Took awhile, but here it is, "Deviant's Cradle II". This chapter has a fight from an earlier chapter, but it's from Xinck's point of view.
You know, last year I wrote the chapter "Something Frosty This Way Comes" It was a holiday-themed chapter and lately I've been having a few ideas for a sequel, but it's after Christmas, so it might have to wait until I'm waaayyyy done with this.
Ok, so after this chapter, there will be two other Deviant's Cradle chapters, then it's back to the main storyline of Axel's disappearance.
One last thing, I'm done with my writing schedule and now I can write anytime I want. Now my only problems are boredom and lazyness, so Yay...I guess...
I don't own anything. Except Xinck.
"Larxene." The Voice of the Superior sounded. He stood at the doorway, arms behind him, face eternally fixed into an expression of boredom, but with the eyes fixed into an expression of silent delight. "Congratulations on locating a potential new member, but unfortunately, No. VII has also located a potential new member."
"What?" Her voice sounded shocked and she shot a look at her Superior, but quickly withdrew it for fear of violent retaliation. "Wha—what do you mean?"
"It means your searching was all for nothing." A new voice, cold and unfeeling. The kind of voice that told all around it that it was holding back a tsunami's worth of rage. Behind the Superior, another man appeared in the exact same coat that the others in the room wore so well. His face, forever in a permanent scowl, was marked with a thin X shaped scar in the center of his face. His hair was long and baby blue, his eyes were an evil yellow and his eyes were pointed like a demon's. He was Number VII in the Organization.
"Saix." Larxene spat. She didn't much care for the man who handed out missions like an annoying aunt who handed out unwanted hugs and kisses. Even worse, she wore a ridiculous amount of lipstick for a woman her age, it's not like she's ever gonna find a man, especially if she insists on wearing those pants. Larxene scoffed at her Superior by 3 and said, "Has anyone ever told you that you'd look terrible in Lipstick?" She laughed to herself.
"Laugh now, thunder whore." Saix shot back, bringing a quiet gasp to the Young blonde boy and the red haired man.
All was quiet. Larxene stood there, taken aback by Saix's first insult to her ever.
The Superior spoke up instead. He cleared his throat, saying, "I do believe that after such a statement, some women, watching on the sidelines, have a tendency to say "Oh, Snap", but since no woman are here besides Larxene, I shall do the deed." He cleared his throat, looked at Saix and Larxene and said, "Oh, San-nap." He snapped his fingers for emphasis.
Before Larxene could reply, Saix started again. "As I was saying, I have, indeed, found a new member. His name is Bronx. He can easily destroy anything in his path. Just as strong, maybe stronger than Lexaeus. He cannot be stopped and I dare you to place your Nobody in his way."
"Just because you pumped some poor douchebag full of 'roids doesn't mean he's a good fighter." Larxene said.
"You haven't seen what he can do, Larxene. I witnessed him tearing down a mountain with his bare fists."
"Whatever, X-face, besides, the horror that my guy can cause is indescribable. Your balls will shrink so far into your abdomen at the carnage he can cause that you just might be able to become the 4th Chipmunk."
"This does peeks my interest." The Superior said.
"The..uh..Chipmunks?" The Red-haired man suggested.
"No. The two members that have been found." He replied, "Larxene boasts that her Nobody is Superior and Saix does the same. We only really need one member, so I suggest a quick fight to the Death."
"Interesting." Saix said. He didn't have to think about it for even a second, "Very well. I shall inform Bronx."
"No." The Superior said, "You and Larxene go and inform the other members in the Castle and we shall all meet in Idled Impasse." He turned to the two still sitting on the couch, "Axel." The Red-haired man perked up, "You find this 'Bronx' and Roxas," The Blond boy turned to him, "You find Larxene's find and we shall all meet in Idled Impasse."
In one, unified voice, Larxene, Saix, Axel and Roxas all turned to their Superior, No. I and Leader of Organization XIII, and said, "Yes, Superior."
"Dismissed." Xemnas said.
Xinck
I'm thinking I'll put "Stare into the Abyss and slip slowly into Madness." On my To-Do list. 'Cause I'm doing it now and so far I'm loving it. What's even cooler is every time I close my eyes all I see are faint, abstract colors dancing about in an eternally dark abyss. I wonder if everyone sees that when they close their eyes. I'll have to ask Larxene when ever she let's me out.
Once, when I was younger, I hid inside one of the closets in my house and I waited for someone to find me. No one came and I stayed in that dark space for an hour. I would've been angry or sad that no one bothered to look for me, but I later found out that no one was home. That was okay, I guess, since no one was there to look for me, but even worse, they went out for ice cream without me.
"Well Fine!" I shouted into the dark room, "Don't give m any ice cream! It'll go straight to my thighs anyway!"
Oh God, I'm insane. Shouting at nothing in the dark, what's wrong with me? Sometimes I think I just talk and say random, nonsensical things just to hear my own voice.
I wonder if my family even knows I'm gone. Do they even miss me? Hell, did anyone even notice that I hadn't come back from school? It's ironic, really. They would only notice that I'm gone when it's long term. Will they even call the police? Why should they? Why should they care now that I'm gone when they didn't when I was there? I can see them now, briefly shocked and only trying to look for me because it would be "The right thing to do" not because they love me or miss me. No. Those feelings would pass and they'd move on...
They don't care...
I don't care...
Maybe it's better this way.
I should have left a long time-
Knock Knock Knock.
Why the hell is Larxene interrupting my deep inner monologue? I got up, slowly, and took my time getting to the door. The knocking stopped for a second, then started up again. Why doesn't she just open the door, she did it last time.
She did say there were others in the this castle.
I got to the door. I waited a minute...another knock. It was a gentle knock, not forceful and impatient like Larxene, but actually nice.
"Who is it?" I asked through the door.
A different voice, a male voice, young too. "Open the door, please?"
Well, at least he said please. You can get very far with 'please'. I grabbed the handle and turned it. I decided not to notice that door was actually unlocked the entire time (Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!). The door opened and standing in front of me was the oddest blond swirl of hair that I have ever seen. He had blue eyes like sapphires in his head and they were as big as saucers. I could only imagine that I had the dumbest look on my face, looking at this guy who had to be 15 or 16, luckily I had my hood over my face so he couldn't see me. Instantly, my thoughts went to one of those classic Renaissance paintings of little blond cherubs with curls in their hair flying around butt-naked. Not that I was thinking about him flying around without pants...
What seemed like 10 minutes staring at his face and getting a good look at him was actually a split two seconds. I managed to say, "Wha..what happened to Larxene? Who are you?"
"She's a little busy right now. I'm Roxas." He didn't smile or give any expression of arrogance that you usually see with blondes. I bet he's an idiot, though.
Another 'X', just like Larxene. What kind of name was 'Roxas' anyway? Ha! Well, what kind of name is 'Xinck'? I guess it would have been rude not to introduce myself. I was gonna say 'Xinck' and not that other name Larxene gave me, but then I started thinking that maybe the name 'Xinck' was just too weird. It didn't sound natural like 'Roxas' or 'Larxene'. But it was MY name, and it was as good a name as any.
"I'm Xi-"
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He said. What was up with that? "You can tell everyone later, you know, if you want. After you..uh.. eliminate this one guy..." He looked down and up and around, I think he was trying to look into my hood.
"Uh..what do you mean 'Eliminate'?"
"Oh..you know...Kill."
"Kill? Why do I have to kill someone?" Surprise was my first reaction, but I couldn't shake the feeling that it was almost forced. I already killed a bunch of people and in just a few hours the shock of seeing dozens of dead bodies didn't faze me as much as it should. I was a serial killer, a mass murderer and I didn't care. I really was a monster.
"Try not to be shocked or anything." Roxas said. I think I saw him flinch while he tried looking into my hood, "Killing-er, uh-Eliminating is gonna be part of the job if you're joining."
"Do we at least get paid in this "job"?"
He replied with a shrug, "I guess, I'm not really sure."
I was going to respond, but before I could, Ruck Sack, I think that was his name, turned and raised a hand out in front of him. A portal, as dark and mysterious as the ones Larxene can make, opened and He turned back to me. "Come on." He said.
I couldn't tell if that was a suggestion or an order, but I went with him anyway, closing that door behind me.
Not long after, we came out of the black portal into another white room with metallic walls like the rest of the Castle. I made the assumption that whoever was in charge had an overall theme in mind. The only difference between this room and the room I was already in was the size and shape. It was a curved room with a tall ceiling, easily 20 feet high. To my left was a wall that was a large window that held a spectacular view of the night sky. To my right, I gasped slightly at the sight of others in the same black coats as me, Ruck Sack and Larxene. All of them were wearing their hoods and standing against the wall. Some had their hands to their sides, behind them or folded along their chests. I felt uncomfortable, like all their eyes were on me, judging me or accusing me of what I had done. It was maddening, unable to see their expressions. One of them in particular caught my attention, he stood at the center of all of them and even worse, I think he was looking in my direction. He had broad shoulders and although he was a few yards away, I could feel a crushing power radiating off him. It was like seeing a Mega Tsunami coming just for you and feeling it's presence even though it was miles away. It seemed he was doing all he could to hold back every molecule of power in his body. I had an instant dislike of him.
He was staring at me. I could tell.
"Just wait right here." Ruck Sack said. His voice brought me back from the man in the hood against the wall. He walked away, leaving me in the center of this room, while all those others watched me. They were laughing. Making jokes. I knew they were, I could tell. Ha! HA! HAHAHA! I see you! I see you too! Blah la la la la la! HA Ha! I bet I cracked an odd smile in my hood. Why wouldn't I? It was hilarious. At least I think it was.
Not long after I arrived, more portals appeared. Larxene came out of one and so did a man with shockingly long, blue hair and a scar on his face. They took their spots along the wall. Then, far across from me, an extra large portal opened and two men in black coats strolled out. The smaller one had blazing red hair and he looked annoyed, rolling his eyes as he exited the portal. The other one, a VERY large man with short brown hair and brown, merciless eyes to match. Through his black coat, I could see muscles that literally survived off of steroids and muscle shakes. He had the dumbest look stapled to his face.
"Stay here." The man with red hair said. And he, too, went to the wall and stood next to Ruck Sack.
Everyone quieted down and the room was silent, except for the loud mouth breathing of the large brown haired man across from me. The man with the tremendous power on his shoulders took the attention of everyone one in the room.
He spoke. His voice was terribly monotone. "Organization XIII only needs one new member. Yet we have two candidates, as such, a contest will determine who has the right to wear the coat. The winner will join us, the loser will fade away and cease to exist." He turned to the others along the wall and pointed to Larxene and the blue man, "You may have a few words with your respective candidates."
Larxene came up to me, a sincere look on her face. Needless to say, I was wary. She placed a hand on my shoulder and looked into the darkness of my hood. "Hey, how's it going?"
What kind of question is that? I have to fight to the death while a bunch of fucking weirdos stare at and judge me. Other than that, I guess I was fine. "Okay, I guess. Can't complain." I shrugged. I should be much more concerned that I was about to fight and possibly die, but I wasn't. I felt like dying wasn't the worst thing to happen to me at the moment. "He's going to kill me." I said, "How is it going to be a fight when I've never had to fight before in my life?"
"Don't worry." She said calmly, "It should all come naturally to you. Can you make your weapon come to you?"
"What?"
"Nevermind. We'll get to that later. I should've known it would be too early for you to call it at will. Anyway, you can use this instead." A sword, a large katana with a square hand guard and red handle was in her hand. It had to have been there and I just didn't notice. She handed it to me and it weighed nicely in my hand. I had ordered a Japanese katana online once, but I was thoroughly pissed when it turned out to be dulled down. I still could've practiced with it, but I was too embarrassed that people would see me, the neighbors already thought I was strange, they didn't need an excuse to call the police on me. But, and this was the part that confused me, Larxene said that fighting would come naturally to me. Lies! Lies, I say!
I took the sword anyway. Shocking how easily I went with the flow in this situation. "Why are you helping me?" I asked.
She cracked a small smile, "Because I know you can that." She motioned over to the large brown haired man and the blue haired man. The Blue haired man had torn off the top of his coat and started posing bare chested with the larger man. Grunting, straining their muscles and hollering. The raw testosterone in the air was frightening. "Just Kill him like you killed all those villagers, 'kay?"
"Oh...okay." Oh yeah, bring that up.
"Oh and one more thing." She reared up a hand and struck at my face. The sting and smacking sound made me flinch and pull away. She struck through the side of the hood, but I could still feel it.
"OW!" I yelled, "That hurt, you she-beast! What was that for?"
"Angry?" Sh asked cutely, folding her arms.
"Yeah, I'm mad!"
"Good. Now use that anger and direct it at him." She pointed to the large brown haired man, now standing alone since the blue haired man left. "Good luck." Larxene turned from me and left, back to the wall where she started talking to the man with blue hair.
"Is everyone ready?" The Man with the deep monotone voice asked. No one said anything. "Good. Begin."
I didn't think "Begin" actually meant "Begin", but it did. The brown haired man roared with the fury of a mad cow. I fist pumped with both arms, then took the Right one and threw it into the hard metal ground. The metal curved and troubled around his fist, he pulled upward and a great silver Ax with a handle as long as he was tall came out. The blade was wide, jagged and pointed the tip of the handle. The Man banged the butt of the ax on the ground and stood at attention, staring daggers at me.
"Oh, what the fuck!" No way he can make that come out of nowhere! I had no time to think about how making an ax appear out of nowhere was possible, but after everything I'd seen in the past day I might have to rethink my definition of possible. Desperately, I gripped the katana in my hand, raising it above my head in my right hand and straightening out my left, gesturing and baiting for him to come to me. (I saw it in a movie once. I thought it made me look cool).
The screaming giant came for me, swinging his ax wildly. I stood my ground, taking a chance and waiting for the best time to move and strike. He was close to me, close enough to strike. He raised his ax above his head and brought it down, blade aimed for my head.
"Move! Now!" I rolled out of the way to the right, letting the ax smash and become wedge into the floor. The man started tugging away at his weapon, all the while yelling at me.
"RAAAAHH! RAAAGGGHH!" He screamed at me, either nonsensical things or I was just to distracted to make out what he was saying. He was open. Now was my chance. I raised the katana over my head, aimed for his arm and jumped. Everything was in slow motion, it was only me, him, my sword and his arm. My thoughts were everywhere. "This is it! Me or him! Live or Die! Ham or Turkey! What is that smell! Ding Dong Diddly Doo!" I brought the sword down against his arm, my feet his the ground and the blade broke off against his arm. I stood there, in shock as half of the blade hit the ground with a clatter.
"DAMMIT, LARXENE!" I dropped the remainder of the sword, turned and ran. The man laughed, finally pulling his ax out of the ground.
"HAHA HA! Little boy can't cut it, can he!" He brandished his ax, spinning it around and stomping it , "Get Ready! Bronx is gonna-" I didn't make out that last bit because I was panicking, but I think he said he'd do something unsanitary to my dead body.
I ran around that room, the man named Bronx chasing me, striking the ground behind me with his ax. He was getting closer, I ran, I jumped and just barely dodged out of the way. I looked to the wall, to Larxene. She had no expression on her face, just a look of nothing as she watched me run. The Blue haired man had a smirk on his face. I heard laughing from one of the people in their hoods, laughing at me, no doubt.
I only slowed for half a second as my eyes became fixed on the visage of the the man with the deep voice. I shouldn't have looked, because as soon as I did, I slowed and the man named Bronx grabbed me from behind, gripping the back of my neck with his giant meaty hands. He choked me from behind, hauled me up to yell at me.
"Oh, Little man can't breath. Well let me help you!" He threw me like a rock, I screamed and smashed front-first against against the hard metal wall. I felt all the air in me rush from my body. Blood shot from my mouth and splattered the wall. I slid down, in a daze, gasping for breath, twitching.
"Get Up! Fight, dammit!"
Voices in my head, screaming at me. The Will to survive, to fight, to live. Maybe I should just stay there and let him kill me. End it. I had my eyes closed. I heard his footsteps coming closer to me. I started breathing again, but I wouldn't move.
"Darkness...Fear Not...Death.."
Mumbo Jumbo. Was I scared? Should I be? My heart wasn't racing. I wasn't scared. I was never scared. I already died when that thing stabbed me and I was still here. Maybe Death wasn't the worst thing that could happen. Maybe Death wasn't the end of everything. So why be scared of dying? Why fear anything if nothing lasts forever? No Death. No Heaven everlasting. No Hell eternal. Only Darkness after Death, after my Death.
I opened my eyes. I placed my arm under me and slowly pushed myself up, coughing. I already said, before I died, that I would support true Darkness now, so why wait until I die again to get it?
"Master your Divine Darkness..."
I stood. My back popped. I turned to see Bronx come for me, but the blunt end of his ax caught me in the side, cracking my ribs with a sickening crack. More blood exploded from my mouth and my body fell to the ground in a heap before Bronx.
I took the hit, my ribs cracked, but it didn't knock me out. The pain was nothing, it was there, but easily ignorable. Honestly, it tickled a little bit. I started giggling quietly as blood trickled from my mouth. Bronx stood over me and reached down, grabbing at the neck of my coat, he hauled me up to look at him face-to-face. I was laughing to myself, my body going limp in his grip. I don't think he heard me laughing. I could see the bloodthirsty look in his eyes mixed with unmistakable stupidity. The smell of his breath was unbearable.
"Tell me your name." He grunted.
"W-what?" I chuckled.
He grunted, licked his lips. "I like knowing the names of the people I kill."
HAHA! That tickling in my ribs was dying down, but that terrible vibrating in my chest, that same vibration that brought the ringing in my ear, was wild and resounded throughout my entire body! It tickled like crazy and I loved it! I laughed hard and I looked Bronx right in his poo-poo brown eyes and said. "You...can call me your killer."
That stupid look on his face pissed me off. "Uhh..that...would me you killed me."
"Now you're getting it!" I shouted. I moved away, I don't know how, but I got out of his grip and the next moment I was behind him. My body was vibrating with that feeling in my chest. Black smoke rose around me. This was great! I was loving this! Kill him! I wanted to kill him! I raised both my hands out and the cool, black smoke spread to my palms like fire in a forest.
"Master your Divine Darkness...take your gift...fear not and lay waste to anyone in your way!"
Mumbo Jumbo or not, but there was something in me that desperately needed freedom. That black smoke at my palms completely took over my hands. The smoke solidified and it's weight become known in both hands.
Two swords, jagged, short, dark gray, and no hand guard. My swords. Mine! I spun them around in my hands and they were perfect, perfect for me and what I wanted to do! These were the same swords that fell into my hands just before Larxene found me and I killed all those people. I didn't know how they were mine but they felt right in my hands.
A dark shiver went down my spine and I eyed Bronx through my hood. "Oh, yes..."
He scoffed. "So? Just 'cuz you git swords don't mean you won't die!" He roared and charged. So typical. He came for me, ax at his side. My body moved on it's own, moving faster than Bronx could keep up with. I cut at his left leg and dashed behind him. Blood from the wound trailed behind me on my blades. Bronx screamed, falling to his knee.
Another opening.
I jumped again, right onto his back. I raised both blades and drove them into his shoulders, coating them in fresh blood. "Aaaggh!" Bronx screamed. He stood up and thrashed about trying to throw me off. He dropped his ax and tried to grab at me, but I stayed on until I pulled straight down, tearing through his bloody back skin and coat until I got to his waist and jumped off, letting him scream wildly and flail about, madly trying to reach and care for the long wounds on his back.
"RAAAGGGHH!" Bronx screamed and yelled, falling to his knee and breathing hard. I was a little surprised that he didn't pass out from the wounds. "That's not fair!" He screamed at me. "That's cheating!"
"How am I cheating?" I asked through my hood.
"You're fat! You're not supposed to be fast!"
"I'm not fat!" How dare he call me fat! "I'm just...a little large, that's all!" Okay, that's it. You die now! A spark of creativity, I dropped my swords and they faded into smoke, I ran for Bronx's fallen Ax and lifted it up with ease despite it's size. I ran for Bronx and bashed the flat side of the ax against his face, a sickening crack followed. I bashed him again and he staggered back in an awful daze.
And the final Act! I stabbed the butt of the Ax into the ground, easily piercing the metal with my own strength. I angled it so the point of the blade was aimed for Bronx's face and with a small gesture of my hands, I felt a tug in my gut and my blades reappeared in my hands.
"Motherfucker, I'm gon' kill you!" Those were the last words Bronx would say. Swords in hand, I stepped back and tossed both blades at him and like a yo-yo the blades shot into his shoulders while the handles stayed in my hands connected only by dark chains. I heard gasps behind me from those in the black coats. But what was even better were the screams from Bronx who tried to claw at the blades in each of his shoulders.
"Waagggh!" He screamed. I pulled and he screamed. Closer and closer he came to the blade of his ax, screaming as I pulled him. One great tug! The sound of blade piercing flesh and bone, the sound of last breaths escaping lungs as a man's neck and head were shattered on impact. The man named Bronx stood there limply, dying. The blade of his own ax lodged securely in his maw.
I retracted my blades just by thinking about and the chains disappeared from sight. I marveled with a grin at my first real kill. Morality be damned, I liked this.
"Welcome to the Organization, No. XIV." That deep voice. I turned to see the hooded man, who I took to be the boss of all of them.
"Show us your face!" A man with an English accent yelled from the group.
"Come on! Let's see! Tell us your name!" Another voice, young and melodious.
I might as well. I'll be working with these people now, I guess. I don't know for how long, but I'll be fucked and screwed at the same time if I'm known as 'Analsex' for the rest of my life. I grabbed at my hood and, at first, pulled slowly. What if they thought I was creepy because of the teeth thing? Should I care? Probably, but I just don't. Why was I worried about my teeth anyway? It's not like I ever smiled, really. I pulled at my hood, revealing my face to the blinding whiteness of this castle. "My name is Xinck." I told them.
"What the hell! That's not the name I gave you!" I turned to hear the shrill voice of Larxene, pointing an accusing finger at me.
"It's better than the name you gave me! You tried to call me Analsex!"
She stopped yelling at me long enough to be overcome by stomach-grabbing laughter. But the Boss with the deep voice had something to say apparently. "Larxene. You cannot name members Analsex. It was already established that it was uproariously hilarious the first time, and less the second. Now it is only worth a mild chuckle or two. The name Xinck has given himself will do fine." The Boss walked away from the group and headed towards me. I felt my knees weaken a little as he drew closer. I thought I might blackout before long. I felt like a small child there, looking up at him as he stood in front of me. He placed a strong hand on my shoulder, I staggered and the vibrating in chest stopped, and I lost my natural high.
The boss raised his hands as he stood next to me and threw back his hood. Silver mane, tanned skin and eyes like pure golden fire. A strong face, he could have easily been a model. He looked no older than 30. He eyed me, then the rest of his group. "Let us all welcome our newest comrade."
The Organization has had more than one Fourteenth member in the past and none of them had ever lasted more than a few days or, at most, a week and a half, either they faded away due to natural causes, died in battle, or pissed off the wrong senior member. Even when the Organization had two times as many members, the Fourteenth member was always the first to go. Needless to say, Xinck wasn't expected to last long. But, as per custom in the group, he was to be given all of the need-to-know- information that was required if he was going to be in The Organization. What was odd was that the Superior himself was telling him the ins and outs of the group.
Xinck didn't like being so near to the Superior as they walked from Addled Impasse to The Alter of Naught. Actually, he couldn't be so near to the Superior at his current level, which was worlds below Him at the moment. Xemnas, the Superior, was one of two members in the Organization who was required to hold in his presence at all times while in the Castle. Xemnas could easily crush and end everyone if he didn't.
But Xinck, who was still getting used to his new existence, had to be on his guard, he had to concentrate on every footstep he made, every breath he took so that he didn't blackout from the Superiors suppressed presence.
"Xinck." Xemnas said, walking a few steps ahead of the neophyte, "Can it be assumed that you remember your true name?"
Xinck had a bead of sweat on the side of his face. He had to force the words out of his mouth and loudly as he had his face to the floor, "M-my name?"
"Do you remember your true name?"
"Y-yes. I added an X because Larxene had an X in her name. She said it was what people like us do."
"The X is a mark of brotherhood. But truly, it represents the 'X-Factor', the unknown variable. Unknown, Anonymity and Nonexistence are the three forces we as Homo Nihilis must bare."
Xinck sniggered to himself. "You said Homo."
"What is funny about Homo?" Xemnas stopped and turned to look at Xinck, who shrank down and averted his gaze.
"Nothing. Uh...what does Homo Nihilis mean?"
"It is the scientific term for what you, me and everyone in Organization XIII is. The more common term is 'Nobody'. We are all Nobodies, Xinck. As are you."
"I've heard that before, but what does it mean? I mean, I know that I didn't have much of a social life or friends, but I don't think I would've called myself a Nobody."
"Not that type of Nobody. Nobody, as in, you don't exist, or at least you shouldn't."
Walking out of Proof of Existence and onto Naught's Approach, Xemnas stopped as he took a look over the edge of his enormous white giant in the otherwise dark world. Xinck stood behind him, casually backing away and regaining his strength as he did. "Oh. Homo." Xemnas said. "I get it now. Good one." He turned and saw Xinck, his back against the opposite wall. "Why are you over there?"
"Just trying to catch my breath." He said.
"Are you afraid of me?"
Xinck said nothing. Shocked at the question and unsure how to answer, he wanted to look away, but dared not to, instead, he looked past Xemnas and into the night sky.
Xemnas continued. "It matters not. You nor I have a heart to feel such a thing as fear, hate, anger, envy. Emotions and feelings are beyond those of us who lack hearts."
"If I don't have a heart, how am I breathing or standing now?" Xinck asked defensively.
"You breath, you stand, you exist, though you should not all because you have the Will to do so. Strong will can get you anywhere. Your Will is what saved you from being nothing more than a mindless Heartless and it is what gives you a terrifying presence.
"My presence? What's that?"
A small grin appeared across Xemnas's face. "When you summoned your weapons in a flurry of your elemental darkness, your presence manifested and everyone watching you felt it. Your presence, your will affecting everything that exists around you gives off Death. People, normal people, die around you."
"People die around me..."Xinck thought. He was walking death. The buzzing in his ear, the vibrating in his chest. It was his will, his presence, wanting everyone around him to die. But one question...
"Why aren't you dead?" Defiance in his tone as he looked Xemnas right in his eyes. "Why isn't anyone else in this Organization dead?"
Another laugh. Xemnas walked to Xinck and the latter stood his ground, but noticeably twitched. "Xinck, your presence can't hurt me or anyone else in this Castle. Nobodies aren't affected by the presence of other Nobodies because we don't exist and presences only effect things that do exist...which is most things. Instead, when we release our presence around others like us they only feel a push coming down on them like pressure."
"If this is true, then how come I feel your presence right now? Maybe I'm not a Nobody."
"You are. I can tell. My presence manifests as the entire Realm of Nothingness coming down and crushing you into Nonexistence. Because we as Nobodies exist in this Realm, Nobodies can feel it as well. It is something I must hold back at all times or risk killing all of you in a brutal fashion. And you can't have an Organization with only one person, you know."
Xemnas gave another wry smile. He walked on, towards the passage that would lead to Ruin and Creation's Passage and then to the Alter of Naught. He was halfway into the passage when he turned around to see Xinck still against the wall. "Coming?"
The Superior would take the Young Nobody on a brief tour of the Castle, explaining what it was the Organization actually does, how they do it and what exactly his job and training would require. He gave Xinck a brief summary of the Heartless, the Nobodies, the nature of the Heart and Light and Darkness. Xinck did nothing more than listen and ask an occasional question or two and eventually the tour ended in the Castle, in another long white hallway in front of a large white door, Xemnas's Office.
Xemnas had actually become bored with the whole 'tour' idea, but he did his best not to let on. "...and so, that concludes your brief, yet surprisingly long and overdrawn, introduction to Organization XIII." Xemnas came to his door, opened it, slipped in and poked his head out and looked at Xinck. "Xinck, welcome to Organization XIII, I'm sure we're all looking forward to working with you and yada yada. See you soon and goodnight." He closed the door, leaving Xinck outside.
Xinck stood there, silent, looking left to right. "Where am I supposed to go?" He asked through the door. No response. He said 'goodnight', like, going to bed, right? Xinck didn't have a bed. He knocked on the door. No answer. He knocked again and it opened and the Superior stuck his head out to eye the young nobody.
"Are you still here?"
Xinck shrugged, "Where am I supposed to go?"
"Your room, sleep, it doesn't matter to me. No one is going to be a parent to you."
"I don't have a room."
"Just open a Corridor of Darkness and pick a room."
"I don't know how to do that. Larxene didn't give you a room?"
"No—well, not really. I think it was her room."
Xemnas closed his eyes, from either irritation or contemplation. He stepped out of his office and closed the door behind him. "A little tidbit of information for you, my young friend. I've just paid more attention to you than I have to most of the others in this Castle."
"I-I'm sorry." Xinck shrugged.
"No you're not." Casually, Xemnas grabbed the hood of Xinck's coat and pulled him up like a lioness pulls on the neck skin of her cub. Xinck was a few feet off the ground, to his shock, Xemnas could lift his 200+ lbs. frame with ease. With his free hand, Xemnas created a Corridor of Darkness and effortless tossed Xinck inside the Darkness. Before he closed the corridor, Xemnas heard a loud thump and Xinck screaming "Ow!"
"Goodnight." Xemnas said, closing his office door. He walked across the office to the far wall, which was a window with black curtains, and he sat at his large desk.
"'Goodnight'?" Saix, the man with the pointed ears and blue hair asked, going over files in the file cabinets along the adjacent wall. "How odd of you."
"I was only being friendly to our newest recruit."
"You aren't friendly. Ever. "
"That just isn't true."
"Oh, really?" Saix said, "Remember Xibre (Ze-Bear)? He was here for a week and a half and you blew his head off."
"Mmm. I can't recall him." Xemnas said, pretending to write up a new report.
"So, how is our newest addition?" Saix asked.
"His elemental power of Darkness interests me."
Saix scoffed, "He won't last. Darkness always rots away everything from the inside. Even if he doesn't have a heart, he'll fade away."
"Maybe, maybe not. Either way, I'd like to see about Xinck and his powers and abilities. Schedule him for a physical with Vexen."
"Alright, all! I am now taking bets!" Luxord shouted, walking into The Grey Area, the Organization's Lounge room. It was filled with a few members, sitting around the small coffee table. Luxord, No. X in the group was a well-known gambler, a charmer and was one of the only people in the group who was liked by all. He wore his white-blond hair short, blue eyes and several earrings in his ear. He always seemed to have a smirk on his face, as if he knew a bold and dark secret in the world that no one else knew. "I talked to Lexaeus earlier and he said He'd bet 250 Munny for the new lad to last 5 days."
"Ha! Lexaeus bet that! Fine, I'll take a piece." Xigbar said, No. II. Despite his high rank and authority he held, he rarely lorded it over anyone. He preferred working in the field, getting his hands dirty. The eyepatch and scar on his face proved his abilities to fight, but his smirk of pride and arrogance only said 'Hey, I'm an antagonist. I'm gonna shoot you now.'
Zexion shook his head and sighed. "Every new member..." The second youngest member in the group after Roxas, Zexion, No. VI, was the Organization's head Mystic. Always reading, always with a book in hand, Zexion studied all subjects no matter how taboo. Despite his almost constant sad appearance, he wasn't gloomy, despite his youth, he was very mature. "You're all dumb asses. Betting on a fellow member. It's deplorable. We only have just a little over a dozen members and you're already betting on their demise? Such a shame..."
"Yank the stick out of your ass, Zexy." Xigbar jeered." We're just going by the track record of the other 14th members. I'm telling you, that number's cursed."
"Wow!" Demyx, No. IX, chimed in. "I hope my number's never up. What'll you guys do without me?"
"Move on." Zexion said, not taking his eyes off his book.
"Drink and forget." said Luxord, taking a seat.
"Bury you in the Pet Cemetery, bring you back and collect the money you owe me." Xigbar said.
"Aww..." Demyx groaned, strumming his giant, blue sitar. Demyx was young, musically talented and, reluctantly, the Organization's Recon man/punching bag. He wasn't a fighter, but knew how to hold his own if he needed to. He was good natured, which raised a question: Why is he in the Organization? "You guys don't appreciate me. You all are definitely gonna miss me when I'm gone."
"Good bye." Zexion said.
"Nice to see you, old sport." Luxord said.
"Don't let the door hit you on the ass on your way out." Xigbar said.
"Change the subject!" Demyx shouted.
As it turns out, Xemnas had randomly thrown Xinck into a room, not even caring which room it was. Xinck's face had smashed into a large pillar in a foyer-size room with two floors. He took this as being his room. Of course he didn't get much sleep that night, one reason because he didn't have a bed, the second reason because he had just had a huge existential Atomic Bomb dropped on him. Here he was, all body, all memories and soul, but no Heart. To him, it made no sense at all.
"You are a Nobody."
"You have no emotions, no morals."
"You do not truly exist."
Those were the words of his new Superior, Xemnas.
How do you not exist? How does one go about even thinking of that state if one has no mind to think about it in the first place? A riddle wrapped in an enigma stored in another riddle and boxed in a mystery...box. That's what Xinck thought, anyway. To be honest, he didn't feel that much different than when he "had a heart" or whatever they called it. Maybe because he never took the chances, took the risks involved in having a heart.
He sighed. "Oh well. Too late now."
Take the risks of having a heart, having a life worth living.
Was it so cruel of him, so bad, so evil to have found something exciting and worth living for by taking the lives of others? Right and wrong, good and evil. He had learned all that when he was young. Ordinary morality was for ordinary people, he longed for something extraordinary, so he ignored the bland morality that was good and bad. It was only now that he could act on this philosophy of moral ambiguity. Killing Bronx didn't feel wrong, it didn't right, but for Xinck it felt...almost relieving. Almost like he could make some else hurt just as bad as he does. He didn't know about actually "feeling" anything, but...
He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "None of this makes sense."
The Next Day...
It took some time, but Larxene eventually found Xinck wondering about the Castle the next morning. He hadn't slept, but he didn't feel tired at all. He thought it was still night out when he finally left his room to wander, but Larxene told him otherwise.
"What do you mean it's 7'o'clock in the morning?"
"Seven in the morning means Seven in the morning. Duh." Larxene said, Xinck walking beside her. "How else am I supposed to say it, mm?
"It doesn't make sense is all I'm saying."
"This world stays dark, 24/7. But, I've heard that there is a sun, it just doesn't show up often."
"Stupid, lazy sun." Xinck said.
"So, what did Mansex say to you last night?"
"Who's Mansex?"
"Xemnas's name rearranged." She said, "It's just this old inside joke we've had going around for awhile."
"It's not that funny,"
"No. No it is not. There is absolutely nothing funny about the word 'Mansex'." A moment's pause. The sound of their footsteps on the hard metal floor. They walked in silence. Larxene cleared her throat. Xinck scratched his neck. More silence.
"You can laugh about it later." Larxene said.
"Yeah, yeah, I'll do that." He replied awkwardly. "So what am I doing today? Do I get to kill another person?"
"Listen, Sex, I-"
"Xinck. It's Xinck."
"Yeah, whatever. I hate to burst your bubble, but eliminating or killing people is only a small part of the job, so we'll get to that later. I'm supposed to take you to Saix in the Gray Area so you can get acquainted with the other dumbasses you'll be working with. But first I'm gonna take you to see Marluxia."
"Funny name."
"This coming from a guy named Xinck."
Marluxia was the Organization's No. XI. The phrase "Prima Donna" was the lazy way of describing the fashionable, the beautiful and ever Graceful Assassin. He had a strong, muscular build, hair, feathered and as pink as the cherry blossoms he ruled and his face put the word pretty to a suicidal shame. His appearance often fooled people into thinking he wasn't a threat, but truthfully he was currently the 3rd strongest Nobody in the Castle. Rank had nothing to do with power.
Marluxia did enjoy making grand first impressions, but Larxene found his entire method stupid and unnecessary. Marluxia started by singing and slowly descending down a staircase, flower petals falling out of nowhere and blowing in the faces of Larxene and Xinck. Marluxia paid them no mind! He sang about his own vanity and beauty, about how 'pretty' was just pretty but 'perfect' was Marluxia.
"I have your hearts and you have my pity! Pretty is nice, but still, it's just pretty! Perfect, my dears, is meeee..." He held his final note with a smile, coming down the stairs with the grace of a seasoned stripper on a pole. H came down, ending with a snooty grunt and a pose, letting his hair move about in the air, petals still falling effortlessly around him.
"What a pretty lady." Xinck said, unimpressed.
"He's a guy." Larxene said.
"What a pretty guy."
No. XI walked up to his two subordinates, a fake Nobody half smile on his face. "Hello." He said to Xinck, "I am Marluxia, number Eleven."His voice was monotone, yet breathy.
"Xinck. Number Fourteen, I guess."
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Xinck." He was taller than Xinck, rising above his head a few inches. "I've heard a great deal about you."
"Oh..like what?" Xinck found himself looking left and right. Larxene was surprisingly quiet.
"You're quite the fighter, quite the killer. Larxene seems to think you will make a grand addition to our little group of misfits."
Larxene scoffed. "I didn't say that!"
Marluxia rolled his eyes at the woman, "Are you satisfied now? You're making my first impression seem like a lie! I was just trying to build up his confidence."
"Confidence? First impression? Oh, whatever! As if the 25 year old Metrosexual singing Bette Midler didn't scar him already!"
"YOU!" Marluxia bellowed, "Just cannot appreciate talent when it stares you right in the face, you uncultured harpie!"
"Harpie?"
"Yes! Harpie! I've seen your feet, how DARE you call those cold, clawed talons feet! They're as sharp as your kunai!"
"Oh! You know what else is sharp? Your split ends! Dye your hair like a normal person's and quite wearing so much hair spray!"
"I don't use hairspray! It's all natural, girlie." He tauntingly flipped his hair.
"Bullshit! You use so much hair spray that I don't light any matches because I know you'll burst into flames! Oh, wait! You already burst into flames!"
Marluxia's face widened in a gasp, "You bitch! Penis-curling she-beast!"
Larxene's eye twitched, she called to Xinck and opened a Corridor of Darkness, "Here. Go to the Gray Area and wait for us there. We'll catch up later."
"Uh...ok." Xinck inched toward the opened Darkness and it closed behind him. When he left, tensions lowered.
"So, what do you think?" Larxene asked, her voice lowered, her eyes darting to the space where Xinck left.
Eleven flipped his hair and placed a hand on his chin. "He does have potential. He has a strong presence. Could you feel it?"
"Could I feel it? Dude, I found him and I've been around him more than anyone. Of course I can feel it."
"Murderous intent. His will dictates Death. He's got Darkness in him, no doubt. The Superior could have an interest in him, but..."
"But?"
"This could go either way. We'll keep an eye on him. He'll grow and get stronger, but there is that chance that his Darkness could be useful to us. Or destroy him from the inside out. Darkness isn't controlled, not even by the Organization, so I doubt he could control."
"He did a fine job channeling it into a weapon."
"Yes, that's the small chance that he won't be destroyed by it. We'll keep an eye on him, try to keep him close."
"What do you mean "we'll keep an eye on him'.?"
"You'll keep an eye on him."
"Oh! Come on! Isn't it enough that I found him!" She moaned.
"We all have to make sacrifices, Larxene. Especially if we are to take over."
She scoffed, "And what kind of sacrifices have you made?"
Marluxia thought for a second. "Ok, how about this, you keep up with Xinck, I'll use less hairspray in my hair. Agreed?"
The woman rolled her eyes, crossed her arms and looked away. "Fine. Agreed." She hated that she couldn't have gotten a better deal. Marluxia opened a Corridor and they both walked for the darkness.
Marluxia asked, "You don't really think I use too much hairspray, do you?"
"You do. You're the sole reason for the hole in the ozone layer."
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