Empty Heart
Chapter 4: A New Life
Body, soul, and heart. These are the components that comprise a being.
However, hearts are the most sought after of these.
The Heartless and the Nobodies, Two beings once whole each seek the heart for different reasons.
The vixen nobody followed Saix through the halls of the castle. The trek had been silent for the most part. Obviously, Saix was a man focused solely on the goals of his order. Eris or rather the vixen that was half of Eris opened her mouth to speak but could not find the words. There were really no more questions for her to ask. Guess being told you were not who you thought you were did that.
Surprisingly Saix stopped. The vixen gave a small gasp at this sudden halt.
"One piece of advice." Said Saix. The vixen looked up saying nothing.
"During the meeting you may hear our leader's name. But you shall refer to him as Superior."
She didn't like the sound of that. Having to refer to someone as higher than herself didn't sit well with her. "Why would I do that?" She asked in a somewhat snotty tone. Saix turned his gaze away from the vixen.
"If you don't then you'll be destroyed." Saix stated bluntly.
Whatever words the vixen had in response to not referring to this leader by a title was quickly left unsaid. "Or you may get lucky and merely be turned into a dusk."
She definitely decided to leave things unsaid. They resumed walking but it didn't take long for them to arrive at the meeting place. They had stepped into a room completely white in color, almost blinding. In the center of the room was adorned the same symbol she had seen on the dusks. She figured this must have been the symbol of the Organization. Situated around the room were thirteen chairs each raised at different heights. Six of these chairs were currently seated.
The men or rather, nobodies all dressed in the same black coats. One of them was possibly the oldest looking of the group. His hair was short and blond, almost white. He had a mustache, which connected to a short goatee. His ears held various piercing. In his hands, he seemed to be playing with what looked like silver playing cards. He flicked them around his fingers every so often.
The next member was a young man possibly in his late teens. His disposition seemed much laid back almost joking. His hair was a dirty blond color done up in a mullet.
Following him was another young man possibly older than himself. His hair was long and very spiky. What set him off and what the vixen immediately noticed was its red color, like blood.
The next pair were older than the last two. One was a black haired man with a stern face. His hairstyle was best described as a dreadlocked ponytail. The other man had a simple ponytail. Like the red haired one, he had a distinguishing feature. Several scars ran along his face. His left eye was covered with an eye patch. This man reminded the vixen of her father.
Seated at the highest and in the center was apparently, as the vixen could guess, the Superior. Unlike the other members, his hood was up completely blocking all from seeing his face. Saix looked to the Superior giving a slight bow.
"Xemnas I believe this one is ready to join us." Saix said. Despite his reverence and respect shown, he still held that same demeanor.
A laugh came from the eye-patched man. "Hold on this is the new member the boss had you get?!" He said with amusement. The vixen looked up to the man with much insult in her eyes.
"What did she do bark and yip at you?"
A dirty look was delivered to the nobody. However, he seemed amused by that. "Oh I guess she isn't such a dumb beast after. She's giving me that same look he did."
"Why don't you come down here and say that to my face! Perhaps you'd like the other eye gone?!" The vixen snapped.
"Oh this one has a bite." The scarred man replied.
The mullet haired nobody crossed his legs. "Well you know we could always use a mascot or a pet around here." He said rather jokingly.
"How dare you?!" The vixen exclaimed. This little outburst caused the man to shrink back in his chair.
"Enough!" All the members in the room stopped what they were doing, focusing on the one seated in the highest chair, the Superior had spoken and all were on him.
Instantly the Superior, Xemnas as he was called by those of obviously higher rank in the Organization, leapt from his chair disappearing then reappearing in front of the vixen. She could feel the power and authority emanating from him. A gulp sank down her throat. She had never met anyone who could intimidate her like this.
"Do you wish to exist?" He asked.
Just as she did with the question Saix had asked her, she nodded.
"For too long, we nobodies have existed within nothingness. Sorrow and rage encompass us yet we cannot feel them." Xemnas waved his arms wide like a bird spreading its wings. Melodramatic to some but it got attention.
"But we of Organization XIII shall soon obtain real hearts and escape from this bleak existence!"
"Excuse me um Superior." The vixen spoke remembering to tack on that last bit. Xemnas dropped his display, his stance returning to normal. Despite intimidation, she continued.
"You call yourselves Organization XIII but there's only seven of you."
Xemnas looked to the empty seats then back to the vixen nobody. "Unfortunately five of our members perished in a previous mission. And our thirteenth member has left our cause. As such he is now a traitor."
Upon the mention of this thirteenth member, the red haired nobody turned his attention to an empty chair. His eyes filled with a look of regret.
"Now I ask you again will you join us? Do you tire of this teetering on the edge of nothing?"
The vixen looked up her eyes showing conviction and want. She nodded affirming her decision. "Yes I-I want to be real."
"Very well. As your old life has ended you shall given a new one in its place." Xemnas waved his hand from one side to the other. Between the man and beast a set of words formed. Together they spelled a name, Eris. The words began to circle the vixen. Suddenly they stopped as another letter appeared in the center an x. The words rearranged themselves forming a new name.
She saw the name before her and spoke it without any form of emotion giving away to the farce that her memories provided if only for that brief moment.
"Xires" She said.
"Number XIV, Xires, a new you." Said Xemnas. The light of the words briefly illuminated his face but they vanished leaving his features shrouded in darkness once again.
"Saix I'm leaving this ones development to you." Xemnas said to the blue haired nobody.
"As you wish, come." He said to the newly christened Xires.
With a nod, the newest member of Organization XIII followed closely behind. That said and done Xemnas the superior vanished again appearing in chair once more.
"Xemnas." The superior turned the one who addressed him, the one with the braided ponytail.
"After the actions of the traitors XI and XII. And the recent desertion of number XIII. Do you think it is wise to admit another to our ranks?" He asked.
"I concur." The card wielding nobody quipped flicking them away with his wrist. Certainly, we don't want more traitors in our midst. However, I am curious to how a simple beast was able to retain its shape after the creation of its heartless.
Xemnas looked to each of them men in the order he had been spoken too. "Our numbers have thinned, in order to accomplish our goals we must gather as many nobodies as we can. And the fact this once had a strong will proves the strength of hearts. She will be of use to us."
It was agreed, only the strongest of hearts could produce a nobody of the higher variety such as they.
"You know if this fox had a strong heart the heartless produced must be pretty powerful." The scarred, eye-patch wearing nobody quipped.
Xemnas kept his head forward not returning his subordinates comments with a gaze. "Indeed."
A/N For those wh oare KH savvy you already know there was a number 14 in the organization Xion. However I found out info regarding Xion and I think that info is plausible enough for Xemnas to appoint her the new number 14. Anyway feel free to give me feedback and I hope you have enjoyed so far.