OK, guys, here's chapter 2. This chapter will contain the first death in the story, so... yeah. Enjoy!
Zexion was flipping through his journal. "Dammit, where is that list?" He stopped. "Finally. The teams for your missions are Nyle with Levi, Clay with Jason, Francis with Clark, Ian with Hart, Bruce with Diana, and X with Sarah and Adam. Special doors will be placed to link your rooms. Just remember that if you don't want them in your room, the door won't open." He closed the journal and disspelled it. "Any Organization member can give you a mission at any time, so always be prepared." He left oddly quickly.
We all split into our new teams. I could see why I was paired with these two; they were weak at the moment and I had maybe the strongest weapon out of everyone here. Sarah was the first to speak. "I guess you can't be a loner anymore, X." I shrugged.
Xigbar suddenly appeared. "Guess what, guys. I've got some missions for you." He summoned a Yankees cap with a bunch of slips in it. "Decide who's gonna be your team's leader and send them up."
Adam sighed. "That would have to be you, X." I went up and pulled out a slip.
I walked back to my group and read it out loud. "Hollow Bastion. Retreive all data, books, and items from Ansem's study." Ansem? Wasn't that Dad's name? "Don't forget to check the hidden rooms. Then there's some instructions for finding the rooms. Let's go guys." I opened a Corridor of Darkness for us.
We arrived in the center of a square. We quickly put our hoods up and set out for the tower on the edge of the city. We were spotted a few times, but I doubted that it would matter. Damn was I wrong. Two men stopped us, one with long brown hair and a scar and another with spikey blond hair and a huge sword. "You three," the brunette called. "You're those guys Sora warned us about, right? Organization XIII?" We walked around them. "Hey!" He slashed at Sarah, but I phased into his path and blocked the attack with my Keyblade. "A Keyblade?" I knocked him back and pointed the weapon at them.
"Yeah, and I know how to use it." Several other people were attracted by the commotion. "We're just here to get a few things. No one will get hurt if you just let us pass through without a fight." They looked as though they weren't backing off. "Fine, have it your way. You two go on ahead." My companions continued on.
The blonde spun his sword. "You sure you can take all of us?"
I disspelled my Keyblade and flicked my wrist. They all were knocked to the ground. "Yeah, pretty sure," I scoffed. "Now leave me alone before someone dies."
One of them, a girl with a huge chakram, pushed herself up. "No way," she panted.
"OK then, you're first." I summoned my Keyblade again and walked over to her. "Body or head? Oh, what the hell'm I talking about? Down the middle!" I raised the sword to strike, but it was knocked from my hand by a blast of Darkness. I looked in the direction it came from and found a man in one of our coats. "Who are you?" He held up a hand and summoned a sword that looked like a dragon wing. It bore an eye similar to the ones on mine. "If that's how you want it, then let's go!" I recalled my Keyblade and rushed him. He slashed at me, but I dodged and hit him in the chest with a Fire. He fell and I put a hand on his chest to pin him down. "A pulse, huh? Guess you're not one of us." He suddenly started laughing. "What's so funny?"
He replied, "You might be going home alone." I heard a loud rumbling and ran to the cliff overseeing the bailey. Adam and Sarah were desperately trying to hold off a horde of Heartless with only magic.
I quickly opened a Corridor to get down there. "What are you two doing down here?" I scolded.
Sarah was shaking with fear. "A-Adam saw some Heartless and wanted to take them out, but then a ton more just appeared!"
"And Ansem's study?"
"Done," Adam replied.
I looked at the oncoming Heartless. "Report back to Castle Oblivion. I'll finish this." Adam opened a CD and they ran through. I summoned my Keyblade and raised it into the air. "Thundaga!" Lightning hit all the Heartless, destroying them and releasing the hearts they held. The hearts then vanished into Darkness.
By the time I returned, so had everyone else. Ignoring the barrage of questions as to what had happened, I went straight to my father's quarters. He was on the middle of a heart report. Those people mentioned a Sora. Could he be the same Sora who's been unknowingly helping me build our Kingdom Hearts? "Yes, X?"
"I need you to explain something." He raised an eyebrow. "Why did a horde of Heartless attack us?" I asked. "I thought they only attacked people with hearts."
Xemnas looked surprised. "I'll have to look into that, but at the moment I don't know."
"Also, the people that attacked me in Hollow Bastion said that a boy named Sora had warned them about us. Is he the same guy that's been helping me build KH?"
He nodded. "Sora is a... curious boy. He managed to keep his body and soul as a Heartless, allowing him to return to human form when he regained sentience." He looked back at his paperwork. "Should you ever meet him, run away. I don't doubt your abilities, but I would rather keep you both alive until Kingdom Hearts is complete. Then he may die."
Satisfied, I changed the subject. "So, what did you need from your old study?"
This time he didn't look up. "Some research and a few hearts I wasn't finished testing on. By the way, did you see a blue creature in there?"
"I didn't go on there. I stayed and fought some idiots who obviously didn't know what they were getting into." Dad waved a hand, summoning Sarah and Adam.
He asked them the same question. "No, Superior. The study was empty," Adam answered.
"Did you check the secret room?" No one answered. Shit! I forgot to tell them how to find it! "Go back and retrieve everything in that room. The code to the computer is behind the portrait in the main room."
We quickly returned to Hollow Bastion, this time straight into the study. I levitated the portrait off the wall, revealing some writing. "Door to Darkness," I read aloud. "Can only be opened by the seven Princesses of Heart." I walked to the oposite side of the room and put my hand on the wall. A section of the vanished, revealing a hallway. Down that hallway was a computer room. I walled to the computer and began typing. "Belle, Jasmine, Alice, Aurora, Snow White, Cinderella, Kairi." A search bar with a few options below it replaced the passcode bar. I clicked Extract All and watched as the data quickly vanished and a disk slid out of a slot in the desk. I pocketed it and walked over to another closed door. A handprint scanner sealed it. I removed my glove and put my hand on it. The door clicked and opened. My partners looked at me questioningly. "Must've been a bluff," I lied. We went down a spiral staircase and found a white room similar to Castle Oblivion. A chair was in the center, facing a heap of blue female armor. We each hefted some of the armor and returned home.
We were greeted by a devistating sight. The other non-numbered members were healing eleven out of our twelve superiors whom had been on a reconisance mission. One was missing. Nyle glared at us as we arrived. "Where were you?"
"Finishing our mission," I answered. "What happened?"
Axel grimaced. "What do you think happened? Some idiot dressed like us came out of nowhere, summoned a huge Heartless, kicked our asses, and killed Xaldin!" He slammed his fist into the wall. "That dumbass thought he could take him on his own. Now he's probably sitting somewhere, with a heart, wondering where he's been for the past ten years!" His hair lit in flames.
Saïx looked down. "He returned to the darkness of his original's heart."
I couldn't believe my ears. "Xaldin?! No way, how the hell did he die if Demyx survived?"
"I'm right fucking here!"
Dad sighed. "This was bound to happen, but to Number III? Well, this is why we have the children." He raised a hand and we all seemed to know that we had to line up. He walked down the line, then stopped in front of Bruce. "You shall take Xaldin's place..." Bruce's name appeared in fiery letters, then started to rearrange. They stopped all of a sudden and a big X appeared. "...Cebrux. The door connecting your room to Diana's will be terminated and she will be reassigned to Nyle and Levi. Your duties won't change much, though now the other unranked members have to follow your commands, so long as they do not interfere with those of your superiors."
The next few weeks were suprisingly peaceful. The Heartless seemed to have all but vanished and there was no sign of the bastard who killed Xaldin. I was able to get to know Adam and Sarah a lot better, and- second thought, let's focus on that first. We were on a calmer mission. Really it was an errand. We were just shopping in Twilight Town, the world closest to ours, and the events there granted me with a discovery that gave my existence meaning, but destroyed the Organization.
We separated to finish quicker, but strangely I met up with Sarah again just a few minutes later. She looked nervous. "Um, I don't remember what I'm looking for."
"Fine, stick with me." We went around the stalls, collecting our groceries, until something shitty happened.
A loud series of bangs sounded through the market. "Outa the way!" a gruff voice shouted. The crowd dispersed to allow a group of people with guns through. They reached me, but I didn't move. A guy with a red fedora shoved his handgun against my forehead. "Your legs not workin' right? I said outa the way!"
"You're too loud."
He was taken aback. "What was that, punk?"
I grabbed his wrist and twisted it 360 degrees, snapping and crunching the bone several times. "I said you're to loud." He fell to the ground, holding his hand. The other three immediately unloaded their clips onto me, but my telekinesis caught the bullets and dropped them to the ground. It was only now that I noticed two things: everyone had escaped, and there was a fifth guy. I pinned the first three down with ropes of Darkness before turning to Number Five.
He was holding Sarah by her black ponytail, a gun pressed to her back. "On the ground, or this bitch gets it!" I looked for another way, but eventually got down on my hands and knees. "There we-,"I cut him off by firing a Blizara at his face. He fell down, unconsious.
Sarah fell down as well, paralyzed with fear. I knelt down and shook her, but she refused to move. "You can get up now." She still didn't move. "Come on, you can't be scared; we don't have hearts." Nothing. "What the fuck?" I picked her up and opened a Corridor of Darkness. I sent a quick message to Adam before going through.
We appeared in her room and I proceeded to lay her in her bed, but she suddenly came out of her trance and threw her arm arounds my neck. "H-he was going to kill me!"
"Calm down, they won't be an issue now." I tried to pull away. "You really shouldn't-." I noticed something just then. Her chest was pressed against mine, and I could feel something beating. "Wait, why do you have a pulse?" She pulled away and put a hand to her chest. I realized what it had to mean. "Do you have a heart?" I hesitantly asked.
Instead of answering, she grabbed my collar and kissed me! I tried to pull away, but suddenly something started moving in my own chest, and I no longer wanted to stop her. We stayed like this for a little longer before we separated for air. Sarah still held me close, however, and I complied with the sudden urge to return the embrace. "Why do we suddenly have hearts?" she asked.
"I have no idea, but Xemnas might." I was about to open a Corridor of Darkness to interrogate my father, but she grabbed my hand before I could.
She put a hand on my head. "Since, um, that just happened, do you think you could show me what you're hiding under there?"
I hesitated, then said, "Do you promise not to tell anyone?" She nodded. I untied the mask and let it fall away, although I kept my eyes closed, then pulled off the cap, letting the shaggy silver hair fall. I finally opened my eyes, revealing the yellow circles.
Sarah stared for a few seconds before asking, "Why do you look like the Superior?"
"You'll only believe it if he tells you." I opened a Corridor and took her through.
Dad was alone in his room when we arrived. "X! You're face!"
I slammed a hand on his desk. "I have something more important to ask." I grabbed his hand and pressed it to my chest. "Why do we have hearts?"
He remained motionless as he felt the pulse. "I had hoped that this wouldn't come to pass," he sighed. He reached into his desk and pulled out a folder titled "Ansem Reports + Xemnas Reports." "This will explain what has happpened to you two, and will answer any questions that explanation will give you. If you have a question this can't answer, come to me." I took the folder and was about to leave, but he stopped me. "You will need thiis," he said and handed me a medicine bottle. "It will slow your heartrates to the point that you can't even feel it. Take it once a day and come to me for refills. No one but the three of us and Xigbar must know of this. If Adam shows signs of having a heart, share the information and drug with him."
"Thanks." I opened a Corridor, but was stopped again.
"One last thing." I gave him an annoyed glare. "Be mindful of how you display your affections; I'd rather wait to be a grandfather."
"Dad!"
"Grandfather? Dad?"
I shrugged. "Now you know why we look alike. I'll explain the details later, but first off what the fuck, Dad?!" He pushed us through my Corridor before I could attack him.
We tumbled into my room and landed at Adam's feet. He stared at me. "X, you look like Xemnas. Explanation. Now."
"Shit."
How was Chapter 2? I finally got a physical keyboard, so this chapter was a bit easier to write. Anyway, Chapter 3 will start after another time skip, but I won't give any spoilers. 'Til then, peace.
