I woke up on that morning, so tired. Even though I actually had a place to rest, it still was very hard to sleep. I guess I just couldn't stop thinking. I was still asking myself those questions. I was curious to know what it was that Xemnas told me. The "heart". I wanted to know more about it. It is apparently something important, because the only reason I don't remember anything was because I lost it. But it's more than just memory, too. There's something more to losing a heart than just your memories. There's an emptiness, like I am incomplete. Like I am nothing. I guess that's why we are called "Nobodies".
I got out of my bed, and before me, in the door way of the room, stood Saïx. He walked in, with a black coat in his hands. He held it out in front of me and I was confused.
"Put this on." I took the coat and he then turned and began to walk out.
"Wait!" I called out before he left. He turned slightly but did not say anything. "Xemnas told me you would explain things to me. Like what a 'heart' is." Saïx merely turned his head back to the way he was facing.
"I do not have time to cater to your needs. I'll leave you in the hands of someone else. Meet them in The Hall of Empty Melodies." He then began to walk away.
"But..." He then walked out of my sight and I just looked at the coat he handed me. I figured they had let me into their Organization but I didn't seem very welcome. Saïx didn't seem to like me at all. But Xemnas said I had potential. I don't know what he means, but I suppose that's a good thing. I grabbed the black coat and the rest of the outfit. I got dressed and looked at myself. As I looked at myself, I felt myself thinking something. It just popped into my mind, but I don't know what it was. It was an image. Of a person. It felt like I knew the person, but I couldn't seem to place who they were. I shook it off and then began to walk out of the room.
I then began to walk in search of The Hall of Empty Melodies like Saïx told me to. I had no idea where I was, though. I was trying to navigate a castle which I had never been in and I barely remember even getting to that room. All I remember was being in that large room with the thrones when I talked with Xemnas. Then he guided me through that dark portal and next thing I remember was being in this room. Since I got to this room in that fashion, I have no idea which way to go to reach any part of the castle. I then found myself on a path revealing the outside of the castle. I looked over the edge to see how high we were floating above everything. It was pretty scary to think about it.
"You lost there, kiddo?" I turned to see another man in the coat. Another member of the Organization. He had long, spiked red hair and emerald eyes. He walked up to me and I just instinctively put my hood on. He stopped and just smiled at me. "What's the matter, shy?"
"Y-Yeah...who are you?" I asked the man as he walked up to me.
"The name's Axel. And you are?" I stood in silence. "Well, aren't you just a chatterbox?"
"Xaik...my name is Xaik."
"Well Xaik, what are you doing up here by yourself?" I then decided I should probably ask him where I was and how to get to where I was going. He probably knew his way around the castle, and I was lost so it seemed like a good idea.
"I'm trying to get to The Hall of Empty Melodies. But I don't know where that is." He just chuckled to himself and then turned to face another direction.
"It's just down that way. You end up on a balcony over head, just keep walking and you'll find it. It's a big empty room with a large platform center. Got it memorized?" I didn't know why he asked me that. He just told me and I have a terrible memory as it is. But it seemed simple enough to get to where I was going.
"Thank you, Axel." I then walked passed him and continued onto where I was headed. I looked behind me and saw him walking up, in the opposite direction of me. I guess he had other things to do. I appreciate the help he gave me, but I still wasn't so comfortable around him. Around any of them. None of the members I've met seem all too friendly. But he definitely seemed like a nicer guy than the rest.
I continued and found the balcony Axel told me about. I found the room, which was The Hall of Empty Melodies. As I was over head, I noticed the sounds of struggle. I continued to hear the sounds, seeming to come from below. I looked over the side of the balcony to investigate. What I saw was more of those people, the members. There were two of them. They were fighting each other. I assume one of them is the person I was looking for. The person Saïx told me to find. So I passed the balcony and then continued on. I kept going until I found myself going through a hall. I heard the sounds of the struggle once again and I could see it in the distance through the door way.
As I entered, I saw up close as the two were fighting. One fighting with a rather large sword, who had long black hair and the other fighting with a large staff-like weapon with blades on the ends, that had longer red hair. They continued to fight as I approached, but I didn't interrupt, for fear that I might make them mad. They didn't seem to be fighting for real, as they exchanged comments and were messing with each other.
"Oh, come now, I'm not even giving it my all over here!" The black-haired one said as he then swung his sword at the other. The red-haired one then jumped back and used his staff to hook his sword and disarm him. His blade then impaled into the ground behind him and the black-haired one growled.
"Jexy, you need to learn to have a better grip on your weapon. You really disappoint me."
"Oh, yeah Xeros? I'll show you a grip!" As he said that to the red-haired one, whom he referred to as Xeros, he raised his hand and the blade began to float. "Sick' em boy!" He yelled out. Soon the blade began to swing on its own. Xeros then blocked the swings, looking back to the other as he was laughing. He then struck the sword and once again, hooked it. He then threw the sword at the other, who caught it in midair. As he was smiling for the fact that Xeros returned his sword to him, he turned to see Xeros rushing him. Just as Xeros' spear was about to hit the other, the spear suddenly just stopped as the other held his hand out in front of him. Xeros looked in shock and then the other just smiled.
"Sorry, were you using this?" He then flicked his hand and the staff flew away from Xeros. He swung and then Xeros jumped back to retrieve his staff. At this point, the other then dropped his sword and got on top of it. He used it as a sort of hover board as he began to fly around. "Hey, Xeros! Let's see you reach me up here!"
"Enough of these games, Varijex! You can't beat me, so just fall by my hand!" Xeros yelled.
"I'm afraid that I'm having way too much fun! You'll have to try harder!" Yelled Varijex from the sky.
"You've drawn this fight out long enough! Now I'm ending it!" Xeros then threw his staff at Varijex. Varijex flew higher to avoid it and Xeros jumped in the air. He then grabbed Varijex's sword and Varijex fell to the ground. He landed hard and Xeros landed, just in time to catch his staff as it fell from the air. He then walked up to Varijex as he was crouched and pointed the staff at his face.
"You lost. How unfortunate."
"I didn't lose! I merely stopped trying." Varijex then stood and snatched his sword from Xeros' hands. It disappeared and Xeros' weapon disappeared as well. Varijex crossed his arms and looked away as Xeros then walked up close to him.
"Don't worry. You actually probably could have won." said Xeros with a saucy expression.
"Of course I could have!" Varijex exclaimed.
"No, not really. You are too cocky, Jexy."
"No more than you, Xeros." Xeros then started to laugh as he walked away from Varijex.
"There's a difference between confidence and cockiness, Jexy." Xeros said, turned away from Varijex. Varijex seemed to become furious with Xeros, as he growled and turned away. As he turned, he faced me and saw as I stood there all by my lonesome. He stormed up to me and I backed off a little. He then stood right in front of me and leaned in close.
"What are you looking at, squirt?!" He yelled at me. I froze and said nothing. I buried my face further into my hood and stepped back a little more. "Well? Answer me!"
"Varijex, enough." Xeros came up behind him. He put his hand on Varijex's shoulder and pulled him back. Varijex shook off his hand and walked passed me and bumped into my shoulder.
"This isn't over, Xeros! We're going to have a rematch soon enough!" He yelled as he stormed off.
"I bet." said Xeros as he watched Varijex walk away. He then turned to me and I continued to stand in silence. He then rested his arm on the other and puzzled at me. "Are you my new charge?" I didn't say a word. I was too afraid, since most of the members of the organization I met had not been so nice. "Well?"
"Um...I-I guess so..." He smirked at me. He then put his hand on my back as he led me to the center of the room.
"What is your name?"
"My name...? Xaik." I said under my breath. He then tilted his head in curiosity.
"You know, you won't get anywhere by being so quiet and reserved. Take off your hood, and speak up." I was hesitant to do so. But he seemed to mean well with that criticism. I did so, and reached for my hood. I pulled it off and his expression did not change. He seemed indifferent about me, but I don't know if I should react in anyway towards that. I then spoke up, like he told me to.
"Saïx told me to come here. I was supposed to find someone to help me and answer some questions I have." He then turned away and started walking. He turned back and gestured me to follow. I started walking as we walked to this stairway. He then began to speak as we walked down the stairway, continuing through the castle.
"Xaik, you have been assigned to me as my charge, by Saïx. I am supposed to teach you more about the Organization. But do not take comfort in me, as I am not very...quick to trust in others."
"Okay...so, you are going to be my teacher?" He turned to me.
"Yes. And before I begin to teach, I would say you should get any questions out of the way." Now was my chance to get some real answers. It was not so easy getting what I have learned from the others. And it wasn't much to begin with. Finally, I was going to be able to understand what was going on, though, whether it would help serve to recover my memory or not, was a completely different gamble on its own.
"I have a couple of questions, actually. Can you tell me more about what we are? What a 'Nobody' is?" Xeros then turned away to face forward as we continued to walk.
"A Nobody, is a being created when a person with a strong heart becomes a Heartless. The body of that person then begins to act on its own because of how strong-willed the original person was." So, a person loses their "heart" becomes a "Heartless", and then what's left becomes a "Nobody"? This was all so confusing.
"What is a 'Heartless'?"
"When a person is consumed by the darkness in their heart, they become a Heartless. They are creatures of darkness, that only seek to collect and corrupt more hearts into the darkness. Foul monsters that only act on that instinct." So, a "Heartless" consumes "hearts" and in turn, creates a "Nobody" if the person whose heart was lost had a strong will. Now I have a sense that whoever I was, I had a strong will. But that also mean I lost my heart to the darkness, and probably became a Heartless myself. I felt glad that I have no memory of that experience, as it sounds horrible.
"One more big question. What exactly is a 'heart'?" Xeros stopped walking. He turned to look at me with a puzzled expression, as if he were trying to think of a way to explain such a thing.
"A heart is an incredible thing. It is a source of power, from what I've learned from the Organization, a main component of a being. From what I've learned, it is what separates us Nobodies and others who truly exist." I wanted to know more. I understood that it was a key part of a person, that without it, you were incomplete and did not "exist". But what were the differences between a Nobody and a "somebody"?
"Why are we so different just because we are missing hearts? What do they have that we don't as a result of lacking hearts?"
"We lack much. Though we retain will, we do not have goals, ambitions. We have no memory of our pasts, who we were, who we knew, what our lives were like. And we lack emotion, true emotion." I knew I was missing memories of my past. I figured that I have a strong will from this new information. And I knew I have no goals. As I knew that I did not know what I wanted to do. The only goals I had were to get answers. But that last thing Xeros said, that we lack emotion. I didn't understand that.
"We lack 'emotions'? What are they?"
"They are like feelings, but not physical like pain or pleasure. They are a sort of expression, there are many that people can express. Happiness, sadness, anger. So many more. But we can not feel those, not truly. Some of us can mimic those feelings, as some of us can remember what it was like to feel emotion."
"Do you remember what it was like?" Xeros stood in silence.
"I can't say that I do." I wanted to say I was sorry, but how could I feel sorry when I myself had no idea what it was like to feel emotions. It made me curious and I wanted to know more. More about these "emotions". But I obviously wasn't going to learn them here. As Nobodies can not feel them.
Xeros suddenly stopped walking just before reaching the doorway. I stopped as well, but nearly bumped into him in the process. I looked at him as he stood still, his long red hair blowing gently in the wind. He was much taller than I was, but I only just noticed it now. For some reason, he seemed familiar. I don't know if it was him specifically, but he reminded me of someone. This odd sensation kept with me for a while. I couldn't put my finger on what this was. What it was I was thinking. Why was he so familiar? What was this sensation this familiarity gave me?
He turned back to me and tilted his head. I guessed that my expression was not so flattering. I quickly turned away and he spoke to me again.
"Do you have any more questions?" I looked to him and shook my head side to side. He then turned back around. "Then let us continue." He began to walk again, so I continued to follow him. We proceeded into the same area from which I arrived, the large platform just down the steps. He kept walking down and I was confused. He was taking me out of the castle, but I had no idea where we were going.
"Where are we going?" He then turned his head back, still walking.
"I thought you didn't have any more questions." I kept walking in silence as he faced forward once again. We reached the platform and we got on. And just like before, the platform began to move. This time I felt myself going down, with the same speed as when I entered. The platform stopped and he continued to walk forward. Shortly behind, I walked, still confused and curious as to where we were going. I wanted to know, but he didn't seem like he was going to tell me. We reached the entrance and before us was the large bridge. He began to walk across and I looked over the edge. We were so high up, I nervously inched closer to him. I felt oddly safe around him. He didn't seem like such a bad guy, but he definitely was serious.
We made it across the bridge, only to find Varijex waiting for us. He was leaning against the wall, arms crossed and had a scowl on his face. I then stood closer behind Xeros as we approached Varijex. Varijex got off the wall and began to walk with us. I looked at him, nervously staying behind Xeros. He looked back to me and I merely looked away. Varijex then looks at Xeros and spoke.
"So? What are we meeting about, Xeros? I have more important things to do than to stand around and be lectured."
"This isn't just a lecture," Xeros spoke up. "This is going to be about training."
"I don't need training!" Xeros turned to him.
"This is not about you. This is about her." He stated looking back towards me.
"Do you really think I care about this squirt's training?" My nervousness around Varijex only increased with each word he spoke. He turned his head, his long black hair flowing with his movement. Xeros turned back to Varijex.
"Jexy, you seem to be in a very good mood right now."
"Don't call me that!" Varijex snapped at Xeros. Xeros merely chuckled at his aggression. I found it weird how Xeros didn't seem nervous around Varijex. Perhaps it was because he had grown used to him. I still kept walking closely to Xeros as we approached a large open area.
It was the same area that I found the Dusk. Where I was found by Xigbar, the large skyscraper in the center of the city. We walked to the front of the skyscraper and Xeros walked up the steps. I followed him and Varijex stopped at the foot of the steps. Xeros then turned and sat, I looked back and Varijex was standing, arms crossed. I then turned back as Xeros looked at me.
"Xaik," Xeros spoke. "You have joined the ranks of the Organization, and as such, you are now a part of a grander scheme." I stood silently, looking back to Varijex once again, who was rolling his eyes. I turned back and Xeros continued to speak. "As you know, we 'Nobodies' are beings that lack hearts. We are incomplete. But the Organization is going to fix that." They were going to fix it? How would they fix it? He continued to speak. "See that moon up in the sky?" I looked up to see a large, glowing moon right above the castle. It was mesmerizing, but not only that. I swore I could sense its presence, its warmth. I looked back down.
"Yes." I answered.
"That, is Kingdom Hearts."
"What is 'Kingdom Hearts'?" I asked as Xeros stood up. He looked at the moon.
"It is the heart of all worlds. Kingdom Hearts is what will make us whole again."
"How?"
"See, the Organization is collecting hearts. From Heartless. We release them and then we harvest them, to create Kingdom Hearts. And once it is complete, its power will make us complete." So, then I knew the Organization's motives. They were trying to collect hearts to make "Kingdom Hearts". And Kingdom Hearts would make us actually exist.
"So, we're going to collect hearts? Is that what my job is?" I then heard Varijex scoff behind me.
"No, that's not our job. That's that other little punk's job." I turned back, curious.
"Who?" He looked at me and squinted.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" I actually would. But I sensed there was another meaning behind his words, a harsh meaning. I turned back to Xeros as he began to speak.
"Only the one who wields the Keyblade can release the hearts the Heartless have taken."
"Then what is our job, if we can not collect hearts?" Xeros then began to walk down the steps and I moved as he walked past me. He walked down halfway towards Varijex then turned to me.
"We do reconnaissance. We destroy Heartless to keep them under control, as well as the Purebloods who do not release hearts. And we recruit others if we find them. Like you." So, we did not collect hearts. But we did serve a purpose. Like finding others, like me.
"How many other members did you find?" Xeros walked down the steps and I proceeded to walk down the steps as well. He turned to me.
"Varijex was found by Xigbar, like you. He found me and I found our seventeenth member."
"How many members are there?" Varijex spoke up.
"When I joined, there were fourteen. I am number fifteen." Varijex spoke.
"I am number sixteen. There are eighteen of us, total." Xeros stated after Varijex.
"So, I am number eighteen?" Xeros nodded. So, I am the eighteenth member of the Organization. This made me seem so far behind everyone else. Varijex and Xeros were probably leagues ahead of me. And I didn't even want to think about the other members' experience compared to mine. It made me seem pretty insignificant as a person. Or, a non-person. But they did bring me here for a reason. Xemnas said I had potential. So I suppose that would be a good thing.
"Alright, we will begin training you tomorrow. You will meet with Scyrux, our seventeenth member, here. Then the next day, you'll meet with me, then Varijex the following day."
"You've got to be kidding me." Varijex groaned. He really did not seem to like me, but then again, he didn't seem to like anyone. He then began to walk back to the castle. I stood with Xeros as he began to walk back as well. I followed him back through the alleyway, but I stopped. I looked up once more to see Kingdom Hearts. I stared at its brightness, almost blinding myself. But I couldn't help but look. This was what I was a part of. This was my new ambition, my new goal. To help the Organization so that we may complete Kingdom Hearts. And in doing so, we would complete ourselves.