Hi again, people! It's Saelia again with the second chapter of Twentyfour. Not much else to say here. O.o;;Oh. Sorry it's a bit short.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any other brand names mentioned herein.

Chapter 2

My eyes fluttered open slowly, registering a world of white. I sat bolt upright and glanced around, struggling to take in my surroundings while my eyes adjusted. I was in a pure white room filled with furniture of the same color- an ivory vase, a white curtain hanging in front of a huge bay window, a white couch at the far end of the room. There was even a large crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling with twelve white candles. For a few moments, I had wondered if I'd gone colorblind somehow. There were no lights in sight, no lamps, lightswitches or anything, despite the room's strange brightness. I crossed the room and pulled back the white curtain to look out the window. What I saw startled me, and it was then I realized that I was no longer in Autumn Hollow. It was pitch-dark outside, but the obnoxious, flashing lights of a neon city far below the window stretched on endlessly. It was a sea of asphalt, a maze of lights. There was a small yellowish-white blob that hung in the sky, which I assumed was an airplane… until I realized that it was stationary. I assumed then that it was an extremely bright star, or some other anomaly. But I couldn't locate the moon in the sky, or any other stars. The sky was purple and black, the same as the sky above the Promenade had been when the Heartless attacked.

Where am I? I thought to myself. I must be dead.

A tall man, who stood at the far end of the room clearing his throat, interrupted my silent musings. I whirled around to look at him, and squinted again as my eyes readjusted to his image. His onyx coat was a sharp contrast to his surroundings. A black hood covered his face, and no features were really distinguishable. Several silver chains adorned the coat, making a chiming sound with each heavy step he took towards me.

"Aleise," he said flatly, extending a hand to me. Dumbstruck, I shook it, trying to find eyes to make contact with to no avail.

He must be the Grim Reaper or something.

"Excuse me, sir," I said sheepishly, bowing to him respectfully. "But… where exactly am I? Am I dead?"

He gave a soft chuckle and covered his mouth with a gloved hand.

"Where indeed?" he chided in a low voice. "You are here, and yet you are not."

I scowled. "Maybe I should ask something else, then. How did you know my name?"

Silently, the man pulled a small purple card from his pocket and handed it to me. I was shocked to see that it was my school I.D. card.

"My I.D.?"

The man nodded silently.

"How'd you get ahold of it?"

"You have already been here for one day," he answered. "But you have only fully awoken just now. Upon your arrival, we searched your belongings for anything bearing a name."

"Awoken? What do you- ah, nevermind… So… If I've been here for a day already, then surely my friends…?" I spoke, my sentences sounding more staccato than I would have liked.

"I can see that you are worried about them," he spoke. "But… are you really? Do you feel worried? Answer me that."

I thought about the man's peculiar question for a moment, taken aback. Why wouldn't I feel worried? But then, something clicked- I didn't feel anything. He was right. I wanted to see them all badly, but I didn't feel worried or concerned about them at all. I wasn't dizzy, my pulse had not increased- nothing. It was all empty want, it seemed, driven by instinct, not emotion.

"…No. No, I can't say that I do."

"Aleise… What if I told you that the reason you cannot feel is because you have no heart?"

I was taken aback by this. Was not having a heart even possible? The answer I'd just been provided seemed purely… illogical. Furthermore, the suggestion of heartlessness just seemed downright rude, but… I couldn't say that I felt offended.

"No offense, sir, but I'd wonder if you had a few screws loose."

He gave a low chuckle again and slowly removed his hood. He had dark tanned skin, the same tone as my grandfather's, and fierce, intimidating orange eyes, coupled with long silver hair that fell to his shoulders and made his eyes look brighter. Somehow, he seemed taller without a hood on, and I felt a sensation of sinking into the floor.

"None taken; I would have wondered the very same thing," he mused. "However, I assure you, I am telling you the truth. You are an empty shell; a Nobody. But allow me to introduce myself. I am Xemnas, Superior of Organization XIII. We are a group comprised of beings known as Nobodies- just like you. Our primary goal is to achieve Kingdom Hearts in order to get our hearts back. "

"What makes you so sure you want your heart back?" I asked. "I mean, if you have no emotions, that leaves you with so much raw power, completely unhindered by doubt or fear, or anything. Isn't that what everybody wants?"

Xemnas paused for a second, considering my question.

"Aleise."

"Y-yes?" I stammered, a bit intimidated at his straightforward approach.

"What does an angel long for, more than anything in the world?"

At this point, I'd already filled my 'peculiar questions' quota for the rest of my life. This question began to give me a headache.

"What could an angel want?" I answered slowly, thoughtfully. "Every one of man's desires are his. Flight, freedom… power… What more could he possibly want for?"

There was a long pause."…You can't think of it, then?" Xemnas asked.

I shook my head 'no' in response.

"To be human."

I raised an eyebrow at this; it was a new concept for me. I'd heard of humans wanting to become perfect beings- in other words, angels- but I would never have thought of an angel wanting to return all of his power and freedom to be weak and powerless, a slave to emotion.

"In a sense, we are angels as well," Xemnas continued. "We are free from the burdens of human emotion- the stress, the pain, the fear. Yet, how can one enjoy life if they know not what joy is?" He paused for a second. "Excuse me; I've gone off on a tangent. I'll cut to the chase. You were brought here because you survived the Heartless' attack and, upon becoming a Nobody, still managed to retain your human form. That in itself is the symbol of a strong person, and because of this, I believe that you will be valuable to our cause. By achieving Kingdom Hearts, we can all achieve what we want most- to become human once more. And once it is complete, a share of the end result will be yours. What do you say?"

"I accept," I said automatically, knowing full well that it wasn't as if I had a choice in the matter.

"Very well, then." Xemnas said, smiling. " A new name is necessary for a new beginning. After all, you are not you anymore. So, here's to a new you… Saeliax."

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