Alright! This fic is all about the Organization! It's a series of one-shots centering the infamous original Organization XIII. Let's hope this can free me from my writer's block! Don't consider this too canon because some things canhappen that will go against what happens in canon; ex. There is no Xion here. There's no telling how long this fic will be. It could go over a hundred or stay at thirteen…I have no idea. Characters can be slightly out of character. WELL ANYWAY, let's get into this!
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Organization
Xemnas sat on his high throne in the circular room known as Where Nothing Gathers. He smiled as he intertwined his gloved fingers, thinking about how perfect it was that he was the leader of the infamous Organization XIII. He tried to hold back laughter but was unable to do so. Putting his hands on the arms of his throne, the Superior of the In-Between flung his head back and began laughing in a purely evil sort of way, the sound of his maniacal laughter echoing off of the nonexistent walls surrounding the Round Room. Sure, he was a Nobody. But he still felt a shadow of his old self lingering in his heart. That's right. He had a heart despite being a Nobody. He couldn't allow his Organization to know that they too can regrow their hearts. That would change his entire game plan. A recipe for disaster.
He wiped the smirk from his face as Saix appeared in his seat via a corridor of darkness. Looking up at Xemnas with a cold stare, Saix said in his raspy voice, "I've called forth a meeting, as per your request, Lord Xemnas." Xemnas was an expert at hiding his true emotions. He was smiling on the inside. It made him feel powerful, seeing how obedient his seventh member was. The Lunar Diviner was his second-in-command and would do anything Xemnas asked. "Care to tell me what this meeting is about?"
"All will be explained when the others arrive," Xemnas said in his monotonous voice, intertwining his fingers once more.
And soon they did. Appearing next was Xigbar, crossing a leg over his knee as he sat, an impatient hand tapping his fingers on the arm of his seat. Glancing up at Xemnas he said, "How many meetings are we gonna have before the end of the week? As if anything is this important." Xemnas stared calmly ahead without acknowledging Xigbar. The Freeshooter sighed and put a fist under his chin and closed his eyes in annoyance. "Wake me when this thing ends." Despite his attitude towards the other members and the meetings Xemnas organizes each day, he still remained extremely loyal to Xemnas and was even the Superior's right-hand man.
Then the others started appearing, Xemnas's eyes never leaving the thirteenth chair directly across from him. Xaldin, Vexen, Lexaeus, Zexion, Axel, Demyx, Luxord, Marluxia, Larxene, and finally Roxas were all seated. The seats to the left of Xemnas belonged to the odd numbered members, and to his right are the even numbered members, increasing in numerical value up until number XIII. Roxas was his most recent member. Roxas, the thirteenth, looked down with no emotion. Finally he gazed up and he and Xemnas held eye contact for only but a second, and the Key of Destiny could have sworn he saw the corner of the Superior's mouth twitching as if Xemnas was holding back a smirk.
Xemnas moved his gaze from Roxas and began eyeing the entire room. This was his Organization. He owned them. And he had finally reached thirteen members, the first step in his ultimate goal that much of the members had not been aware of. "Members of the Organization," he began, fighting off the urge to call it 'my Organization'. "As you know by now we are working towards the goal of obtaining Kingdom Hearts and retrieving what we've lost ages ago. Our hearts." Xigbar opened his eyes and smirked up at Xemnas, chuckling to himself at Xemnas's lies to the rest of the Organization. If Xemnas had told the Organization that they could regrow their lost hearts, the members would try and most likely succeed. He couldn't have that. "And we are able to do just that. The Heartless will fall and their hearts will gather to create the massive Kingdom."
"I don't see the point of obtaining our hearts," Xaldin said. "We're much stronger without. We have no emotions holding us back. So why?" The Whirlwind Lancer looked up questioningly at Xemnas.
Xemnas answered, "The heart holds massive amounts of power. With our hearts, we will be unstoppable. We will be whole again." Xemnas kept his smirk hidden. He knew the truth. These members…his members…were just pawns. They were never going to get their hearts back. He had to make sure of it.
"Does anyone have any questions for Lord Xemnas?" Saix asked, looking around at the other members.
"How about: when the hell can we leave?" Xigbar replied and snorted with laughter. "There. I just asked a question. Anybody else who would like to join the bandwagon?"
"So what shall we do following the retrieval of our hearts?" Vexen asked. The Chilly Academic ran his black gloved fingers through his long platinum-blonde hair and scratched the back of his neck. "Do you intend on letting us leave the Organization if we so wish?"
Xemnas had no intention of letting any of them go. He trained his eyes on Vexen and told him, "You will have freedom, just you wait. But until then you shall remain loyal to the Organization. If not, we can never obtain our hearts. Is that understood, Number IV?"
Vexen seemed to shrink back into his seat, which made Xemnas smile on the inside. He knew that members such as Vexen feared him. It was only natural. Xemnas was the only one capable of helping them obtain their long-lost hearts…or so they thought. Going against him would mean losing that opportunity. It wouldn't make a difference either way. Xemnas had a plan.
"I haven't been in this Organization all that long," came the accented voice of Luxord. The Gambler of Fate held a card with the Nobody Emblem on it in between his index and middle fingers, and then made it vanish in a blur of black and white. "I've only been in a handful of these meetings, so I haven't a clue on what you all have talked about. Lesser members such as myself…we haven't the slightest idea on what went on in this Organization before our arrival. How can we really trust you?"
Xemnas had to think about that one. Luxord had doubts, as any new member would have. Xemnas spoke in a calm voice, "True, you can't trust me, or anyone else in this Organization before you. But being part of a team means having faith in those around you. You have to trust us to make this Organization its finest. Surely you can understand that?" It was a flat-out lie. They shouldn't be trusting Xemnas. He had an ulterior motive. But reluctantly, Luxord nodded.
"Well, I'll be honest here," Demyx said, in a rather bored tone. He held a fist to his cheek and rested like that, his eyes slowly drooping as if he couldn't stay awake. "I can't remember much about that day, but when I found myself alone and without my heart, one of these ever so kind members took me in and put food on my table, gave me a place to sleep. I love getting sleep, so these guys did a good deed. Thank you, whoever found me!" With that statement, the Melodious Nocturne slammed the back of his head against the headboard of his seat, seemingly on the verge of passing out.
Xemnas couldn't help but let a smile escape his façade. Demyx wouldn't need any push to become loyal. He owed the Organization for finding him. If he could pull his own weight, he'd be a perfect vessel. He thought he could hear Demyx snoring. His smirk dropped. Then again, someone this lazy wasn't exactly fit to be a pawn in Xemnas's plan.
Xemnas heard the clearing of someone's throat, and the Silent Hero spoke. "Demyx is correct," came Lexaeus's gruff yet silent voice. "I will serve this Organization as long as it keeps me alive." Xemnas liked Lexaeus. A man of few words, intelligent as well, but would be willing to do the Superior's bidding.
"I second that," Zexion suddenly spoke. He looked as if he had been waiting for a turn to speak. The Cloaked Schemer held a gloved hand over his mouth and said, "Though I must ask, how much freedom do we have within this Organization?" Xemnas arched an eyebrow. "Do we always have to be at your beck and call or do we get some time to ourselves?" His weapon, a book of all things, appeared in his lap and he opened it to read, studying the page as well as trying to hear what Xemnas had to say.
"Fellow members," the Superior spoke to all of them. "You powerful Nobodies are not slaves. Sure, you'll have to get your hands dirty at some point, but after each mission you have free reign to do whatever you want. Travel to any world, sightsee, et cetera." He was half-lying. Yes, he'd let the other members go wherever they wanted. But Dusks are stationed throughout the worlds to keep a lookout and report back to Xemnas on anything that happens concerning his members. "Number VI, if you wanted to, after your mission, you could even spend the whole day reading to your heart's content."
Zexion raised his head from the book in his lap. Xemnas had gotten Zexion's attention and full allegiance for sure. He was the youngest of the original six members, and probably the hardest of them to fool, but it seemed like Zexion was now completely under Xemnas's spell. He went back to reading.
The Round Room was quiet for a while. Xigbar broke the silence by yelling, "Flamsilocks would like to go next!" Xemnas looked down on Axel, the redheaded member. Normally Axel had something to say about anything and everything. But for some reason he was quiet during this meeting. Instead of speaking, Xemnas saw Axel's gaze was fixated upon Roxas. The two of them had formed a bond, unlike any Xemnas had ever seen. Xemnas would have to shatter that bond. He felt a glimmer of light sparking within Axel. He couldn't allow Axel to be one of the first members to regrow their hearts. "Hey, Axel!" Xigbar screamed out with a smile.
The Flurry of Dancing Flames had his arms crossed as his eyes darted from Roxas to Xigbar. "Actually, I do have a question for you." A smirk played across his lips. "Do you know how much I hate pirates?" Xigbar's smile dropped. "A lot. Get it memorized, cyclops."
Xigbar slammed his forehead with his gloved palm. "I don't like this guy. He's mean. Can he be the first member you turn into a Dusk?" Xigbar asked in a whiney voice. One of Xemnas's main threats he ever used was that he would turn a member into a Dusk if they misbehaved. He had never done so before, so at the moment, it was just an empty threat. But it still scared a lot of the members to be turned into the lowest form of Nobody.
"Members of the same team should not hate each other," Xemnas said, though he probably would have hated each and every one of these guys if they weren't meant to be vessels.
Axel tried to argue, but Saix, having been quiet for a long time now, snapped at him, "Silence. Not everyone has had a moment to speak."
"I'll be the next one, then," Marluxia said. He was the first guy Xemnas had ever seen sporting pink hair, but to be honest, he saw that Marluxia was indeed strong, although being a lesser member. From what Xemnas had seen, he was deadly on the battlefield, and a force to be reckoned with. He left behind all of his violent tendencies when he was within the presence of the Organization. The Graceful Assassin said as straight-forward as he could, "Why exactly are you, Xemnas, our leader? Why not someone as equally intimidating, like Saix or even Xigbar? Why not me?"
This was the thing Xemnas hated about Marluxia. He'd always argue with the Superior. He'd always ask that same exact question. His voice was calm, cool, and collected, but he had a sharp tongue waiting to snap at Xemnas any chance he got. Xemnas scowled at the man's foolishness, "I founded this Organization, Number XI. Not Saix, nor Xigbar, nor you." Xemnas was clenching his teeth and balling his hands into fists at his sides. He slowly eased up and released his fists. He had to keep his anger under control. "Next?" he demanded.
"Don't get mad at Marly," Larxene said. Another one Xemnas didn't like. She always sided with Marluxia. The two of them, the lowest members besides the thirteenth, had to be watched even closer. On one hand, Xemnas was amused by their attempts to undermine the Superior and act, well, superior. But it also infuriated him that two feckless neophytes would have the nerve to even dare speak against him. "It was just an honest question." She looked around the room. "To hell with this Organization." An even sharper tongue. Larxene seemed all innocent and pouty when she crossed her arms and sunk back into her seat, but Xemnas saw how she acted away from his presence. She was an absolute nightmare and gave some of the members nightmares. Xemnas quit worrying about her.
He instead looked straight ahead to his thirteenth member. His final member. The one to complete the puzzle that was the Organization XIII. Roxas had been quiet the entire time. He looked up and his eyes once again met Xemnas's. Xemnas had even recently seen Roxas's somebody which even still lived despite Roxas's existence. This boy was a special case. To work more towards the Superior's advantage was the key-shaped sword that was Roxas's weapon. It was the only thing to slay the Heartless and release hearts in order to create Kingdom Hearts.
"Roxas, number XIII…" Xemnas spoke in a calm, yet deep and overpowering voice. Roxas perked his ears up as he glared daggers at Xemnas. Xemnas wasn't sure why, but Roxas seemed to hardly trust the Superior. "Before I adjourn this meeting, do you have any questions to ask?"
"So, I…" Roxas started, but then hung his head down. Xemnas waved his hand in the air as if to say 'go on'. "So I can go eat ice cream after my missions?" Roxas's pure innocence actually made the Superior smile, something that both Xigbar and Saix had both spotted. Xemnas caught their stares and immediately put on his best blank expression. Xemnas nodded with eyes closed, and he could hear Roxas heave a sigh of relief.
"The meeting is over," Xemnas said, waving a hand through the air, and Saix stood up in his seat. "Thank you for your time, fellow members. I know that thirteen of us together is quite a lot, but we will learn to live together." He looked to Saix. "Get their missions ready, Number VII." Saix nodded and vanished with a corridor of darkness. After his leave, each member began teleporting out of Where Nothing Gathers one by one, the last one to go being Roxas. All that remained were Xemnas and Xigbar, numbers I and II. "You haven't left yet. Why?"
"Gotta be more careful next time, Mister Master," Xigbar said, standing up in his seat as he scratched the back of his neck, Xemnas wincing at what Xigbar had just called him. "Gotta be careful not to show your emotions too often. They might start to think that you actually have a heart."
"I won't lose control, Xigbar," Xemnas said with an evil smile. He chuckled a bit. "The members of this Organization will grow to be loyal to me." He snapped his fingers and the temperature in the room seem to drop quite a bit. Xigbar nodded and in a flurry of darkness he vanished. Xemnas was left alone. Xemnas's eyes grew wide with excitement. He had most of the members on his side. That was good enough for him. He let out a good long laugh that cut through the silence of the Round Room.
Smiling, he himself vanished into a corridor of darkness, leaving the Round Room empty.
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How did you like this chapter? This was more of an introduction, introducing the Organization XIII members. I like the idea of Xemnas suppressing his emotions like this, and the thought of him trying his hardest to stop the others from regrowing their hearts. The rest of the chapters will center the entire Organization in a variety of missions, settings, etc. that will have adventure, excitement, drama, comedy, a little fluff-ness, etc. I hope you enjoy this series of tales.