Chapter 3: Presentation

When I calmed down considerably, I stood and walked out of the white bedroom. Seriously, I would need a map because you could get lost here. I was navigationally troubled and being in a huge high school in the past never helped but the Castle That Never Was looked the same in every detail so I could be heading to an attic and I wouldn't know. A Dusk appeared and motioned to me in its strange way but I didn't get what it wanted. What did it want? I cocked my head and gave it a confused look that clearly asked "what are you trying to tell me?"

"Follow me, my liege," a voice said in my head. It was sounded so different, not like an ordinary person's voice. It sounded like a whisper from a ghost.

"Y-yes," I said softly, holding out my hand to it. As soon as it touched the Dusk, I was surrounded by darkness and got swallowed in it. There was intense pressure around my body and my head pounded with a headache like if I opened my eyes I would be sick. I felt a rush of creepy warm air and hands grabbed my ankles to pull me through the loophole.

What felt like minutes later I appeared in front of Xemnas and Saix who were talking about Kingdom Hearts and plans, which mostly sounded like crap to me. Their glowing gold eyes trailed over my appearance and I felt self-conscious because I didn't look my best and I needed to bathe. Xemnas stood from his desk, walked over to me, and circled me like I was fresh kill. I really didn't like the look in his eyes because he looked too cheerful to be himself. In return, I gave him a cold, moody glare that said I wasn't taking any crap from him but he smirked like that was the reaction he wanted.

"Perfect," he said in a slow, dull voice, sniffing the air around me, "her darkness is perfect."

Since he was smelling me, I lifted my arm and sniffed my armpit just to make sure my deodorant was working. What darkness? Did I have some bad aura in me that made me part of the darkness? Maybe I did because of the awful memories I had of my past life. So many horrible things I've done and so many things that happened to me. Since I closed my heart up to people, I probably engulfed myself in darkness, but how much darkness could one have before fading away into nothing?

"What do you mean, darkness?" I asked, finding my voice again. "I don't remember having any of that."

Xemnas smiled unpleasantly and said, "You see, Shelby, darkness is conceived within a bruised and battered heart and we all know how much pain you have gone through." His voice didn't sound sympathetic but merely amused. I wanted to slap him.

I couldn't speak because I was so shocked that he knew my past. How could he have known anything? I never told anyone about my childhood. I knew Xemnas was smart but I never knew he was that smart. Maybe he spied on me from the game. Maybe he used a ghost-version of himself to peer at me from the TV or something paranormal.

"What do you want of me?" I asked quietly, knowing he would use my past as blackmail.

He exchanged a smile with Saix before speaking with me again. "We want you to join our organization. Someone like you could be a valuable asset. If we looked into your darkness and heart, we'll see what use you could be to us."

It sounded like he wanted to do open-heart surgery which I would never consent to because the last thing I needed was to get infected from God-knows-what. I blinked stupidly like I didn't understand a word he said but my expression was probably one of disgust and shock. What have I gotten myself into? I knew I would regret making this decision but I had no choice, did I?

"I'll join you," I whispered, closing my eyes in shame. "On one condition, I will not fight with Sora. Take it or leave it."

Saix smiled at me and walked over to me, saying, "Oh, don't worry, we won't put you in combat unless we know how you respond to darkness."

My stomach felt nauseous but I just forced a smile and nodded. "Of course," I said acidly. "I'll be delighted to help you." Mentally I stuck my tongue out at him because I never liked Saix.

"Good," said Xemnas before speaking to Saix, "See, Saix, she can be reasonable when she wants to be."

My eye twitched because they were acting like I wasn't there. I honestly never wanted to slap anyone as much as I have wanted to Xemnas and Saix. What did I ever see in Xemnas? He was an annoying prick that got under my skin. I clenched my fists so I wouldn't feel the tingling sensation in my hands that I felt when I wanted to slap someone. If I slapped Xemnas, I would probably get fired before even starting or worse.

"I hate to interrupt," I said sarcastically, "but I stink and I need a shower."

"Why is that?" asked Saix, turning his attention towards me.

"Let's see," I said before adopting an exaggerated slow voice, "I need to wash the blood from my private area. Have you ever learned about the reproductive system?" I sounded like such a bitch but I enjoyed it.

Xemnas had a strange expression on his tanned face as he stared at me like I grew a second head. "All right," he said, nodding. "Go ahead and bathe. Besides, we want you to look nice for your introductions to the organization."

I just turned on my heel and walked into Xemnas's bathroom to use the shower. After turning the warm water on, I looked around cautiously before undressing and stepping into the shower. Finally, I pulled the shower curtain shut and got my hair soaked so I could wash it. Feeling the warm water on my body made me feel calm because my nerves were so wrought up. Ever since my mom and dad divorced, the stress I always felt went to my shoulders and required hot water or a deep tissue massage to get rid of them.

Pouring some sweet smelling shampoo in my hand, I ran the soap through my hair and massaged my scalp to rid my hair of impurities. The shampoo smelled really nice—something that Xemnas would probably use. It smelled like strawberries mixed with some unidentified perfume I couldn't recognize. After rinsing that out, I lapped my hair with some clear colored conditioner and washed it out quickly. Then, I used hand soap to scrub my breasts and armpits clean and shaved the little dark colored stubble from my underarms. I cringed internally as I used a washcloth to wash the blood from my crotch as clean as I could make it.

After I was done, I turned the water off and stepped out just as Xemnas stepped in. Instinctively, I covered myself and let out a scream. He looked at me indifferently like he always walked in on people naked but that didn't sit well with me. When I wrapped a towel around myself, I boldly slapped Xemnas across the face, not thinking that I could get in trouble for doing so.

"Get the fuck out of here!" I screamed. "Have you no shame!"

His expression didn't change as he spoke. "I was only wondering if you were done. You've been in here for ten minutes. I did knock; you probably didn't hear me."

I flushed angrily as I glared at him. "I'll just need another few minutes to get dressed and stuff, if you don't mind. Thanks for letting me use the shower." With that, I grabbed my clothes and padded through the hallways looking for my room.

After I got dressed, a knock on the door caused me to move and I opened it to see red headed Axel standing there with a smile on his face. He was a lot taller than I thought because he seemed to tower over me despite me being tall for my age. He was lean and slim of course like how he was always portrayed but he had this cocky smirk that could drive even the President crazy.

"Heya, Shelby," he said in a tone that resembled my old high school pastor's—carefree and happy. "You ready for the meeting?" He gave me a once-over and nodded. "Clean as a whistle. Now, let's go before boss man gets cranky." He grabbed me lightly by the wrist and led me down the endless hallways.

"So, Axel," I said to break the awkward silence, "how long have you worked for Xemnas?"

"Long enough," he sighed wearily. "Believe me, toots, if you worked here as long as I have, you'd get tired too."

I nodded, taking in his words. "So what's your take on Xemnas?" I asked. "He seems to be a real butt wad."

Axel chuckled before answering, "Well, he is a bit grumpy and mean but he is the leader of the organization so I guess I respect him a bit. He can get really harsh if you disrespect him so don't rub him the wrong way."

"I think I already did," I admitted sheepishly.
"What d'ya mean?" Axel asked, peering at me from over his shoulder.

"I called him and Saix lovers and asked how often they fucked," I replied, thinking back to Saix's angry expression.

Axel let out a loud laugh and threw back his head as he laughed. "You got nerve, girly," he said between chuckles, "I'll tell you that. I'm sure Xemnas and Saix were appalled at that. On a serious note, I wouldn't be surprised. I mean, Saix kisses Xemnas's ass a lot and they'll probably announce their engagement any day now."

It was my turn to chuckle. Seriously, talking with Axel felt nice because it was like talking to Cheryl. They were crude, humorous, and nice. Well, Axel was kind of nice to every new member that joined the organization. Maybe I could feel safe around Axel.

"Well, here we are," said Axel as he led us to a big white door. "Prepare yourself for boredom because Xemnas loves to hear himself talk."

I gave him a small smile as we walked in and I looked around, gazing at all the other members that stared back at me. Anxiety filled my stomach as I noticed all of them staring at me like they were studying me. Jokes always eased a tense atmosphere so I decided to crack one.

"Hey, Xemnas," I said loudly to get his attention, "you look peaky; when's the last time you got laid?"

Some of the other members chuckled while others shook their heads disapprovingly. Xemnas's face filled with angry rage as he restrained himself from attacking me. He took some deep breaths and he finally spoke calmly.

"This is Shelby," he said coldly, "she's new in the organization. Her weapon is predetermined so we're going to start training right away."

The members nodded and they introduced themselves one by one. I already knew their names so I began day dreaming a bit just to tune them out. Luckily, before I got really bored, Xemnas finally announced the meeting was over so I walked out of the room with Axel. Axel was still chortling over the joke I cracked at Xemnas and we laughed and walked together all the way to the gray room. I found a new good friend and he was legit.

A/N: Thanks for reading and liking this for those who did! I hope you enjoy the next chapters upcoming! Please Read and review!