" remarked Demyx, sighing as he strummed his sitar.

"…" No reply.

Was Larxene honestly always like that? She was different from all the others, somehow, but he shouldn't be coming to conclusions too soon. Maybe there were others.

He turned and walked towards Saïx, ready for another mission. He was paired up with Vexen who taught him about reconnaissance, and despite trying his best, he was told that he should be able to discover these things at first glance.

The day afterwards, it was Lexaeus who taught him about ultimate attacks and nearly killed him. Lexaeus told him that he had to be able to fend for himself, and that both he and the Keyblade are invaluable to the Organization. He asked him about Kingdom Hearts, who replied that they would unite with it and gain hearts of their own. He still didn't understand though, but Lexaeus only said this; "When the time comes, you will."

Everybody seemed to want to complete Kingdom Hearts, and as far as Roxas knew, only Larxene was different in opinion.

Roxas glanced at Larxene, lying on a different sofa this time. "What are you looking at?" she shot at him, looking down at her body and then back at him. "...Oh, dream on, pipsqueak. Go take a hike."

She still didn't seem to be in the mood to talk to him. Maybe Demyx was right about her always being a witch.

The past few days, the other members have been showing me how to fight and do mission stuff. They also told me more about the Organization, and about myself.
I still don't really get what a "heart" is. If I collect enough hearts, I can complete Kingdom Hearts, and then I'll be whole. It's supposed to be a vital piece of who I am—but according to Larxene, having a heart is painful. It's so confusing, I don't understand. The more I learn, the less I seem to know. Is being whole really worth it?

The next day again, and he was paired up with Axel, again. It was already the fourteenth day.

There was no real way to keep track of time. He caught glimpses of three 'Somebodies' run past them, acting weirdly. That was what it meant to have a heart; to make no sense. But they also looked to be having fun, even though Larxene told him having a heart was painful… Shortly afterwards, Axel offered ice cream and told him they were friends.

Upon returning to the castle, he and Axel went their separate ways, and Roxas turned to return back to his room. Before he did, he stopped to glance at Larxene, relaxing on a nearby sofa. If she didn't answer him, then he may as well drop it altogether and return to collecting hearts.

"Is it true you're almost semi-competent now?" she asked, not turning around to face him. "Maybe we should've let you in on– nothing."

"Let me in on what?" asked Roxas.

The nymph got up from her sofa and took a moment to look around – nobody appeared to be here, having either returned to their rooms or still out on a mission – before looking back to had an uncertain look on her face, thinking for a moment.

It melted away into an outright grin.

"…Roxas, isn't this place dull?" Larxene asked back, all of a sudden.

He couldn't help but notice that this was the first time she had called him by name. If he had to guess, that meant that her question was a serious one, and he had to think his answer through. He looked down for a moment, in silence, to think about it.

The day before, those three kids looked like they were having fun – fun that didn't seem to be around in the castle. Even Axel looked to be bored sometimes. The day before, he had laughed for the first time, but he never felt that way in the Organization. Friends, those were what made him laugh. But the Organization, being Nobodies without hearts, weren't concerned about making friends.

To 'feel', that was what having a heart meant. But to feel also meant never making any sense…was that what Larxene had meant? Every single day was another failure. That would mean that Kingdom Hearts was just one, gigantic, dull pursuit of something that would only make things worse. It was all pointless in the end. There was no point to stay if gaining a heart was a mistake.

So…this place was indeed dull. It was pointless staying here if the only reason was to gain a heart, and if hearts were painful in the first place. These Nobodies should be seeing this emptiness as a blessing, and they were better off without one. It was pointless, and dull.

"Yeah," replied Roxas.

Larxene grinned, and walked towards him before patting his shoulder. "I'm gonna go talk to Marluxia for a bit…" she whispered into his ear, in a bemused tone. "We'll moving someplace else in several more days."

Me and Axel went on a mission to Twilight Town. Afterwards, we went and had ice cream again up on the clock tower. He said friends do stuff like that. Or they laugh together. So does that mean me and him are friends?
Afterwards, Larxene asked me a strange question, which I decided I agreed with. Then she told me that we're going to move someplace soon. Wonder where it is.

Roxas woke up.

Today – the fifteenth day – felt different from all the other days. He felt more aware of everything now, about hearts and about worlds. The past fourteen days had been enough for him, but his path had been chosen the very moment Larxene told him the truth about having a heart. He wasn't about to back down now.

When he walked out of his room, Marluxia was standing there, having been waiting for him. He looked as if he were having the time of his life.

"Larxene told me about you... I'm sure you will make a fine addition," said the graceful assassin, smiling triumphantly. "I convinced Xemnas for you to come with us, on the condition that you continue destroying Heartless."

"Where are we going?" asked Roxas.

"A second base for the Organization, situated in the world between worlds. Castle Oblivion."


Not sure if I'll end up continuing this, mind you, since I'm so lazy and trying to write a real novel that I can publish...though I'm too lazy right now to will myself to do such a thing.

I also don't know whether I'll pair Roxas with Larxene or Naminé (personally a Roxas-Xion shipper, though since he left the castle before the development could begin, I doubt that's going to happen), or I could pair him up with Axel! I mean come on, who doesn't like lovely KH yaoi? Orrrr maybe I could just go the friendship route. I don't know.

In all honesty, I have no idea what direction I'll be going with this story. Guess I'll have to think about it.