Of Hearts and Nobodies
Shizuka Usagi
Chapter 2
"Stupid Dusks did something right for once…"
"You should be talking, Mr. Wrong Guy for the Job."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means what it sounds like. If you got your way, you'd flood it with those idiotic water clones."
"Hey! They're not idiotic! Besides—""—shush, she's waking up."
Olette groaned, her head ached and she felt nauseous. She forced her eyes open and saw nothing but darkness. In a moment, her eyes focused on a flame that appeared out of nowhere. It rested on a palm of a person, whose full face she couldn't see. The bottom half held a mischievous smirk. There was another black cloaked figure with a silly grin on his face.
"Hello, sweetheart. How're you doing?" The man with a flame on his palm said suavely, obviously trying to hit on her.
"W—who are you?" Olette asked, attempting to be steady. But her voice quivered with trepidation. What's going on here? Is this a nightmare or reality?
"The name's Axel. The dope next to me is Demyx." The man known as Demyx pouted childishly, reminding her of Roxas. "Got it—"
"—memorized. Honestly, Axel, don't you ever get tired of saying that?" Demyx interjected.
"It's better than saying: Boy, did they pick the wrong guy for this job." The man known as Axel said. He was annoyed that his catch line was interrupted.
"I don't say that all the time." The man whined.
While the two were bickering over frivolities, Olette tried to escape from the door she spotted while scanning the room. She half stumbled, half ran to it and attempted to turn the knob. When her hands touched the wall, she found out that the door wasn't real. You've got to be kidding me. A door that's painted on the wall. What kind of nightmare is this?
"Where do you think you're going, princess?" Axel inquired. "There are no doors on The World that Never Was. Commit it to memory."
"T—the World that Never Was?" Olette repeated. Does that mean I'm on a different planet? She looked out the window to see black and white buildings below a starless sky. The monotone scenery seemed dreary and dismal.
"In case you didn't know, you're not in Kansas anymore." Demyx chuckled at his own joke. Nobody laughed. No pun intended.
"You mean I'm not in Twilight Town anymore." Olette clearly knew what Demyx meant, but she couldn't bring herself to believe it.
"Bingo! Give the girl a prize." Axel wisecracked.
"This is just a dream. I'll wake up and be with Roxas, Hayner, and Pence at the Usual Spot." Olette chanted over and over in her head, not wanting to accept what the two men told her.
"This isn't a dream. This is reality." Axel snorted, his humor subsiding at the mention of his ex-best friend.
"You've been abducted by Organization XIII—that's us, by the way." Demyx added with a cheeky grin as if all of this was a gag.
Olette was bold enough to ask the question that had been plaguing her mind. "W—what do you guys want with me?"
"Nothing really. We're just using you as bait to get my best friend back." Axel informed casually.
"A—and just who's your best friend?" Olette asked.
"Roxas, the keyblade master's Nobody." Demyx responded.
"Roxas!" Olette shouted in shock. "Why would you want him?"
"Because he used to be part of—mph!" Demyx's voice became muffled when Axel clamped his hand over his yapper. "I think that's enough spilling, blabbermouth."
By magical means, Axel opened up a portal of darkness and shoved Demyx into it. Before taking his leave, he waved goodbye. "We'll check up on you later. So, be a good girl, Letty." When the duo left, the light returned to the room.
Olette's jaw dropped as the vortex disappeared. She sunk to her knees slowly in incredulity. She couldn't believe—wouldn't believe that all of this was happening. Being the optimistic realist she was; she knew there had to be a rational explanation for this. There was always a rational explanation for things. Wasn't there?
Do my parents and friends know I'm gone—How are Roxas and I involved in all this—What did Axel mean by bait—Who are Axel and Demyx really—What is Organization XIII—What did Demyx mean by the keyblade master's Nobody—Who is the keyblade master—What is a Nobody—How can they open those portals—Are they related to those white creatures that attacked me earlier?
The rush of the brunette's questions and the bright, white walls of this room made her head spin. Eventually, the trauma caused her to collapse on the floor.
