Nobody Knows.
Kione sat at her desk, or was rather slumped at her desk. Well, it wasn't actually a desk, it was a few crates and a piece of painted plywood. But she was slumped at it none-the-less, slumped and thinking. What should I do now? The crumpled note was sitting in the corner of her room. It was mocking her again. She got up and picked up the note, and unfolded it.
I'll be back for you soon--XIII
Kione started at the paper, it hadn't said that an hour ago. No when the man had been holding it. What did all this mean? She crumpled the already wrinkled paper, walked outside to the ledge, and hurled it as far away from her as she could. It was night now, Kione could see the star was brighter now. She wasn't sure why she always found it. It wasn't brighter, or bigger that any of the other starts. But it was the only one that shone during the twilight. She looked at the star for the second time that day. Reaching into her jacket pocket she pulled out a pack of cigarettes. She hadn't smoked when she was a whole person, but somehow the smoke filled the void within her. Kione knew she shouldn't smoke, but she wasn't all that sure she could even contract cancer anymore.
Her lighter flicked once, twice in the darkness before lighting. The small flame licked at the night, and lit her cigarette. It had gotten colder, winter was coming fast to Twilight Town.
"These are the last lonely days," she mused., her cigarette bobbing up and down in her mouth.
Then, just as before, a voice came from behind her. "Why?"
Kione screwed her eyes shut, and grimaced. Not again, she thought. "Look, I'm not going to jump, okay? You win," she turned around to face the voice, only to discover that there was no one there.
"Why would you jump?" The voice came from behind her again, this time on the ledge. Kione turned and saw the figure sitting on the stone, facing away from her. The figure was small, and had two huge, round ears. They reminded her of dinner plates. He was wearing a cloak almost exactly the same as the man who came before him.
Rather than ask who the man was, she decided to accept her fate. They all come here, she realized, every single one of these crazies. Kione sat down beside the man, and took another puff of her cigarette. The smoke blew out before her like a cloud. The man coughed.
"Sorry," she said fanning the smoke away from him. "Does it bother you?"
"A little," he admitted.
Kione to one last drag and flicked the cigarette into the void, she watched the small ember disappear.
"Thank you, but you shouldn't litter."
She smile ruefully, and exhaled the last of the smoke, "Yeah, and I shouldn't smoke either."
They sat in silence for a moment, the two strangers. Or at least, Kione assumed the man didn't know her. The dimutive form beside her had oddly perfect posture. She might not have boticed it if she hadn't been slouching. Slouching was another bad habit she'd picked up while living in the train station.
"You didn't answer my question," he said suddenly.
"Hmm?" Kione murmured. She'd been thinking about the bad habits she'd been picking up lately. Kione realized that she used to be an all around better person--when she'd been a whole person.
"Why would you jump?"
"Because I can't fly," she snorted.
The man considered this, "But then you'd die, wouldn't you?"
"That was my intention," Kione snapped sarcastically. Sarcasm was another bad habit she hadn't has before. She decided to change the subject. "So, did that guy send you to get me?"
The man turned to look at her, and she saw for the first time that he wasn't actually a man per say. He was actually a mouse. That explained his voice. "Huh?"
"You know, the guy that was here earlier? You two are wearing the exact same thing. What's thirteen about? Is it some secret club? Because I gotta tell ya, I'm not wearing a cloak."
The mouse's expression darkened. Kione was suddenly, unexplainably afraid. There was a sort of energy that resonated from him. It was odd, and if she had to put any sort of name to it she'd call it warm. The kind of glow that surrounded the people you always wanted to be around. Like a person who always drew crowds at parties. But if something could be great, it could also be terrible. Where there was light, then was shadow. Where there was good, there had to be evil.
"What do you know about the Organization?" His voice was cool and even, but it had an edge to it.
Kione was at a loss. Me and my big mouth. "Nothing, that's just what the letter said: 'I'll be back for you soon--XIII'."
The mouse stood up, and even though Kione was still sitting, he was only a few inches taller than her. There was a skeptical look in the mouse's eyes. Kione couldn't really tell how old he was--she'd never met a giant talking mouse before--but she was sure he wasn't all that old. There was something in his eyes, though, something ancient and wise about them. Of course, they didn't seem all that noble when they were narrowed and cutting gin her direction.
"I'm only going to ask you this one time, friend. I don't have any reason not to trust you, so please don't give me one. What do you know about Organization XIII?"
Kione looked into the narrowed eyes, and paled. "I don't know anything about them, I swear. This guy just showed up behind me--just like you," she said nodding her head in the direction he'd come from for emphasis. "He talked, well he didn't really talk me out of jumping. He scared the hell outta me and I almost fell. Then he asked me to come with him, and I didn't really know what to this. But he said he'd come for me soon. But, I don't know how soon is soon. I mean, there've been two of you in one day! This is ridiculous! All I wanted to do was die!" Everything came out in a rush. Kione wasn't even sure she took a breath in her whole speech. "Heh, sorry. That was a bit much wasn't it? It's just that I haven't--I haven't had company, in a long, long time."
The mouse took another long moment to look her in the eyes, then he seemed to decide something. He laughed then, and it was the weirdest thing she'd ever heard. Annoying, and yet oddly comforting. "I'm Mickey," he said extending one white, four-fingered gloved hand.
"Kione," she said, awkwardly taking his had with her own.
"Well, Kione, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Likewise, I'm sure," Kione smiled then, for the first time in what seemed like forever.
"If you don't mind me saying so, you have a beautiful smile--"
"Yes, it is, isn't it?" A voice proclaimed, cutting him off.
Kione whirled around, jumping off of the ledge. "You!" she shouted.
The man smirked, and leaned against the wall nonchalantly. "No, I'm new. The name's Axel," the man reached for his hood. He removed it slowly, like he was trying to be dramatic. A long (for lack of a better word) mane of hair was revealed, shocking red, with hint of orange and black. Kione was reminded of fire. But it was his eyes that caught her eyes, the green that was so much like her own. It was creepy if it was anything. "Got it memorized?"
"Nnnkay?" Kione shook her head. She looked over her shoulder, "Do you know him, Mickey? Mickey?" But he was gone. Kione stood there, dumbly looking at the spot he'd been.
Axel too, seemed to be at a loss. But only for a second, the confused look was fleeting, only a flicker really. Kione would have to have been watching his face the entire time to even see it. To the casual observer he wasn't fazed by the mouse's disappearance. "Where'd he get off to? Oh, no matter the King doesn't care for Nobodies like us."
"Like us?"
Axel smiled grandly and extended his arms, "Yes, Kione, like us. We're a dying breed, you and I. Our kind tried organizing, but that didn't work. They didn't play by the rules," his voice got darker, angrier as he continued. "They took something from me. Something very dear."
During his whole speech Kione was slowly backing up until she was at the edge. Earlier the drop had seemed welcoming, but now nothing could be more terrifying. "What'd they take?" she asked, fearing the answer.
"My friend," he snarled. "Now, I'm not asking you to join any organization. I'm telling you not to. They've taken something from me, now I'll just have to return the favor." He took a step forward.
Jump, came Mickey's voice from nowhere.
"WHAT!" Kione shouted. She felt like she was being torn apart. Organazation XIII? Axel? KING?
"Huh?" Axel said, pausing.
Trust me,the reassuring voice said, and, God help her, she trusted him.
Kione turned around and took a step onto the ledge, then another. She stood and looked down, into the darkness.
"Wait," Axel's voice called, "can't we talk about this?"
"No," Kione called, raising her hand from her side. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the picture in her pocket. MY FAMILY, the caption read. It was funny, she recognized her hand writing, but not any of the people. "I've already made up my mind."
She closed her eyes, hugged the photo to her chest and jumped. All she knew was darkness.