It's officially decided that I write the dialogue scenes and that my sister do the majority of the battle scenes. Granted I wrote all the fights except for the one in next chapter. XD She tweaked the ones I did. But the one at the beginning of next is completely her.

After Axel returned, I made a list for Zexion. I wasn't entirely sure why I was going along with all this, but it would be better to remain safe than sorry. I attempted to write as legibly as I could, my handwriting suffering for my skill in drawing. I could type on a keyboard without looking, but when it came to writing with a pencil…

Well, let's just say that I ended up skipping letters and leaving out words because my pencil couldn't write out as fast as my brain was thinking, whereas my fingers flew as fast as lightning when I typed away. It was sort of disheartening, but everyone had to have something bad about them. Mine just happened to be clumsiness and horrible handwriting.

I guess Clair was right about one thing, I thought, biting my bottom lip as I stared at the piece of paper I was writing on. I really am passive submissive. I'm too scared to act out, so I just accept what's thrown at me… I sighed. What I wouldn't give to have some kind of backbone. All I can do is use words and even then I constantly stammer and stutter, so it just comes out rather pathetic instead of brave.

Blinking away my thoughts and pushing away the negativity, I forced myself to stand and walked over to the table where Zexion was sitting. He had finished his sandwich not long before Axel had showed up, the redhead leaving the items and then rushing over to who-knows-where. Xaldin was gone, too. While trying to keep my hand from shaking, I handed Zexion the piece of paper.

It had normal stuff on it; clothes, toothbrush, my nebulizer and inhalers, my laptop and phone charger, my 3DS with my Fire Emblem and Harvest Moon games… I felt a bit like I was pushing it, but they were the ones who were keeping me here so blegh~! I imagined I stuck my tongue out at the whole Organization-even those people who I have had yet to meet.

"I-I have two houses I switch every week, so…"

He nodded, standing, and tucked the list into a pocket that blended in with his black leather organization coat. I wouldn't have even known it was there if I didn't just watch him tuck the paper away. "I'll be back momentarily. Don't bother waiting."

So… just wander around? Is that what he means by that?

I blinked and tilted my head, knitting my eyebrows together as I watched him open a portal and walk through it. I thought about following him, but decided against it as I didn't really feel like dying or going through a whole lot of pain as of the moment.

Now… what to do?

…

"You insolent fool! Do you not realize how important this is!? Don't-stop that!" The man let out a shrill shriek, green eyes widening in a mix of rage and horror at the sight of the Mad Hatter dousing his research papers with tea. Vexen completely froze, utterly paralyzed as he watched the cheerful old man swipe a butterknife covered with strawberry jam over the soaked object.

"Oh my~!" The Hatter gasped dramatically, eyes widening as he brought a hand up over his mouth. "It ripped! Dear me, dear me, how to fix this!?"

"Mustard?" A hare suggested, holding up a yellow bottle. The Hatter grinned and reached out to grab it, before pausing and scowling.

"Mustard!?" He exclaimed, disgusted. "No, no, no; that simply won't do! Now, tabasco sauce~!" He laughed loudly, giggling away as he poured the spicy liquid on top. Vexen could feel his veins popping, his right eye twitching furiously as anger boiled like a fire inside of him. "Oh, my, my, my~! That's a little too spicy!"

Picking up the soaked sheet of paper he tried to dry it off my waving it in the air, but the wet paper only tore more and now instead of being in two pieces… it was in five. The writing was completely illegible now.

"Well, I think it's a few days too late."

"FEW DAYS TOO LATE!?" Vexen exploded, enraged. "I'm going to destroy you!"

"Destroy who?" The Hatter echoed, confused, before grinning and laughing again. "Oh! You meant enjoy, too! Ahahaha! Enjoy some tea, indeed!" Pushing the chair out and standing up on it, he grabbed hold of a broken tea cup and an empty pot. "Tea, tea, tea, that's all we need~! Without a very merry unbirthday, we dance and sing!" He then paused, no long skipping and jumping in his chair. "Oh, wait… we do that anyway! Hahaha!"

Vexen had enough. Ice gathering up in his hand, he summoned his shield and charged. The Mad Hatter, still dancing, leaped up onto the table and started to walk all over the dishes and food as he sung. Vexen's eye twitched again and he let out a yell, using his strength and magic to create and giant spiral of ice to form out of the ground and fly at them.

The Hatter slipped and fell at that moment, miraculously dodging the blow, and the March Hare burst into ridiculous laughter. "There are some who dance and some who sing, but most of all there are those that drink tea~!"

"Like you?" The Hare joked, singing as he pointed. The Hatter spun on a heel, sliding on the ice Vexen had created to knock him off the table.

"Like who!?"

"Like you!"

"Oh me!? Yes, me! Oh my-" He flew off the table, swinging on the ice ramp Vexen had made, the angered scientist charged. The Hatter ended up flying a bit farther than he had anticipated though, for before they knew it the Hatter had gotten stuck in the window to his own house. Vexen sent more ice towards him, ready to impale him, but before the ice could reach the Hatter managed to slid his way in through the crack he was stuck in and climb into his house.

Then, within seconds, he suddenly appeared out of the chimney and sang.

"Oh no~! It's almost like I got twinkle toes." He laughed, pulling out a leg from the inside of the chimney and taking his shoe off, wiggling his toes. The March Hare was laughing so hard he was crying, and some of the tea pots let out whistling noises.

"Just die already, you insolent creature!"

"Just fly?" The Hatter asked, jumping out of the chimney and onto the roof. He jumped again, landed on his butt, and slid off the roof tiles to sail through the air and land magically onto his chair at the tea table. "Oho! So you want to fly!"

"No, I want you to die!" In a bright blue flash of light, Vexen made a sword of ice materialize in his hand and charged. He swung, the Hatter jumping out of the way in surprise with a laugh, and the chair he had been sitting in broke.

"He wants to fly!" To Vexen's alarm the Hare had vanished from his view, appearing behind him and latching onto the arm he was using to hold the shield. The Hatter bounced on his feet, grinning madly from ear to ear, and appeared behind from the scientist's other side. He latched onto his arm.

"Then let us grant his wish! Wee~"

"WOOO~!" The Hare finished, the two mad men picking him up and swinging him far… far into the air and away from the Hatter's House. Vexen screamed, his sword evaporating into nothing, and he held his shield in front of him protectively as he crashed through trees, branches breaking beneath him as he fell.

Thankfully, the trees acted as a buffer to his descent, the deep-set jarring to his shield arm lessening as he landed thanks to his slowed momentum. This allowed him to remain mostly unharmed as he stood, dismissing his cobalt shield as he shook out his right arm with a grimace. As he brushed the imaginary dirt off from his coat he glared out into the forest, staring at nothing in particular. "Insolent baboons," He huffed, cursing their dumb luck and questioning where exactly he now was.

…

I sat there on the opposite couch, staring in curiosity as Lexaeus fiddled with a chain link puzzle. I had been wandering around for a while, and after about an hour or two I had found myself back at the room I had first arrived in. To my surprise the ginger giant had been there, fiddling with some kind puzzle. When I neared, I realized it was one of those chain link puzzles that you had to figure out how to take apart and then put back together.

"...!" He blinked, retracting in what appeared to be surprise as the two pieces came apart completely. Then, without a word, he got back to putting them back together. It went on like this for ten minutes. "..." He really doesn't talk much, does he? Still, it's interesting to see how the puzzle actually works. I don't think I got to see one in person before.

If Lexaeus was bothered by me watching him trying to solve the puzzle he didn't show it. Maybe he just didn't care? He seemed like that kind of person. Nobodies… do they really not have hearts? I found it hard to believe. They seemed like regular people to me… though Demyx and Zexion both said that they didn't really feel emotion.

"I don't get it."

Lexaeus paused, turning his eyes away from the puzzle to look at me. I had my legs crossed, leaning over with my elbow on my thigh and my hand propping my chin up as I stared at the puzzle. Raising my gaze I jumped, realizing he was looking at me. Finding this as good a time as any since I had accidentally spoken out loud, I decided to talk to him.

"If you guys don't "feel" emotions then why do you all seem so normal? You guys aren't any different from anyone else I know. I-It doesn't make sense." Well, minus all the magic and stuff…

"...We don't feel emotions." He clarified. I blinked at him, not getting it. I was surprised he even spoke after how quiet he had been. That was literally the second thing he's ever said to me. "We merely… "remember"... what it's like to feel. Back from when we were human."

I gave a confused look. That's the exact same thing I was told before. I tried to make sense of it. "So… you're just mimicking emotions?" He nodded, starting to fiddle with the chain links again. They clicked together. He started trying to take them apart again. "That's..." Depressing. I was extremely emotional, so it was hard to imagine what it could be like to not have emotions. I sat up slightly, placing a hand against my chest.

Ba-Dump… Ba-Dump…

The way they sounded like robots when speaking… apathetic and not caring about anything… Even the way Demyx tried to sound cheerful was still empty-as if he was lacking a key component to being truly happy. Their eyes which all seemed so dead…

I wanted to say sorry, to apologize for what had happened to them, but I knew I couldn't. It wouldn't change anything. I didn't even have anything to do with them becoming Nobodies. I exhaled quietly and leaned back against the couch, staring up at the ceiling. I debated about what to do before sitting back up, looking at the only other person in the room again.

"W-Well… it's nice to meet you anyway."

He paused again. His blue eyes focused on me.

"E-Emotions or no emotions, you… you seem friendly so…" Oh god, I'm making a total fool of myself. Shut up, Irene, shut up~! "Um. Yeah." I gave an awkward nod, pondering why I didn't have the magical ability to vanish into thin air or teleport into my new room. "That's… yeah."

Lexaeus didn't speak for a long moment. He fiddled with his puzzle some more, completely silent, and when he finally said something I almost jumped out of my skin. "You should learn to greet people properly…" O-Okay. Will do. His eyes flickered back to me. "It's nice to meet you, too."

With that done and over with, his attention remained focused on the puzzle and I let out a breath I didn't know I had been holding in, my heart racing and feeling like it was about ready to give out from stress.

…

"Give me a proper answer already, you bloody feline!" The blond man growled, glaring at the cat that was currently resting on a tree branch. The animal purred at him, grinning ear to ear, its eyes flashing with mischief. "Which is the way to the Queen's Castle!?"

"Oh, but I did give you an answer." The cat retorted, seeming amused by the man's reaction.

"You just gave me more riddles! Which way do I go!?"

"Well, any way of course~. That way, this way, up, down, sideways, even horizontally…" The cat twisted its body, his fingers and toes pointing in opposite directions as he floated down until he was in front of the man's face. Luxord looked ready to disembowel the riddling creature. "It all depends on where you want to go."

"I told you where I wanted to go!"

"Did you? Where to?"

"The Queen's Castle!"

"The Castle?"

"Yes!"

"Yes, what?"

"That I wanted to go to the Queen's Castle!"

"You do?"

He let out a frustrated yell, bringing his hands up and digging his fingers into his scalp. "You're not making any sense! Just give me directions!"

"Give you directions where?"

"To the Queen's Castle!"

"What Castle? Which Queen?"

"What?" Luxord blinked, dumbfounded and rather surprised at that. "There's more than one?"

The cat's grin broadened and vanished, only to reappear on the man's shoulder, curling his tail around his neck. "But of course. You have the Red Queen, who rules over this domain, and then there's the White Queen… who has been shunned from her castle by her cruel sister. From benevolence to malevolence; one could say the White Queen's heart was full of light… but light begets darkness, and her sister is certainly full of it."

"The Red Queen is full of darkness, you say?" His anger diminished quickly at that. His job was to try and turn the Queen of Hearts into a powerful Heartless, but if she's made entirely up of darkness then… well, she could be the one the Organization is looking for. "You wouldn't happen to know if she was the Keeper of Darkness, would you? And this… White Queen of yours, the one filled with Light?"

"Oh, I'm afraid the Light's already been taken." The cat chuckled, fading and reappearing back on the tree branch, balancing on his head. "But if it's the darkness you're looking for, I'd say go in that direction." He pointed with his tail. Luxord turned his head. "A rather dark fellow appeared not long ago."

"So I'll find the one I'm looking for if I go in that direction?"

"What direction?"

"The one you just told me to go in!"

"Did I say that? Hmm."

"Yes!"

"Yes, what?"

"That you were the one who-ugh!" Luxord was going to strangle him. He really really was. His fingers were twitching, desperate to wrap them around the grinning cat's neck and hang him. Of course, he wasn't really angry… He was just feigning anger because that's how he would have reacted in this situation if he had a heart. Though he was certain that if he did strangle the cat, he would have a bloody good time doing so…

"Number Ten!" A voice suddenly called out. Luxord never thought he'd be so "relieved" to hear such a nasally voice. "What on earth are you doing arguing with a feline!?"

While it was a bit childish, he couldn't help but complain and point at the creature, "He won't stop speaking in riddles!" Vexen narrowed his eyes, raising an eyebrow and staring at the snickering cat. He blinked when the animal faded into nothing. Curiosity piqued, the scientist stepped closer and looked around. Vexen looked down in surprise to see the creature resting itself upon the blond organization member's head, snickering.

Luxord scowled, glaring at the tail that was swishing contentedly in front of his face. While Vexen was amused by his companion's misery, he couldn't help but bring a hand up to his chin and stare at the animal with narrowed eyes. "Interesting…"

"Can we just skip the formalities, please? I'm about ready to kill this creature."

"Be silent, Number Ten. This is a prime specimen… Just what are you?"

"What am I?" The cat echoed, startling the scientist with the fact that he could talk and form intelligent sentences. "I'm what people call… The Cheshire Cat. One of a kind and one alone." He started to fade away in stripes this time. "Like everyone else here in Wonderland… I'm not quite exactly "all there"." He snickered, before floating down and fading.

Soon it was just his head that remained, bouncing up and down on a different tree branch this time. The head stopped bouncing, spun, and rolled down the branch. As it landed his body came back into sight and he posed, standing on his tail.

"Or so I say, but maybe I'm more than what there is? To be or not to be, that is the question, yet is it really all that's worth? What joy is there in a heart? To be… whole." His head vanished this time, only his body remaining. "Surely it's less complicated to remain as you are now? Feelings are trivial things after all, and it's not like they're ever gone for good..."

"Don't be absurd!" Vexen scowled, though was stunned to find that the cat knew of their predicament as Nobodies. Luxord was still scowling, his arms crossed irritably. "We must regain our hearts! It's the whole goal of the Organization! Why do you think we're looking for the Keepers of Darkness and Light in the first place!?"

That caught Luxord's attention. "There's an actual reason? What do you know, Vexen?"

Vexen stood up straight, huffing. "Unproven theories and hypotheses. The Superior didn't want to give out much detail, so I thought I'd take it into my own hands and start researching the matter. So far, all I know is that the Keepers of Hearts have something to do with why we, as Nobodies, exist when we are not truly meant to be, and why Heartless are able to be derived from the hearts of man. Other than that, I know nothing, and I'll continue to know nothing because that imbecilic Hatter destroyed all my notes!"

"What Hatter?"

"THE MAD HATTER!"

The cheshire grinned at their argument. "We're all a little mad here, don't you think? Particularly you, as of the moment."

"Be silent!"

"Silence there is, all around… birds chirp, flowers sing, but listening… listening…" He faded. Then, out of nowhere, his face reappeared in front of Vexen's face and caused the scientist to jump back. "Look."

At that, there was suddenly the sound of bushes rustling. Both Vexen and Luxord turned to look, the cat vanishing completely out of view. A young woman pushed her way out, cursing, and almost fell over as dizziness overwhelmed her. Slender and with a height of five foot eight, the girl's hazel green eyes lifted to stare at the two men in surprise. A light coating of freckles were splashed across her face.

"You're not from Wonderland," She stated bluntly, blinking. "You look nothing like Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum."

Luxord stared. The woman was very pretty, what with her high cheekbones and her short auburn hair. He certainly didn't have a heart to feel with, but he knew an attractive young woman he saw one. "Well, lovely lady, aren't you a sight for sore eyes?" He smirked.

Raising an eyebrow the girl stood up straighter, popping her hip out and placing a hand on her waist. "Excuse me?"

The man stepped forward, giving a slight bow as he held an arm out in front of his chest. "My name is Luxord… would you give me the honor of telling me your name, fine miss?"

The girl stared, dumbfounded, before groaning and leaning her head back. "You've got to be kidding me. Just-Just stop. Please. Before you hurt yourself."

…

I ended up falling asleep on the couch. I wasn't for sure of how long I was out, but when I woke up Lexaeus was gone and the scary man with the long blue hair and the scar on his face was standing at the end of the room. He was almost like a statue, completely unmoving. It was highly unnerving.

I quietly got up, nervous that my loud footsteps might disturb him, and was halfway to the door when a portal suddenly opened up in the room. "I can't believe I had go with you to get a little brat's things! I hate children! Why do I have to help babysit one!?" I froze, turning my head in shock when I heard a female's voice.

A heeled boot stepped out of the portal, followed by a slender figure accentuated by the tight-fitting leather coat, and short blond hair neatly brushed back. I blinked, confused when I saw that her hair had two antenna-like things sticking up. Was she trying to be an ant?

I decided not to question it, but when her steely green gaze focused on me my heart almost stopped beating in fear. Her eyes were just as dead as everyone else's, but her expression was so filled with hate that even a grown man would have been scared.

"You!" I jolted, standing up right and stumbling a little in the process. She marched towards me, a bag in her hands.

"Y-Yes!?" I squeaked fearfully. I flinched when she threw the bag at me angrily, using so much force it managed to knock me back. I yelped, stumbling and falling onto my rear. "Ow!"

"Shut up! It's your fault! You stupid, idiotic brat-couldn't you go get your own things? But oh no, you get sick in the Corridors of Darkness so I had to go get them! I have so many better things to do than help babysit you. Go to hell!"

I was left in stunned silence, unsure of how to react to that, and could only watch as she stormed off. I narrowed my eyes at her, frowning, and pushed myself up onto my knees to look at the bag she had thrown at me. Inside of it were clothes and… female products. Well, at least now I understand why they had to send a girl with Zexion to grab my things. That would have been awkward.

I stood, holding the bag up, and muttered, "Rude," quietly.

"Indeed. Unfortunately, that's her on "good days" as well." I looked up in alarm, surprised to see Zexion standing in front of me with a smirk. He's always grinning like that, isn't he? I stared at him for a moment, observing his facial features, before looking back down at the bag I was holding. "Here."

The bag he handed me was far heavier than the one the girl had thrown at me. In it was my laptop- "You actually grabbed it!?" My voice went up a bit higher than I had intended, but it wasn't really something I could control. I looked up at the slate blue-haired man in shock and awe. His expression remained indifferent. I continued rummaging through the bag as best as I could without dropping anything. "And my paints! And canvases! Dude, you're amazing!" Even my Percy Jackson series and the Shakespeare Tragedies Clair had got me were in there.

"...Not many people here in the Organization have an… affinity for the arts." He replied cooly. "I noticed you had a few books lying around and I grabbed those for you as well. Shakespeare is a good choice of literature. I took a look through it out of curiosity seeing as we do not have such books here."

I gaped at him, unable to believe what I was hearing. This guy… This guy… Okay, it's official. He and Demyx are officially two of the coolest people in this place. And Lexaeus. Lexaeus was pretty nice. "Th-Thank you…"

He simply gave a small nod before walking off, heading to the blue-haired man standing by the giant glass window on the other end of the room. After standing there for a few more moments I decided to attempt to find my way back to my room. It didn't go very well, and after a while I decided to just take a rest in the hallway so my aching feet would stop hurting. This place was huge; I'm pretty sure I actually ended up on one of the basement floors.

I groaned and fell onto my side, curling into a ball as I tried to figure out what to do. I was so tired; I didn't really feel like walking around again. My stomach also hurt a bit, as it had been quite a long while since I last ate and two measly cinnamon poptarts isn't going to stave hunger off very long.

"Well, if it isn't everyone's favorite new celebrity~!" I shrieked, jumping up into a sitting position, and looked around wildly to try and find the voice. "Up here, kiddo." Swallowing down the fear, I slowly raised my head to look up at the ceiling. There Mr. Eyepatch was, body hanging halfway out upside down from a portal on the ceiling.

"H-How's the weather up there?" I choked, wondering just briefly if he was going to hurt me for the way Skylar had harmed him.

Mr. Eyepatch smirked. Next thing I knew he was dropping down from the ceiling, doing a small flip, and landed on all fours in front of me. I yelped, scooting my back closer to the wall. "Not as good as down here. Your little friend packs quite a wallop, you know?"

"W-Well, naturally," I stammered in response, holding the bags of items close to my chest as I started to stand. I tensed, prepared to make a run for it if it was necessary. "She's a very violent person. I-I'm surprised you're still able to move; I...I half expected you to still be stuck there."

"Pfft. As if. Like a little girl can take a guy like me down. I'm not just any regular old dude, you know? 'Course, I think you realized that when you watched me throw your little buddy halfway across the room."

That's true. That is very… very true. Um. Oh god. Okay, note to self. Avoid Mr. Eyepatch at all cost. And that one girl. Everyone else? Totally fine. They're friendly. This guy? Nope. No. Not at all. Oh jesus… Chris and Skylar are okay, right? Chris had been bleeding last time I saw him, but he was tough so he should be alright. Skylar… well, she's a force to be reckoned with.

"Aw, what's wrong? Cat got your tongue? Or are you starstruck by my greatness?"

"O-Oh, yes, I-I'm completely stunned by your aura of… of… gloriousness." I waved my hand in the air as I spoke, keeping the bags close to my chest with my other arm, and let the sarcasm roll off of my tongue. "It's only normal that I wouldn't know how to respond."

He snorted. "Thanks for tryin', kid. The sarcasm's cute. What the hell are you doing down here, anyway? Shouldn't you be in the lounge or something? What do you somebodies even do?"

"..."

"Are you lost?"

"...Not particularly…"

"Oh my god, you totally are!" He laughed loudly, oddly finding my situation hilarious. "And what is that-is that the stuff Zexy got for you?"

Zexy? Does he mean Zexion? That… That actually kind of sounds like "sexy". Sexy Zexy… Well, I mean, it works. He is rather attractive-granted, so were half the other people I've met in this place. Even Larxene, cold and cruel as she was, was highly pretty. It's actually starting to make me feel rather inferior-though, considering I was their… um… (victim?) (guest?) I guess I was supposed to.

"Figured Xemnas would send him. Even after how he left me to the wrath of the teenagers." Mr. Eyepatch shuddered. He didn't seem to be aware Larxene had went with Zexion to… what was it again? Land of Beginnings? Agh. Oh well, I'm sure it'll come up in conversation later. "Your little friend was not easy to convince to let me go. I ended up having to open a portal right below me! Do you know how uncomfortable that is, kid? One minute you're falling and then the next everything is rightside up! I already have bruises all over my back from your little girl pal!"

"O-Oh… uh, sorry…"

I flinched when he reached out, and stumbled when he suddenly slapped me upside the arm. "Well whattya know, the kiddo has manners! Knows apologizing for her friend's misdoings is proper! Why, if I had a trophy I'd give it to you." He laughed. I stepped a bit away from him. "What's wrong, kid?"

"...Who are you?"

He blinked. The smirk spread even broader across his face and he stepped back, pointing at his chest with his thumb. "The name's Xigbar. I happen to be Xemnas' right hand man! So if you wanna talk to him, you have to go through me first." He laughed, moved forward and gave another hard slap on the shoulder, before walking past with a lazy wave. "See you later, kiddo. I've got errands to run. Saix'll kill me if I don't hand over my report. Haha!"

"O-Okay…? B-Bye-bye…" I waited until he was gone before heading in the opposite direction. I had to find my room eventually, right? How many floors did this stupid place even have? It would be nice if it wasn't all white and silver either; at least make the rooms color-coded or something!

I wandered for another couple of hours, and was about ready to give up and just collapse in a corner and sleep, when I suddenly ran into someone I recognized. My eyes lit up.

"Demyx!" The blond sitar player had been strolling casually throughout the halls. He paused when he heard his name get called and he turned his head, peering over his shoulder with confused eyes. I quickly ran up to him-well, more like jogging seeing how heavy the things I was carrying were, and had to catch my breath once I made it over.

He grinned. "Irene~! What's up? Uh… what do you got there?" He pointed curiously at the bags I was holding. I tried to ignore the joy I felt at my potential new friend remembering my name.

"My stuff!" I beamed in response. I explained, seeing his surprised expression, "Zexion and some blonde chick went to grab them for me!" I didn't like her, so screw her if I didn't feel like using her name.

"Blonde chick-you met Larxene!?" I wasn't expecting him to look so horrified. I remembered what Zexion said-about how her "rudeness" was existent even on her good days. "She didn't hurt you, did she? She's such a bully! She threatened to break my sitar once when I was just chilling out in the lounge!" It didn't really seem like concern more as it was curiosity. His fear of her seemed semi-genuine though. Considering they couldn't "feel" emotions, they were pretty good actors aside from the lack of sincerity and… well, life in their voices.

"N-No… she just yelled at me." I decided to leave out the part of her throwing the bag of clothes at me and knocking me onto the ground. That was mostly due to my lack of balance, anyway. "Is she the scariest person here?"

"Uh… well…" He reached a hand up, scratching the back of his head. "There's actually someone much worse than her. She just doesn't stop being mean. Saix though- the blue haired guy with the scars on his face? He'll go completely beserk if you press all his buttons. So word of advice; don't make him angry. Okay?" I think he mentioned something about that before… maybe I should start writing all of this down? It's too much to try and remember all at once.

Okay, so mental noting- the friendlies: Demyx, Zexion, Marluxia, Lexaeus, Axel. To be worried about: Xigbar, Larxene, Saix, Xaldin… The unknowns: Xemnas, Vexen, Luxord. Got it. Okay, I think I can do this. Wow, I'm actually rather proud of myself; I've got their names down. Woo!

Feeling a little more confident in myself I nodded and grinned. "Got it. Um… I have a question."

"What is it?"

"...Do you remember the way to my bedroom?"

He stared. Then, out of nowhere, a grin spread across his face and he started laughing. I scrunched my nose up at Demyx, making a face. If my hands were free, I probably would have smacked him lightly on the arm.

"I-I've only been here a day! I-I don't have the way memorized!"

Demyx waved his hand in the air, the other clamped over his mouth, and he tried to force his chuckles to die down. "S-Sorry, sorry; It's this way." It was hard to tell if he was being genuine, but since Nobodies didn't really "have" emotions, or so I've been told, it probably wasn't. The laughter wasn't that earnest either.

As I followed Demyx down the hall, I couldn't but ask, "Why "Nobodies" though? Isn't that self-deprecating?"

"Self-whatta?"

I blinked. "Degrading."

"...You mean insulting?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I mean, that's kinda the point, I guess…" He frowned, biting the inside of his cheek as he made a face of confusion. I struggled to keep up with his long strides. It should be a crime to be so tall. "We're not really supposed to exist. We only managed to come into being because of someone dying, right? We're not whole. We're just… empty vessels-a shell." Demyx lowered his hand from his head and rested it against his chest, digging his fingers into the leather. "Shadows of who we used to be. To be considered as people is… well, it's what we're here for."

I frowned, seeing how sad his smile looked.

"I act like I do because that's how I remember acting… does that make any sense? We still age, even without it, but… I dunno. I just… I miss feeling happy." He looked down at me, almost helplessly. "You get it?"

His description wasn't too far off from Lexaeus'. Tilting my head in thought, I gave a small shrug. "I think so... " I was still a little confused, but I think was I coming to a firm grasp of what they were trying to say. "It just seems like without hearts you guys are chronically depressed."

Demyx stopped walking abruptly. He blinked, staring down at me, only to let out a small laugh. "It kinda does, doesn't it? I haven't been with the Organization long, but I mean-what they say makes sense. Kingdom Hearts is an almighty power, so if we get enough hearts it should be able to grant us hearts of our own!"

"..." I looked up at him alarmed. What exactly did he mean by "get enough hearts"? He didn't mean they were going to… to take hearts from people, did they? They weren't… going to take my heart, were they? They said they were trying to "protect" me. S-So… why?

"Ah... " He paused, looking at me rather nervously. "I-I don't think I was supposed to tell you that. Um, but it's no big deal, right? Knowing about that… haha...ha... " He groaned, bringing his hands up and burying them against his face. "Oh, who am I kidding? Saix is going to kill me."

If I stay here they might kill me… but if I run away they'll lock me up and try to kill me anyway.

I awkwardly shifted the bags so that I was holding them with my strong arm, reaching over with my left hand to pat Demyx's arm. "I-I won't tell. It's okay."

"Really!?" He brightened, seeming to relax at that. "Aw, you're awesome! Oh, hey, I think this is the place." He came to a stop and I peered over his side to look. The door looked the same as all the others. How could he tell the difference? Opening it, we were greeted with a bland white room that had all my stuff strewn over. "Yup, this is it!"

H-How…? How could he tell? I'm pretty sure I walked by this place three times! Everything looks the same! Aghhh! "Th-Thank you…" I stammered, carefully maneuvering around him and into the bedroom. I plopped the bags down on the bed. Exhaustion washed over me.

"Hey, no problem! Glad I could help." He grinned. If he was a "Nobody", then could he really even "feel" glad? I decided not to question. They seem like people, they act like people, I'm going to think of them as people. Nobodies, Somebodies- it doesn't matter. Even if they don't exactly have "emotions" they do still have "thoughts", so.. "I'll come by later, 'kay? Sleep tight!"

"Y-You too…"

With that, he closed the door and left.

…

Pushing her way through the bushes and kicking a mushroom off of her foot, she approached the two men in the leather black coats. She eyed them curiously, surprised to see just how tall they were, and frowned. Maria was in no way short, but these men were towers. Her gaze lifted upwards to the cat swishing his tail back-and-forth, grinning down at them as he rested cozily on a tree branch.

She knew right away who she was looking at; he was her favorite character in the story book Alice in Wonderland. Mysterious, mischievous, and never giving a proper answer… yet perhaps the wisest one of all? "Are you guys arguing with the Cheshire Cat?"

The cat's grin seemed to widen while the two males looked at her-one in surprise, the other suspicion. "And what business do you have here in the forest of doors?" The cat inquired, grinning. "Scared of a little mouse?"

Maria narrowed her eyes. She watched him lift his body up, shifting until he was sitting, and peered down at her with big yellow eyes. She thought about how to respond, knowing very well he could just twist her words and refrain from giving her the answer she sought.

Seeing that she wasn't going to respond the cat snickered. "Hickory, Dickory, Dock the mouse went up the clock… The clock struck one and the mouse ran down. Twelve, eleven, ten, nine, eight, seven, six," He slid down the tree, floating down and twirling, before his lips curled upwards, his smile threatening to crack his face in half as he continued, "five… four. Three. Two. One. Why is there not a thirteen on the clock?"

Maria just stared blankly, following the cat's movements as he floated around the two bickering men. The Cheshire's eyes flickered knowingly as he swerved around the tallest man-the one with the long dirty blond hair and the acid green eyes- and she watched the man scowl. "There are twenty-four hours in a day; it would be improvident if there were to be thirteen."

"Would it? Or are you scared of bad luck?"

The other man-the more attractive one that had been hitting on her-smirked. Dice seemed to roll out of his sleeve and into his hand, the man tossing them in the air and catching them. "Thirteen-the number that could save a life or destroy it. Thankfully, the number thirteen happens to be our lucky one."

"Is it really?"

"Why thirteen?" Maria inquired, raising an eyebrow as she crossed her arms over her chest. She didn't understand the importance.

"What about thirteen?" The cat questioned.

She frowned. "You asked why there wasn't a thirteen on the clock."

"Did I? That does sound like something I would say…"

Maria's eyebrow twitched. It was then the green-eyed man turned and looked down at her, scowling. "Just who are you?" He demanded. She frowned, a grimace decorating her face. What does it matter to him who she was? At least his friend was polite-lecherous he may seem to be.

"Give me one reason as to why I should tell you."

His eyes narrowed even further, only to widen suddenly. "You…" Before she knew it Maria was jumping back, barely evading getting sliced by the sharp edges of a shield that materialized onto the man's arm. "Quick, you blithering fool! Grab her!" The blond looked started.

"Why?"

"She's the one!"

Maria slid to the side, rolling out of the way of the green-eyed man's attack. He caused ice to shoot up out of the ground, nearly impaling her, and she quickly held her hands out once she got on her feet. Gripping the handles of the blades that appeared in a flash of dark light, she twirled them and thrust in as much energy as she could to get the flames to start.

Charging forward, her blades and his shield clashed-fire and ice canceling each other and causing steam to evaporate in the air. The handsome blond, however, quickly figuring out what the green-eyed man had meant, flicked his hands and rolled the dice, multiple lower nobodies (Gamblers) forming and materializing from them. "Seize her!" He ordered.

Flicking their own dies, the Gambler Nobodies quickly got up and charged flickering through the air like paper and slicing at the woman. Leaning back and swinging with her left blade, she used the right to keep pushing against the green-eyed man's shield. "Who are you people!?" She demanded, glaring at them. "What do you want!?"

"You are the Keeper of Darkness, are you not?" The man struggling against her asked, one of his eyes going a bit crazy-looking as he grinned maliciously. "We have strict orders to take you to our Superior; for "safe-guarding"."

"And you think attacking me is going to make me believe that or want to go with you!?"

"I decided it would be best not to take risks." Seeing the spark in his eyes Maria quickly leaped back, barely sliding between the two Gamblers' that had tried to grab her. The blond flicked his hands, grabbing onto the cards that slid out of his sleeve, before throwing them in her general direction. Alarm flickered across her face for a moment.

Swinging her blades around her in a wide arc as she carefully sunk down to her knees, spinning on her toes, she managed to slice some of the cards that had been sent at her. "I'm not going to be anyone's prisoner again!" She shouted, glaring furiously at the men before quickly slashing upwards and getting rid of a gambler. One sliced at her, getting her on the cheek, but it only served to fuel her anger more.

The flames spiraled, flickering and dancing out of control, and before long part of the forest was on fire as she shoved her blade into a gambler's stomach.

"I think you're misunderstanding something, love," The blond man told her, taking a few steps forward until he was standing beside his green-eyed companion. Decapitating the next and final Gambler, she focused her glare on the men. The blue-eyed blond smirked. "You aren't going to be our prisoner. That implies we'll be keeping you locked in a cage or a single room, refusing you access to anything else."

"You may rest assured that you have full ability to roam." The blond's companion spoke, his smirk still remaining.

"Bullshit."

"Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?" The blond asked curiously, grinning. Maria's eyebrow twitched. She tightened her hold on her blades, ready to charge and slice them, when she suddenly felt cold all over-ice wrapping around her and freezing her in place. "Oh~ Good job, Number Four. Distraction tactics."

"Of course." The green-eyed man smirked, watching as the flames on her blades got put out. He waved his hand, opening a portal, and placed a hand on the ice-prison. He dismissed his shield. "Now get over here and help me lug her into the portal before she breaks out of it. She's fire, after all, and it doesn't take long for those with that ability to break free."

"Of course." He responded, quickly making his way over and helping him push her into the portal.

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