About time, huh? Yup, I decided to leave all the other things I was planning for Day 6. Please enjoy!

Kingdom Hearts ©Tetsuya Nomura, Square Enix, and the Walt Disney Company. All other original characters and plot elements owned by Genesis-VIII. This rewrite is for private and entertainment use only, and no profits are being made. Please support the official release.

The sun shone down brightly upon the beach, warming the air and glittering off the reflection of the water. A slight breeze blew in the tops of the palm trees, but it wasn't enough to break the stifling heat. I wiped the sweat from my brow and looked up at my half-finished creation, pride welling up in my chest. A fairly large boat – well, more of a raft, really – was beached just at the water's edge, made only out of the materials I could find lying around on the island. I was nearly finished building the deck, and had spent the last hour trying to put up the mast. I'd finally managed to get it into place, but it wasn't nearly sturdy enough; one gust of the ocean winds and it'd be done for. Heaven forbid a storm pop up or we'd be drowned in thirty seconds…if we were lucky. And then there was completing the base and adding a sail and maybe creating a steering mechanism and countless other tasks to get the raft shipshape…in short, too much work for one person.

"Where are they?" I growled, glaring off towards the eastern part of the island. The beach house, jetties, and small cliffs blocked my view, but I could just picture my three friends lazing about on the beach while I worked alone on our raft. "Honestly, if you're not gonna do any work, then don't beg to come with me!" I sighed heavily, remembering how they'd pleaded and cried when I told them I was leaving, insisting that if I wouldn't stay on the island with them, it was only fair for them to come with me. "We're all best friends, and we're not going to leave each other no matter what!" they'd announced loudly, pulling me into one of their group hugs. I sighed again, trying to be mad at them. Honestly, they were my best – no, my only friends, and I cared about them more than anything in the world. I just wish they'd apply themselves a bit more. I mean, we're not talking about some stupid game little kids play, or even a group project for fun…this is IT. The big one. This is what I've been working on all my life: we were getting off the island and exploring the other worlds.

…if they exist.

No! They do exist! Or else how could Grandpa and Kairi…well, whatever. They're out there, and we'll find them.

But then again, we're never going to get anywhere if only one-fourth of our little dream team made the effort. I rubbed the back of my sweating neck and stared out over the ocean. It was so hot…it would be nice to swim for a little while. Maybe I could go find my friends, or maybe I'd just lie on the sand and sleep…

No. No way. They might be content wasting their lives lying on some beach in the middle of nowhere, but I'm not. I have to keep going. There's no time to rest. I have to…wake up…wake…

"Wake up! Krixu, this is no time to sleep! You're going to be late! WAKE UP!"

A high-pitched voice chased away the image of the beach and the raft, and I found myself in the darkness again. It wasn't like before, though; it wasn't nearly as dark, and it felt nice and soft and warm…I don't wanna go…

"No. ii, as your creator, I ORDER you to wake up right this second! NOW!!"

My eyes snapped open and I shot up to a sitting position, gasping in surprise. "Huh?! Wha – V-Vexen?"

Everything seemed blurry for a moment, but then my vision cleared and I saw Vexen standing over me, looking very impatient and a little worried (probably not for me, I'm guessing, even though I'm definitely concerned about what happened). "Yes, yes, girl, it's me," he snapped. "Now get up; we're going to be late!"

I put my hand up to my pounding head, dizzy and confused. Where was I?! Hadn't I just been on the beach? And what about the dark place? My Keyblade? What…what…? Oh…oh, right. That group brought me out of the dark place…Organization XIII. They made me a member. Memories of the previous day slowly returned as I looked around the room – my room. But what…what had happened just now? Everything had gone so dark, and then I went to that beach…hadn't I just been lying on my bed, wondering about the Organization? How did I get to the beach? And how did I get back? How long ago had that been? I looked out the window, but there was no change from before, nothing that seemed like…t…time had passed.

"V-Vexen," I stammered, squinting in the bright light. "W-what happened to me?"

"Whatever do you mean?" Vexen asked, sounding distracted. "Hmm, vocabulary and sentence structure is ever increasing…adequate penmanship, but an improvement, to be sure…" I blinked a couple of times to get rid of the light in my eyes and spotted him standing beside my nightstand, reading my diary. I think most people would be angry about it, but I wasn't – it was only Vexen, and he was just looking out for my best interests (I think). If anything, I was a little miffed at Saïx for lying and saying no one would read what I wrote.

I thought back to before the beach. "I…I was lying on bed, and I was just…just thinking about things, and then everything was all dark again, and I felt…I felt like I wasn't all here…"

Vexen sighed heavily. "You were sleeping, Krixu. Sleep is a rest afforded by a suspension of voluntary bodily functions and the natural suspension, complete or partial, of consciousness, typically occurring during night hours, you silly girl – everyone knows that."

"…huh?" I blurted out, frowning. I didn't know what most of those words meant, and even if I did, I don't think they'd be of much help. My head was starting to hurt worse…

Vexen sighed impatiently, flipping a page in the diary. "It's perfectly normal, Krixu; happens to all of us. You shouldn't be worried about it, my dear. In fact, this is a good thing – it means you're functioning normally, as expected." He reached over and gave me a little pat on the head (too hard…ouch).

"Oh," I replied simply. I was starting to remember what sleep was, anyway – when your body shut down every night in order to get some rest. Sleep was good. But then…"But while I was…sleeping…I saw these pictures in my head. There was the beach, and a raft, and –"

Vexen waved a hand dismissively. "Dreams, my dear. Again, perfectly natural. I'd be surprised if – eeaugh!" He had looked up from the diary and made a strange, choking kind of sound. "Krixu, your hair is an absolute train wreck! You can't meet the others looking like that!"

I blinked quizzically and looked over towards the mirror on the back wall. Aw, my hair wasn't so bad. It was a little mussed from sleeping, and my ponytail was getting a bit loose, but it's not as bad as all that. Not that much different than yesterday. "I think my hair looks okay," I told him, shrugging my shoulders.

Vexen shook his head and made an exasperated little noise. "Apparently, I forgot to include care for personal appearance in your programming…wait there." He headed for the bathroom, muttering darkly. I heard him rummaging around, but I couldn't see him.

Deciding to let Vexen do whatever it was he was doing in peace (even if I wanted to stop him, how could I?), I swung my legs over the side of the bed, stood up, and stretched my arms up over my head, loosening up my stiff muscles. I wonder what's going to happen today. Vexen said something about "meeting the others"…what others? Other members of Organization XIII?

Vexen suddenly came back into the room, holding this small white thing that was thin at the bottom, round up top, and had a bunch of weird hair-like things sticking out of it…I think it's called a hairbrush. I couldn't see too well, but I was pretty sure it had that same three-pointed gray symbol on it that was on the headboard, tiles, and my diary. Just what is it? I wanted to ask Vexen, but he looked a little stressed, so I decided to wait till he felt better.

"Here we go," he was saying. "Now, Krixu, this is what we call a hairbrush. People use it to fix their hair when it looks like a complete rat's nest."

"Yeah, I remember," I told him, stealing a glance in the mirror again. Did it really look that bad?

"Excellent. The memories of your other life are returning at a steady rate, very good. Very good indeed. Now, do you remember how to use it?"

I froze. "Uhhh…"

Vexen sighed again. "I thought not. I'll help you today, but starting tomorrow, I'll expect you to get ready for the day on your own. Come over and stand by the mirror." Without waiting for me to move, he grabbed my arm and pulled me in front of the mirror. Then, he stood behind me and untied the black ribbon, causing my hair to fall down into my eyes again. I brushed it away impatiently.

"Hold still," Vexen ordered, "and watch carefully…" He pulled all the hair out of my face and let it fall down my back, smoothing it out a bit with his fingers. He then proceeded to yank the brush through my hair…painfully.

"Ow!" I yelped, struggling to get away. "Vexen, that…that hurts!"

"I told you to hold still!" Vexen snapped. "I cannot help how atrociously tangled your hair is!"

"It's not – ouch – that – OW – bad!"

"It most certainly is! Honestly, you're such a restless sleeper, it's a wonder it's not any worse!"

"OUCH! Look, Vexen, just let me…" I reached behind me and snatched the brush out of his hands. Ignoring his screeches of protest, I swung my hair over my left shoulder, tilted my head for more room, and began slowly running the brush through my hair. It was slow going at first – it took a little bit for the memories to come back, and my hands were a little clumsy (a good word, especially since I was still having some trouble moving around) – but finally, my hair was perfectly smooth and straight. I tucked the brush into my coat pocket and plucked the ribbon out of a surprised-looking Vexen's hands. I thought for a moment, struggling to remember what to do, and then gathered my hair at the top of my head and tied it off tightly, finishing it off with a bow. I smiled approvingly at my reflection, nodding shortly. Perfect. I looked over my shoulder at Vexen, feeling smug. "See? I could do it myself, Vexen."

Vexen blinked a couple times, and then nodded. "Most impressive. It seems your feminine persona has emerged despite heavy opposition from your old lifestyle…quite a difficult stage of the construction, yes…well done, Vexen, you genius…" I rolled my eyes. I didn't quite get what he was saying, but I don't think he should be congratulating himself for something I did. "Now, Krixu, are you ready to meet the rest of Organization XIII?"

Ah, I thought that's what we were doing. I guess there was no way around it – if I was going to be a part of this Organization thing, I'd meet my co-workers eventually. Still, the thought made me nervous. My talk with Axel yesterday had got me more comfortable around other people, but I still can't speak too well yet. And if Xemnas, Saïx, and Vexen were any indication of what Organization XIII was like, I'm not so sure I'd like these other members. Oh, well, maybe I'm get worried over nothing. Axel would probably be there, so it should be fine.

I nodded, keeping my eyes to the ground. "Yes, Vexen. I'm ready."

"Good," I heard Vexen say. "Now, there's no need for that kind of look on your face. I designed you with full knowledge of social interactions, so all you must do is know when to use it. I'm sure the rest of the Organization will be just as impressed with your machinations as I am."

I looked up, not understanding. "Designed? Machinations?" What did that mean?

Vexen stared at me for a moment, eyes wide, and then he quickly shook his head back and forth. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, don't you worry about that, my dear. Just a figure of speech; slip of the tongue as it were. Ahem…now, if you're still concerned about the other members, I can assure you that our Organization is one of…eh…" He thought for a moment. "…character. No matter how infantile and utterly incompetent some of our comrades are, there will be at least one you are compatible with. Zexion, for example, is an upstanding, intelligent young man. The two of you will get along famously, I'm sure. Luxord could certainly provide some…stimulating conversation, and Xaldin is not too eccentric either. You should try making friends with them. Or, if you'd rather not, you'll always have me."

"Um…okay…" I said softly. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. "…what about the rest of them?"

Vexen's eye twitched. "It is my professional opinion that you stay as far away from them as possible. Such nonsensical nonsense will not be good for your development. In particular, I recommend avoiding Marluxia." His face twisted up in disgust. "He is an uppity, disrespectful neophyte who cares not for the hallowed traditions of our fine Organization, and he will bring you nothing but grief, mark my words."

I nodded slowly. I wasn't sure what all that meant, but I think I got the gist of it. "Okay, Vexen. I'll stay away from him." Hadn't Axel said something like that, too? I better make the effort to avoid him, then. Speaking of which…"Um…what do you think of Axel?"

Vexen's brow furrowed, and he frowned at me suspiciously. "And how did you know one of our members is named Axel?"

I shrank back. I felt kind of ashamed, but I'm not sure if I was supposed to…no, I wasn't. Axel was my friend, and you shouldn't be ashamed of your friends. I stood up a little straighter. "I met him last night. He came into my room and started talking to me. He seemed pretty nice."

"He WHAT?!" Vexen squawked. He suddenly grabbed my shoulders and got in real close, looking at me all over. "Why, that uncouth, simple-minded nymphomaniac! How dare he ravage my delicate creation! That uncivilized, disgraceful, outrageous perv – GAAH!" He let go of me and clutched his head, moaning. Something fell to the floor and rolled over by my feet. It was small and narrow with jagged edges, dark red all over except for a small yellow-white patch and a brown twig sticking out of the top. It looked familiar…I think it was some kind of food…oh, right, it's an apple! I remember those – they were good for you, and they tasted juicy and sweet. I thought about picking it up and eating it – I was getting hungry again, but I remembered that you shouldn't eat food off the floor because it might have germs. How did it get here, though?

"Yo, Vexen, don't take my name in vain."

Vexen and I turned to see Axel leaning against my door, grinning lazily. "Hi, Axel," I said, smiling.

"Mornin', Kri. How you doin' today? Ready for your first day?"

"Uh…yeah, I think so," I answered quietly, suddenly feeling nervous again. My first real day in Organization XIII…what if they didn't like me? What if they thought I wasn't good enough? Would they kick me out? Where could I go?

…maybe to that island?

Axel nodded. "That's good. Hey, you look kinda shook up there, kiddo – everything cool? No, wait, let me guess!" He shouted before I could answer, making me gasp a bit in surprise. He strode into my room and hit Vexen on the back, causing him to let out a high-pitched noise. "You're freaked out because this thing barged into your room early in the morning when it obviously had no right to be here, am I right?"

I blinked. "Uh, n-no, that's not –"

"Excuse me?!" Vexen squawked, looking mad. "What exactly do you mean by 'thing'?! I am the Organization's chief scientist and easily the most intelligent and logical of all of us, not a baseball at the back of the closet! And why, pray tell, are you in my creation's domicile? You have even less right to be in here than I do!"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm here to say good day and good luck to our lovely new member. Ooh, my apple." He bent down, picked up the apple, and lifted it to his mouth.

"Axel, don't eat that!" I told him.

He paused, mouth open – he was probably just about to take a bite. "Why not? It's okay, it's good for you – it's got a bunch of Vitamin Whatchamacallit in it or something."

"But it's got germs. It was on the floor!"

Axel made a 'pfft' sound. "Oh, is that all? Jeez, Kri, I'm not gonna let a couple –" He stopped, took a long look at the apple, and made a face. "…you know what? On second thought, I'm not gonna eat this nasty thing after all." He tossed it into a trash can in the corner.

Vexen smirked. "Finally becoming conscious of contamination, are we?"

"You could say that. The floor-germs don't bug me too much – it's more that it touched the back of your slimy head."

Vexen scowled at him. "Ooh, you have some nerve, you pyro-kinetic ignoramus! Not only do you defile my Krixu, not only do you return to the scene of the aforementioned heinous crime, but you have the GALL to add insult to injury?! I ought to report you for this! I'll have your lecherous hindquarters out of here by lunchtime!"

Axel frowned, looking confused. "Whoa, whoa, back it up there, Einstein. What the heck are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how you took advantage of her naiveté and engaged in intercourse with her!"

"Engaged in…" Axel's eyes suddenly widened, and his mouth dropped open. "Whoa, time out! You think I did her?!"

"I don't think so, I KNOW so! Why else would you go to her room?!"

"Oh, gee, maybe to introduce myself and wish her luck in the Organization! Jesus, Vexen, I may be a heartless self-centered jerk, but I wouldn't sleep with a rookie right after she crossed over!"

"Ha! A likely story!"

"It's the truth!"

"You're not a jerk, Axel," I interrupted quietly. I had absolutely no clue what they were going on about, but Axel had seemed nice yesterday. And if he was my friend now, I didn't want Vexen hurting him.

Axel grinned and shot me the thumb's-up sign. "Aw, thanks, Kri! You're a real sweetheart…cute, too…" He smirked again. "You know, Vexen, upon further reflection and under the right circumstances –" He put his arm around my shoulders, still smirking (I was starting to feel a little uncomfortable, but I let him keep his arm there). "– I'd be more than willing to – OW!"

I let out a gasp and took a step back. While Axel had been talking, a flurry of white powder had spun around Vexen's arm and this huge blue spiky thing – I think it was some kind of…of…shield, or something – appeared in his hand, right out of nowhere! Grunting a little, Vexen swung his arm around and whacked Axel in the back of the head with his shield. "Shut your mouth, you promiscuous runaround! Don't you dare speak about my Krixu in that slovenly manner!"

"I didn't say anything!" Axel protested, rubbing the back of his head; he didn't seem badly hurt, thankfully. "Jesus, I was just kidding…can't you take a joke? Ow…"

"Silence. You've said quite enough already." There was more of that white powder, and then the shield disappeared.

I stared in awe as the last of the powder faded away. "V-Vexen," I stammered, "what was that just now?"

"Hmm? Oh, that was my shield – Frozen Pride, as I call it. Catchy, isn't it? I use it as a weapon. Unlike you and Number XIII, the rest of the Organization cannot wield the Keyblade, but we still must be prepared for sudden combat." He smiled down at me sweetly – kind of creepy, in my opinion. "At any rate, my dear, you need not defend this cretin, especially after he hurt you so. You don't need to be frightened; I'll make sure you aren't harmed by him anymore."

I frowned. Harmed? "He didn't…hurt me…" I replied weakly, completely lost.

Vexen blinked a couple times in surprise. "He didn't?"

"You tell 'em, Kri!" Axel encouraged, still rubbing his head. "Let the truth be heard! I didn't do anything to hurt you, did I?"

"I don't…think so…" I answered. Had be done something? I couldn't really remember too well. I was still kind of sleepy…well, I wasn't hurt, even if I was supposed to be.

"I didn't touch you, right?"

"Um…well, you hit me on the back that one time, and it kinda hurt…"

Vexen's eye twitched dangerously. "Axel…!"

Axel flinched. "Hey, hey, it was only a friendly pat-on-the-back between friends, right? Nothing to get excited about, Vexy." He grinned cheerfully. "I'm saying, Kri, did I touch you in a way that made you feel uncomfortable?"

"No."

"Did I touch you in a place you didn't want me to touch?"

"Uh…no…"

"Krixu," Vexen interrupted. "As I said before, you don't need to lie to protect him, and it's obvious that his vague and ambiguous questions are confusing you. I'm going to ask a question of my own, and I want you to answer as honestly as you can. Do you understand?"

"I…yeah, I understand," I answered. What was he getting at?

"Ambiguous?" Axel echoed. He rolled his eyes. "C'mon, Vexen, those questions were as clear as day. Just because they weren't overflowing with complicated science-y words –"

"I told you to be silent!" Vexen snarled, rounding on him. "How dare you disobey a direct order from your superior!" Axel shrugged, still grinning.

I frowned. "Wait, I thought Xemnas was the –"

"Yes, Xemnas is our leader and the highest-ranking out of all of us," Vexen said to me, smiling widely once again (I wonder if this guy is bipolar…?). "But every single one of us has our own number, assigned to us according to our ranks and the order in which we joined the organization. You are our most recent member, so your number is XIV. I was the fourth member to join; therefore, I am number IV. Even though four is a smaller number than fourteen, it is considered to be a higher rank. Our Superior is number I, so he has the most authority among us."

"Oh, okay." I looked over at Axel. "What number are you, Axel?"

"VIII. But don't let this guy fool you – he likes to think the numbers correspond to rank, but they really don't mean squat. It only means I was the eighth member to join, and you were the fourteenth – nothing more or less. I mean hey, look at Saïx – he's our second-in-command, but he's only number VII."

"You shut your mouth!" Vexen roared. "This is an interrogation! Don't confuse her with meaningless lies!"

Lies? Then who was telling the truth? I think it's Axel, but…"Uh…Vexen…?"

Vexen ignored what I'd said. "Now, my dear, please answer my question quickly and truthfully: did Axel rape you?" A vein twitched above his right eye, and his smile turned into a glare.

I frowned. "What's…rape?"

"It's when someone has sex with you when you don't want them to," Axel piped up. For some reason, he was smiling.

"Uhhh…" Sex? It's sounds a little familiar, but…I don't know what that is.

"…"

"…"

"…"

Axel suddenly burst out laughing. "Are you…are you s-serious, kid? You really don't know?"

I shook my head, feeling a little embarrassed. Not knowing something the others knew made me feel weak. Why aren't there any words? Why doesn't someone tell me?

Axel laughed even harder. "Oh, my God, that is rich! Christ, Vexy, you teach her to read and write, but you don't tell her the important stuff? What kind of father are you?"

Vexen's face turned red. "I prefer the term 'creator', thank you very much. And at any rate, I had assumed that sort of…erm…information would be irrelevant to her at present."

Axel snorted. "You kiddin'? Trust me, Vexen, that 'information' is always relevant, considering that she's going to be in close contact with Xigbar and Marluxia for the foreseeable future." Vexen made a choking noise at the back of his throat. Axel put a hand on my shoulder and grinned in a friendly way. "No worries, Kri, you've got your good buddy Axel here lookin' out for you! I'll make sure you're all set for the real world, 'kay? Now, when a guy and girl – or two guys or two girls, or sometimes more than two, but that's another story – love each other very much, they get into bed together, and the guy takes his – OUCH! Jeez, Vexen, will you quit doin' that already?!" While he had been talking, Vexen had hit him on the head with his shield again.

"I told you, she doesn't need to hear it!" Vexen squawked angrily. "Her ears are too delicate and fragile for such vulgar outbursts! As long as I'm protecting her, she'll never have to deal with this depravity, so why even bother?!"

"Never have to deal with it? Please, Vexen, do you honestly think you can protect her forever? Hey, don't get me wrong, I'm all for my little buddy staying pure as the driven snow, but I doubt our colleagues will share such chaste principles. You're a smart guy, right?"

"Certainly. I am the Superior's most trusted scientific researcher, and out of all the Organization, only I may handle such confounding and mentally-straining –"

"Right. So I'm sure you'd see my point here, being the genius you claim to be. Think about it – as of now, there are twelve men in this Organization. These twelve men have been living together for an extended period of time – in some cases, ten years. In that time, certain urges arise, wouldn't you agree?" Vexen muttered something unintelligible. "Exactly. Now, except for some, shall we say, special cases, the vast majority of us are straight. Throughout the course of a day, we're either cooped up in this castle or out on some mission, which leaves us little time to pick up chicks. And the only outlet close to home would be Larxene." There was a beat of silence, and both men shuddered. "So it stands that none of us are able to relieve our mounting sexual tension. Now along comes Kri – sweet, innocent, pretty, doesn't-know-to-say-no Kri. What do you think is the first thing these tortured men are going to think about – how many Heartless she can beat in a mission? Hell, no. They'll be all over her like flies on horsemeat. Personally, I give her five minutes."

I still had no idea what was going on, and I was sick of being talked about like I wasn't there. "Uh, guys…?"

"Oh, and I suppose you'll be the abstinent one and hang back, won't you, Axel?"

"Guys…"

"Hey, I meant what I said: I've got my own urges, but I wouldn't take them out on a sweet kid like her…unless she wanted to, of course. In which case, I'd be happy to –"

"HEY!!!"

Axel and Vexen looked over at me, surprised. It was like they'd forgotten I was there. The thought made me mad, and I glared at them and balled my hands into fists. "What the heck are you two talking about anyway?!" I yelled. "If you're so concerned, why are you leaving me out? How am I supposed to protect myself if I don't even know what I'm fighting against?!"

Axel smiled ruefully and pet my head – it felt kind of nice, but I was too mad to care. "Listen, kiddo, this is grown-up talk. Sorry we're leaving you out, but I think you're going to need a bit more experience before we tell you." Vexen made a furious noise, but Axel ignored him. "It's not exactly an appropriate subject for someone who's got a hell of a lot to memorize in a short time. I'll tell you when you're ready, okay?"

"…okay," I replied grudgingly. I was still kind of mad, but I guess Axel knows best. I suppose I can wait.

Axel grinned widely again. "Atta girl! Now, why don't you go finish getting ready, while I speak to Vexen on how short Xemnas' temper is when it comes to punctuality?"

Vexen blinked. "Eh? Just what are you talking about, Axel?"

"I'm talking about why I came here in the first place and why I've put up with you screaming at me for fifteen minutes. Everyone else is waiting in the Round Room to welcome Kri to the Organization, but you all are way late. My guess is that you have ten seconds before Saïx comes after you with a machete and an egg beater."

Vexen's eyes got so big they looked like they were going to pop out of his head. "O-Oh my goodness, we're late! Why in the world didn't you tell me?! Oh, Xemnas will have our heads for sure!" He stuck out his hand and opened up another one of those dark portals. Once the swirling mass of blackness had appeared, he lashed out and grabbed my arm and started pulling me towards the portal. "Hurry, Krixu, we can't keep them waiting any longer, or we'll be thrown amongst the bio-hazardous waste for sure!"

"Wha – Vexen, wait!" I choked out, struggling to get out of his vice-grip. "A-Axel!" I looked behind me desperately for help, but Axel just smiled, gave me the thumbs-up sign, and disappeared through a dark portal of his own. By the time I turned back around, Vexen had already pulled me through the portal.

This time around the darkness was different – it wasn't as suffocating and consuming as that first dark place, but it wasn't warm and soft like sleep, either. It was a lot better than my first time through the portal; it felt like there was a thick shield protecting me from the cold and emptiness. I remembered what Axel said about my coat, and I resolved to never take it off.

I wasn't all that scared anymore, only curious. What kind of place would this corridor take us? What were the other members like? What would they have me do? How much longer until we got there?

Almost as soon as I thought this, there was a blinding white light and I suddenly found my feet on the ground once more. I was standing beside Vexen in a long hallway with a white walls and a very high ceiling, right in front of an enormous pair of doors with a bunch of weird carvings on them, mostly that same symbol I kept seeing everywhere. I gasped and took a step back – what sort of monsters needed doors this big? Were the other members actually giants?

Vexen let out a deep sigh and finally let go of my throbbing arm. "Phew, at last – better late than never, I always say – at least, when not pertaining to chemical reactions. I certainly hope the Superior shares my wise views…Axel has most likely informed him of our presence…" He shuddered. "Oh, so many miscalculations, no trial phases…I despise these types of experiments…now, Krixu, listen to me very carefully. When the Superior calls you in, walk through the doors and stand in the center of the room. Greet the members politely, but do not speak unless spoken to. Do not leave until you are told to do so. Stay perfectly still, unless otherwise specified. And above all, don't do anything to make yourself appear foolish. Remember, you are my creation, which means that every single action reflects upon – Krixu, are you even listening to me?"

"S-sorry, Vexen," I managed to say, feeling a bit nauseous. "I just…I-I think I realized what you and Axel were talking about before…"

Vexen blinked and stared at me for a second. "Oh…ah…and how are you feeling concerning the, eh…subject?"

"I think I'm gonna be sick," I moaned, swallowing thickly. Sex…an expression of love and how people make babies. It was disgusting. How could people ever do something like that willingly? I renewed my vow to keep my coat on at all times.

"Ah," Vexen replied a bit nervously – I guess he had just as much experience with that kind of thing as I did. "Well…don't let it bother you too greatly, my dear. It is a natural part of the human bio cycle, but even so, I shall do all in my power to make sure that that never happens to you without your express con –"

"Yo, Frostbite! Get your ass in here already!"

Vexen's face got all red and he screamed at the door, "Oh, do shut your scarred and idiotic mouth, Xigbar – patience is a virtue, after all!" He turned to me. "Now, Krixu, just stay calm and be yourself – within reason, of course. I'm positive that your flawless design will be enough to win our fellow colleagues over. If not, well, it is their own shortsightedness and complete fatuity, not any fault of your own. Best of luck, my creation." And with that, he swallowed up by another dark corridor and was gone.

I stood by myself outside the door for a few moments, trying to calm myself down. I just couldn't get Axel and Vexen's argument out of my mind. Did Axel really want to do those things to me? He couldn't really…he was my friend, wasn't he? He couldn't possibly want to hurt me like that. Still…it seemed like people would do things like that for fun or because they loved each other. So Axel could still want to do that and not want to hurt someone, I guess. I don't know. I don't really get love. There was no word in my head for it, and I only had a faint idea of what it was (and even that wasn't much), but I think it has to do with someone's heart. Axel said that Nobodies like him and me didn't have hearts, but I don't know…I don't really know what a heart is, so how could I know that I lost it? I wasn't understanding this at all. Oh, well. Maybe Xemnas or someone else would explain it better.

All of a sudden, I heard a voice carry out to where I was standing; I didn't see anyone coming down the hall, so I assumed it was on the other side of the doors, but the words were as clear as if they were being spoken presently. "Good tidings, friends and allies. Today is truly a day to remember." The voice was very deep and toneless, but I could sense a little excitement behind it – I recognized it to be Xemnas'. "A mere five days have passed since we have inducted Roxas, first among us to wield the Keyblade, as our thirteenth member. And now, on this most glorious of days, I am pleased to announce that a new comrade has been chosen to join our number. Vexen's many months of labor have been rewarded greatly – our newest member is all we hoped she would be."

The doors slowly creaked open, letting out another blinding white light. I gave a little start and turned away, raising my arm to cover my eyes. "Step forward, Number XIV," Xemnas announced. I hesitated, but slowly lowered my arm and walked through the doors.

For a minute, all I saw was that bright light, but my vision cleared up after a second and I was able to look around the room. I guess it wasn't that there was a light coming from the room – everything was just a blank, cold, blinding white. Everything – the floors, the walls, the furniture, the ceiling – was white. Well, I assumed the ceiling was white – it was too high up for me to see. This was the tallest room I'd seen so far; I bet it stretched all the way up to the clouds! And as for the furniture, thirteen enormous chairs reaching up to the invisible ceiling were placed in a broad circle, facing a raised platform (this, too, had that bizarre symbol on it – I had to remember to ask Axel about it later). The chairs were all different sizes; I could only see the tops of two or three of them.

Each of the chairs was occupied by a person wearing a black coat; they had to be the other thirteen members. Except for their clothes, they all looked different. Everyone's hair was in different colors and styles; one had an eye patch; some had scars; they all looked to be different ages; some had different skin colors; and I think I even spotted another girl. Some were smiling, some looked angry, but all were looking at me expectantly. I suddenly felt scared again and struggled to keep walking, looking around frantically for familiar faces. Xemnas was, of course, in the highest chair, right across from the doors. He was smiling at me, but like before, that smile didn't seem to hold any sort of happiness, and was more scary than comforting. Saïx was sitting three chairs from Xemnas' left; he was looking angry, probably because I was late. Vexen was seated two seats over on Xemnas' other side, in the second lowest of the chairs – the look on his face made me think he was afraid I would mess something up. Axel's chair was two seats from Vexen's right – when I managed to catch his eye, he grinned encouragingly and gave me the thumb's-up sign again. He was the only one who made me feel better about the situation. No matter what happened, at least I'd have one friend here.

I crossed the room and stepped up onto the platform, right in the center of that weird symbol, so that I was in everyone's line of sight. I heard the doors slam shut, and in that instant, I felt more scared here than I'd ever been before, even in the dark place. I wanted to run, I wanted to scream for help, but I couldn't move at all. I could only stand frozen in that circle, stare up at Xemnas, and wait for him to decide my fate.

If they didn't like me, what would they do? Would they turn me out?

If you disobey us or prove useless, you will be exterminated.

Xemnas met my terrified gaze stoically, but then he smiled again and nodded towards me. "Number XIV, Krixu, chosen wielder of the Keyblade…it brings me great pleasure to accept you into our fold. May your time with us be long and prosperous." He looked around at the other people on the chairs and raised his arms slightly. "Let us all welcome one of the Keyblade's chosen." Except for Saïx, who pointedly looked away, everyone else smiled or nodded or both, or else murmured some kind of welcome; Axel and the man with the eye patch broke into loud, excited applause.

A wave of relief swept over me. They weren't going to get rid of me after all! I bent my back low in a bow. "Thank you so much, Superior. I'll try my best." Xemnas smiled and dipped his head.

"But is your best really good enough?"

I glanced over my shoulder at the sound of a snarky voice. It belonged to a woman seated almost horizontally across from Xemnas, two seats down from Axel. She had short blond hair, and two strands were shooting straight up out of the top of her head, making her look like a bug. She had green eyes like Axel and Vexen, but hers seemed a lot colder and meaner. Her smirk was really mean-looking, too; I felt a little intimidated.

"I mean, come on," she giggled, looking down her nose at me. "Is this really what we've been waiting for? Is this thing Vexen's big project? Looks like another failure to me." I winced and shrank back. I'm not a failure. I'm not.

Vexen's face turned red, and he leaned forward to glare at the woman. "Larxene, you miserable little dunce, how dare you insult my work?! Krixu is the culmination of months of hard labor and intellectual strain, and has come out a complete success! What would you know about replication technology?!"

Larxene? Oh, Axel told me to watch out for her. I can see why – she doesn't seem all that nice. I'll stay away from her.

Larxene glared daggers at Vexen. "Why, you…! At least I know a thing or two about looks – something that has apparently escaped your genius mind, old man!"

"WHAT?!" Vexen roared, face even redder.

Larxene smiled cruelly down at me. "Just look at that thing! If you were gonna make him into a girl, the least you could do was make her pretty. She's too scrawny, her hair's a mess, and her face – ugh! If I had a face like that, I'd go jump off a cliff!" I blinked up at her. Was she…was she calling me ugly? But Axel and Vexen said I was pretty…my hands clenched into fists. How could she judge me, anyway? I didn't think she was pretty, either, but I wasn't going to be mean and say it out loud.

"Aw, leave her alone, Larxene," Axel cut in, waving a hand in her direction. "It's all perspective, isn't it? I think she looks fine – great, actually." He winked at me. I smiled up at him – he was such a nice friend.

Larxene rolled her eyes. "Yeah, like that means so much coming from you, Axel. You'd do pretty much anything that moves."

Axel smiled slightly. "No comment. Seriously, though, even if she were terrible-looking – which she's not, got it memorized? – there's no need to put her down like that. The fact that you're no longer the only girl in the Organization is no reason for jealousy."

Larxene's two little hairs stood on end, and the look on her face somehow reminded me of Saïx. "Jealous?! I'm not jealous! Why would I be jealous of an ugly little shrimp like that?! You all agree with me, right?!" She looked around hopefully at the other members.

"On the contrary, Larxene," a man with dark brown dreadlocks and large sideburns spoke up, "I must side with Axel. Certainly, she is not extraordinary, but she is not as hideous as you so describe. I would say above average."

"I think she's pretty!" a brown-haired boy piped up.

"Pretty?!" the guy with the eye patch scoffed. "Are you kiddin' me, Dem? The rookie's a frickin' sex goddess." He blinked his good eye at me a couple times – it might've been a wink, but I couldn't really tell. "And I'm ready to worship, baby." He licked his lips.

"Knock it off, Xigbar," Axel grumbled, rolling his eyes. "No one needs to hear about your hyperactive sex drive. The kid's only a day old, for crying out loud."

"Shut up, Axel! You just want this hottie for yourself!"

"Again with that? Do you people really think so little of my character?"

"Yes," everyone said at once.

"Go to hell, all of you."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Um…Axel…?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

"Enough," Saïx ordered, his voice echoing in the empty space. Everyone shut up and turned to look at him. "The puppet's appearance is unnecessary; all that matters is that it executes its purpose."

"But can our new comrade execute her purpose?" a smooth voice asked. The speaker was a pink-haired, pretty man seated two chairs down from Saïx. He was sipping a clear liquid from a wineglass and looking down at me, smiling in a way that reminded me of Xemnas. "Does this girl, whom we have been eagerly awaiting for many a long month, have the capabilities to fulfill the destiny decided for her since before her birth?" He looked up at Xemnas expectantly.

Xemnas dipped his head again, blinking slowly. "I have seen this girl's power with my own eyes; she is what we have been searching for. She is the Chosen Wielder." He smiled down at me. "Number XIV…Krixu…show us your strength. Summon your Keyblade."

I nodded once and stuck my arm out to the side, calling out through the haze for my Way to Dawn. Darkness swirled around my hand, and I felt the blade materialize against my palm. I swung the blade a couple times experimentally, feeling the air whoosh past me with each slash, and finally struck my fighting stance – my right arm drawn back with the Keyblade inches from my cheek, and my left arm stuck out, palm up, in a "come and get me" gesture.

The members gasped and began muttering to each other, nodding their heads approvingly. Even Larxene looked impressed. Axel winked at me, looking proud. I smiled back, dropping my arms to my sides. I'd done a good thing; they really liked that I could use the Keyblade. I was in for sure now.

I suddenly felt a rush of darkness beside me, and a hand clapped down hard on my shoulder; it was the pink-haired man. "Most impressive," he murmured, leering down at me. "So this is the power of the Other One…" I stepped back and lifted my blade again, too scared to speak but giving him a message that I didn't want him near me. The man didn't seem frightened; instead of backing off, he reached out and grabbed the blade of my Way to Dawn, caressing it gently. "Such power," he said in wonder. "So much more tangible than that of our other dear bearer…if only I could possess such strength…"

"H-Hey!" I gasped, terrified. "L-Let go!" I wrenched my Keyblade out of his grasp and scrambled backwards, breathing hard.

The man smiled and laughed quietly. "Oh, come now, my dear, I won't hurt you…I just want to hold that lovely blade of yours…" He took a step towards me and stretched out his arm…

There was a roar of darkness, and two corridors opened up: one right next to me, and one behind the man. I felt an arm wrap around me protectively and pull me away from the man. "Don't even think about it, Marluxia," I heard Axel growl.

At the same time, Vexen leapt out of the portal, shield drawn and looking like some kind of wild animal (only a bit funnier, in a disturbing sort of way). "Marluxia, I swear, if you touch even one hair on my Krixu's head, I will strap you to my operating table and dissect your gallbladder!"

The man, Marluxia (someone else I had to watch out for, I remembered – a very good idea), smirked and looked at Vexen out of the corner of his eye. "Your Krixu? Dear me, perhaps you're the one we need to protect her from, Vexen." A vein twitched dangerously in Vexen's forehead. Marluxia looked back at me. "And at any rate, you have no need to fear, either of you. I just want to see the Keyblade for a moment…"

"Oh?" Axel responded. I could hear the smile in his voice. "Are you really sure you want to do that, Marluxia? After all, the mystical Keyblade is beyond human comprehension. If it's separated from it's master, something nasty could happen, got it memorized?"

Marluxia took a step closer. "Oh, I think I'm willing to take that chance."

"All of you sit down!" Saïx ordered, his face twisted in a snarl. Marluxia hesitated, but opened up a dark corridor at his feet and reappeared in his chair a second later. Vexen did the same, muttering darkly.

Axel's arm squeezed my waist. "Whoo, that was a close one, eh, Kri? Just remember what I told you, 'kay, and keep your distance from ole Pinky up there." I looked over at Marluxia nervously to see if he had heard (not that I doubted it – Axel spoke really loud), but he had taken off one of his gloves and was cleaning his fingernails, so I guess he didn't care too much.

Saïx glared over at us. "You, too, Axel. Return to your seat this instant."

"Ah, no, I'd rather stay," Axel answered casually, brushing a bit of dirt off his coat. "Thanks for the offer, though."

"Axel…!"

"Jeez, Ax, you seem to be pretty attached to Cutie Pie over there," the eye patch man, Xigbar, called out. "You sure you ain't getting' dirty with her?"

Axel looked over at Saïx imploringly. "Can I hit him?"

"AXEL, SIT DOWN!" Saïx roared.

"Oh, come on, please? Just enough so I could take his other eye out. Won't take ten seconds."

"As if, ya closet-perv," Xigbar scoffed.

"Oh-ho, you hypocritical little bastard, I'll come up there and emasculate you, you see if I don't!"

"Axel," Xemnas interjected sternly.

There was a beat of silence, and then Axel let go of me and stepped back, his arms up in surrender. "Sure thing, boss man." He turned and started walking back towards his chair.

"Yeah, you better run, Flamesilocks!" Xigbar called after him, sneering.

What happened next was so fast I didn't even know it had happened until it was too late; there was a flash of fire, and the next moment, something big and pointy was lodged into Xigbar's chair, just inches from his shocked face. Another one of these pointy things was in Axel's right hand. His left arm was held straight in front of him; he must've just thrown the other thing. Everyone gasped, and then there was silence.

"HOLY SHIT!" Xigbar yelled finally. "What the hell, man?! You just threw a freaking chakram at my perfect face!!!"

"Yeah, I know. I was there," Axel replied cheerfully, straightening up. "That was some crap aim, though, right, Kri? Should probably work on that…"

"Did you see that?!" Xigbar shouted at Xemnas and Saïx, his one eye bugging out of his head. "Did you fricking see that?! He almost killed a superior member! You're not just gonna let him walk away, are ya?"

"Axel, return to your seat this instant," Xemnas ordered firmly, eyes narrowed to slits. Axel obeyed, waving a hand to get rid of his weapons (chakrams…?) in another burst of flame. "Saïx, please give the appropriate punishment upon conclusion of the meeting."

"With pleasure, Superior," Saïx replied, glowering at Axel. Axel waggled his fingers in a "bring-it-on" way.

"Well, I for one find this new player to be most advantageous," a blond man with a beard observed. He was holding five or six small pieces of paper in his hands (playing cards…?) and was eyeing them lazily as he spoke. "The house has not one, but two aces up its sleeve. The stakes of this game have increased, but then again, so have the prizes."

"Hey, you're right!" the brown-haired boy said excitedly. "Roxas has a new little playmate now! Isn't that great?"

"Perhaps this will finally persuade him to show some actual emotion," someone else said.

"Pfft! Like you're one to talk, Zexion."

"Still, maybe the kid won't be such a zombie anymore now that he'll have a little friend."

"Let's hope so. Perhaps then he'll actually get his work done."

All the members were talking amongst themselves and looking at a point right above my head. What were they going on about? Roxas…wasn't that the name of the thirteenth member? The one who could use the Keyblade like me? Was he here? I hoped so. I really wanted to meet him. I wanted to hear about his travels, and what kind of monsters he'd battled. But more than that, I wanted to see who was the strongest out of the two of us. Maybe we'd spar a little. Feeling excited, I followed everyone's gazes and turned around to look…

Sitting right behind me, in the smallest chair of the bunch (but still pretty tall), was a boy about my age, perhaps a year younger. He had sandy blond hair that stuck out on one side, tanned skin, and bright blue eyes. His face was blank and expressionless – not like he was trying to hide something, but like there really wasn't anything going on in his brain.

But still, when I looked at him, something changed – his eyes suddenly came into focus, and then lit up. He leaned forward, frowning in concentration. His lips trembled as he struggled to form a word. "R…Ri…"

But I couldn't hear him. I was confused, too. This boy…he looked so familiar…where had I seen him before? Not in the dark place, and I couldn't remember anything before that…but those eyes…where had…?

A picture suddenly flashed before my eyes – it wasn't the blond boy sitting in the chair anymore, but another boy, with the same face and eyes, but with brown hair and red clothes. My eyes widened – I remembered! That boy was from the island! I knew him! "S…S –" But then there was an explosion of light and color in my head, and I suddenly found myself falling back to darkness. I heard a scream, and the sound of waves, and a voice…

"Riku!"

…

Well, that was...interesting. Next chapter will have the official meetings of the other members, along with some logistical stuff about the Organization and a familiar haunt. I'll start working on this as soon as I update Hellfire. Be sure to check out the progress report on my profile page!