Red Moon

It was a moonlit night, aided only by candles lit in the houses alongside the roads. Two young men walked out of a bar, which was their way of escaping 'the unnecessary hassles' of their daily lives. One was quite handsome, with ivory skin, a masculine build, azure hair and tawny yellow eyes.

His name was Ias. People thought he was as beautiful as the silver moon. He appreciated that people were nice, but he didn't really want this much attention.

"Wakey wakey, Ias!" His friend called out in a cocky nature. Ias looked away from the moon to pay attention to his accomplice. "Caught you daydreaming again!"

Ias chuckled lightly. "You've my attention, Lea." Lea was also quite attractive. He had bright red spiky hair; glittering green eyes and was quite slim. He also had markings underneath his eyes, which caught people's attention quite well. Lea smiled broadly.

"You got some things to do tomorrow night." Lea told Ias. "It's fireworks, got it memorized?" Ias nodded his head.

"Right." He replied, "I almost forgot, thanks for reminding me." Ias laughed lightly. They both stopped at a road, which split into two pathways. "I'm gonna go this way tonight." Ias pointed down the road to his left.

"You're not serious are you?" Lea asked with surprise. "There's supposed to be heartless that way." Ias threw his head back. Heartless had appeared a while back. No one knew why.

Ias laughed loudly. "I'm not scared of urban myths." Lea shook his head and giggled under his breath.

"Well, you know where I am if you need me." Lea casually said. He walked straight ahead. "Remember! We're meeting at 3:30pm tomorrow!" He called out.

Ias replied loudly, "I got it memorized!" both men laughed for a small amount of time before they stopped hearing each other. Ias walked down a deserted alleyway, obviously confident he won't get into trouble.

Thump.

Ias heard the noise and stopped in his tracks. He then shrugged his shoulders and continued onward.

"All I'm saying Xaldin…"

For some reason, that deep voice made Ias quicken his pace and he walked near the corner…

It happened quickly, Ias felt someone's hands cover his mouth and touch the back of his head. He tried to get the hands away, but they felt like rock. He was dragged around the corner and was quickly face-to-face with another man, who had his long black hair styled into dreadlocks and dark indigo eyes.

"And we have an other one for Vexen." He hissed with a strange smile on his face. Ias felt a small burst of strength and managed to wriggle out of the grip he was in. But a gust of wind appeared and knocked Ias off his feet. Now on his back, he saw the faces of both his assailants. There was the first one he saw and the other was much taller and muscular. He had very angular features and auburn hair styled into crude spikes.

"Let me leave." Ias managed to say, despite the pain in his muscles. At that point the first one held a lance in his hand and quickly struck Ias' face. Ias howled with pain, as his vision was tinted red from the blood.

"Xaldin…" The large man said deeply. "Vexen would prefer an undamaged specimen."

Xaldin laughed. "Lexaeus, if we let him get away without these wounds…" He paused. "…It would be too easy for him to fight back and we might be discovered." With that, Xaldin slashed Ias' face again, causing even more pain.

Ias leapt up to his feet and struck Xaldin across the face. He gazed down at his hand and attempted to impale Ias with the lance. Ias blocked the attack, but when he turned around, Lexaeus delivered a swift and powerful punch into Ias' face, knocking him out cold.

Lea ambled down the road thinking of all the things he and Ias talked about that night. He was looking forward to seeing him again.

"Let me leave."

Lea heard those three words and stopped dead in his tracks. He felt fear build up in his body. Lea looked around the area, only seeing an entrance to an alleyway. Biting his lip, he crept slowly to where the entrance was.

Nyaaaaaaaaarrrggh!!!

Lea once again paused; his breathing became quicker at the bloodcurdling shout. It took him a few moments to realize whom the voice and scream belonged to. As soon as the thought came in, Lea's blood seemed to freeze.

"IAS!" Lea shouted. He bolted to the alleyway entrance and when he looked down, he saw two men in black robes, hoods covering their faces and on the floor at their feet, was the bleeding body of Ias, now barely alive.

Lea charged at the two men, but they saw him and picked up Ias' body. Then Black swirls of darkness gathered at their feet and obscured them from view. When Lea had just got to them, the men were surrounded by darkness and disappeared. Lea breathed heavily and let out an angry cry at the top of his lungs.

"DAMMIT!" He shouted angrily. He sank to his knees 'Ias… I'm sorry I couldn't help you buddy.'

Ias opened his eyes a small fraction, throbbing with pain. His arms and legs felt tired and he had a pulsing sting in his head.

"At least he's here… that's the only thing that matters now…"

Ias tried to see where the voice came from, but his body kept on failing him. He tried to see if he could open his eyes. As soon as he did, he saw what was happening.

His wrists and ankles were tied with a metal cable and he was at least five feet off the floor. He looked down and saw five people wearing black robes; amongst them were Xaldin and Lexaeus, who had attacked him earlier. One of them took off his hood, revealing large green eyes and long blonde hair. He smiled and cackled loudly.

"The subject has awoken at last." He said loudly. "Zexion, tell the Superior." One of the men disappeared in a cloud of darkness.

"What do you want!?" Ias called down to them. The blonde man grimaced slightly.

"Let's get an introduction out of the way." He replied hardly. "I am Vexen and you are a volunteer for a little… analysis."

Ias already knew this meant trouble. "Wait, you're using me for some experiment!?" He shakily shouted. "That's just sick!"

Vexen smiled and laughed lightly. "I'm a scientist, experimentation is what I do… Yes." He commented.

At that point two swirls of darkness appeared, one had a youth with silver-indigo hair covering his right eye. The other had his hood on.

"Vexen, we are ready for the demonstration." The young man told Vexen. The second man took off his hood, revealing tan skin, silver white hair and amber eyes. He nodded and smiled evilly.

"Very well." Vexen said and he placed his hand on a lever. "Commencing in 3…"

"…2…"

Ias shed a tear.

"…1… Beginning!" Vexen thrust the lever downwards and smiled.

Pain surged through Ias' body, his heart raced and his nerves felt like they were on fire. He bit his lip and shut his eyes. He tried to listen to the other men, all he could hear was a deep laugh. Ias felt his mind coming undone and gritted his teeth.

He still had enough energy to scream in pain.

Lea ran around the town and only paused to change lanes. He finally stopped properly to catch his breath. Surely if he had rested then--

AAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGHH!

Lea stood up straight and glanced around quickly. He traced the source of the scream to an old building. Without a second thought, Lea burst through the doorways and charged down a set of stairs to the basement. When he reached the bottom, he saw another set of doors. He tried to open it by thrusting the side of his body into the door. He tried again and again until the door finally gave way. When he entered he saw six men in black cloaks and he looked past them to see Ias, who was now screaming in pain.

"IAS! Hang in there!" Lea shouted. He caught the attention of everyone in the room and they readied to attack. Lea charged past all of them, knocking them off balance and he got to the control panel. He was nearly stopped by one of them, but Lea easily knocked him out. He switched off the device and pressed a button, which released Ias and he fell to the floor with a thump.

Lea ran up to his friend and held him carefully. In the background he could hear them saying that he was dangerous. Lea didn't know if they meant him or Ias. At that point Ias came round, but as soon as he did, he roared and scratched Lea's chest. Lea backed away and stood on his feet.

He observed Ias and saw that he now had an X-shaped scar on his face that was jagged. He also saw that Ias' hair stood on end, making him look more ferocious, his eyes were glowing a mesmerizing gold and he had sharp fangs, ready to tear anyone to shreds. Lea realized that this was no longer the one he knew. It wasn't a human, it didn't even try to act human.

All he could see was a beast.

"Ias…?" Lea whispered. Ias pounced and attempted to maim Lea and he tried to avoid every pounce and attack. But in the end, Ias managed to pin Lea to the floor, baring his teeth. Lea could feel Ias' warm breath against his skin.

"Ias… Please don't…" Lea said almost inaudibly. "I'm your friend… I-I don't want to die…" The youth started crying. He looked at Ias' face only to see the rage subside and Ias seemed to return to normal. He stood up and backed away.

"I…" Ias managed to say. Lea stepped forward and rested his hand on Ias' shoulder. "Lea… I--"

Ias doubled over in pain, grabbing his head and moaning. Lea held his hand to his mouth in horror. He turned to where the men where standing, only one of them was there. It was the blonde man who was now smiling incoherently. "What's happening to him!?" Lea questioned angrily.

"You deactivated the machinery too early." He responded coldly. "The side effect is that it could affect his… mind." He laughed before disappearing.

Lea tried to comfort his friend, but the attempts were futile as Ias would not calm down. Until, he stopped and stood up. Lea sighed, "Ias, you had me worried. I thought--"

Ias grabbed Lea's throat and lifted him off the ground. Ias laughed maniacally. "Oh the smell of fear is… Intoxicating." With one swift movement he threw Lea at the wall, were he fell to the floor in a limp heap. Ias walked out of the room, with a sinister smile on his face.

The night was still dark, but the young girl walking down the alleyway didn't care. She already knew that she should have been home twenty minutes earlier, but she still walked at a relaxed pace. She froze up in the middle of a lane, but she shrugged it off.

When she was approaching a corner, someone stood in front of her. He was a tall man, with blue hair and golden eyes. She felt tired and turned around to walk away.

But as soon as she did, she felt someone grab her arm. It was that man, who was now smiling savagely. "Why go now?" he asked in a calm, eerie voice. "The night's about to start."

She was close enough to see the X-shaped scar on his face, but then something strange began. His eyes clouded over with a yellow glow, his strength increased and his teeth became fangs. He roared and scratched her across the face.

She still had time to scream.

Lea sat on the step of the library, with a newspaper in hand. He put his hand to his head, which now had a bandage. All he could remember at this point was being thrown against something and he could only see Ias, in a berserk state. Lea shook his head and looked at the paper's headline.

GIRL,17, FOUND DEAD. FOUL PLAY SUSPECTED

Lea blinked and he felt a lump in his throat. He proceeded to read the article.

A young girl, aged seventeen years, was found dead in an alleyway last night. The body was identified as Mary-Sue Collins, who had died from what seemed to be deep, mutilating scratches. No one knows what kind of person would be willing to take a young girl's life.

Lea blinked heavily. He wasn't really sure if this should worry him, or the fact Ias had disappeared. Lea sighed and looked across the street. He saw everyone going their usual business, but when he looked down an alleyway, he rubbed his eyes.

He thought he saw Ias, with his shirt covered in red stains and face as if he was crying badly. When Lea blinked, no one was there. He felt someone tap his arm.

Lea looked up and saw a young man, with blue eyes and messy brown hair. He was holding what seemed to be a sitar and his clothes were tattered. "Spare change?" He asked. Lea shook his head. The youth frowned a little and walked away.

It was, again, a moonlit night. Lea was not very pleased, despite looking forward to this night for quite a while. He still felt lonely, despite the large amount of people here. Ias wasn't there, so Lea thought there was no point in enjoying the night at all.

"Murder! MURDER!"

Lea turned around to see an elderly woman running out of an alleyway. She was crying and screaming. She went to Lea and sobbed. "There's been a murder!"

Lea nodded and went to the alleyway, he felt like he was going through a maze. He managed to reach one point, when a vile sight met his eyes…

There was a woman, probably in her 20's, lying in a bloodstained heap on the floor. Her body was disfigured from a series of heavy scratches and wounds as well as her arm being bent back impossibly. He turned and saw a large group of people gathering around the body.

He looked at the moon and then at a nearby wall, which in capital letters, had one word written in blood across it.

LUNATIC

15 nights later…

Lea was with two men, Tsung and Sachar. They were trying to investigate the 'Lunatic' murders, as they were dubbed. Lea held two chakrams, one in each hand, Tsung with a small knife and Sachar wearing gloves with metal knuckles. Sachar ran around a corner out of sight. Lea and Tsung rolled their eyes. Tsung then walked around the corner as well…

"Wha…!?" Tsung shouted. Then he screamed, then a gurgle could be heard, then silence. Lea held his breath and ran around the corner to see what happened. He was shocked to see Sachar and Tsung's bodies on the floor, covered in blood. He also saw someone standing over Sachar's corpse, ripping it into near shreds. The killer turned his head to Lea.

"Ias!?" Lea gasped in horror. Ias smiled, showing his teeth to be mildly bloodstained and a drop of blood from the corner of his mouth. He laughed.

"Good to see you again, Lea." He said in a husky voice. "Too bad YOU'RE the next to fall!" Ias roared and tried to kill Lea. But with every scratch, Lea evaded it and landed a blow from one of his chakrams. Ias turned and pounced at his former companion. Lea ducked, which made Ias crash into a wall, cracking it a bit. Ias couldn't stand up, he had smacked his head against the surface, and was now bleeding. But then it started to happen.

Small balls of darkness appeared and with each one a small creature with antennae, yellow eyes and sharp claws. Heartless. A large group gathered around Ias and he felt pain across his body. Each scratch dup deeper into his body as more and more heartless proceeded to wound him.

With one ounce of strength, Ias held out his hand. "L-Lea!" he called out, "Help me… Please!" But, Lea, obviously overtaken with fear ran away. Ias' eyes closed as he began to feel weaker and weaker. He then felt something against his heart.

A heartless had taken hold of it and was now trying to take it away. Then it was gone. Just like that. Ias prepared himself for the cold embrace of death…

Bang!

A heartless disappeared in a whiff of smoke, the other turned and saw someone wearing a black cloak and in his hands, were arrowguns. He opened fire on the other heartless and before you knew it, they were gone.

The man looked at what they left behind. It was a youth, scratched and bloodied. He took note of the fact he had no heart. He chuckled and whistled. A swirl of darkness appeared and a man with white hair and tan skin examined the body. He turned to the other one.

"Xigbar, this youth had a strong heart." He said. "He is now a nobody and he is strong enough to be in the organization." The white-haired man lifted up the bloody body and opened a dark portal.

Ias woke up and realized that he was no longer were he was. It had been replaced with white, featureless walls. He looked down to see he had been covered in white sheets. Where was he?

At that point, a dark portal appeared and that white-haired man was looming over him. "I see you're conscious now." He said in a deep, monotone voice. "I am Xemnas, may I have the courtesy to know your name?"

Ias tried to say his name, but all that came out was a low-pitched moan. He stared up at Xemnas' face, which was near expressionless. Ias breathed in and tried again. Still nothing. Xemnas, obviously displeased, turned and was trying to walk out of the room.

"Xem… nas…" Ias managed to utter. Xemnas turned and saw that Ias had his head turned to him. He walked towards Ias and gazed at him, awaiting a response. "I… am… I-Ias…"

Xemnas smiled. "You still have your memories, despite becoming a nobody." Ias held his hand to his chest, but Xemnas shook his head. "Nobodies do not have a heart, nor any emotions." Ias looked at Xemnas with disbelief.

No heart? How is Ias even alive? But what about emotion, would he never feel anything? "What do… you want… with me… now?" Ias uttered, pain in every word.

"I see you still have not fully forgotten that project." Xemnas responded. "I am the leader of Organization XIII and you are eligible for our ranks." He made Ias sit up, despite Ias feeling pain in his body. "Come with me." Xemnas asked. Ias followed Xemnas out of the room.

Xemnas stopped in the middle of a hallway and turned to Ias. He summoned the word IAS and made them move around quickly. "Before you can fully join…" Xemnas commented. A large X appeared and made the letters stop and the words rearranged. "…You must let go of one thing from your past." Ias looked at the letters and it spelled out SAÏX

"Saïx?" Ias spoke. Xemnas smiled deeply.

"That is right, a new you…" Xemnas said. "You are Saïx, The Luna Diviner… Number VII of Organization XIII."

It has been at least a month since Saïx joined the organization, now he was devoid of emotion. But, deep in his conscience, he still felt something… But what was it? He shrugged it off, he was still going over what Xemnas told him earlier. 'You are officially the second-in-command, I trust you with this position'. When he was walking down a desolate hall, a swirl of darkness appeared and one of the members appeared, he was easily distinguishable from his scar and the eye patch.

"Xigbar." Saïx said, with hardly any emotion. "What do you want?"

"Xemnas wants you to check out a heartless infested town." The Freeshooter replied. "He said--"

Saïx held up his hand. "Say no more." A portal appeared and Saïx walked through quietly.

Lea walked down the empty street, staring down at the cracked pavement. He had to live life without his friend Ias, He was changed when he found out Ias was a murderer. Lea turned to walk down the same alleyway he saw Ias for the last time.

But then, a swarm of heartless appeared and they gathered around him. He felt their claws against his legs, the pain was intense and Lea fell to the floor, only to have the creatures scratch his chest and stomach. He screamed in agony, he thought he heard Ias calling out his name.

Lea closed his eyes and then, without a pause of time, he no longer felt his heart. He prepared himself to leave life.

But then, the heartless swiftly disappeared and Lea felt a whoosh of air against his skin and before his eyes closed he saw a silhouette.

"Good to see you again…" a voice whispered quietly.

Lea had a pounding ache in his head, but he found himself in an empty white room. He shot up into an upright position, he looked around the room until he saw a shadow of a memory…

There was a man in a black cloak. He had Azure hair, ivory skin, golden eyes and a X-shaped scar on his face. "Ias?" Lea asked with a sore throat.

"I'm not Ias, just the shell." He responded. "My name is now Saïx." Lea stared with a near hurt expression on his face. Lea stood up and walked to Saïx and attempted to hit his face. But, Saïx easily saw the attack coming and blocked it painfully. At that point Xemnas teleported into the room.

"You are quite a good fighter." He commented with his deep, monotone voice. "You are a good asset for the organization." With that, the word LEA appeared and they too were arranged differently. The X appeared and the reassembled words read out AXEL.

"You are now Axel, The Flurry of The Dancing Flames… Number VIII of Organization XIII." Axel's eyes widened, but he nodded quietly. With Xemnas looking upon him…

Now the two former companions were part of an Organization. They had more join the ranks, more nobodies. But despite the increase, the objective always remained the same.

It was Kingdom Hearts…

End

Flames: I'm impressed! I love this story! 8D

Space: I think that was brilliant as well!

F: I should tell everyone some notes… (Takes out megaphone)

S: Sure. (Stands back)

F: (Yells into megaphone) I had written this story BEFORE they announced Saïx's name and image! So don't flame about that! AND, we don't own Kingdom Hearts! (Puts megaphone away) If I did, we'd be seeing lots of XigbarxXaldin Boy love! (Laughs)

S: (Raises eyebrow) More yaoi?

F: Um… TO THE ESCAPE POD! (Runs off, grabbing XigbarxXaldin Doujin)

S: That was strange. (Turns to reader) We hope you enjoyed! I better find Flames before she gets too distracted… See ya!