~O~
"You don't understand, he still has his memories, they're just…so far down, that he can't recall them." a girl muttered. "I can't erase if he won't acknowledge their existence."
"What're you talking about?" a harsh voice demanded. "Shouldn't the Castle have taken care of him?"
"It's hard to explain, but it's like his mind has hidden them from me." She continued, "I can still go through with what you want...but it'll be harder for him."
"Just do it; it's gotta be right if you want to have any hope of keeping Sora alive."
My brows creased together in pain as my eyes fluttered open a fraction of an inch. Across the room, two people stood talking in hushed voices. Almost immediately, fear gripped my heart. I didn't know where I was, or even how I got here.
"Don't you want to keep him safe?" the red headed man asked quietly.
She didn't reply. The man shook his head, resting his hands on her shoulders. She dropped her gaze to the floor. Her voice was so small I could barely make out her next reply, "Alright…"
The man made a noise of approval, then turned away from her. His eyes fell upon my limp form. A smirk turned up the corners of his mouth as he said, "Looks like you're finally awake."
Once he'd come to a stop by my side, he crouched and muttered, "Welcome to our little family, friend."
He nodded over his shoulder to the girl who immediately started towards me, and called, "No mistakes…"
She nodded solemnly and knelt by my side, fixing me with her pitying gaze. I shrank from her touch in fear, trying to force my body to respond, but once her cool skin connected with mine, I couldn't move.
"You will begin anew. Who you are, who you were, and everything else is no more…let me re-write…"
The edges of my vision slowly grew darker as she spoke. Soon, I wasn't even paying attention to the words passing her lips; all I concentrated on was the feeling of emptiness that slowly began seeping in.
The bright light was what made me open my eyes. Slowly, they fluttered open, and I noted dimly that everything about me felt heavy, especially my head. The sound of footsteps approaching from out of view pulled me still more into awareness. Seconds later, a man wearing a long black coat came into view. His emerald green eyes studied me for a moment, before he ran a hand through his mane of shocking red hair.
"Do you want a purpose?" he asked, walking around me.
I could feel everything beginning to grow clearer in my mind. It wasn't so far away anymore.
His hand in front of my eyes startled me, but I didn't move. Letters were appearing, forming a word. The man said easily, motioning to the word, "This is who you are…Noxeon, a servant loyal to only the Organization."
My legs suddenly crumpled, everything suddenly feeling very much real. Luckily, the man was anticipating this and caught me up in his arms, smirking. Slipping an arm around my waist, he led me over to the lone chair in the center of the room. I slumped onto it, watching as he stepped up to a window.
I don't know how much time passed before he came back and knelt before me and asked, "Hey, you feelin' okay?"
I raised my head slowly, peering at him from under my hood. After a moment, he smiled and said laughing, "You could at least nod or something!"
Slowly, I nodded. He stood after reaching out and patting my shoulder. I noticed then that we were wearing identical black coats. When he glanced back and saw me starring, he smirked, crossing his arms and said, "Alright, for the last time, the name's Axel, got it memorized?"
I nodded mechanically. His brows knitted together as he gazed down at me. Carefully, he tugged my hood up over my head, so I could no longer see him. Instead, I watched as his shoes moved once again to the window and listened as he explained, "What I said before about your purpose…you're sort of a shadow of your old self. We're kinda the same in that respect. And the Organization takes care of us, gives us something to exist for. You see, people like us are created when our previous selves are, uh…taken. We're what are left behind. We're Nobodies. And you…you're special. But that's all I can tell you."
Nodding in understanding, we fell into silence once again. I heard him pace in front of the window shortly after, but he didn't speak to me. And so we stayed there like that, for another space of uncounted time in silence. I only moved again when I felt the stirring of another presence.
I looked up in time to see a black swirling vortex materialize in the corner of the room. Almost as suddenly as that appeared, another black clad figure stepped from its depths. This new person pushed his hood back to reveal emotionless eyes set into a scared face. He studied me sitting placidly for a moment before asking Axel briskly, "The five traitors have been taken care of?"
Axel nodded, that ever-constant smirk curving the corners of his lips. The blue haired man nodded in my direction and asked, "It was a success?"
This time as Axel attempted a smile, it came out as more of a grimace. The man, however, paid no attention and strode over to me, peering at my face under the hood. Once finished looking me over, he made a sound, then said, "We'll see you back at the castle to hear your report."
Axel nodded once again, turning back to the window. The man motioned for me to stand. I did not react fast enough, for he hauled me to my feet by tugging under my arm roughly. He then proceeded to toss me in the direction of the portal and started toward it without another word. I was sucked into the blackness, the air around me closing in until it felt like there was nothing left. I could feel the man's hand on the small of my back, pushing me on. I wanted to stop more than once. At the last possible moment, I came out on the other side, the pressure around my chest evaporating.
All the blood rushed to my head, and I fell forward, my vision spotting. When I found my feet again, the man gazed down at me blankly before saying bluntly, "I am Number VII, Saix."
Without another word, he started off down the hall. I got to my feet shakily and trailed after, keeping my head down and only concentrating on the hem of his black coat.
He continued, "Each of the Organization members are given numbers when they enter. You, however, are The Protector, and therefore exempt."
This information seemed to be a continuation of who I was to be in the Organization. So far I knew I was Noxeon, The Protector. Protector of what though? If Number VII wasn't divulging this information just yet, then it mustn't be relevant.
We came to a halt next to a pure white door that didn't look unlike any of the others that we had passed. He pushed it open. Inside was another white room, but this one had chairs that rose high toward the ceiling and circled the walls. All sat facing the center of the round chamber. Most were occupied with more black clad figures.
Saix led me to the center of the room, stopping and bowing his head respectfully at the cloaked figure sitting atop the highest chair. He called humbly, "Lord Xemnas, I present to you…The Protector."
I vaguely reminded myself that somehow being this Protector was my purpose, and was important. It seemed to be what the Organization required of me by the man sitting above. Xemnas answered by leaning forward slightly, clearly intrigued.
"I see Axel managed to keep him in one piece…" he commented, peering down at me.
Saix nodded and called, "Yes, my lord, he has proven his usefulness and loyalty to the Organization."
Xemnas nodded and said darkly, "Now, let us witness the power of this Protector…"
Saix immediately turned and walked out of sight. I waited alone, feeling the eyes of all those around me watching my every move. I kept my head down until the sound of returning footfalls entered the room. Xemnas called down, his voice echoing powerfully off the high ceiling, "Number XIII…we call you to this council for the purpose of demonstrating the power of the Keyblade Master."
Saix had already moved away, making a beeline for one of the empty chairs. That left only XIII and me in the center of the ring. The person looked from Xemnas to me and back again before asking unsurely, "You want me to fight him? But…isn't he one of us…?"
Xemnas answered simply, "Some are not as they appear."
The boy took a cautious step back, a white light engulfing his hand. There, now clutched tightly, was what looked like a giant key. I could feel the power radiating from him. I could only stare down at it. I'm not sure what's going on…
"Let the battle begin!" Xemnas called raising his arms high.
The boy lunged, his Keyblade slashing at my middle in a sidestroke. Without thinking, I managed to dodge in time. I landed a few feet away, and stood motionless. My opponent was not fazed; he rushed me again, this time swinging high. Going with what my instincts told me to do, I threw my hands up.
From under my hood I saw a blinding flash of light. In the next second, I felt my hand clutching something tightly, and another second after that, XIII's weapon came down. There was a clang of metal on metal, and then silence. I blinked and looked up. In my own hand was a giant key, however, it was different from the other boy's. It was a deep purple, swirling intricately around and around encasing my hand protectively.
XIII seemed unsure of what to do next and glanced up at Xemnas questioningly, receiving a nod of approval. He shoved me away, coming at me strong and fast once again. I dodged, pivoting and lashing out with my own weapon. I grazed his shoulder, earning a small cry. The boy was just preparing to strike back when Xemnas called amusedly, "Enough!"
We both froze. XIII appeared to be unsure of what the point of this was, which was stupid. If Xemnas told us to do something it was our duty to fulfill it. Our leader made a small movement with his hand, and Saix leaped effortlessly back down to us. I cringed slightly when his hand fell heavily on top of my head. But he merely tugged my hood back from my face. I stared at the ground, not moving. He took a fistful of my strawberry curls and growled, "Look at him…"
He effectively directed my gaze to XIII who still stood rooted to the spot in front of me. For a moment, nothing happened. And then Saix called to XIII, "You must look into his eyes..."
There was a flash of cerulean in the shadows of the boy's hood, and it felt as though my entire body had been doused in electricity. I gaped over at him, not able to move or think or breathe. Feeling like this seemed impossible, and I questioned what was going on for the first time since existing. Saix released me and looked to Xemnas once again, who leaned back in his chair, pressing the tips of his fingers together in thought. After a moment, he made another move with his hand and Saix disappeared. Once again, it was only me and XIII in the center of the room, unable to look away from each other.
"Continue…" Xemnas murmured.
XIII shook his head forcefully, breaking the contact between us and readied for another attack. But something was different. I gazed at him questioningly and realized that I didn't want to hurt him at all. For the next space of time, we fought. He attacked relentlessly, growing more and more frustrated as time passed and I didn't strike back. Finally, we heard the sudden clap of hands from above us.
We both stilled, breathing heavily, weapons still drawn. Xemnas called, "Let us see what you shall do when another factor is added."
He snapped his fingers, and a large man jumped down, a giant spear materializing by his side. Without warning, it flew directly at XIII. He made to deflect, but the spear suddenly multiplied, catching him off guard; only barely able to dodge in the end. The last spear that went careening by came so close to grazing his side that I saw the fabric catch against the edge of the blade.
Once again, my body moved on its own accord, a fire suddenly engulfing every inch of me. The man was lunging now, spear poised directly at the center of XIII's chest who was still trying to recover. Without thinking, I sprinted between them, blocking the spear with my Keyblade, and catching his arm with my right hand. A split second later, and I felt my ribs burst with pain. I glanced down and saw XIII's weapon still connected to my side.
With as much strength as I could muster, I shoved the stunned man's spear away, and with a cry, swung back around and under his arm. He managed to duck out of the way at the last second, springing a few feet away. I staggered slightly, but didn't move from my defensive position in front of XIII.
All was silent for a moment as what just happened processed. I merely glared over at the man, readying myself for another attack. That was when a deep chuckle rang out. I chanced a look up and saw Xemnas; his hood now pushed back, a sparkle of delight in his amber eyes. Those eyes set against dark skin and shining silver hair were something that didn't belong. Calculating, cold, and burning with something so sinister, that I had to avert my gaze.
"Excellent! Xaldin, that's enough…" he called, directing the last statement at the man with the spear.
In a matter of seconds, all the other figures and Xemnas had surrounded me.
"Forgive the rude introduction. We had to make sure…" Xemnas explained. I merely stared up at him blankly. "I am Xemnas…leader of Organization XIII."
I nodded respectfully, wincing and clutching my throbbing ribs. One by one, other members introduced themselves until XIII was the only one left. But he didn't look at me; instead, he turned to the others and asked, his fists clenched, "Who is he? Why did you make me-…why did I have to-"
Xemnas' eyes flashed dangerously down at the boy, saying evenly, "He is essential in the plan. If Kingdom Hearts is to be reachable, we need him. That is all you need to know."
The boy stiffened, and then muttered quickly, "Excuse me…"
He then pushed past the others, walking briskly to the exit. All stood in silence until the sound of his footsteps faded. Xemnas, still visibly displeased by the boy's actions muttered something under his breath to Saix and went to sit high atop his throne once again. Saix in turn ordered two of the others, Demyx and Luxord to escort me to my room. They immediately came forward, and started to usher me to the exit.
My mind by now had completely shut down. I only concentrated on keeping my legs moving in the direction the others wanted me to go in.
When I woke, it was to the sound of someone rapping on my door. I tried sitting up, but winced as pain shot up from my ribs. I shook my head, gritted my teeth, and forced myself to rise up. However, before I could make it onto my feet, the door swung open, and on the other side stood Axel, grinning down at me.
"Long time no see, eh newbie?"
He strode in eagerly glancing around at my room, nodding his approval. After a moment, he turned to me, taking in the cuts and bruises. He motioned to them and asked, "So they did a number on ya?"
I made no move to answer. Instead I settled with starring at the floor. He sighed, resting against the desk on the wall opposite my bed and said, "Listen, you're important, that's why you're still around... With that being said, they told me to come tell you you're going on your first mission."
He reached over and took up my long black coat, tossing it next to me on the bed. Offering up a smile, he strode back to the still open door, calling over his shoulder chuckling slightly, "Hurry up, Saix doesn't like to have to wait!"
Standing, I gently slipped the coat on, careful of my still aching side, and took off after Axel. Compared to the last place I remembered being, it was like complete opposites out here in this hall. I must've passed out yesterday. It was so dark; I had a hard time seeing Axel. If it weren't for his bright red hair, I would've been lost. After a few minutes of walking in the dark, we came upon a well lit room, where Organization members sat lounging on the couches or stood talking.
Saix stood over by the large floor-to-ceiling windows. Axel nudged me in his direction.
"Protector, your mission will be with Roxas today. Learn our ways, and then report back." Saix commanded bluntly, our eyes only meeting for the briefest of seconds. I looked around for this Roxas. Axel merely hooked his finger in the back of my hood and tugged me away, muttering, "He's not here yet, squirt."
We waited in the corner of the room, watching the other members as they came and went. Finally, a spiky blonde haired boy appeared. Axel caught his eye and waved him over. When he was a few feet away, he noticed me standing beside Axel, and stopped short.
Bright blue eyes caught mine instantly. He asked Axel, our gaze not breaking contact, "What's he doing here?"
"Aw, c'mon Rox! Don't sound so disappointed to see your Protector!" Axel laughed, throwing his arm chummily around my shoulder.
So this is who I was to watch over. Roxas blushed and muttered something under his breath. I didn't catch what it was but Axel answered with, "All in due time, buddy!"
Silence fell between us as Roxas blushed in embarrassment, Axel grinned like an idiot, and I stood pinned awkwardly to his side. Trying to break the tension, Axel shook me slightly and asked loudly, "Are you just gonna stand there, or are you gonna introduce yourself?"
I was perfectly content with just standing there. But before I knew it, Axel ruffled my hair, and elbowed me encouragingly. He smirked and said, "Don't be shy."
Roxas' eyes lifted to meet mine once again, growing wide. My brows knitted together before I muttered, "Noxeon…"
"Alright, now that that's over with, let's get started on some missions!" Axel exclaimed, clapping his hands together decisively. He reached down, grabbing my hood once again, and tugged me along behind him. As we passed Roxas, he snatched him up in the same manner.
In a matter of minutes, Roxas and I stood in front of our own dark corridor. I hesitated, remembering what happened when Saix brought me through the last one. Roxas seemed to notice and raised his brow at Axel who was preparing for his own mission.
They shared a short whispered conversation, Roxas looking increasingly worried. With much encouragement, Roxas finally agreed to lead me through.
It was just like it had been before. As soon as I set foot in the black swirling void, it felt like all the air was being squeezed out of me. I struggled with putting one foot in front of the other, but Roxas' hand on the small of my back kept me centered. When I burst out on the other side, I fell, coughing and gasping. Slowly, my vision cleared, and I was able to realize whose arms I was lying in. I don't know why, but my chest felt like it was being constricted once again. I pushed a worried Roxas away and got to my feet.
"Are you okay, now…?" he asked unsurely.
I nodded, not meeting his gaze, bothered by the uncomfortable warmth in my cheeks. We stood facing each other in silence, the strain mounting until finally he cleared his throat and muttered, "Look, I'm sorry about yesterday…"
I merely gazed over at him blankly before he continued, "They didn't tell me anything before I got in. I…I didn't know who you were."
Why did he even care about that? He was ordered to fight against me, and he did. Both of us were just doing our duty; nothing to apologize for. I reached up and drug my hood up over my head, making no effort to answer him. After a moment of tense silence, he cleared his throat and motioned down the street while muttering, "Saix wanted me to show you how we work, so follow me…"
He led me through the golden tinged city until we came upon a group of little black creatures. I stared at them, trying to figure out what they were. Roxas, seemingly hearing my thoughts said, "Those are Heartless. It's our mission to get rid of them so Kingdom Hearts will grow."
We worked together to defeat them. I watched in silence as the last disappeared into a wisp of black smoke, releasing a small heart into the sky. Roxas continued, as we moved through the streets, to inform me all about our ultimate mission and what our part was. I found out that his being the Keyblade Weilder was special. Only he could release the ultimate power of Kingdom Hearts. And without either, we would have nothing but our empty shells to live with.
When the Heartless finally grew scarce, Roxas began leading me to where our dark corridor was. However, he did not turn to return to the Castle like I thought he would. Instead he continued past it. Maybe there was one more task for us to accomplish before reporting in?
We came upon a clock tower sitting atop a train station nestled at the acropolis of the town. My head tilted up so I could take in just how tall the structure was. The topmost tower was barely visible to me. Roxas motioned for me to follow soundlessly as he strode around the side of the building to a hidden staircase.
Once we had ascended and reached a wide ledge, he sat down, dangling his feet over. I didn't understand what this had to do with our mission for the Organization. I merely stood unsurely, gazing down at Roxas' still form.
"You can sit Noxeon. We're not going back for a little while." He muttered, still gazing out across the town.
He was my superior, and the person that I was supposed to look after, and I should have no right to question what his actions were, but an overwhelming sensation rushed through my body. I started at the sudden feeling, trying to place what my other self would have been going through. I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth as blurry figures ran through my mind. A voice rose from the fog. I couldn't hear what they were saying, but I could recognize the feeling it gave me; irritation.
"…Why…?" I managed to ask finally, biting the question out as my body was still filled with the sensation of the feeling.
He turned to look at me and seemed to realize that I wasn't acting normal. His eyes widened as he got back to his feet and stared at me open mouthed. A mixture of confusion, embarrassment, and other unnamed emotions ran between us thick in the air. All I could do was stand and try to fight back whatever was going on inside me.
"Th-the others and I meet up here to hang out," Roxas offered suddenly, motioning awkwardly to the overhang beside us.
But that was just…stupid. Our objective in the Organization was to obtain our missions, go out and execute them, and then return to the castle for the next. What purpose did "hanging out" serve for Xemnas or the others? It was then that realization washed over me. I did not like this Keyblade Weilder, XIII. There must be something wrong with him.
Unable to form a proper answer, I backed away from him, shaking my head slightly. Then I just stood there, listening to the light wind pass by and the town far below. Roxas, after realizing that I wasn't going to speak or leave, sat down once again. Neither of us moved nor spoke until another black cloaked figure emerged onto the terrace.
"Oh, Xion, there you are! Where's Axel?"
The girl paused beside me and looked in my direction curiously before taking a seat next to XIII and answering, "He RTC'd to give a report and debrief on our newest addition again. He told me to tell you that ice cream was on him next time."
"It better be." Roxas grumbled. "I've gotten it for the past few times."
The girl, Xion took from a bag next to her two wrapped items. They were bright blue. Roxas graciously took one from her and carefully removed the clear packaging. He took a bite from the top tip of the azure treat, and gazed once again out across the horizon. It took me a moment to realize that the girl was offering the other to me.
I blinked, but did not move. She merely continued holding it out. But it was not like she was trying to force it on me. I could see in her eyes that she could care less if I took it. What she was looking for was something in my face. She was studying me silently; coldly.
"Its ice cream," Roxas called, noticing that I wasn't accepting the offering. "It's really good."
I couldn't bring myself to take it; this whole meeting on top of this clock tower seemed strange and a waste of time. Suddenly feeling tired, I turned from the outstretched ice cream, and went to the far side of the clock tower. I had thought of leaving and going to the dark corridor by myself, but then I realized that I wouldn't be able to go through alone. In such a case, I chose to separate myself from them as much as possible and try to sort through my thoughts.
