Author's Note: Hi. Remember me? That one person who pops up on here sometimes and posts random junk? Well, yeah. My style's a touch odd in this chapter and Axel is kinda OOC ish. Regardless, here be the newest installment. Oh, any ideas for a better title? You should give them to me.

Disclaimer: I don't own KH, as much as I like to pretend that I do.

Drixana

Drixana shifted, uncomfortable, in her sleep

Drixana shifted uncomfortable in her sleep. She subconsciously pushed the blankets covering her down. She was beginning to wake up. The only thought in her head was how damn hot it was. The second she came to full awareness, she leapt into the air, wide awake and looking around frantically, trying to figure out what had been making her bed burning hot.

Axel stood at the food of the bed, bent over, laughing. Drixana shouted, "What the hell was that for?"

The Flurry straightened, an air of innocence on his face. "What was what for?"

Drixana grabbed a pillow and threw it at the redhead. "You know perfectly well what."

Axel dodged easily, "Oh, that. Just an effective way of waking people up."

Drixana seemed to have calmed down a bit, but she still eyed Axel suspiciously. "Wait… what are you doing in my room? I should be entitled to some privacy, even if I don't really exist."

"I was waking you up, obviously," he replied.

"But why? What do I need to be awake this early for?"

"Training, of course."

Drixana gave him a confused look. "What?"

"I'm your mentor now, got it memorized?"

Number XIV gave this a moment to sink in. He was her mentor? Well, he seemed interesting enough. This could be fun. "Okay."

Axel held out his hand and summoned a portal, which he started to walk through. "Well, let's go."

Drixana followed and they emerged on the training field that Roxas had shown her upon her arrival. Drixana looked around. It seemed as though it had recently been used. She could smell a faint whiff of smoke and could swear that a corner of one target was smoldering. XIV shook herself and turned to look at Number VIII. He seemed to be thinking.

Suddenly, Axel spoke. "Close your eyes."

Drixana raised an eyebrow before doing as he had said.

"Now, reach deep inside yourself."

"What?"

Axel let out a short sigh. "You're making this difficult. Close your eyes again, and relax for a moment, okay? No questions. Just let everything go."

Apprehensive, Drixana did so. She closed her blue eyes and took deep breaths, trying to forget all that had happened to her recently. It had been quite a lot to cope with, and it felt good to let go of it. Finally, she reached a very calm state, and in that state, she felt something. It was vast and powerful. And dark. Very dark. She instinctively drew away and found herself returned to full awareness.

"What was that?"

A smile flicked over Axel's lips. It seemed part his normal smirk, but also a touch relieved. "Good, you found it. That, Drixana, is the source of our power."

"Our?"

"We. Those beings of darkness and us, the nobodies, who hover in twilight," he replied. There was an odd note in his voice, faint, but present.

"So, what do I do with it?" Drixana asked.

"Enter, and immerse yourself in that power. You'll find a weapon. Bring it with you when you return."

Number XIV nodded and closed her eyes. It was easier to find the darkness this time. She still shied away at its immensity, but something drew her forward like a hungry man towards food. This feeling washed away all her doubts and she went easily into the darkness.

It was cold, but not freezing. Her black Organization coat meant that it was no problem at all. She wondered if this was one of the reasons that these were worn.

"What am I doing again?" Drixana muttered to herself. "Weapon. Right."

She looked around, but all was swirling darkness. She took a few steps forward, but nothing seemed to change. Drixana was just considering going back and asking Axel about it when she felt something. A flickering, warm presence. She was drawn to it, and she walked towards it.

And it was all around her - strength such as she had never felt before coupled with the vaguest sense of self that had been lost to her since she had become a Nobody. Drixana felt something in her hands. It was as though the darkness were compacting and growing thicker. She felt something take shape in her hand. Number XIV clutched onto it and returned to The World That Never Was.

She opened her eyes and looked down to what she was holding in her hands. It was a bow. She also noticed that a quiver hung over her shoulders. She reached into it and pulled out an arrow. Its shaft was etched with the Nobody's symbol. Also strapped to the quiver were twin knives. 'Good,' she thought, 'a bow and arrows would be rather useless for close combat.'

Axel nodded. "Very good. Now, let's see how you use them."

Drixana nodded vaguely, still examining her new weapons. Hers. As she had felt in the darkness, there was the dimmest sense of identity within these. She clung to it. Realizing she had been staring for a long time, Drixana fitted the arrow she had to the string and aimed it at a target.

The arrow hit the target with a soft 'whump,' but it was on the very outer edge. Number XIV frowned. Axel shrugged, a small smirk playing about his lips. "Decent, for a first time. Ever used a bow before there, Drix?"

"Nope," she replied.

"Well," Axel said, "as I'm not exactly a skilled archer, there's not much I can tell you but practice. So I'll give that to you as homework. For now, drop your bow and arrows."

"Drop them?'

"Let them go. Send them back to the darkness. They'll be there when you need them next. Keep the knives though."

Drixana grabbed her knives and let go of the vague connection to her other weapon. It vanished in a swirl of black. She was reflection on the small loss she felt when a huge spike wheel went spinning by right over her head.

"I'm aiming for your neck, this time XIV. Dodge!"

Drixana dodged.