Note from the author: the main character in this story is not merely an embodiment of myself interpreted in this tale, more rather a character that I thought would be an epic person and, while she does bare some similar traits to myself, she is not based on me. Just wanted to make that known.
I was floating in nothingness, like a piece of drift wood on a calm sea. It was odd, like I was nothing and no one. Where was I? Was I asleep? I'm sure I wasn't dead. Perhaps unconscious? It made no sense. My heart was beating in my chest, a soft, rhythmic thud. I couldn't be dead. I had a heartbeat after all. It must be a dream. Maybe I was in a coma. Had there been an accident? Perhaps I had died and this was simply my mind convincing me otherwise. Maybe I didn't exist at all, but how could that be possible? Nope, I was definitely in existence.
"What do you think she is superior?" A cold, even voice broke through my thoughts. The empty feeling faded away, leaving me feeling the weight of my body. I felt cold metal under my back and I became aware of a bright light shining on my eyelids. A cold feeling spread over my body and I could feel the movement of other people around me. I didn't know what was happening around me. I couldn't open my eyes. I tried to move and felt a spasm of pain sear through my body like wild fire. It wasn't enough to cause me to move. I heard a sudden instant beeping of machines and a high pitched ringing filled my ears. I wanted it to shut up, to leave me alone and let me go back to that eerie space of nothingness. The noise grew louder and louder, and seemingly more urgent.
"What's going on?" A new voice, amidst the beeping machines and concerned voices of the lab broke through my thoughts. I wished the noise would stop; it was causing my head to ache.
"The machines are going hay wire. The readings are high on the scale; it's like nothing I've ever seen before. This is the most activity that we've seen since she appeared near The Old Mansion outside Twilight Town." It was that voice again, the cold, slightly intriguing one. I tried to tell them to stop the beeping, but I couldn't speak. There was a pressure build up in my head, like the machines were going higher and higher tones. I felt like if it didn't stop than I would split in two. Just as the pressure became too much I let out a scream, high pitched and blood curdling.
Running footsteps, voices, groaning, exclamations, and the sound of fizzled electrical wires. No beeping machines.
"What the hell was that?" A voice demanded, rather annoyed and seemingly astonished. I opened my eyes slowly to see a group of men surrounding me. I stared at them, trying to figure out what was happening. I suddenly noticed why I was feeling so cold. I was wearing no clothing to speak of. Just as I realised this, I think someone else did too. A boy of about thirteen years, with spiky blonde hair and blue eyes turned to the guy in the lab coat.
"Vexen, give me your cloak." He said, trying to avert his gaze from my body. I was grateful for his politeness. The man named Vexen stared at him.
"Why should I?" He challenged. The blonde boy stared at him.
"So that she isn't quite so exposed." He said calmly. A guy with flame red hair spoke up, rolling his eyes.
"You know Vexen, for someone who is supposed to be a scientist you sure are stupid sometimes." Vexen glared at him but removed his Lab coat begrudgingly, handing it to the blonde boy. He took it with a thankful smile, ignoring the glare from the scientist.
"Here, so you don't feel too weirded out. I'm Roxas by the way." He said handing me the coat with a smile. I took it and wrapped it around my body tightly, thankful for the length. I was only short after all, so it meant I had more room to cover my body. I stared at them all, still not being able to find my voice. A tall man with silver hair and golden eyes approached from behind the group of men.
"Welcome to The World That Never Was. I'm Xemnas, number I. You will be known as Sirix, Organization member XV." I stared in awe at the tall man. He smiled down at me, an awkward smile but a smile all the same.
"Number XV Superior?" How can she be number fifteen if we lack XIV?" A guy with blue hair and a large 'x' shaped scar on his forehead spoke up. I looked at him, slightly terrified. Who were all these people? Why was I here? And why was I currently naked? Conversation erupted around me and I clasped my hands over my ears, trying to block out the noise. It was getting too loud. I was glad the machines weren't starting up again. Come to think of it, I was sure that Vexen was muttering something about the devices to himself amidst the noise. The noise level grew louder and I found myself whispering for them to stop it. My voice gradually grew louder and louder until I could be heard above the din.
"JUST STOP IT! Please." I said, trailing off again as everyone stared at me. I bit my lip. "You're awfully loud." I said simply, to stop their accusing looks. Xemnas raised his eyebrows at me and nodded.
"We'll let you rest. You need to recover more before we take you on the tour of the castle and start training you for missions." At his words everyone turned and left, making their different tracks. I watched them leave, not sure whether to be relieved that they were all leaving or panicked that they were leaving me in a creepy lab with a surly looking scientist. I shivered. It was freezing in the lab. I didn't know where exactly we were in the castle but I was guessing somewhere in the lower levels. My own thoughts made me jump. How did I know we were in a castle? They hadn't mentioned anything about where we were while they were all in here. It startled me. Vexen stood in the corner, trying to fix his dying machines.
"Was it really necessary to completely destroy my monitors?" He asked me. I smiled sheepishly.
"Sorry." I said. He let out a huff of air and kept working. I bit my lip and decided to try and sleep. I had to recover so I could get out of this place. Who were these people? What missions were they referring to? And why the hell was I STILL not wearing any clothes! I hugged Vexen's coat closer around me and looked around me. I was expected to just get comfortable and rest in some cold, creepy lab? Without so much as a single stitch of my own clothing? How the hell did they expect me to do that? I sighed to myself. This could be a very difficult situation that I found myself in.
A month later...
"What? NOO... Not fair Axel! That was my favourite cookie!" Demyx wailed. Zexion rolled his eyes.
"Now you've done it Axel. Now he'll be all upset and you know how his mood swings affect his power and ability to wield his weapon. Now he'll be all but useless for a mission. And then Xemnas will get all pissed off and take it out on all of us. Nice going." He said. I laughed involuntarily. It was rather funny. Axel looked at me strangely so I shut up, blushing. My hair hung down over my face like a black and white curtain to shield me from my embarrassment. I felt my skin go hot and hid my face in my hands. It was so embarrassing. I was shy around new people. For the past month I'd spent most of my time in the lab for various tests.
I don't think I've ever known so many people personally before. I barely remember my life before I woke up here. I know that I was attacked by some monster and then I was falling through the nothingness. It was the last thing I remember.
"Are you okay Sirix?" I looked over to see Roxas. I smiled at him and nodded, hoping the scarlet colour to my cheeks had paled.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?" He shrugged.
"I don't know. You just looked kind of down. Hey, I um was wondering if you... ah... wanted to... uh..." I looked at him, confused at what he was trying to say. Waaaiitt... is he blushing? Oh my god he is! I placed a hand on his shoulder to urge him on and he blushed deeper.
"Duuudddee... Roxas is about to ask Sirix on a date." I heard Xigbar whisper loudly to Zexion. The slate haired boy scoffed.
"As if I actually care." His voice didn't betray him. Lexaeus noted that he tightened his grip on the book he was reading though. Everyone seemed to have heard Xigbar, and were now looking very intently at me and Roxas. He went even redder, if that were possible, and stammered momentarily before just getting up and leaving.
"Never mind." I stared after him, my hand losing its hold on his shoulder. I reached out for him before withdrawing my hand slowly. I had a bad feeling that I had hurt his feelings without even meaning too. Everyone stared at me, making me extremely nervous. Xigbar shrugged.
"Guess he lost his nerve." My anger seethed at his stupidity. Suddenly I couldn't contain it.
"JUST SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU! YOU KNOW NOTHING!" I screamed. I couldn't take it anymore. They all stared at me as if I'd lost my sanity, and I probably had, but I didn't care about that right now. I just had to find Roxas and make sure he was okay. I ran out of the room and tried to find him. I knew he had turned left out the door so I headed in that direction... and ran straight into Xemnas.
"Oh, sorry Superior." I muttered hastily. He steadied me quickly.
"Oh hello XV, you're the second person to almost run me over in the last three minutes. Where is everyone headed in such a hurry?"
"I'm looking for Roxas, have you seen him?" I asked, looking around the castle for any sign of the blonde boy.
"Indeed. I saw him only moments ago when he decided to trample over me in a state of utter emotional turmoil. Intriguing that he could be in such a state might I add?"
"Which way did he go?" I asked. Xemnas pointed to the east.
"I believe he was headed for Twilight Town. If you hurry you might catch him before he reaches the castle boundaries." I smiled gratefully and dashed off in the direction he was pointing. I realised that there was no way I could catch up to him just by running. I had to create a portal. I'd only ever done a few successful portals and I hadn't quite got the technique down pat yet but I had to risk it. I formed a portal, my jaw set and body tense as I focused on drawing energy to create it. I ran through and out the other side, where I saw Roxas not far off. I ran out and tripped on a stone.
"ROX- Argh!" I ended his name in a scream that gave him a split seconds warning to turn around before I landed on top of him.
"Oh shoot I'm so sorry." I apologised. I was incredibly close to him. We were roughly the same height and my face was directly above his, barely an inch apart.
"Oh, hi Sirix." He said. I smiled.
Xaldin leaned back in the window seat, looking out over the trees that formed a boundary around the castle. He heard a commotion faintly through the glass and looked down at the courtyard to see Sirix trip out of the portal and land on Roxas.
"Uh guys, you should come see this. Shit's going down out there." Intrigued by the prospect of what he might mean by that statement, Zexion, Larxene, Axel and Xigbar all moved to get a better look. When they saw what he meant they let out a loud commotion of cheers for Roxas, the loudest of all being Axel.
"I knew it! The boy finally learnt how to score!" He joked with a grin. He glanced at Zexion and noticed that he didn't look pleased, or even bored like he always did, more... pissed." Hey Zexion, you okay man? You look kind of... well pissed." Zexion stared at him.
"I'm absolutely fine. You're all acting stupid. I'm glad that he is with her, they deserve each other. I couldn't be happier. I'm just as happy as a bird." He said, not meaning to go quite so over the top or sound sarcastic. He walked out of the room, trying to keep calm.
"Yep, he's pissed." Axel confirmed with a devious smile. 'And I'm going to find out why."
"Umm do you think that maybe you could get up now? This gravel is kind of painful." Roxas asked me. I blushed.
"Oh, sorry. Here." I stood up hastily and gave him a hand up. We stood awkwardly for a moment before I decided that enough was enough.
"What were you going to ask me earlier? Before everyone started to act like total idiots?" I asked. He shrugged and turned away.
"It's not important. Just a stupid thought. It doesn't matter anymore." He said, looking up at Kingdom Hearts. I felt so bad for him. He had it tough as the youngest of the organization, before I came along that is.
"It is important Roxas. You need to be able to say the things you want to." I said, turning him to face me. "And to be able to express the way you feel without words." I added softly, looking him into his Celtic blue eyes. Those eyes widened with realization and amazement as he realised how close I was to him.
"What do you mean?" He whispered. I smiled and leaned close, gently pressed my lips to his. It was a light kiss, yet enough to affect him. I smiled at him and turned away.
"Come find me when you have the courage." I said with a wave and left him standing in the courtyard, a hand pressed to his lips.
A cheer erupted from the room above the library, accompanied by chants of 'she kissed him!" Zexion growled in frustration and slammed his fist against the nearest bookcase.
"Fuck it!" He snapped. The impact of his punch sent the bookcases toppling one after the other to leave him surrounded by books.
"You know just because you missed breakfast doesn't mean you have to destroy the entire library." Zexion jumped at the sound of Vexen's voice.
"It isn't about breakfast. And I don't need it anyway." He said, anger still coursing through his body like hot lava. Vexen raised a single eyebrow, closing the book he was holding on the topic of gene-splicing.
"Then what is it about?" He asked despite the fact that he already had a very good idea. It was easy for him to read Zexion's expressions.
"It's the new member. She's insufferable, and immature, and annoying and irritating and and anything else that means absolutely unbearable." He said, clenching his fists angrily.
"You forgot the part where you find her intriguingly attractive." Vexen said knowingly. Zexion glared at him.
"I do not!"He couldn't hide the hot flush rising in his cheeks, but he tried. Vexen smiled, raising his eyebrow again and stepping over the fallen bookshelves towards the door.
"I'll pretend like I believe that." He said, walking out the door. He turned back. "Oh and try not to get too jealous Zexion. We can't have you being affected badly so you can't fight." He said. Zexion growled and picked up a book, pegging it at Vexen's head. The scientist dodged with ease, just as Roxas came walking down the corridor, still in a slight daze from when Sirix had kissed him. The book flew past Vexen's head and hit Roxas, narrowly missing his temple. The impact caused him to collapse on the ground, just as Axel teleported into the corridor.
"Hey kid, are you alright?" He asked, kneeling beside the collapsed boy. Roxas just gazed up at him.
"A book just flew from another dimension and assaulted me in the back of ." He said in an amazed sort of voice.
I wandered around the castle, thinking things over. Had I really just kissed Roxas? Why the hell had I done that? He was my best friend. People don't do that sort of thing with their best friend. At least, not that I can recall. I was so confused. It was stupid. I shouldn't have kissed him, but I couldn't take it back now it was done. As I pondered this I realised I had managed to make my way to the hallway that housed Zexion's room. I bit my lip. What should I do? He didn't know I was here, I could just walk onwards to where my room was and he'd never know the difference. But still, I wanted to talk to him. It seemed he despised me. I had to find out why. I hardened my resolve and walked to the door that had VI inscribed on it. I took a deep breath and knocked on the door lightly. No one answered immediately but I figured he was probably doing something so I waited a few moments. Maybe I didn't knock loud enough. I raised my fist to knock again when the door opened and Zexion stood in the gap it left. He wore his normal leather attire but the cloak wasn't done up, which made me think that he had thrown it on in a hurry. His hair was dishevelled and wet, his skin glistened slightly with small particles of water. It took me a moment to notice that he was looking at me as if he wished I'd just go away.
"I was going to knock again, I wasn't sure if you heard me."I said softly, to break the silence that had fallen over us. Wow, he is so... wow. I could just kiss him. No, no that won't do. He hates you, remember? I shook my head slightly to clear my thoughts.
"I heard you the first time. I was in the shower." Why did he seem less than pleased to see me? It wasn't exactly like I had walked in on him doing something that should be incredibly awkward. Images of what he could have been doing other than showering threatened to surface in my mind and I forced them back. I didn't want to think of him that way. It was awful. I had enough problems as it was, like it having been a month and I still hadn't discovered my element or weapon yet. And the things with Roxas.
"Oh, well umm, I uh..." I started before knowing what I was going to say and ended up stammering for something to say.
"If you're just going to stand there stammering like an idiot would you mind leaving me in peace?" His tone was laced with a cold edge and I was brought back to the reason that I had knocked on his door in the first place.
"Why do you hate me?" I blurted out. He looked bewildered and extremely angry.
"Hatred is an emotion, something which I am lacking, as I do not possess a heart, therefore I cannot hate you." He said matter of factly, yet angrily. I folded my arms across my chest.
"Well for someone who has no emotions you sure are acting pretty angry.' She said. I could tell that he was trying to keep his face expressionless. He clenched his fists and grit his teeth furiously.
"I'M NOT- I'm not angry." He said, calming himself down. I raised my eyebrows at him.
"Uh huh... right... 'cause I totally believe that." I said and pushed past him into his room. I looked all around the room, lined with books on shelves, it gave off a feeling of comfort and warmth. I smiled and walked over to his bed.
"What are you doing?" Zexion demanded, following me in. I smiled again, sitting down on the side of his bed and pulling my boots off.
"Relaxing. You have a nice place here. You don't mind if I crash here do you?" I asked, still smiling. It had become easy to be myself around these people, especially Zexion. I enjoyed giving him a hard time, it was so fun to watch him squirm. And he looked so hot dressed the way he was. I felt an urge to kiss him and fought it back. No, I just kissed Roxas only moments earlier, I don't want to be treated like a whore. I settled for smiling deviously.
"NO!" He said. I beamed at him.
"Great! I'll be back in a minute." I said, jumping up and pulling my boots back on.
"Now where are you going?" He demanded. He looked puzzled. I laughed.
"To get my stuff obviously."
"You are not moving in here." He said angrily and walked into his bathroom. I sat back down on his bed and waited patiently for him to return. I heard a muffled yell and then the sound of splintering glass. After a few moments Zexion emerged, his hand and knuckles bleeding.
"What the hell did you do? You're bleeding!" I exclaimed. He shrugged.
"It's nothing. I just smashed a mirror is all." He said, casually, as if it was an every day thing, which it probably was.
"Nothing! You're dripping blood all over the carpet! How is that nothing?" It is far from nothing!" I crawled off the bed and was at his side in three strides, grabbing his hand and examining it closely. He pulled it away.
"Stop that! You're hurting me!" He complained. I raised an eyebrow at him and grabbed his hand again.
"Well let me heal you. I am more capable of tending to your wounds than anyone else is." I said, matter of factly. He moved back from me, out of my reach.
"Don't touch me. I don't want anything to do with someone who would use a friend to get to the one she really wants." His words sliced through me like a blade. How could I have been so stupid to think that i could have any chance with him. He was cold, awful, and, though amazingly perfect to me, a jerk. I let go of his hand and took a few steps back to sit on the edge of the bed, shocked and hurt.
"Is- is that what you really think I am? Someone who uses her friends to get to you? I didn't mean to kiss Roxas. It was heat of the moment. It didn't mean anything." I asked, tears threatening to spill. Zexion looked horrified for a moment, like he hadn't meant to say what he had. Then his passive expression was back.
"It did to Roxas." He replied, his tone quiet. I felt sick. I may have just ruined everything with not one, but two people who I would be seeing a hell of a lot of. I tried to stop the tears from falling but they fell anyway, streaming down my face in soft glistening droplets. I wiped them away but they wouldn't stop. Zexion moved over to me and sat beside me, awkwardly.
"Listen, Sirix, I shouldn't have said that. It was harsh and cruel. I'm so sorry. Please don't cry." He said quietly. He seemed genuinely sorry. I couldn't look at him, i felt like someone had taken my heart and torn it in two. I felt so... empty. I didn't reply, I couldn't. I was focusing on controlling my tears. Zexion sighed and gently brushed away one of my tears with a cut finger. I didn't move. My shoulders heaved gently with my silent sobs but other than that I made no move to do anything.
"Look at me Sirix. You have to stop crying right this instant." He said, taking my face in his hands gently, yet still forcibly and making me look at him.
"Says who?" I demanded with a weak smile. It was a start to a better mood. He let slip a small smile of his own before stopping himself.
"Says me. Because you're annoying enough as it is. I don't want people to be accusing me of making you upset too." He said. I frowned again, slapped him... hard.
"Ow! What the hell was that for?" He demanded. I glared at him.
"Oh I wonder." I reply sarcastically. He glared at me. I glared back and stood up.
"Whatever Zexion. You're enough to drive a girl to insanity." I snapped, walking towards the door. He stared at me, a hand placed on his cheek, holding where I had slapped him.
"Wait, so now you're leaving, when you wouldn't leave when i actually wanted you to?" He asked, following me. I turned around.
"So you want me to stay? Well that's an intriguing little tidbit of information." I replied, smiling. He looked alarmed.
"No of course not, I didn't say that! I want you-" He was cut off by Axel entering his room.
"Oh, Uh was I interrupting? I have a message from the superior. He wants to see you both in his study ASAP." He said. He seemed to only notice just then that we were incredibly close to each other. "Is there something going on here that I don't know about?" He asked, looking from me to Zexion. I could have sworn for a moment there that Zexion blushed. It must have just been my imagination, because he shook his head and stared at Axel if he were insane.
"I think the heat's getting to you Axel. You're becoming delusional again." I felt a small pang of sadness hit me but ignored it. Axel smirked and turned away.
'And you've been spendin' too much time in seclusion, you've forgotten how to hide your true feelings." He replied, walking away. I looked at Zexion.
"What did he mean by that?" I asked, confused. He shook his head.
"Ignore him. He's prattling again." Zexion replied. I shrugged, ignoring their inside argument. It was none of my business in any case.
"Well I suppose we had better go see what the superior wants." I said and walked away, down the hallway.
"I want you to accompany Sirix on her first mission." Xemnas' words seemed to echo ominously around the room as Zexion gaped at him.
"You want me to accompany her? But she is insufferable!" He exclaimed, looking at me with a sidelong glance. I had been looking around the room and was currently trying to pick the lock on the filing cabinet in the corner. I felt their eyes on me and jumped, hiding the paperclips that I had manipulated to be lock picks.
"Yes?" I asked, trying to remain innocent.
"What were you doing?" Xemnas asked, seeming intrigued.
"Ummm, trying to pick the lock on the filing cabinet." I said slowly, nervously. Zexion rolled his eyes. I bit my lip, cringing backwards as Xemnas leaned towards me.
"And why were you trying to do that?" He asked me. I bit my lip.
"To see if I could do it..." Xemnas sat back in his chair, appearing to be deep in thought.
"Intriguing..." He said to himself. I blushed lightly in embarrassment. Zexion frowned.
"When is this mission?" He asked. Xemnas was brought out of his trance, while I nervously fiddled with the paperclips.
"Hmmm? Oh, you'll set off in an hour. The Gummi ship will be ready to leave then. But it will only take you one way. You'll have to portal back." He said absent-mindedly. Zexion groaned. To have to make sure he reserved enough strength to summon a portal could prove a challenge.
"Why do I need to go along with her in any case?" He demanded. I was only half listening now, relieved that Xemnas wasn't angry at me for trying to pick the lock.
"To protect her of course. She has no weapon or element as yet and she can't just be sent in without someone to guarantee her safety. And that's exactly what you have to do. No letting her be beat to a pulp by any Heartless."
"But she doesn't need a protector! She could talk them to death!" Zexion's voice rose with annoyance and anger. I frowned.
"That's not true, I could only talk them half to death." I said defensively, trying to make the mood lighter. Zexion ignored me. I pouted and turned away to study the rest of the items in Xemnas' study.
"The place I'm sending you is infested with powerful Heartless. Without a weapon to defend herself, she wouldn't stand a chance against them." Xemnas explained patiently. Zexion opened his mouth in protest but Xemnas held up a hand. "I'm tired of explaining things. It will explain itself in due course. Now go. You have an hour in which to prepare yourselves. Use it wisely. Oh and I hear you two are sharing a room. No staying up too late, is that understood?" My jaw dropped and Zexion started to protest.
"We are not sharing a room!" Zexion insisted. I nodded in agreement, folding my arms across my chest. I felt ill with shock. How could Xemnas say such a thing. I gave up trying to think and walked out the door. I noticed that Zexion didn't follow me. Instead he closed the door after me.
"Superior, I wondered if I could have a word with you privately." Zexion said quietly. Xemnas looked up and folded his hands in front of him in expectancy.
"You may. What seems to be the problem?" He asked, intrigued. Zexion took a deep breath.
"It's the new member. I don't think she'll work out very well." He said. Xemnas raised a thin eyebrow.
"How so?" He asked, eager to hear Zexion's reasoning. Zexion sighed and folded his hands in front of him.
"Well she has shown no sign of her weapon or element appearing, for one. For another, she is insufferable. She has no idea or respect for her superiors. She is a distraction to all of us." He said.
"A distraction to everyone or just you, VI? I know that she has had quite an effect on you these past few weeks. I have it on good authority that she is part of the reason you destroyed the library earlier today. You've been distracted as of late, you've become less literate. You've been less focused in your duties. We've all noticed it. I've had many reports from the other members saying that you are becoming easily angered and frustrated. If her being near you is asphyxiating than perhaps you should just tell her how you feel." He said. Zexion paced the room.
"I couldn't do that. She is insufferable Xemnas. Always so happy and irritating. And she has a close relationship with Roxas. The last thing any of us needs is for our group to fall apart. Her presence might just be the downfall of us all." He insisted. Xemnas leaned back in his chair.
"Oh well if that is all, than I don't know why you're bothering me with these trifles. If you are having difficulties dealing with your emotions than perhaps you should take it up with a counsellor." Xemnas said casually. Zexion fumed silently.
"But how can you just cast it aside? She is absolutely unbearable! Her presence cannot be good! We have to get rid of her! She is despicable! She is weak! I hate her!" There was a crashing noise outside and footsteps running in the opposite direction. Zexion opened the door and peered out but couldn't see anyone.
"I hate the way she effects me so. Despite all the traits I've mentioned, what worse is that when I'm around her I can feel emotions again." He continued quietly.
"Really? Such as?" Xemnas was intrigued.
"Anger mostly but there's this other one, another emotion that is so confusing. Whenever I'm around her I want to be holding her, or to be with her and by her side at all times. When she flirts with Roxas I want to tear him from limb to limb. I hate it. Why does she effect me so?" He asked, burying his face in his hands.
"This is very interesting indeed. I'll have to look into it. For now you had better find her. Hear this though Zexion, we can't lose her, she could very well be the break through we've been looking for." With those final words, he dismissed his number VI.
Zexion needed to think things over. He had to figure out what was going on. He decided to go to the only place where he felt peace. Walking into the library he heard a soft sobbing sound and walked around a row of bookshelves to see Sirix huddled on a window seat crying.
"Are you okay?" I jumped as I heard his voice. He was standing right next to me. I bit my lip, not worrying about how horrible my hair looked, but rather why he was there.
"Is that really what you think of me? That I'm unbearable and I have to be disposed of? That I'm despicable? That I'm weak? Do you hate me?" I asked, my voice barely a whisper. He stood still, shocked it would seem.
"How much did you hear?" he asked.
"Most of it." I said quietly. He seemed relieved about something, and worried more about another.
"I can't explain everything. But I do know that we have a mission to complete and Xemnas will not allow us to change partners so we have to put aside our differences and complete our task. Please." He said quietly, holding out his hand. I hesitated before taking it. He helped me to my feet.
"Come on, we have to see if we can find your weapon." He said, trying to make me smile. It didn't work.
The ever constant cloud cover of Halloween town provided a dreary picture to my eyes. It was my first time in a new world and it looked to be interesting. The Gummi ship had deposited us about ten kilometres to the east of the town. I looked about me in awe. I had never been to such an intriguing place before, except the Castle. Zexion smirked at my obvious amazement. I blushed.
"What? What are you laughing at?" I demanded. He grinned.
"You. You're looking around as if you've never travelled worlds before, or ever seen a place that loved Halloween so much that it designed its entire land around the event." He said, laughing.
"But I haven't." I said quietly, though he couldn't hear me. He smirked and started walking.
"Come on, there's a place that the Heartless often use as a gathering ground up ahead. Our reports say that they moved from there yesterday, we should investigate and see what's left behind." He said. I nodded and followed him, skirting over and around creeping stones and animals and even pumpkins. After about half an hour I grew bored.
"Zexion how much further?" I complained. He held up a hand and peered around a rock. We were standing on a hill, shielded by a rocky outcrop and looking down on a group of the most hideous monsters I've ever seen.
"What are they?" I asked, creeping up behind him and peeking around a rock that was three times the size of me.
"They're Heartless. They are what is formed when the human heart succumbs to the darkness inside them. This lot are a rather ferocious looking group too." He explained. I frowned in thought.
"I thought you said they'd left."
"I thought they had. They must've come back." He said. He looked confused too.
"Well maybe someone ought to teach them a lesson." I said, standing up and grabbing a large stone and a heavy looking branch from the ground next to me.
"What are you doing! You can't go down there, they'll kill you!" He said, grabbing my arm. I pulled away from him.
"Watch me. I'll prove that I'm not weak. Just stay here and watch what happens." I said. He groaned as I walked out from behind the rocks and charged down the hill, screaming a war cry. The group of heartless turned around and saw me. They seemed to exchange glances and formed a circle around me. I yelped and screamed in fear, trying to run away when I realised that I had no hope.
The largest of them appeared out of nowhere and grabbed me up by the waist. I screamed again and started hitting it with the rock that I had managed to cling too.
"Put me down you Bastard!" I yelled. As my rock came into contact with them an electric shock ran through my body. I screamed in pain, but still kept hitting the monster relentlessly. "Leave me alone!" I yelled. I was hit with another jolt of electricity and felt my energy become sapped. I screamed relentlessly, hoping to hurt its ears, if it had them. The other monsters swarmed around the giant one that held me, tugging at my body and clothes, clawing, scratching. I kicked out but every time I did the electric shock would hit me again. I couldn't keep it up. I was drifting in and out of consciousness. I reached out to the giant monster and touched the place where its heart would rest if it truly had one. I didn't know what I was doing. I just wanted the noise to stop. The screaming inside my head was growing agonising. It seemed to find my pain funny. I grit my teeth.
"You wouldn't be laughing if you could feel my pain bitch." I said. My breathing grew shallow and suddenly the screaming stopped. Instead there was a horrible rasping noise that was so agonising. Suddenly I was crumpled on the ground, with something in my hand. I had a brief moment to look at what it was before I passed out. It looked to be a sword and wrapped around my fingers was thread?
Zexion saw Sirix collapse and he yelled out her name. He pushed his way through the heartless, knocking them down one after the other until he reached the lifeless girl. Her body was limp, her black streaked hair fanning out underneath her like a blanket. He noticed that she held what looked to be the hilt of a sword in her hand and entwined around her fingers were silver glistening threads. He was puzzled, but his concern overruled. With Xemnas' words ringing in his ears he fought off the last of the heartless and picked up the unconscious Nobody, forming a portal to get them home.