Chapter One: Ring Around the Rosy

We were walking through a grove of roses under the Harvest Moon. Lydia and I never missed it, and we always spent it together. Before we knew it, Heartless had surrounded us in growing numbers. Ten, twenty, thirty… all just piling up on one another. Bloodthirsty and hysteric, the bravest (and smallest) heartless jumped through the wall of its companions and, quite simply, stole Lydia's heart. Shrieking and crying I ran to her body, lying still on the ground.

Lydia was like my older sister. Having no family of my own to speak of, she was everything to me. Without even realizing what I was doing, I put my hand to my chest and put the other one to hers. I gave Lydia my heart, and subsequently blacked out. When I awoke in the house me and Lydia lived in with her Grandmother, my first thought was plain and simple.

'How am I alive?' Before I could move, Lydia entered. Her scarlet hair trailed down to her waist, and her emerald eyes were set on me.

"Hey." She gestured. Lydia, being mute, couldn't speak, but was vivid in her motions and pictures.

"I gave you my heart. How am I….?" My voice trailed off.

"It all makes sense, really. You're a Nobody now." Though it was a shock, I wasn't too pestered by the thought of not having a heart.

"But how did you get out? We were surrounded."

"He came." Past Lydia, standing in the doorway, I could see one of the infamous members of Organization XIII. Marluxia, No. XI, was standing there in all his glory and malice. He was as all the stories described: Tall, strong, thin, fair-skinned, and above all, regal. No flower in the land was more unique than he.

"I'll be direct with my task. Quite simply, now that you're a Nobody, I am ordered to take you into the Organization." Marluxia spoke boldly, yet somehow comfortingly. Then Lydia gestured to me, crying silently.

"Do what you've got to do. I love you, Eon." She helped me off the bed. I was wobbly, but I could still walk. Fixing my brown hair so that the bangs were over my left eye, I took a few steps forward.

"I love you too, Lydia." I gave her a tight hug, and departed with Marluxia.

Marluxia and I had barely gotten a move on when he stopped me.

"Now that you're a Nobody, you can travel with us." He pointed toward the ground, and a black and purple vortex appeared. "These are Dark Corridors. Normal people like your sister can't use them without severe consequences, but since we don't have hearts, we're fine." Leaving my side, Marluxia stepped into the swirling Corridor. Nervously, my footsteps followed his into the Dark Corridor. I clamped my eyes shut, and I waited for some sort of excruciating pain, but I felt only a cool breeze.

"Welcome to the Castle That Never Was." I opened my eyes to see the various members of Organization XIII standing in front of a black, white, and grey castle floating in the air in the center of a crater in the city. Looking at each Nobody with wide eyes, I recalled their names in my head. Xemnas, Xigbar, Xaldin, Vexen, Lexaeus, Zexion, Saїx, Demyx, Lirexe, and Borynx. All were incredibly strong, and all of them had even stronger wills. Ever since the group had temporarily disbanded, members had been gained and lost. The one who had addressed me was presumably Xemnas, No. I and leader of Organization XIII.

"I assume you know most of our names?" Xemnas said calmly. His glaring yellow eyes seemed so charp they could stab me, yet his silvery hair calmed me down. "Yes? No?" I nodded submissively. Just being around the group made me feel inferior, and the fact that I was in black shorts and a t-shirt didn't help much, either. "What might we call you?" I was well aware of the naming system of Organization XIII. Basically, they take your original name, scramble it up, and throw in an 'x'. Before I could answer Xemnas, Vexen interupted with a quiet, hysterical giggle.

"Your name was Eon, right?" I nodded. Turning to Xemnas, he asked inquisitively. "What about Noxe?" I suppose I didn't mind the name, as I remained silent.

"Very well, Noxe. We'll have Zexion take you to your room." With a sigh, Zexion closed his Lexicon and began walking down a corridor. Slowly but surely, I continued walking after him.