*Chapter 1 – Xerena*
I awoke with a start, having a moment where I felt as if I was in a completely different place to my bedroom. For a moment, I felt as if I were lying on the pristine shores of a beach on an island, rather than in between cool cotton sheets, warmed by the heat of my body overnight. I also contemplated the voice I had heard speaking to me in my dream, the voice seemed familiar, but I couldn't place where I had heard it, before a flash came to my mind. A boy, a duck, a dog, running up a spiral staircase, beating down shadow like creatures in their path to climb these stairs. The boy had hair the colour of chocolate, only a shade lighter, and eyes as blue as the sea. For some reason, my mind perceived the voice as that of this boy, though I could not fathom why. My mind, however, also perceived that somebody was missing in this image, that another person should be there.
I pushed myself out of bed and sat up on my knees, pushing my window open.
Daily activities had already begun in Twilight Town, shops had opened and were selling merchandise or food, the train station was bustling and everybody was going about their daily lives. With a small smile, I closed my windows and dressed quickly, pushing my strange dreams to the side for the moment as I ran downstairs and grabbed two apples before locking my front door behind me and heading for the Usual Spot, biting into my first apple happily.
When I got to the Usual Spot, I had started my second apple. My four friends were already there, waiting for me. I plopped down in my usual seat next to Roxas as I chewed on my apple, waving a good morning to everyone. Hayner and Pence were having a very heated discussion about something as Olette watched with a smile. Roxas was lost in thought so I decided to keep eating my apple breakfast. Sometime after I finished off my apple and had thrown the core away, Roxas kept staring at his hands as Hayner spoke up.
"Man, doesn't that tick you off?" I blinked, realising I hadn't been paying attention again.
"Yeah, that's just wrong." Pence agreed.
"Seifer's gone too far this time." Olette added. Hayner looked over at Roxas, who nodded his head in agreement as I mumbled an 'mhm' of my own agreement to the unknown situation. Hayner jumped off of his seat and started to pace.
"I mean, it's true that stuff's been stolen around town. And we've got a score to settle with Seifer and everything. So, if he wants to think we did it, I can't really blame him. See, that's not what really bugs me. What really bugs me is that he's goin' around tellin' everybody we're the thieves! Now the whole town and their mothers are treating us like the Klepto Club! Have you ever been this ticked off before in your life? 'Cause I haven't. Nuh-uh, never." Hayner sighed, before bumping his fist into his open palm as we all watched him.
"Now, what to do." Olette gasped silently and looked around the Usual Spot worriedly. She clearly did not want there to be any fighting involved in this. I looked over at Roxas, he could usually think of something to compromise with Hayner's personality.
"Uh, well…" He trailed off, pondering for a few moments as we sat in silence.
"We could find the real thieves. That would set the record straight." I nodded.
"Hey, that sounds fun!" Pence cheered, I nodded in agreement.
"It'll be interesting alright." I murmured.
"What about Seifer?" Hayner grumbled, still ticked off. I sighed.
"First, we gotta clear our names." I stated matter-of-factly. Roxas nodded.
"Once we find the real culprit, everyone will get off our backs." Hayner growled, about to speak again when Pence cried out.
"Oh no!" We looked over at him with surprise.
"They're gone! Our _ are gone!" Pence's eyes widened, as he rubbed his throat. My eyes were wide in shock. I had seen Pence's mouth move as he went to say _, but the word never left his mouth.
"All our _, gone?" Hayner asked, before clutching at his throat, as if choking on the word, but not at the same time.
"You can't say _?" I queried, rubbing my throat as a strand of my ink black fringe fell in my eyes. I brushed it aside with a huff.
"Why not?" Olette questioned. Pence looked slightly frustrated.
"But you do understand what I'm saying, right? Our _are gone!" I brought a hand up to my face, placing one of my nails between my teeth thoughtfully.
"Stolen…" I murmured, pondering.
"And not just the _, the word _! They stole it, too!" Roxas stated.
"What kinda thief is that?" Hayner questioned.
"One that wants us to forget something." I murmured.
"Seifer could never have pulled that off." Hayner scoffed.
"Yeah!" Roxas agreed. I nodded as well as Hayner crossed his arms over his chest.
"Alright, time for some recon!" Hayner, Pence and Olette quickly ran out of the Usual Spot. I was about to run after them, Roxas doing the same, before I suddenly felt dizzy.
"Wha…?" I murmured, before I hit the floor.
"Their hearts are returning, doubtless they'll awaken very soon."
I came to with a groan, rubbing my head as I sat up on my knees. I shook my head and looked over at Roxas, who was looking at me with shock and slight fear in his eyes, the same fear in mine. The fear of what was to come. We both stood up and brushed any dust off of us, looking up at the entrance and exit as Olette walked back in.
"Roxas, Xerena, c'mon!" We both nodded before following Olette outside and towards the market place.
When we got there, we confronted the person who owned the clothing shop, and tried to convince him that we didn't steal anything before he turned us away to the accessory shop. After having a talk with her, we were turned toward the candy shop. The owner of which asked us if we had seen her cat anywhere.
After finding the cat and having a talk with the owner of the candy shop, I stood in the street thinking for a moment.
"Maybe Seifer knows something." I suggested.
"To the Sandlot!" Hayner claimed, before we all took off running in the direction of the aforementioned Sandlot.
When we arrived, we found that Rai, Fuu and Vivi were there looking at something on the board in the Sandlot. Vivi noticed us first, before Fuu and Rai turned around.
"Theives!" Fuu claimed, pointing at us.
"That was low, y'know!" Rai added, hands clenching into fists.
"Oh yeah?" Hayner commented, hands clenching into fists also. I looked over at one of the entryways into the Sandlot as Seifer walked into the area.
"Nice comeback there, blondie." Seifer sneered.
"Hypocrite." I muttered under my breath, causing Roxas to chuckle.
"What'd you say?" Hayner growled, shaking a fist in front of him.
"You can give us back the _ now." Seifer ordered.
"Yeah! You're the only ones who would take it, y'know?" Rai claimed. I shook my head.
"That was undeniable proof that we totally owned you lamers. So what did you do? Burn it?" Seifer claimed. I stepped forward, one hand curled into a fist.
"How could any of us be the thief if we can't say _ either! We didn't steal the _, alright?" A hand lightly clapped onto my shoulder.
"Calm down Xerena, please?" I nodded slightly, uncurling my fist but still glaring at Seifer. Seifer scoffed.
"Not that we need some _ to prove that you're losers." Seifer dropped his arms to his sides, now in the middle of and at the front of his three cronies.
"Replay!" Fuu commented, which caused Seifer to laugh.
"Now you're talking!" Seifer laughed, before bringing his arms up, as Fuu and Rai followed his actions. My glare directed at Seifer only intensified.
"I guess if you get on your knees and beg, maybe I'll let it slide." My glare only increased tenfold when Seifer made that statement. From where he stood, fist upraised, Roxas dropped his fist and stepped forward, getting onto his hands and knees as Seifer and his gang proceeded to laugh.
"Roxas!" Hayner called. I took a deep breath and stepped forward also, dropping to my knees beside Roxas as Fuu in particular kept laughing. Well, I guess my theory on Fuu being a bitch was correct. Roxas nudged me quickly and motioned to the three different struggle bats lying in front of us. I nodded and we both sprinted, me toward the one that particularly looked like a staff more than a sword as Roxas ran for the struggle bat that didn't have a large hand guard. When I picked up the staff I wheeled around with Roxas to face Seifer, who stood with a Struggle bat in hand, holding it parallel to the ground, ready to fight us. Seifer decided to taunt us after we got in a couple of hits each.
"Come on! Quit playin' around and fight." I grunted indignantly, keeping my eyes on Seifer as we both rushed him. We finally got him on his knees. Roxas and I slapped a high five as Fuu and Rai jumped in front of Seifer, Vivi had disappeared.
"Seifer's…not feelin' so hot, y'know!" Rai claimed. I scoffed. 'Not feelin' so good'? If he wasn't, it's 'cause we kicked his arse.
"Tournament decides!" Fuu claimed, before they ran off. Roxas and I turned around to face Pence's camera, and I smiled as Roxas wrapped an arm around my shoulder for the picture. Right after Pence took the picture, I gasped as something white seemed to dance in the air around Pence for a moment before it took off, Pence's camera in hand, Pence looking at his hands then in the direction of the white thing in bewilderment.
"What was that?" Hayner asked in disbelief. I shook my head.
"The thief?" Olette muttered, before we all took off after it towards the Tram Common.
Eventually Roxas and I followed the out into the forest leading to the old haunted mansion, watching in bewilderment as it stretched and danced between the trees with some weird form of grace. Roxas and I looked at each other before chasing the thing to the gates of the mansion. When we were about to catch it, the most peculiar thing happened. Roxas and I heard a voice, coming from everywhere and nowhere, surround us as it spoke.
We have come for you, my liege and lady.
"Wha…?" I muttered, as Roxas stood in front of me slightly. The thing did something else peculiar then. It, without even raising a hand, undid the zipper of it's 'mouth', revealing what appeared to be a sphere with jagged teeth inside its head. I recoiled slightly, tightening my grip on my bat as Roxas did the same. Then, we faced off with the thing. We both took swings at it but it was as if our bats were going right through the thing and not hitting it at all, whereas it had most definitely thrown Roxas and I back several times.
"It's no use…." I trailed off, panting beside Roxas as we stared the thing down.
"What?" Roxas and I looked down at our bats as something strange happened, they lit up, leaving a large, silver key with a gold hilt in Roxas' hand. In mine was a grey, yellow and black version of Roxas' key, only more spiky. The teeth of the key were more like spikes that slanted upwards.
"Wha…?" I muttered, as both my own and Roxas' hands were lead by our strange key weapons in the direction of the thing that stole Pence's camera as it stood there, watching us. I looked down at my new weapon, then tightened my grip on it as Roxas dropped lower to the ground next to me, gripping the key in both hands, before we rushed at the creature and attacked it again, this time actually hitting it.
When we finally defeated it, the missing photos and Pence's camera appeared out of nowhere, the photos floating to the ground in front of the gates. The strange key weapons disappeared from our hands as the photos fluttered to the ground, and curiously, I picked one up, to see that it was a picture of the whole gang. After collecting all the photos, Roxas and I returned silently to the Usual Spot to get Hayner, Pence and Olette's input on today's strange situation.
"What's this?" Hayner asked, looking at a picture of myself and Roxas with the owner of the armour shop here in Twilight Town.
"We were his first customers after he took over the shop." Roxas explained.
"So we took a picture together." I added with a shrug.
"It's a really nice photo." Olette said cheerfully, before gasping.
"Hey, you just said "photo"!" Pence exclaimed. I smiled.
"So, Roxas, Xerena – tell us about the picture thief." Hayner ordered more than asked.
"Not much to say." I murmured with a shrug.
"The pictures were just lying there." Roxas added.
"Then how do we prove we weren't the ones who took 'em?" Hayner asked, bumping his fist against his chest, before looking down at the next picture and chucking.
"It's a girl…" I looked over Roxas' shoulder to see a photo of Roxas with the Accessory shop owner and puffed my cheeks out a little in indignance.
"You look happy Roxas." Olette teased.
"Do not." Roxas retorted, unbeknownst to me as he glanced at me having my little private grouch fest next to him.
"So, like anybody else notice that all the stolen pictures are of Roxas and Xerena?" Pence asked nonchalantly. I looked over at him in surprise.
"They are?" I murmured as Olette gasped in realisation.
"So that's why everyone thought it was us." Olette explained.
"You mean Seifer didn't go around accusing us after all? Hayner asked, looking at the same picture he had been the past while.
"Are they really all of me and Xerena?" Roxas asked curiously, turning to Pence, who nodded.
"Yep." Pence confirmed. "See?" He asked, showing us another picture of myself and Roxas with the candy shop owner, followed by one of Seifer, struggle bat slung over his shoulder as he stood to the side of myself and Roxas, both of whom were on the ground at the Sandlot. The last was the same photo I had picked up before, of our entire group outside of the haunted mansion.
"Right? Every single one. Wouldn't it be weird if the thief wanted the real Roxas and Xerena or something?" Pence wondered, holding his chin in his hand thoughtfully.
"C'mon, get serious. Why would anyone wanna steal two boneheads like Roxas and Xerena?"Hayner asked teasingly, grinning at us.
"Oh, thanks!" Roxas retorted sarcastically.
"I take that as an insult!" I exclaimed, playfully punching Hayner's shoulder before we all burst out laughing, before the station clock chimed, signalling that it was getting late in the day. Hayner, Pence and Olette left the Usual Spot soon after, Olette waving on the way out. I sighed, grinning, running a hand through my shoulder length black hair, before looking back at Roxas, who smiled at me.
"C'mon, let's get outta here." I murmured, motioning to the cloth covered entrance. Roxas nodded, following me out into the alley. We had to shield our eyes from the bright afternoon sunlight when we walked out, blinking dazedly. Suddenly, everything went black.
"Where…am I? Wh-who's there? Who're you?"
Restoration at 12 percent.
"Organisation miscreants…they've found us." A man clothed in red, sitting in front of several monitors commented, as another figure, cloaked in black, approached him.
"But…why would the Nobodies steal photographs?" The other figure asked, standing adjacent to the man in red.
"Both are nothing but data to them. The fools could never tell the difference." The man in red scoffed. "We are running out of time. Naminé must make haste."
More static, before an image formed in my mind's eye. This time the girl with white hair to her chest was alone, in a dark void of some sort, and she was coming to.
"Where am I?" She murmured, as she opened her eyes to the black and purple swirling void around her.
"What happened to my home? My island? Riku! So–!"
Next, the white haired girl's heart was torn from her by strange black shadows, only with it, something strange happened. The white haired girl vanished, in her place was a girl with shoulder length hair that was as black as ink, only she had the same stunning green eyes, and she was standing before a man clothed in red, his face not clearly visible due to its wrappings. A name appeared before her, with an 'X' after it, spelling out 'Reena X'. With a motion from the man's hand though, the letters moved, switched around until they spelt 'Xerena'. I blinked curiously, looking at the man, who smiled something that was not intended to be a nicety, I'm sure.
"Your name, is Xerena, welcome to Organisation XIII. Your weapon shall be the Keyblade."