Of Hearts and Nobodies

Shizuka Usagi


Chapter 7

"You ready yet, Pence?" Hayner asked irritably, tapping his foot. A scowl was etched on his duck like features, reminding Roxas of someone he couldn't quite place a finger on. For some reason, a talking duck with blue clothes came to mind. This was odd, since he had never met a talking duck before.

"Yeah, just about." Roxas heard Pence say, shuffling over to the blondes with a bag of potions. "I was thinking we could also get—"

"We're not on a shopping spree," Hayner said sharply. "We're on a rescue mission. We don't have time to waste."

"For your information, I'm not wasting time. I'm gathering supplies. What if one of us gets hurt?" Pence inquired agitatedly.

"Guys, quit it. We don't have time for fighting either. Let's finish up and head into the forest. Remember Olette may be in danger," Roxas informed, bringing them back to reality.

"Besides, it's not like we're out camping. We'll check the mansion for signs of her, then call for back up if need be," Hayner added.

"You're right, Roxas. Sorry," Pence apologized sheepishly. "Potions should be fine for now."

Roxas nodded and gave a reassuring smile. "We'll be fine. Hayner and I are Struggle Champions. You have nothing to worry about."

"Right… I guess Olette is starting to rub off on me," Pence mused softly.

The mention of the brunette reminded them of their resolve. Without another word, the daring trio advanced into the forest.

Presently, Olette was lying on the king-sized bed in her room. Feeling a tingling sensation in her nasal passage, she let out a sneeze. As weary as she was, sleep continued to elude her.

She had been held captive for approximately a week. During that time, she was provided an ample amount of food and water. Demyx, who she assumed was in charge of her, created a temporary portal in front of the bathroom 'door' for her personal use. However, she was rarely visited by the other Organization members.

The brunette's vivid, emerald eyes were beginning to dull, and her skin was paling. The World that Never Was, she concluded, was not suitable for human life. She wasn't even sure what the air she breathed consisted of. The last time she checked, oxygen and carbon dioxide shouldn't burn up your respiratory system.

Worst of all was the general despair and hopelessness the atmosphere gave off. The usual optimism and cheerfulness of her thoughts were now stifled by pessimism and sadness. She began to become concerned about her state of being. How long would she last if her health was already failing?

At the sound of space ripping open, she sat up straightaway. A small spark of hope lit up within. If it was Demyx, then maybe she would be able to convince him to set her free.

Her spirits fell when a shock of spiky hair came into vision. Axel. If anything, he would probably be pleased at the sight of her distress.

In all his redheaded glory, Number VIII appeared with a smug look on his face. For a split second, she thought she saw surprise briefly flicker on his features before returning to his usual state.

"You're looking well," he taunted sarcastically, running his eyes over her emaciated form.

Olette's patience had long since worn out. "You're despicable," she spat out. Her hands gripped the edges of the bed.

Axel chuckled harshly. "I see your stubborn steak hasn't faded unlike the rest of you."

She struggled to keep her composure. For some reason, he was the only person who ever managed to grate on her nerves. "I can't believe Roxas was once acquainted with the likes of you," she muttered under her breath.

The redhead scowled almost immediately. "You best learn to hold that tongue of yours, Letty."

As Olette discovered, Roxas really was his weak point. Axel did his best to hide himself under his cool demeanor, but there was no denying that there used to be a strong bond between him and his ex-best friend.

Calming herself, the brunette decided it was best to avoid the topic at hand. She couldn't afford to make herself further foes with her captors. "Why are you here?" she inquired quietly.

"I came here to inform you that Xemnas requests your presence. I will be accompanying you to the conference room," he stated stiffly.

"Xemnas?" Olette repeated, racking her memory for the name.

"The Superior. The head honcho of the Organization. Want me to spell it out to you?"

"No thanks," she declined flatly.

"We leave in an hour. We have to wait until the bloke comes back with your clothes. Xemnas wouldn't want you wearing that." Axel made a disgusted gesture towards her Organization getup.

That's right… this is Roxas' outfit, Olette thought, remembering Axel's first reaction towards it. She half wondered if it was his decision to change clothes or the Superiors.

The brunette also pondered Demyx's method to launder her clothes. It was not a difficult task, but she doubted that there were any washing machines on The World that Never Was. A while back Axel had mentioned that Demyx had water clones. Because of that, she pictured the Melodious Nocturne ordering clones of himself to wash her attire. Were the circumstances not so serious, she would have laughed.

Speaking of water clones… what were these nobodies exactly? They're definitely not human. How could a living thing have power over the forces of nature? Even after spending seven days on the unpleasant planet, there was little she knew about her kidnappers.

What worried her more was the situation back in Twilight Town. She could easily imagine everyone running around like a flock of frantic chickens. It wasn't every day someone mysteriously disappeared from such a small place. And since it was so sparsely populated, the citizens were quite close to each other. Practically everybody knew the Sea Salt Ice Cream Girl down the street and—

Olette paused to regain her composure. She refused to let one tear fall, especially in Axel's presence. Much to her dismay, her eyes watered at the thought of her poor mother worrying sick over her. Not to mention, Pence, Hayner, and Roxas.

She covered up her escaping sob as a rolling cough. The redhead spared her a glance.

"Got a cold?" he asked casually.

The brunette frowned at his feet, not willing to meet his gaze. She found it distasteful that his voice almost always dripped of sarcasm.

Axel leaned against the wall. Sensing the darkness in her heart, he spoke. It bothered him to see her break down so easily. Not because he cared about her, but because she was having side effects. If Roxas came to rescue her, would he suffer the same way? No, that's crazy. He's a nobody; he can't feel anything… right? "Hey, take it easy. As long as you're a good girl, maybe Xemnas will let you go early."

At the mention of release, Olette's eyes shot up. "Why are you keeping me confined in the first place?"

The redhead sighed exasperatedly. "Didn't Demyx already tell you before? You're bait to lure a certain someone back."

"Roxas… what connection does he have to the Organization? He's not affiliated with you guys, is he?" she questioned.

His initial reaction was to say "it's not any of your business, is it?' However, he knew she would respond with, 'he's my friend; he is my business,' or something along the lines of that. "What difference does it make to you? Besides the fact that he is your… friend."

Olette had to think this over for a moment. "Roxas means a lot to me. He's as close to me as my family. Don't you care about anybody? Why don't you understand?"

"Hah. I can say the same for you, my dear. As I've said for the last hundred times, nobodies do not have hearts."

"Did you at some point?" The brunette replied right away.

Before Axel could retort, a portal of darkness opened up, revealing Demyx holding her neatly folded clothes. "Here are your clothes, Olette. Nice and clean." Beaming at his accomplishment, the blonde presented the bundle to Olette.

"Thanks, Demyx," Olette expressed her appreciation politely.

"No problem. It was an easy job, considering the water clones did all the work." he smiled sheepishly.

"Alright, alright. Now go get dressed. I have other things to attend to." Axel soured immediately, sounding like an impatient parent.

"Other things to attend to," Demyx reiterated. "You wouldn't be talking about Roxas, would you?"

Instantly, silence followed. The blonde and brunette waited expectantly for him to respond.

"That's none of your business," the redhead snapped.

"The Superior told you not to—"

"I could care less what he has to say," he interrupted Demyx.

Suspiciously, Olette advanced toward Axel. "What are you going to do to Ro—" Suddenly, she started to swerve haphazardly. After smashing into Axel, she collapsed. Her sight faltered then she lost consciousness.

In a flash, the blonde was at her side. "Olette!"

"Shut up!" the redhead hissed lowly as if the walls had ears.

"This is bad. If Xemnas finds out she fainted…" Demyx trailed off frantically.

Ignoring him, Axel knelt and removed his glove. He gingerly touched her forehead; it was warm to the touch and slick with sweat. Grimacing, he wiped his hand on his cloak and placed it back into his glove. He lifted Olette and dropped her on Demyx's lap.

"H-hey what am I supposed to do?" he protested.

"Take care of her. What else? Isn't that your job?" The redhead stood up and opened a portal of darkness. As he was about to step in, the blonde whined again.

"Wait! You can't just leave. If Olette doesn't wake up soon, we're both in trouble."

Paying no heed to his warning, he departed. His last words echoed throughout the room.

"We? You mean you. I'm not getting involved in this mess."