Hello! For any of you who have followed my previous works, I have fallen out of love with those stories, so I am going to leave them alone for the time being. Instead, I am working on this new story, which will build on some themes I've used before and also give me a chance to work with some new (to me) characters. Hope you enjoy it!

Chapter 1: Rebuild

Do it. Take us back.

But…but what if I—

You don't have a choice. It is your duty, as one of us. Take us back now.

But, if I do that…won't yeh—?

That is none of your concern. And you are in no position to deliberate. Do it.

The…th'others…they won't f'give you for this.

They won't know. Just do as you're told.

Ah…A'ight. Jus' give me a moment…and…

Zexion's PoV

Whispers and secrets and plots and/"Surely you must have known this was going to happen"/me, no not me, can't be me, what's going on/"Forgive me...Zexion"/my chest, it hurts, it's splitting, why/"Silence!"/something's coming, this isn't me, help-

Then I shall make you see... that your hopes are nothing! Nothing but a mere illusion!

"NOOOOOOOO!"

Jumped, hit the floor, stayed there: had to escape, where could I run, where could I hide? Everything hurt-my head, my chest-and its all pounding, there's a pounding going through my chest and it's hitting everything and breaking everything and there's a voice in here too, a big bad voice that's cold and dark and saying things about me, telling me everything bad I did, and I just want it to stop-

"Somebody, please, make it stop, make it go away, go away!"

"Zexion!"

A light hits me, and I can't see, but I feel two large arms pick me up and lift me way way up, and I know who it's gotta be. "Lexaeus? Are-are you Lexaeus, please?"

"Yes Zexion, I'm here." He's got me like a craddled baby now, and I reach out and grab his coat and just bury my face inside the black folds. "Is everything alright?"

"Oh Lexaeus, it's awful! It was so dark and scary, and you were there, and Vexen was there, and I was so bad, I did all this awful stuff to everybody-"

"Zexion...it's alright. Be calm. It was only a nightmare."

"No it wasn't!" Why didn't he understand? I looked up at his stone face, big mean stone face, and he was calm like always. "The big black Heartless took something outta my chest, and I grew older, and I made another kid almost die, and..." And the the scary part happened. "And you died, Lexaeus. You...you died, and went into the dark, and then I did too." He finally started listening; he reached a hand up to wipe away my tears, and the stone turned soft like when we played at the castle. Why weren't we there anymore...? "Lexaeus...am I dead? I remember the dark too. I saw you...and then I woke up."

"You are not dead, Zexion." Someone behind me-I looked, and there was my teacher, Vexen, in the doorway. "Though we all should be. Lexaeus, what happened?"

Lexaeus saw him, then turned to put me down on the bed. I huddled my way under the sheets, but I really didn't want to; I wanted to stay in Lexaeus' arms. It was safe there. But now he left me alone, walked over to Vexen and acted like I wasn't even there, the way he always did when Vexen was around. "I'm uncertain...he's not himself. He remembers everything from before, but his mind is...troubled."

My chest started hurting more, and I looked up to ask for help...but they both had their backs to me, just outside the door. Why wouldn't they help me? "Hello?"

"It's understandable, Number V. Zexion was only a child when he lost his heart, it stands to reason that it had an effect on him."

"But that was years ago. Why now?"

I was right there, they should've talked to me too! My chest was killing me, but I had the strength to reach out to them. "Uhhh...Help? Please?" Nothing...they would look at me. "Please...It hurts...something's happening..."

"Should we tell the others?"

"Wait awhile, Vexen. Let's figure it out ourselves, then-" Right there, something struck a chord in me; the pain split and moved, changing from my chest and shooting up into my head. I shot up, barely realizing what was happening, and I screamed:

"Do not dismiss me, either of you! I am not some petulant child to be tossed aside, I will not be ignored!"

They finally whipped around...and they just stared at me. They didn't know what to think. I...I didn't know what to think. "Zexion? Is that really you?"

"I...I..." The tears started coming out again, but I couldn't reach up, couldn't wipe them away. I couldn't move; I didn't know what would make the bad guy come out of me again. "I...what's wrong with me?"

Vexen came to me this time; he sat down beside me and placed a hand on my shoulder, forcing me to lie back down. His hand was so cold, and the cold went all through me. It made me so cold, yet so relaxed, so...sleepy... "Sleep, Zexion. Sleep, and feel better in the morning. We'll take care of everything, just...sleep. Whatever happens, we will fix you. I won't allow otherwise."

Axel's PoV

"Coming, Saix, I'm coming! Look, I'll be there in a sec, ok?"

I was running really late; I'd over slept again, and Saix was pounding at the door for me. God, why'd I have to stay up late watching soaps again? Now I needed to get dressed, clean up all the junk and wrappers from the food, check on Roxas…

"Axel, you need to come to the meeting room, now. The Superior has urgent news regarding all of us."

"And I get that, Saix, so I'll be there! Geez, get it memorized already!" Once I made my bed, by which I mean threw the sheets over it and gave up, I grabbed my coat, zipped it up enough so I didn't look like I just rolled out of bed, and threw the door open. Saix managed to jump back in time for the door to miss him, and he looked at me with this look of…incredulousness? Nah...nah, it was more pure, more…fearful than that. Well, what ever it was, it was creepin' me out.

"What're you looking at?" Damn, I almost scared myself with how cold I was. Wait...no, that's not right. I didn't scare myself. I-I didn't, I couldn't, what…?

…Anyway, Saix took a moment before he returned to his usual cold glare, and grabbed me by the arm. "You were drinking last night, weren't you? And now you are late. Now move." He started dragging me along the halls. I of course went along without a lot of complaining-my head was still fuzzy. I didn't think I'd had too much to drink—trust me, I'd know if I were hung over—but something wasn't adding up...this was the castle, as always, but I didn't recognize this part of it. It took me a moment to realize…

"Hey, Saix, why aren't we going to the meeting room? C'mon, bring up the portal, bing bang boom, we'll be there in no time."

He just looked back at me and smirked. "No portals today. Xemnas will explain why. Now try not to do anything stupid while I find a way in."

"What? You mean you don't know where you're going?"

"Of course I do. Now hold on…" He stopped at one point, a part of the hall that just stretched on both ways. There were no stairs, no doors, nothing. Saix just stared at the wall, closed his eyes…and drew his Berserker.

"Uhh...Saix?" That triggered it; the second I said it, he raised the thing over his head like a giant club and smashed it against the wall.

I didn't even take the time to register what had happened-I dropped at the knees and made myself as flat as possible. See, we've been dealing with Saix's "berzerker state" for so long, Xemnas actually set up a protocol for when it happens. Following it to the letter, I kept my head down and crawled as close in to Saix as I could-that's probably the safest place when he goes nuts like that, and if you don't believe me, there was plenty of rubble flying around the hall that could tell you differently.

Yeah, Saix was on a roll, throwing smash after smash, faster than I could keep count. In a flurry of spikes and blasts, he smashed through clear to the other side of the wall—which, conveniently, turned out to be the meeting room.

Saix, of course, came down from his berserker state without a hitch. Well...almost without a hitch. Once he stopped trying to crush everything in sight, he did something I'd never seen him do before; he fell to the ground, crouched on one knee, and brought his hand up to cover his face. It was almost as if he were trying to compose himself, which didn't make any sense. After all, he'd never had trouble transitioning before; the berzerker was just a power surge, it's not like he actually got angry...right?

...So, once the moment had passed, he simple stood up, brushed the hair away from his face, and turned to look at me in that same cold stare.

"What are you waiting for? Get inside."

Something was up, but I sure as hell couldn't let him know that I was uneasy. "Ohhhhkay, if you say so Grumpy." And with that, I hopped my way through the rubble and into the next hall.

Please review. I like reviews. They're like the key chains on those Keyblades; it just feels good to have a bunch of them.

Also, I know it's short, but I intend to have the next chapter up in a few hours, if not by tomorrow. Thank you!