Jessica's Point of View

The mission the following day was pretty standard. Xigbar and I were sent to a new world for recon. It was called The Land of Dragons. Xigbar did most of the recon. I mostly just followed along, bored and hoping for some action. Xigbar was talking to me, but I hardly heard him. I just nodded occasionally and blocked him out. We walked to a nice-looking village, and I felt something unusual. A pull to someone special. I knew it had to be a Sailor Guardian. "Hey, let's go this way," I prompted.

I started to move toward the pull, but Xigbar grabbed my wrist and held me back. "Hold on. You don't get to pull that after yesterday. I'm calling the shots," Xigbar insisted.

"But-" I started.

"No buts. I know that look. You're about to get into trouble. Keep your head down and observe. That's all you're supposed to be doing," Xigbar interrupted.

I knew this was a battle I wouldn't win. "Fine," I sighed.

Xigbar seemed satisfied and moved on, but I just had to know where that pull was leading me to. When Xigbar had his back turned, I followed the pull in search of the source. "Rabbit, get back here!" Xigbar called after me. I didn't stop. "I'm not chasing after you this time! You're on your own! If you don't get back here, I'll let the boss know what you did today!" I refused to let his threats get to me and pressed on.

I stopped when I came to a house and found a girl with black hair and brown eyes in the yard. She wore a cream-colored dress with green sleeves, a blue wrap, and a red sash. It was her. One of the reborn sailor guardians. I started approaching her, but I was stopped by a middle-aged woman with black and graying hair. She wore similar clothes to the girl, but they were different colors. "Excuse me, what are you doing here?" She huffed. I was frozen in place. I tried looking to the girl for help, but she stared at me blankly. She hadn't awakened yet, so she didn't recognize me. "You're a thief, aren't you? You'd better leave this place before I have you arrested!"

"Please, I didn't come here to steal. I'm not a thief. I just wanted to-" I started.

"Lies!" The middle-aged woman shouted.

The girl had walked over to us. "Mama, she doesn't seem like she meant any harm. Why don't you calm down? I'll make some tea, and she can explain herself."

"Silence, Mulan! This girl is a thief," The woman insisted.

I looked Mulan in the eyes for any sign of recognition but found none. Still, she stood up for me. That counted for something. "I'm very sorry to disturb you. I was just wandering and didn't notice where I was going. I'll leave now. There's no need to bother you any further." With one last glance at Mulan, I left. I wandered along the dirt road until I found a grassy field and just sat in it. It was getting dark, but I made no moves to go home. I was dreading whatever form of punishment I would get when I arrived. People passed by every so often. They were usually on horseback. They didn't bother me, and I didn't bother them, though I did get some strange looks. When the moon was high in the sky, I turned away from the road to look up at it. It was stunning and full. I found that I lost myself as I gazed at its luminous beauty.

"Captivating, isn't it?"

I whirled around in fear at the familiar voice. Xemnas was right behind me. "How did you find me?"

"It was no easy feat, but at least the citizens of this world remembered if they saw you. It's not often they see a blond," Xemnas explained. I couldn't think of any reply, and my stomach flipped in dread at the silence hanging between us. Xemnas didn't seem mad, though. In fact, he looked sad. He reached out to cup my face, his thumb brushing my cheek. I wanted to pull away but was too afraid to, so I held still. "What are you trying to accomplish, Jessica?" I didn't have an answer for him. He eventually pulled away and sighed while shaking his head. "Are you staying here, or are you coming home?"

"Uh, what?" I asked myself what kind of question that was. I didn't have a choice.

"I don't like to repeat myself." Xemnas kept his voice even and without any emotion.

"Home," I replied, hoping that was the correct answer.

Xemnas opened a dark corridor, and I followed him to The Castle that Never Was. Axel, Saix, Xigbar, and Xaldin were all in the Gray Area, seemingly waiting for me. I knew immediately that Xigbar had told them what I had done. Each of them were silent, seemingly waiting for what Xemnas would do. While their presence was unnerving, I was at least hopeful that they would not allow Xemnas to physically abuse me. Xemnas stared at me intensely before announcing his intentions. "I had hoped you would recover faster with a purpose, a goal you work toward each day. Despite your beliefs, it is my hope for you to thrive. However, it is clear that you are adamantly against any form of organized outings, and so I cannot trust you. Therefore, I have only one option left. Until further notice, you are confined to the castle. Understand that this is not intended to be a punishment for you but rather a precaution for me. You have left me with no choice but to take action against any further interaction with outsiders that are unnecessary." Xemnas stretched his hand out to me and sucked out darkness from inside me in a way that I had felt only once before, back when Xemnas had left me stranded at Master Yen Sid's Tower. My eyes widened in recognition. "Do you remember the last time that happened? It looks like you do. I stripped your ability to create a dark corridor."

I didn't even have the energy to argue. Instead, I wordlessly went to my room. The first thing I did was open the top drawer of my dresser where I kept my necklace. I felt queasy as I noticed that the clothes were folded neater than when I had left them. I began taking out my shirts one by one until nothing was left. The locket my mother gave me was still there, along with my transformation necklace, but my armor was gone. "And to think I just folded those," Xemnas commented. I froze in panic. I heard Xemnas's footsteps come deeper into my room, though I couldn't see because I was still facing my dresser. He continued until he was hovering over me. "I really wish you hadn't done that. I was going to put it back if it didn't seem like you were going to use it."

"Give it back," I demanded, though it came out as a whimper.

"You continue to disappoint me, Jessica. And here I had hoped that you would grow out of your defiance. Clearly, that is not the case," Xemnas sighed. He begins refolding my shirts and placing them back in the drawer one by one.

"I- I can do that myself," I rasped. Tears were threatening to come out, and the lump in my throat wouldn't allow me to speak properly.

"Just let me do it. It was a mess before," Xemnas insisted.

"Get out," I growled.

"Jessica-" Xemnas began.

"Get out!" I yelled.

Xemnas stopped folding. "Alright. I'll be back when you are in a better frame of mind." He left my room, and all I could do was hug my pillow and cry. I had waited too long to leave the Organization, and I was facing the consequences.