Zexion stared at the innocent book quietly, seeing the golden ring balance perfectly on the open book, holding his place. But that wasn't what he knew was supposed to be bothering him. It was the fact that the up-right position of the ring nestled in the book's binding created a heart-shaped shadow. Almost like the book possessed what he lacked.
A heart.
Zexion strode over to the open book, pausing just short of the table, and flicked the golden ring as hard as his fingers could, sending it crashing through a pane on his balcony widow and releasing a flood of new oxygen to the stuffy, library-like room.
He frowned. Something wasn't right. He smelled a subtle scent of what he'd swear to be pine and some sort of old-world candy. This made no sense. Unless… A new arrival had come. And a female at that, if his old factory senses told him right. That, or a very good-smelling man.
A disturbing comfort, he decided. Zexion walked around his reading desk, pushing open a balcony door and stepping outside, pinpointing the scent. Slowly, he turned his head to find the daunting moon that was Kingdom Hearts, holding him forever in contempt.
Seemingly content with itself to cruelly tease him with the forever-distant prospect of his heart. Sighing, the Cloaked Schemer turned his head back toward the heartless-infested ground, scanning for the newest member. Spotting her quickly, Zexion vaulted over the railing side, wondering if superior was still up at this unholy hour of night.
Landing harshly on the earthen floor, Zexion straightened up, sighting his quarry. A tan, dark-haired girl currently being swarmed by curious heartless. Nudging aside several heartless, who then proceeded to begin tripping over themselves, he slung the unconscious girl over his shoulder and opened a portal outside of Xemnas' room.
Emerging from the black portal, Zexion knocked lightly on the Superior's door, hoping he was not in the middle of something important. "Enter," came the deep rumble of Xemnas. Pushing open the white door, he slid unobtrusively into the bleak room, seeing Xemnas, par usual, buried in his work. "Set her down on the bed," he ordered, seemingly without the need to look up. It was almost as though, by some magical means, he was able to perceive the normally secluded schemer's intentions without fault.
The Cloaked Schemer followed his leader's instructions to the letter, placing her gently onto the plain, black and white sheets. "Dismissed," Xemnas shooed Zexion with a wave, never once bothering to look up. The silent schemer left without a word, his mind only vaguely questioning the Superior's decision.
What was he going to do with her?
~~~It's pronounced Sir-Aye-ne~~~
Xemnas stared at the sleeping girl's form as she rested on top of his sheets, waiting patiently, just like he had with all the other members. Without warning, she groaned, sucking in a raspy breath as her eyes opened, only to reveal the bloodshot whites of her eyes. "Xirane," she rasped, her back arching slightly before her eye's closed once more, her form settling back into the sheets. He smiled, content.
So now he knew her name. Xirane groaned, sitting up and clutching her head tightly, feeling as though her brain had just undergone a massive cranial operation. That, or someone decided what a jolly-grand idea it would be to beat her senseless with a seven-pound rubber mallet. Either which way, she knew that ultimately, this was pure, unfiltered pain.
And pain, as everyone knew, sucked. Xemnas rose from the large throne-like chair silently, "Welcome to the Organization, Xirane," said newly recruited member slid her hands over her sensitive eyes, shielding them from the unforgiving light as she curled into a slight fetal position, hiding her head entirely.
"Where?" Came her muffled, single-word question.
"You are in the land that never was, number fourteen," Xemnas stared at the curled girl's form. "You," he continued, getting ready to answer a few questions, " are now a member of this Organization of nobodies, whose sole purpose is to recover their hearts from the Kingdom Hearts," he thrust his hand toward the heart-shaped, yellow moon. "That, Xirane, is Kingdom Hearts, she is our tormentor, our keeper, and our savior," Xemnas finished.
Xirane opened her troubled eyes slowly, letting the new information slowly sink in. Questions beyond questions flitted through her mind, but she knew she should stick to a few, important questions. This man didn't strike her altogether as the tolerant type. "How?" She asked, discovering that the less she talked, the less her head seemed to hurt.
"Heartless took your heart. It now belongs to Kingdom Hearts," he once again pointed to the large, yellow moon.
"My… purpose?" She asked quietly.
"To do whatever I say, as your leader, in order so that we may take back our hearts," Xemnas turned toward the open balcony, "one last question."
"My memory," it was less of a question than it was a statement, but Xemnas took it as a question nonetheless.
"You are a Nobody, essentially an empty shell, void of heart and soul. Reborn a new nothing," Xirane absorbed the answer, finally coming to the conclusion that it made little, if any sense, and that it had absolutely no relevancy to her question. It was pretty much a bunch of pretty words that sounded like it made sense, but really didn't. She figured it was as close to an answer as she was going to get, anyway. Xemnas opened a portal silently, gesturing for her to enter, "Your temporary quarters, number fourteen."
Xirane nodded silently, slipping her legs off the bed, finding herself in a black trench coat, which explained why she had felt so uncomfortable. Xemnas stopped her just before she entered the portal, intent on telling her one last thing, "as a Nobody, you lack a heart, and because you lack a heart, you lack emotions. This is something you will grow used to in time."
Xirane nodded, "thank you…"
"Superior," Xemnas finished.
Xirane suppressed her raising eyebrow. Ego, much? "Thank you, Superior," she finished, stepping through the portal and into an equally white room of blinding proportions. The steadily adjusting girl glanced behind her to find the portal gone, an equally black door in it's place. Sighing, she unzipped the tailored coat and slipped into the white sheets of the room, pulling the covers over her head, willing a visit from the sandman.
~~~The Next Morning~~~
"Shh! Shh! I think the new guy's waking up, Axel!" The less-than-subtle voice of a teenage boy whispered harshly. A sudden hard tug on Xirane's sheets lead to the unexpected uncovering of her face, shocking the brown-haired teen, who fell back, eyes wide. "The news guys a girl!" The shocked teen whipped his head toward the other two in the room, a tall, skinny redhead, and a happy-go-lucky blonde.
The redhead and blonde glanced at each other. "We got that, Roxas," they finished in unison. Xirane sat up, an eyebrow raised. Suddenly realizing that she was clad in nothing but a black undershirt and polka dotted boy shorts, Xirane pulled the sheets up to her hips. The redhead smacked Roxas on the back of the head, "nice going, doofus, you scared her," he chided, waggling a finger.
Xirane bit her lip. Might as well set the record straight. "Actually, you didn't really scare me, I'm just a bit… underdressed," she finished, hoping to get the message of 'get out' across. No such luck.
"See?" Roxas turned toward the redhead, "I didn't scare her, Axel." Xirane and the blonde watched the two begin to bicker happily. A sudden pressure on the bed caused her to glance to her left, finding a smiling blonde sitting next to her.
"Hi, I'm Demyx," he greeted, extending a hand.
Xirane smiled, finally, a sane person. "Xirane," she took his hand, giving it a single shake. "So…" she trailed off slightly, glancing back to the bickering duo, "are they always like this?"
Demyx nodded, "More or less; but they're best friends, for sure."
Xirane bit her lip again, deciding to abandon tact, "So, I'd like to get around to wearing pants sometimes soon, so would you mind handing them to me?" She couldn't be sure, but somehow, she got the feeling she had been in a similar situation before.
Demyx blinked, looking surprised. "Sure! Uhmm… where are they?" He looked around the plain room, searching for the elusive pair.
"Oh, uhm, I think they're at the foot of the bed," she craned her neck, scanning for the lost pants.
Demyx rose from the bed and peeked over the side, picking up a pair of black slacks. "Got 'em!" Xirane's smile faded slightly, noting the sudden silence.
She leaned to the side, seeing Axel and Roxas laughing silently, using each other for support, "Oooooh, Demyx's got the new girls pants!" Xirane gave a tight-lipped smile at the two's crude humor as Demyx began to slowly flush red, still holding Xirane's pants.
"Here," Demyx thrust the pair of pants at her, before retreating to a farther corner of the room to sulk, looking slightly abashed. Xirane took the outstretched pants, missing her opportunity to say thanks. She lifted the sheets and pushed the pants under them, working the slacks on quickly and getting out of bed whilst tugging up her zipper.
She raised an eyebrow, "Was their any particular reason you three needed to watch that?" Demyx and Roxas reddened a shade, while Axel grinned. "What?" she locked eyes with the redhead.
"Because it was fun. I'd rather see you take them off than I would you put them on, anyway," Axel winked cheekily as Xirane rolled her eyes, seeing the other two glance around awkwardly.
"Ah, another boy whose bark is worse than his bite," Xirane teased.
"Depends on where I'm biting," Axel retorted, grinning madly. Roxas raised an eyebrow, inching away from Axel.
Xirane matched Axel's crazy grin; at least she knew the entire organization wasn't filled with boring, slightly-less-than-fun-loving members. "Ah, good. The puppy can speak," she continued the banter playfully.
"I may be able to speak, but can you scream?" Axel asked, playfully.
"Can you?" She shot back.
"Uhm, guys? Aren't we supposed to be getting her over to see the Superior?" Roxas interrupted, a single finger raised.
"Yeah, we should have left a couple minutes ago…" Demyx added, summoning a portal. The four stepped into the portal and into an annoyed Xemnas's quarters.
"Do you have a reason for being so late?" He asked, leaning back in his throne-chair, steepling his fingers expectantly.
"I, well, you see, Superior," Demyx fumbled over an explanation, hoping he wouldn't be punished.
"You know girls, Superior, they always take too long to get ready," Axel interrupted, leaning forward with a hopeful look on his face, unaware of his crucial mistake. Xirane raised an eyebrow almost beyond her hairline, stepping toward Axel, paying no attention to Demyx and Roxas who had both backed up slightly. A surprised, "ow!" was the only thing, besides a resounding 'smack' noise the room heard, followed by a thud as Xirane punched Axel, hard, on the head. "What was that for?" Axel demanded, getting up from the floor, rubbing his head all the way.
Xirane raised a single eyebrow incredulously, "Nothing. Anyway, these three neglected to mention that I was supposed to meet you here, Superior." Demyx and Roxas glared ice daggers at Axel who looked offended, then pointed at Xirane, as if saying 'blame her!' Xirane grabbed his finger and twisted, earning a yelp as Axel yanked his hand out of her grip.
Xemnas kept a stony, straight face, "of course. You three are dismissed." Axel, Demyx, and Roxas left quickly. "Now, I assume you have yet to discover your power, Xirane."
Xirane blinked, power? Xemnas leaned back coolly, "as I thought. Your power will hopefully manifest itself soon, as you are going on a mission to gather information on a certain demi-god named Hercules."
"By myself?" She questioned. Sounded… safe. Oh yes, really, very safe sounding.
"Is there a problem, Number Fourteen?" Xemnas asked, a single brow raised.
"No, Superior. When do I leave, and how do I get there?" Xirane asked, unwilling to cross this vicious seeming man.
"Better. You may leave as soon as you lean to summon portals. Go talk to Number Thirteen, Roxas; he will teach you," Xemnas concluded, dismissing her.
Xirane turned and left promptly, deciding the less amount of time she spent with him, the better. But where in this un-world could Roxas be? She turned left, hoping to run into Roxas, Demyx, or even Axel.
After a few minutes of wandering aimlessly, Xirane spotted a blue haired man. "Excuse me," she walked up to the man, "do you know where Roxas is?" The tall man gave her a second-long glace before passing her by. The outraged girl reared her head back, fighting to keep from yelling at the inconsiderate man. Something in her gut told her this man, like Xemnas, was not a man to make angry if you enjoyed life with all four of your limbs.
"Xirane!" She turned around to see Roxas running toward her.
"Roxas?" The out of breath boy rested against his knees for a second, catching his breath, " Where've you been, I've been looking for you. Superior wants you to teach me how to use portals." Roxas straightened up, groaning.
"Really? Man, I just got the hang of it…" Roxas sighed, grabbing her hand, "C'mon, we better get started." Leading her into a large, white hall, Roxas began explaining the concept of the portals. Xirane listened intently, discovering after a short while that, like the concept of nobodies, portals made no sense.
"So, just imagine where I want to go, draw a vertical line in the air, and poof? That's it?" Xirane asked disbelievingly.
"Pretty much," Roxas concluded. "Give it a try, see if you can teleport to the top of that balcony," he suggested, pointing to a spot above them about fifty feet away. She sighed, running her hand through her hair. If he said so. She stared at the spot he suggested intently, and drew a vertical line in the air. Nothing. The unshocked girl raised an eyebrow, turning toward Roxas, she gestured for her to try again. "No one gets it the first time," he chided, "try again."
Xirane smiled, suddenly seeing the similarities between Roxas's strangely gravity-defying hair and a porcupine. She giggled as she met Roxas's eyes, imagining a porcupine resting on Roxas's head in a sudden fit of creativity. "What?" Roxas glanced, turning around to spot a mirror. Roxas yelped suddenly, punching, ruffling, and pulling at his hair. "Get it off, get it off!" He ranted insanely. Xirane bolted toward Roxas holding him as sill as she could.
"Roxas, there's nothing on you, calm down!" she yelled, turning him around to look him in the eye. Roxas went still momentarily, the spark of life returning into his blank eyes.
"I… what?" He ran his hand through his spiky, gravity-defying hair and scrunched his eyebrows, confused. "But I swear, there was this porcupine on my head, it was clawing at my head and everything… I… wait! What were you laughing about before I went crazy like that?" Roxas asked, an idea budding in his brain.
"Uh… Actually, I was just realizing how much your hair reminded me of a porcupine, and then I thought of you with a porcupine for hair… and after I looked at you, you started…. Uhm, hallucinating, was it?" Xirane blinked, eyebrows raised, suddenly realizing what that meant. "So, I guess…" she trailed off, the strangeness of it all beginning to really sink in. How…odd.
Roxas nodded, "Yep, looks like it."
"So I guess that's it?" Xirane asked, unsure.
"No," Roxas smirked, "You've still got to learn how to make portals; and then the real fun begins."
"Real fun?" She questioned. It didn't sound good, whatever it was.
"Yeah, we've got to figure out how many different pranks we could pull on everyone else," Roxas clarified. "It's perfect!" He declared, grabbing Xirane's hand and dancing excitedly.
~~Endw00tLulz~~
So! My second post, and what do ya'll think? Don't forget to vote, if you haven't already!