Xrnay awoke in a small bed. It had soft white sheets. He was in a small white room with a small desk and an armoire.
Xrnay pulled back the sheets and got out of bed. He pulled on his black robe that hung over the desk chair.
"What!" Xrnay felt inside his pocket, but the crystal heart was not there. He checked the other pocket, and then he went back and checked the other pocket.
Xrnay opened the white door and entered the lab. Lynxad had on black goggles and was looking at the heart through a microscope.
The heart glowed dark green with swirls of black. Then, it turned bright red. Lynxad jerked his head back as it shifted colors.
"Hey!" Xrnay yelled angrily. "What's the big idea? That is mine, and if you really wanted it, you could have asked."
The heart pulsed red now. Lynxad looked at the heart then at Xrnay.
"Here," Lynxad said, he picked up the heart and gave it to Xrnay. "I am sorry."
The heart shifted colors again, but this time it was a cool green mixed with yellow and light blue.
"Well," Xrnay said, he didn't expect an apology. "Next time ask, O.K.?"
"There won't be a next time," Lynxad said sadly.
"What?"
"That is your heart, not mine, not anyone else's, just yours," Lynxad said, with a somber sigh.
"What do you mean?" Xrnay was confused as ever.
Lynxad went over to him and stared him strait in the eyes. Xrnay returned the gaze, unblinking.
"Never," Lynxad started, never faltering his stare, "never tell anyone that you poses a heart."
"I don't understand…"
"I don't know why or how, but your heart didn't turn into a heartless nor did it go to Kingdom Hearts. It stayed with your nobody self. People are desperate and will do anything to get a heart Thou it might take a while; I will help you return to your full self," Lynxad said, he never took away his gaze until now, when he looked down.
"Lynxad…" Xrnay didn't know what to say. "Thank you."
Lynxad looked up to see Xrnay smiling warmly at him. The heart in Xrnay's hands pulsed a bright yellow with flecks of blue.
Lynxad almost felt a nonexistent heart feel the same way: happy and sad at the same time.
"Well," Lynxad said clearing his throat, "shall we go to breakfast?"
Xrnay forgot about food, and it wasn't till now that he realized he was hungry. "Sure."
"Let's go," Lynxad said. He turned and opened the door and walked out.
Xrnay quickly, but carefully, put the heart, his heart in his pocket. He followed Lynxad.
They walked down the endless hallway.
Lynxad stopped and Xrnay walked right into him.
"What?" Xrnay said looking over Lynxad's shoulder.
Three guys stood laughing and talking loudly. They all wore the same black rode as Lynxad and Xrnay were.
The one with the red spiky hair looked over. A devilish smile spread across his face. He nudged his brown, mullet haired friend.
The mullet head grabbed the young boy and pulled him behind the red spiky haired guy.
"Well what do we have here?" the red spiky head said. "If it isn't the little smart nobody."
Lynxad glared but did nothing else. His hands clenched into fists. The red haired guy must of saw this because his grin widened.
"You want to fight?" he taunted.
Xrnay felt like now was the time to intervene, before someone got hurt.
"Hi, I'm Xrnay," Xrnay said. He moved from behind Lynxad and held out his hand for a handshake.
The red haired guy seemed surprised by Xrnay's appearance. He brushed away Xrnay's hand.
"Axel's my name, number eight," Axel said. "Got it memorized?"
"I will make a note of it," Xrnay said coolly.
"Name's Demyx," smiled the mullet guy. "Number nine."
"Hello," Xrnay said politely.
"And this," Demyx cheerfully said, pulling on the sandy haired boy. "Is Roxas, the newest member of the organization.
If his heart were intact, it would have skipped a beat.
"Hi," Roxas said softly. He avoided Xrnay's eyes and looked at the floor
"Hey," Xrnay said quietly. He too couldn't keep his gaze. He almost had the feeling of failure when he looked Roxas. This feeling confused Xrnay; he had never seen Roxas in his 'life'.
Then, there was a friendly feeling, like Xrnay and Roxas were old friends that haven't seen each other in years.
"So new guy, were they dig you out from?" Axel said, amused by Roxas and Xrnay's uncomfortable confrontation.
"The In-between," Xrnay said simply.
"We haven't had one from there in a while," Demyx said.
"Well, we'd better get to breakfast," Lynxad said, pushing Xrnay past the trio.
"See you later, guys," Xrnay said with a wave.
"Later, Xrnay!" Demyx yelled after him.
Lynxad kept pushing Xrnay until they were inside the dining hall. They sat at a table that was far away from others.
A silver creature floated over and handed them each a plate of eggs. Xrnay stayed stiff and still until it was gone.
Lynxad let out a low chuckle. "Don't fear, they are just lesser nobodies. Here to serve not to harm until told."
Xrnay relaxed as another one brought orange juice to them.
"That was amazing!" Lynxad said.
"What?" Xrnay asked, after he had finished the eggs on his fork.
"The way you just talked to those organization members!"
"So," Xrnay said, not getting the point. "I just was defending you, you know. You were ready to kill that Axel guy."
Lynxad let out a laugh; it didn't seem as hollow as the rest of his laughs. "They do torment me a little."
Xrnay swallowed down his orange juice. "Why do they have numbers?"
"They are superior to us," Lynxad said, he clearly didn't like the pecking order here. "The lower their number the more superiority over us."
"Do I have a number?" Xrnay asked pointing at himself.
Lynxad shook his head. "Only the stronger or gifted can become a member."
"Why aren't you?" Xrnay asked.
Lynxad choked on his eggs. "What?"
"Well you are really smart and isn't that a strength?"
Lynxad stared at him amazed. "No," he said sadly, "I cannot fight, I can only think. Thinking never won wars."
"Ah, but it never started them either," Xrnay said as another nobody brought him another plate of eggs.
Lynxad smiled at the comment, then Xrnay wolfed down his eggs and he stifled a laugh.
"So, what is there to do around here?" Xrnay asked.
Lynxad though this question was odd. "Um… usually I go and work on the heartless generator until lunch then I work on it for the rest of the day."
Xrnay laughed, taking Lynxad by surprise. "Well, what do your friends think?"
Lynxad stood up abruptly. "Friendship is not a feeling we feel."
Lynxad walked away, leaving Xrnay in his wake.
Xrnay sighed and put down his fork. He didn't understand what he did wrong.
No, Xrnay thought, I did nothing, but the past has for him.
Xrnay wonder where this new found wisdom was coming from, when Xemnas walked to the table.
"How are the accommodations?" Xemnas said coldly.
"Oh, they are fine," Xrnay said, he felt he was being targeted by this man.
"Good," Xemnas hissed and walked away.
Xrnay got up from his chair and walked back to Lynxad's room. He didn't meet Axel, Demyx, or Roxas on the way.
Who was this Roxas? Why does it feel like we've meet before, Xrnay asked himself. Hundreds of questions buzzed through his head.
Xrnay stopped at Lynxad's door. Should he knock? The nameplate did have his name on it.
Xrnay sighed and opened the door. The odor that escaped didn't seem to bother him. Xrnay peeked inside but Lynxad was not in the lab.
Xrnay sighed and checked the heartless generator, but the room was hollow and empty just like everything else here in this depressing world.
Xrnay went to his room and sat at the empty desk. He opened one of the desk draws. There was a leather bound book in side. Next to it was a silver fountain pen.
Xrnay grabbed the book and leafed through the pages. The book was empty, except for the inside cover. It read:
This Book Belongs To: _
Xrnay took the fountain pen from the draw and wrote his name. Xrnay smiled when he was finished and sat the pen down.
This Book Belongs To: Ryan Whitney