"Ugh, my head," were the first words out of the mouth of the Furry of Dancing Flames as he came to. He sat up, but stopped midway and held his head. "Someone remind me never to do that again."
"Well, finally you're awake," a female voice responded to him, which he was not expecting at all. "Shouldn't be long now."
"Larxene?!" Axel whirled around to face the blonde, ignoring the pains he received in response. As he did, he took in a quick sweep of his surroundings. In his momentary confusion, panic surfaced in a gasp as he saw blobs of darkness coating blueish, off-white structures. The ground was nothing but cold dark sand, and an empty blackness with a slight blueish tint extended as far as the eye could see in the sky. After his view of the world at a glace, he turned back to his fellow Nobody. "H…how are you….?"
"Alive?" Larxene finished for him. "That's still a mystery to us all."
"All…?" Axel asked. "I…is everyone….?" He suddenly felt hard, flat, cold steel crash into the back of his head, accompanied by shattering ice.
"Long time no see, Axel," the creepy voice came from just over his shoulder with a malicious tone. Axel would have jumped out of his robe and quickly put distance between himself and the voice if he did not know the owner and knew he had nothing to fear.
"Hello, Vexen," he said, calmly. "I guess I disserved that."
"You disserve to be put right back to sleep like you were," Vexen snapped, "but, it wouldn't do any of us any good."
"Sleep?" Axel asked.
"Vexen believes we fell into a state of unconscious much like sleep while we were reforming," Zexion explained from where he stood leaning against some blob-covered structures reading his Lexicon.
"Reforming?" Axel asked, sitting up.
"I don't get it either," Demyx said, reclining amongst the blobs tuning his sitar.
You never get it, Axel thought, I don't think you even tried to.
"None of us really 'get it,'" Marluxia stepped forward from the shadows. It would seem he could guess Axel's thoughts, though why he would defend the lazy Nobody, was beyond Axel.
"So what are we going to do?" Axel asked, "sit around and do nothing?"
"Might as well wait for the others to awaken," Zexion replied, without looking up from his book.
"We've worked as a team for so long," Lexaeus said, "no use splitting up now. Once we're all together, we can determine where we are and what to do about it."
"All together," Axel repeated in his mind, does that mean Roxas will be here too? Axel refused to get his hopes up, he had known Sora couldn't wake up without joining with Roxas, meaning that, since Sora was awake, Roxas must be no more.
"We all know Xemnas will have his own plans," Vexen said. "The question is, do we go along with them?"
"Careful, now, Vexen," Axel teased, "talk like that's what got you here in the first place."
Vexen merely turned away, not willing to accept that Axel was right, or change his opinions on the matter.
"Weeeell…" a yawn-like voice came from just beyond the Nobodies' view, "It would appear the tables have turned, and we have been dealt another hand."
"Sounds like Luxord has joined us," Xaldin commented.
"Great," Larxene rolled her eyes with a groan, "just what we need: bad card metaphors."
"So, Luxord," Axel turned to face their newly-awakened comrade as he joined the group, "I take it Sora won that hand, eh?" He glanced at Larxene, since he had said that just to annoy her.
"Yes," Luxord said, "I would assume that is what happened to the others as well."
"To all of us it did," Lexaeus said, "but you already knew that."
Well, not all, Axel thought, remembering how his own demise came about. Fortunately no one else seemed to know about it and he could remain with the Organization for as long as he needed to.
"We actually don't know what became of the remaining members," Zexion said, "we're all just assuming Xemnas failed."
"The child's power is impressive," Luxord reflected. "It would not surprise me if he went home with all the chips that night."
"Who's left, anyway?" Axel said, looking around at everyone in black cloaks. "Besides Xemnas and Saïx."
"Just me," came a surfer-like voice along with the sound of a gun reload.
"Ah yes, number II," Axel said as Xigbar joined them. "I don't feel so bad about being taken out if Sora even got you."
"Shouldn't a' judged him by his looks," Xigbar said with a shrug. "So, where are we?"
"That we haven't determined," Vexen replied.
"This isn't any world any of us have been to," Zexion said, "but, then again, we haven't been everywhere there is to go."
"Doesn't look like there're any heartless around," Axel commented.
"You're not looking hard enough," Marluxia said.
As if on cue, Axel felt something rub against his arm, which was propping him up in his sitting position. "Gah!" instinctively he leapt up and summoned a Chakram with a flick of his wrist that sent it flying before it fully formed. There was a flash of fire as the Chakram made contact. In the quick light, the shape of a Shadow heartless could be seen before it vaporized into a cloud of black and purple smoke.
"Save your strength," Larxene said as Axel's Chakram came back to him. "It'll just come back."
"B…but…" Axel couldn't understand why anyone would spare a heartless when it was so close to them.
"They cannot sense us," Vexen said, "because of our robes and they have no business with us anyway. If we let them be, they will do likewise."
"Well someone coulda warned me!" Axel snapped, brushing himself off. "What're they all doing here? And why can't we see them?"
"They blend in," Lexaeus said. "And judging by the looks of this place, this is their 'home base.'"
"So this is where Hearts that aren't collected come and reform into heartless?" Axel asked.
"We haven't seen any emblem heartless yet," Xaldin commented.
"Their bright colors would give them away in an instant," Xigbar pointed out.
"But it makes sense that this is the 're-spawn point,'" Zexion said, "at least for purebloods. And that may explain why we ended up here."
"But we're not heartless," Demyx pointed out. "How does that make any sense?"
"It makes perfect sense," another voice came from beyond the shadows, one they all knew well. The Organization members all turned to face the voice, knowing their wait was over, and they'd be deciding what to do now.
Xemnas and Saïx came forward from the shadows. "It does, if you know where this is," Xemnas said.
"So where is this?" Larxene asked.
"Kingdom Hearts," their attention was now drawn to a large white door that had not been there before. Standing in front of it was another person in the same black cloak, but the hood was up. The voice that had come from that direction apparently belonged to this newcomer, and it was feminine, as was this person's figure.
"Woa, where did that come from?!" Demyx exclaimed.
"How did you manage to get in here?" Xemnas asked.
"You saying I don't look strong enough to open those doors?" the girl asked, walking towards them.
"Who are you?!" Saïx demanded, "and why are you wearing that cloak?! Are you another imposter?!"
"'Imposter'?" the girl repeated, stopping, "I was under the impression that the wearers of this cloak were no more."
"Well that's wrong, as you can plainly see," Xigbar said, cocking his arrowguns and aiming one at her. "Now would you mind answering the questions you were asked?"
"Actually, I would mind," the girl said. "I see no reason to do so. Especially when I hold the chips here."
Is she insane? Axel thought, Xigbar won't hesitate to fire. And what "chips" could she possibly be holding?
"Your dark corridors don't work here," the girl answered Axel's unspoken question. "That door, the Door to Darkness, is the only way in or out of here."
"Getting through you to get there will be no trouble at all," Vexen said.
"Not if I'm what's keeping that door open," the girl replied. "If you want out, you have to let me go."
"Why did you come here in the first place?" Xemnas asked.
"To let you out," the girl replied, "on the off-chance you actually were here."
"And what would you gain from that?" Xemnas asked.
"Does everyone in the world have to be out to get something?" the girl turned away from them. She rose her arms and held her right elbow in her left hand while motioning carelessly with her right. "Can't I just be out to do some good for my fellow Nobody?"
"What is it you want in return?" Xemnas asked.
"Nothing major," the girl said. "I just want to join you." She turned around as she said this.
Everyone's faces showed a hint of surprise. Xigbar lowered his weapon.
That's a first, Axel thought, I don't think anyone's ever asked to join the Organization.
"What do you have to offer?" Xemnas asked.
"What do you want?" the girl asked.
"Someone capable of collecting hearts to reform Kingdom Hearts," Xemnas replied.
"Ooohh, sorry," the girl flinched back slightly after hearing the request, "can't help you there. Sounds like you're looking for a keyblade."
"Indeed," Xemnas said. "Can you get it for us?"
"Do any of them have one?" the girl looked around at the gathered Nobodies.
"Can you answer the question I asked?" Xemnas asked.
"Well, if none of them have a keyblade or any way of collecting hearts, why are they part of the Organization?" the girl asked, ignoring Xemnas's request. "And aren't you Organization XIII? I count only twelve. I'm only asking to fill a vacancy."
"And I'm finding out if you truly can fill that vacancy," Xemnas said.
"That's right, Roxas," the girl wagged her finger before folding her arms. "Sora's Nobody and therefore a co-wielder of the keyblade."
"You're not what we're looking for," Xemnas said.
"And what if I told you I knew where to find what you're looking for?" the girl asked.
"If you mean Sora's location, we're well-aware," Xemnas said.
"I don't," the girl said. "He won't cooperate, we all know that. No, no, that's not what I meant at all."
"So what did you mean?" Xemnas inquired.
"My my, aren't you greedy," the girl said, "wanting something for nothing. I told you what I wanted. Is it really that hard to do? I'm sure you have a spare room, some work to be done; it's rather simple, actually."
"And why do you wish to join the Organization?" Xemnas asked.
"Has kindness really lost all it's value in the world?" the girl asked. "You can't believe that I just want to be of some use to someone? You think I don't want to help you complete this goal and use the power of Kingdom Hearts to give hearts to all Nobodies? Myself included, of course."
Axel stood back, taking it all in and wondering, like all the others, what was going to become of this. No one can fill Roxas's shoes, that's for sure, but I wonder if we really want them filled. Can we really let Xemnas have his way?
"A reasonable desire," Xemnas said. "What is your name?"
"My real name's not important, since you'll only change it anyway," the girl replied. "You can just call me Xerisa."
"Very well, Xerisa," Xemnas said, "or should I say Number XIII?"