A/N:
Howdy! Just dropping in to publish a BONUS CHAPTER I promised to Clarilune. Look out for "Becoming Somebodies", the sequel to this FanFic!
This chapter can also be seen as the introduction to "Becoming Somebodies".
Yukia's conscience was drifting, wandering in a black space; it seemed never-ending to the being, going on forever. She tried to move, to feel, but noticed she had no physical form any more, and panicked. She reached out for something, maybe her heart, maybe her body.
"H-hello?" she sent the message with her mind, letting it echo in the black space. "I-is anyone here?"
"Y…Yukia?" a thought responded, and it reminded her slightly of Repliku- strong and forceful, but full of insecurity and confusion. "Yukia, is that you? We've been waiting for you…"
"Waiting?" she latched onto his thoughts, trying to locate him in this smog of Darkness. "Who? Are you Repliku?"
"Yes, that is who I am. Have you forgotten me already?"
"No! I just…" she tried to open her eyes, but still all she saw was Darkness. "Why can't I see anything? Am I nonexistent now?"
"Open your eyes, can't you see us? We're standing right in front of you."
"But, I already tried that,"
"Yukia, listen to me." an older voice croaked, snapping her to attention. "You can open your eyes. I'll count for you, and on three, I want those eyes opened. Understood?"
"Yes…" she identified the Voice as Vexen, her Creator, whom she had longed to see for a long time.
"Good. One," he began, and the blackness faded into a lighter grey. "Two," the grey turned lighter and suddenly there were outlines of two males. "Three."
A flash of white light illuminated the Darkness, and Yukia opened her eyes. "R-Repliku… Vexen…" tears roamed freely down her cheeks, brushing past battle scars and dripping onto the white flooring beneath them. Reaching out to touch them, her hands shook. It was then she noticed both her arms were intact, as well as her legs.
"What's wrong?"
"M-my arms and legs…" she smiled, happy to see them working again. However, it seemed restoring them came with slight deformities in her leg and arm, bone poking where it shouldn't. On the other hand, it didn't really hurt. Happiness washed over her like water, and she flung herself at her Creator and the other Replica, making them fall over onto the white flooring.
"It's good to see you so energetic." Repliku said, patting her head. "Better than the suffering you went through down there."
"This is just s-s-so… perfect."
"That's the illusion the Darkness hoped to create."
"We're still in the Darkness, huh…" she saddened, looking around the pearly expanse of nothingness. She felt where her heart should be, recalling it got ripped from her chest. "I hope my heart was enough to push through…"
"What do you mean, 'push through'?" Vexen asked, standing up on his feet.
Yukia also got up, helping Repliku as well. "My heart got stolen by the Heartless before I died, but my 'True' heart released into Kingdom Hearts. If I could have been the completing heart, which means Demyx and the others…" she paused at Demyx. She left him behind, didn't she? "…they can, I mean…"
Silence echoed in the room, tears patting gently on the ground.
"They can get hearts." She chocked through sobs, wiping at her eyes. "I shouldn't be like this, I mean; I'm with you two again, right?"
"Of course," Repliku whispered, making Vexen stare warily.
"I still don't understand." Vexen mumbled at the embracing Replicas, scratching his head.
Yukia grasped his hand, holding it to her chest. "Since they can get hearts, that means they'll finally pass on through here, too. Then," she smiled up at the two. "You both will finally have hearts, too."
Vexen stumbled on his words, voice cracking. "That might be impossible."
"Why?"
"If that's true, then why haven't we received our hearts yet?"
Yukia took this time to formulate a response, pacing around the endless room, brightness of the whites giving her a headache. She suddenly shouted "Yeah!!" and went back over to the confused men.
"It's because we haven't gone to the 'Next Life'!!"
Vexen often heard that from Axel, whom he instantly assumed she got it from. "Nonsense. We are here in Darkness, and will remain here for the rest of our nonexistence."
[TimeSkip: Three weeks]
Yukia slept next to Repliku, whom had his arms wrapped lazily around her waist. She didn't breathe, but just slept, like nothing else could possibly matter. She was awakened by the sound of a confused voice speaking to her.
"U-umm… is anyone here? It's dark…"
Yukia thought she recognized the voice, and went in the direction she heard it in, waking up Repliku and Vexen, whom had been enjoying a peaceful slumber.
"Hello? Where am I…" it called again, this time sounding like it stifled a sob.
She ran desperately to that sound, running until she saw the shadowy outline of a certain Nocturne. She touched this shadowy figure, and it froze.
"W-who is that? Hello?"
"D-Demyx," she chocked, salty water dripping past her eyes. "Demyx, it's me. Open your eyes, please… I'll help you. Okay?"
"Y-Yukia-chan!!" his voice perked up almost instantly, sounding happy. "I-is Roxas here, too? And Vexen?"
"I haven't seen Roxas, but Vexen and Repliku are here." She gripped tightly onto the Nocturne's head. "I'm going to count to three, okay? I want you to open your eyes when I say 'three'."
He nodded his shadowy head, waiting for the signal.
"One," his body colour began to come back, filling the black void that was his body. "Two, and… three."
There was a bright flash of light, momentarily blinding Yukia and the others, whom had gathered to watch.
Demyx blinked, and his features played a mixture of happiness and sadness. "W-we've all… so much… you… I…" he gave up on words, tackling Yukia down to the ground, smothering her with his presence. "I-I've missed you so much!!"
"Me too," she said, embracing the crying Nobody. "We can all go to 'Next Life' together now, right?"
[TimeSkip: One Year]
"I'm tired of waiting around for Xemnas to die already. I want to go to 'Next Life' now!!" Demyx whined, poking Xigbar's cheek. "Can we leave yet?" Marluxia joined in with the poking, entertaining himself
"No Demyx. We need to wait for Superior to get his lazy ass up here," Luxord rambled across the expanse, playing with his cards, showing Xaldin the new one he got after dying.
Suddenly, a giant moving mass of Darkness appeared at the far end of the pearly white room. Getting up, they all moved to see if it was really who they were hoping would hurry up and die.
"Xemnas," Yukia said, touching the Darkness, but immediately pulled back. Some of the immense Darkness had latched onto her hand, but wisped away into nothingness once again. "Are you there? Can you see?"
"Of course I can see, Replica." The Darkness went up in a giant flash of light, and the image of Xemnas revealed himself to the rest of the Nobodies and Replicas. "Why ever would I not be?"
"Good!" she nodded her head, turning to the rest of them. "That mean we don't have to wait any longer!!"
"Finally," Axel mumbled, picking up a sleeping Roxas and trotting over to them. "How does this work?"
It was then Yukia almost drew a blank. "Do you all remember what your Somebodies looked like?"
A nod of agreement went through the crowd, and they looked expectantly at her.
"Good. Now, picture them, and raise your arms." As they did, Yukia did as well. "Reach out to the lost heart you were once part of, latch onto it. Don't let go or open your eyes for even a second."
Shuffles were heard, like they were physically trying to reach upward and grab a heart from the sky.
"No, with your minds, reach for it. Not with your bodies. Once you find it, call it. Chant your Somebody's name."
Yukia started with a soft chant of "Akiyu,"
"Ienzo," Zexion mumbled trough his teeth, barely audible due to his voice's softness.
Zexion was followed by a light "Even," from Vexen, just a scratch louder than a whisper.
"Dyme," [1] Demyx whined, readily.
Marluxia sighed almost contentedly next to Vexen, letting his Somebodies name roll of his tongue whimsically. "Lumaria," which had earned a scoff from Axel, who had woken Roxas up to perform the ritual.
"Isa." Saïx's serene voice ringed in the empty Darkness, making all other Nobodies silence themselves until they found their names.
"Durlo." [2]The Gambler of Fate said his voice gentle and slightly drunk.
Xaldin coughed before speaking, as if he was unused to such an act of public speaking. "Dilan," he mumbled softly to the rest of the group.
"Arlene," [3] Larxene's static voice vibrated through the pale room, making some of the members shake.
"Lea." Axel smiled. Roxas snorted, making Demyx giggle as well.
"Sora," Roxas mumbled, still slightly giggling to himself.
Xigbar laughed to himself as he found his name, startling the others. "Braig."
"Aeleus." His voice was stern, and she almost couldn't place name to face. Lexaeus coughed, signaling the last two men to hurry up so he could get his heart.
"Riku." Repliku said, his voice laced with relief of ridding himself of his Original's name.
Silence filled the air, until Saïx spoke up again. "Superior. Your Somebody's name."
Xemnas had a very hard time grasping and holding onto a name he almost couldn't locate, reaching out continuously until he placed it. "Ansem."
A large flash of light made blindness temporary in the group, and they felt their bodies take off into another World, all of which they suspected to be 'Next Life'. Yukia put down a hand to reach for Demyx's, who held on tightly.
"We'll all go together now," Yukia said, feeling the warmth that her new heart produced, smiling widely.
Beating, finally, fifteen hearts synchronized together in perfect harmony. Finally achieving all they had ever lived for, feeling for the first time in their nonexistence. This, they all thought, was truly what 'living' was.
A/N:
[1] I've also heard 'Myde', but I'm using this one 'cause I like it better. :3
[2] I honestly don't have a freaking' clue about what his name could have possibly been.
[3] Elenar? Enerla? Ralene? I don't give a damn, really but felt like mentioning others.
So, this really is more of an intro to "Becoming Somebodies" than a Bonus Chapter, but that's what we're gonna treat it as.