Author's Note: Eek! 'S'been a while, ne? (That's three squiggly red lines - no wait four. . .) I think I may have messed with the system enough to figure out how I can do this without worrying about the three dots. W007! Anyway, I was reading up on Kingdom Hearts Final Mix to find that it sounds really awesome and I wish that Squaresoft wasn't so concerned about profits and of the like. *sigh* Sorry I didn't get to Chapter 8 earlier. I don't know what's been keeping me from the solace of writing.

A special thanks goes out to my reviewers. Yes, again. I'm very grateful for all the encouragement. Miraculously enough, I haven't received a single flame. Not one! You guys are so nice. ^.^

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts is the sole property of Squaresoft and Disney Interactive. *whisper* Do you think I should steal the rights to it? Hee hee.

'Thoughts', *emphasis*

Anthem's Report: Chapter 8

By Deus Magi

The Heartless couldn't help but grow more and more curious. It was a great time for it, as well, as Ansem's back was conveniently turned. Anxiously, the Heartless reached for the nearest lever, only to be knocked cold by its oh-so-favorite Blizzaga spell.

Ansem raised an eyebrow as he glanced over at the Heartless (who was quickly defrosting). "I should think you would be learning from your mistakes," he scolded. Indeed, the Heartless had grown. No longer was it a mere shadow. Rarely did it ever remain below the castle where chaos consumed the first onlooker. It was obedient enough to stay out of sight, only hunting by explicit permission. It had acquired a more masculine look, loosing its legs completely in the metamorphosis. Now it floated, usually behind Ansem as though it were a bodyguard.

The Heartless emerged from the melted ice. Its shoulders sagged in disappointment. A try is a try, though, it admitted.

"There is no room for mishap," Ansem declared. His gaze went from the Heartless to the machine he had refined. When Ansem had cracked open a side, there was nothing discernible of its original purpose; just an extensive series of wires with an enormous, broken screen. The machine was large enough to fill a small room, however. As Ansem worked tirelessly, he was reminded constantly of the portal - the Door.

Ansem brushed a stray strand of soft, white hair away. He delicately went over every configuration he had made and those he had left alone. Several altercations had been made to fit the machine's new intended reason. If all calculations were correct, it would eventually produce a Heartless.

Ansem kept scribbling on parchment, scratching out most of it as he went along. When he finished, he made his way to the control panel.

The Heartless looked up at Ansem expectantly. Ansem, however, waited to activate the machine. He seemed lost in thought, but nothing was comprehensible through those golden orbs. Unsure, the Heartless reached up, poked Ansem in the ribs. Ansem in turn blinked, wide-eyed. He looked down at the Heartless.

"The machine?" Ansem nodded. "It should work. I only hope it does." He gazed up at the glowing screen. It looked almost like a portal itself, white clouds looming behind its face. Ansem felt almost lost gazing into the mysterious sky. Where did it lead? The world of the Heartless? The darkness they were spawned from? Nothing was for sure here. All he felt confident in was the pushing of a button.

So, he did.

The machine made several odd noises. Soon it chirped, sparked, puffed out columns of smoke. Ansem stepped back, unconsciously toward the Heartless. He watched in wide-eyed wonder as the device went through surge and surge of energy. At one point, it looked as though it would explode.

Suddenly, the room went dark for a split second. The darkness pooled into one area, and from that spot, a Heartless was formed. Ansem stared in awe. The creature was fairly identical to the original shadows, with little difference.

Ansem hastily shut the machine down when it began to hiss again. Eyeing the Heartless, he began the thorough examinations he had conducted weeks before at first sight of the shadows. Reaction of antennae, general movement - the works.

Later he tried the machine again. Another Heartless was created. Every Heartless the machine made had similar characteristics, nothing much changing about them. They were still not quite the organic Heartless he remembered.

The castle was dark as Ansem roamed the halls, his Heartless "bodyguard" following closely behind. He was simply worried that some of the Heartless may have escaped and were wreaking havoc upon his people. He had run into a few shadows prowling around. These were quickly disposed of. Ansem had plenty of specimens. Two or three made no difference.

After checking every hall twice he made a sluggish retreat to the Library. Laying the results of his tests atop the desk, Ansem once more opened his records.

"There is no doubt that the Heartless are deeply connected to the people's hearts. Further study may unravel both their motivations and the mysteries shrouding the heart. As a start, I have built a device that artificially creates Heartless.

"By recreating the conditions that spawn the Heartless naturally, I should be able to produce them artificially. This device is the culmination of all my research thus far. The machine's test run successfully created a Heartless. This may be a step toward creating a heart from nothing.

"The artificially and naturally created Heartless showed nearly identical traits. But the two types remain distinct for the purpose of the experiment. So, I will mark the ones that are created artificially."