Chapter 9: The Trials of Friendship; Saix's Decision

It was the fourth day of school. Thursday. For some reason, Thursday was Saix's favorite day of all. In Dark City, that day is when the moon shines its brightest. He loved that moon.

He was sitting alone that recess. He saw Roxas and Axel sitting with Demyx and Zexion, and felt as if a nail was drilled into his heart. Why is Axel with Roxas!? He asked himself. I know I'm the one who told him he could have two friends at once, but now I'm feeling left out.

"What's wrong?" asked a voice, and Saix looked to his right and saw Xigbar.

"Nothing," Saix moaned in despair. "None of your business. What concerns me doesn't concern you." Saix sat up and turned around, only to be confronted by Xigbar. How'd he even get around him so fast? "What do you want?"

"I always see you staring at that moon like it's a loved one," Xigbar said. "Why is that? Is it because of Sydney?"

Saix jumped at the sound of that name. "How do you know about her?"

Sydney was Saix's dead sister. When she was alive, she was seventeen years old and studying the moon. It always fascinated her, and Saix despised her for it. He told her the moon isn't that interesting, but Sydney wouldn't listen to him. She ended up spending every night under the stars, staring at the moon until she fell asleep. Saix's parents had told him to join her and keep an eye on her. He did, and actually liked hanging out and talking with her. He realized the subject of the moon fascinated him.

And then it happened. So suddenly, Sydney was crushed by falling debris. Saix saw the junk fall from the sky, like it came from the moon. He told his parents about it, but they just said it was from a tree. Sydney died in the hospital the next afternoon.

Every night after that, he could have sworn he heard her voice in his sleep. And every time he looked at the moon, he felt a presence calling out to him. It was like her spirit was on the moon.

"I know because you know; that's how the Nobodies work," Xigbar said silently.

"You're…" Saix mumbled, but couldn't find any words.

"Join Xemnas and I on our conquest of the world," Xigbar said into Saix's ear. In a second, a purple mist surrounded the two, and when it vanished, they were in a small room with a single couch in it. They were sitting down. "You are in a portal within the Space Continuum. Come with us, now! We urgently need you."

"Why me?" Saix asked. "What do the Nobodies have to offer me? Bringing back the dead? Like that can happen. I'd like it if you returned us to our own plane of existence, now. Please."

"You have no choice," Xigbar said. "Xemnas now realized his heart was telling him to target a select few students to become the perfect Nobodies, and his eyes focused on you and your friends you have classes with. Zexion is already with us."

"Huh?" Saix asked. "That know-it-all is actually a Nobody? He despises violence."

"Yes, he does," Xigbar said in an annoyed tone. "But he and Vexen are our tacticians, not our fighters. You can choose to become a fighter, if you'd like. Actually, you and Axel."

"No!" Saix yelled. "I can't…we can't…we're good, not evil!"

"The Nobodies are not evil," Xigbar explained. "They're just here to carry out orders and fight the Heartless. We're not evil. Except for maybe Xemnas and I…as if."

"Let me choose," Saix said. "Give me until the end of recess. I'll make my choice by then." He sat up abruptly and said, "Let me out of here, now, Xigbar." Xigbar snapped his fingers, and Saix reappeared on the couch next to Axel. It seemed as if Axel didn't notice. "Axel…"

"Yeah?" Axel asked, looking to Saix. "You need something?"

"Oh, uh…" Saix fumbled his words. "What should I do? I'm lost, and I need advice from my best friend. That's what I need. Comfort. Things are happening to quickly to—"

"Why would I help you?" Axel asked. "I'm not alive for the purpose of helping you out! I'm alive to be Roxas's friend! Nothing more!" Axel's voice seemed to have a tone of evil within it. His eyes grew wide and golden. The same gold as Xigbar's and Xemnas's.

"Axel…you're not him," Saix said with despair. Axel vanished into thin air, and was replaced by Roxas. "Roxas? Are you doing this?" Roxas's eyes were glowing yellow. He smirked.

"Not me," Roxas said with an edgy voice. "The Nobodies have the power to channel their thoughts into the minds of students within the school, allowing you all to see what you grieve the most. Axel's my friend now, and you just need to learn to die without him!"

Roxas turned around, facing the opposite direction. There was a face on the back of Roxas's head though. And that face had flaming red hair and green eyes. "Got it memorized?" the familiar voice of Axel said from the face on the back of Roxas's head.

Saix backed away. "Xigbar! Xemnas! What do you want me to do!?" he screamed, closing his eyes. He opened them, and standing in front of him were Roxas, Axel, Xigbar, and… Sydney. No, it couldn't be. But it was. This Sydney had long blue hair and brown eyes, and a cruel smile. "Sydney…is it you?"

Her brown eyes turned to golden and said, "Join the Nobodies. Join US."

Saix woke up. He was lying flat on his back on a couch, and towering over him was Demyx. Normal Demyx,; not a crazed figment of his imagination. Demyx said, "That's my spot, thank you."

"Xigbar?" Saix asked angrily. "Have you seen Xigbar?"

"No…"Demyx muttered. "Go check the office downstairs. I saw him going down on the elevator. You might still be able to catch him, if you hurry up. I haven't seen Zexion. He went off with Vexen for something. I dunno."

Saix jumped up and ran away from the confused Demyx. He was nearly reaching the elevator when something caught his eye. Axel and Roxas were sitting down after heading for the snack-shack, a place they could buy all sorts of things. They were talking and laughing, and in their hands were ice-cream bars.

Each had a brown stick and a blue-colored ice-cream on it. It was Axel and Saix's favorite. Sea-Salt Ice-Cream, the salty, yet sweet tasting ice-cream of their home town.

Saix screamed in anger and thought to himself, NO! He can't have that with Roxas! That's it! He bellowed in rage, impatiently beat on the elevator button, and when the door opened, he ran in, not paying attention if anyone was in there. He clicked the button to go to the office, and then sensed a presence.

He whipped around and saw Xigbar, cross-armed and leaning against the wall with a huge smirk across his face. "Did you like what you saw?" Saix ran at Xigbar and grabbed his suit collar. "Ooh, I guess not. A feisty one, aren't ya?"

"You want me to join?" Saix asked. "There's no point in running away. You'd always be there. There to take me away from my friends. But that doesn't matter because I have no friends. Not anymore."

"Good choice," Xigbar said, and yanked a needle from his pocket. "This blood inside the needle infuses Nobody DNA into your bloodstream, binding you into a covenant with us. You won't be able to escape after that."

"Give me that!" Saix yelled, grabbed the needle, and drove it into his own neck. He howled like a wolf after he pulled the needle out. It burned like crazy, but Saix didn't mind. His ears became pointed and his eyes changed to an orangey-gold color. On his neck was the Nobody insignia.

"Surprising," Xigbar said with interest. "Zexion fought, while you take it like a champ. A Nobody vessel indeed, Saix."

Xigbar vanished, the elevator door opened, and Saix saw the Grey Area. He walked over to Axel, who had just left Roxas and was now talking to Larxene. Saix grabbed Axel's wrist and dragged him away to the elevator. That's when Saix told the truth.

"Yeah?" Axel asked. "What is it? You seem tense. And your eyes and ears…"

"I'm a Nobody now," Saix said. "Xigbar gave me an offer I couldn't refuse. This is a school run by Nobodies, and it's best for me to join the crowd, Axel." He had an expressionless face.

"Yeah, well…" Axel mumbled, the replied, "You normally don't joke around, so…you're telling the truth. But…you're sure things are better this way?"

"I never expected you to question it," Saix replied. "If you could be friends with one of us…why would you choose that boy, Roxas? Or put it this way…which would you rather suffer the loss of: some make-believe friendship, or a real one?" He walked away from Axel, his back to the redhead, and said, "Now things are finally right again. Of course we're better off this way. We have to set things right. There is simply too much on the line…Axel."

Saix walked away. Axel just frowned. Saix walked over to the large window, and standing there was Zexion. "Zexion," Saix mumbled, getting the boy's attention. "I know you're a Nobody. I'm one too."

Cloud was at the desk in the office when Xigbar appeared next to him out of thin air. "We're getting more, one by one," he said to Cloud. "Those kids are so gullible. We now have more Nobodies. We'll soon beat all of the Heartless out there."

"You went after kids?" Cloud asked. "Are you joking? Don't touch Roxas at all, or we'll…"

"What'll you Neutrals do to Xemnas and I?" Xigbar asked. "Send us to the Realm of Darkness to rot for all eternity? As if. You and Tifa and the rest have no guts. We'll get to Roxas eventually. Right now we've got two, but soon we'll have the rest of that group. Oh, yeah, where's Xemnas anyway?"

"Looking for the Heartless," Tifa's voice said, stepping through the main door. "I thought that would've been obvious. There's still three here we can't seem to find."

Pete and Maleficent were in the Grey Area, standing by the wall on the far right. Standing next to them was the kid in the dark coat. He had the hood up, and when he spoke, it was a teen's voice. "Maleficent, Pete…you two be careful. They'll find you for sure, the way you stick out."

Pete vanished into darkness, while Maleficent stayed behind. "Be careful yourself, Riku. Ansem would hate it if you were caught." The girl disappeared into a dark portal.

"Those two had better not screw anything up," Riku said, and then vanished into darkness as well.