~Day 1~
The World That Never Was
The silence in Xarki's room gave her a sense of peace in the strange situation she had found herself in. Her memories of the life she had been living were no longer the memories of someone she used to be. They were hers and hers alone. But she was still one step away from becoming Kira once again. Although, somehow, her heart had returned to her, it wasn't complete; The light was still missing from it. She didn't know how it had happened, but not long after she had lost her heart as a result of Sora losing his, it had mysteriously found its way back into her being. She might not have technically been a complete person, but she wasn't a Nobody anymore. And she certainly didn't belong in this in-between world in which this particular group of Nobodies had made their home.
Xarki wondered if Sora had somehow been revived and this had caused her own heart to return. She wasn't positive that this was the case, but she silently thanked him anyway.
Nearly at the point of falling asleep, she jolted upright when her bedroom door flew open. A blonde-haired woman came into the room, closing the door behind her. She had two conspicuous pieces of hair that stuck out and over the top of her head, much like a pair of antennae. She jogged over to the bed and jumped onto the end of it, landing on her knees.
"So, you're the newbie? Wow, I was expecting someone...scarier. I mean, Xemnas could have sent any one of us to take you out, but he went and hired her to do the job! Speaking of which, what's she like?" the woman bent her hands on the bed and leaned in close.
Xarki stared at her with a slightly open mouth, "Um, what are you talking about?" was all she could think of to say.
The woman lifted her hands from the bed and slammed them into the sheets. "Ikari! What's she like, now?"
Xarki was now well and truly awake. "I don't have time for this," she sighed, looking away. The 14-year-old, now having a heart that was completely made up of darkness, couldn't really help throwing the odd rude comment around, even though it wasn't in her usual nature to do so.
The woman grabbed the front of Xarki's coat and in doing so, passed an electrical current into her body. Xarki's teeth clenched, her short purple hair stood on end as her body jolted violently until the woman pulled her hand away.
"Oops, didn't mean to do that. I'm Larxene. You're Xarki, right?"
Xarki was still getting her breath back as she glared at her. "Yeah, I guess that'd be me."
Larxene pushed herself up from her kneeling position and sat cross-legged on the top sheet. "This is so weird. I'm really excited! I mean, it's not just the fact that I shouldn't be able to feel excited...I'm the type of person who's always in a foul mood. Now I'm really hyper and I kinda like the feeling! I mean, I've finally found someone I can relate to. You were killed by Ikari, too!" Larxene's face was now uncomfortably close to Xarki's.
Xarki turned away even more so that she couldn't feel Larxene's excited breathing on her face. "You got it all wrong. Ikari didn't kill me," she muttered.
Larxene gave a short 'huh?' as she moved away and sat a little further down the bed.
Feeling less crowded, Xarki made eye-contact again. "It's true," she shrugged.
Larxene scratched at her short hair in confusion. "So...she was sent to destroy you, but she didn't have the guts to do it?"
Xarki shook her head, "No, she tried. After she took out my best friend, I went after Ikari. We got into a bad fight, but I lost my heart before I had a chance to finish her off."
Larxene seemed to be genuinely interested, "How did you lose your heart?"
Xarki's lips lifted up into a smirk. "I think I'll keep that part a secret. Now, what did you mean when you said that I was killed by Ikari too?"
Larxene returned the smirk. "She's my murderer, as well. Drained my life force and pushed me right off a cliff."
"Why would she do that?"
"And that's my little secret," Larxene put a finger to her lips and gave a cheeky wink. She pushed herself off the bed and started to walk across the room. "My room's right next door. Stop by for a chat whenever you like," she turned to face Xarki after opening the door. "I like you, kid. You're not boring. Plus, you're the only other girl so you'll be a better conversation partner than the other idiot men around here," she laughed as she left the room.
Xarki groaned loudly, falling back onto her pillow. Larxene was a strange one, but Xarki was glad to have found someone in the Organization that could possibly become her friend. That was a comforting fact.
...
Later that day, the second-in-command member, Saïx, took her to Where Nothing Gathers to be presented to the other Organization members. She looked up at all of them with a blank expression. Apart from Xemnas who was smiling at her with narrow eyes and Larxene who was discretely waving at her, everyone returned the same emotionless looks. Xarki bit back a glare of hatred. These Nobodies would never be her family.
Before she knew it, Saïx was taking her to the Round Room. He stood by the back wall and gave Xarki an unimpressed look. "Missions start tomorrow. For now, get yourself acquainted with the other members." And with that, he stared at a blank spot behind Xarki; ignoring her completely.
Well that was rude, Xarki forced away another glare and nodded politely instead, even though Saïx didn't even acknowledge it. She walked over to one of the sofa's and sat down. Dark Corridors appeared around the room and the other members stepped into the Round Room. Larxene made a beeline for Xarki and jumped onto the couch next to her. She looked over her shoulder and motioned for someone to join her. Xarki saw a tall man with striking blue eyes and long pink hair approach.
"Look, look! This is my new buddy, Xarki!" Larxene hugged the protesting purple-haired girl tightly.
The man laughed quietly and sat down on the sofa opposite them. "So, you're the one Lord Xemnas put so much effort into obtaining? I didn't expect you to be so young. In any case, welcome to Organization XIII," he addressed her with a nod.
"That's my other buddy, Marluxia," Larxene grinned.
Marluxia gingerly placed a hand to his forehead and sighed. "There are friends, and then there are acquaintances. Both of which you are neither to me."
Larxene gasped, letting go of Xarki as she jumped to her feet. With a swipe of her hands, she summoned blue and yellow knives between her fingers. "Well, the only other option is to be enemies! Bring it on, Mar-loser!"
Marluxia reacted to the name calling by clenching his jaw and shooting a death stare her way.
A boy in his late teens approached, holding a book to his chest. His short hair was dark silver and covered one of his eyes. "I believe the rules clearly state: no sparring in the Round Room. Take it outside." He sat on the other end of the couch that Marluxia was sitting on. Placing his book on his knee, he put his elbow on the arm of the sofa, resting his chin on his hand.
Larxene glared and pouted at the boy as she flopped back onto the spot next to Xarki. "Killjoy over there is Zexion," Larxene told her, pointing to him with an extended thumb.
Zexion opened his hardcover and flipped to a page near the middle. "Nice to meet you, Callow Adversary," he said without looking up.
Xarki had almost forgotten about her title. Xemnas had given it to her as soon as he had taken her to her room for the first time.
The Callow Adversary: 'Callow,' meaning 'inexperienced' and 'Adversary,' meaning 'enemy'. It fit her perfectly.
A man in his early twenties came and sat on the third couch in between the two occupied ones. His hair was dirty blonde and styled into a mullet. He held a blue sitar on his knee and began to strum it softly. "Found yourself a little henchman, have you?" he turned his head and smirked at Larxene.
Putting her arm around Xarki, Larxene gave him a snooty look. "F-Y-I, Demyx, she's my new buddy! Don't refer to her as my henchman!"
"Witch," Demyx muttered, turning his attention back to his sitar.
"Shut it, Nocturne!" Larxene spat.
Demyx opened his mouth to retort, but the sound of someone clearing their throat behind him made him think twice. Everyone's gaze turned to the man with the eye-patch and the mid-back length black and silver ponytail as he gave Demyx a friendly pat on the shoulder.
"Cool it, Plucky. This room is child friendly. Wouldn't wanna upset the newbie with your naughty no-no-language, now would we?" he chuckled. He strutted to the front of the sofa and sat next to Demyx; a little too close for the blonde's liking. "Name's Xigbar. Nice to meet you," he introduced himself to Xarki.
Finally feeling like she could contribute to the conversation, Xarki replied curtly, "Likewise."
"Whoa, calm down, Chatterbox," Xigbar teased.
Xarki smiled a little. This guy is pretty cool for a Nobody. Xigbar noticed the smile immediately and returned it with a satisfied grin.
"I take it the others had better things to do?" Marluxia spoke up.
Xigbar nodded, "Eeyup. Couldn't be bothered coming here to meet Chatterbox."
"Well, that was nice of them," Xarki smiled to herself as she made that sarcastic remark.
"I think it's a good thing. It'd be too crowded with all the others around. Besides, we're the only interesting ones here!" Larxene giggled, swinging her arm around her new friend. She rocked Xarki from side to side playfully.
Xarki forced herself to calm down and released the tension in her body. She figured it would be easier to relax and at least pretend that she was enjoying herself for a while. After all, she deserved a break.
"So, where's Axel?" Larxene suddenly asked.
"Isn't he with the Superior getting the second Keyblade wielder?" Zexion muttered.
Everyone nodded.
"Are you talking about Sora's Nobody?"
The Nobodies all smirked at Xarki's inquiry.
"Had our eye on him for a while now, haven't we. You and that boy's Nobody are gonna help us all get hearts," Xigbar said the words like they had been well practiced.
"Kingdom Hearts, right?" Xarki remembered the conversation she had with DiZ right before her final showdown with Ikari.
"And how could you have known that?" Marluxia wondered.
Xarki was hesitant to reply, "I...I mean, Kira had herself educated on Organization XIII's plans before...well, you know."
"Before she kicked the bucket~" Demyx worked the words into a tune that he played on his sitar. He received a well deserved smack from Xigbar.
"Insensitive, much?" he snarled.
Demyx rubbed his sore arm and ignored him.
Zexion closed his book suddenly and made eye-contact with Xarki for the first time, intentionally making her feel uneasy. "Just out of sheer curiosity... was the lady we sent after you violently malicious when she put knife to throat, or did she show you mercy and be gentle with you?"
No one dared question the insensitivity shown this time. Xarki swallowed hard, but tried to hide her nervousness.
"Well, actually, after all that, she didn't kill me," she answered honestly.
This sparked everyone's attention. Even Demyx looked up, concerned.
"Oh? Then how did you die?" Zexion obviously wasn't afraid to throw around words like 'kill' or 'die'.
"She doesn't want to talk about it, so just drop it, Zexion," Larxene was quick to stand up to him.
"Hmph. Very well then," Zexion forced a smile. He stood up from the sofa and disappeared into a Corridor of Darkness.
"And on that note, I've got a mission to get to," Xigbar stood as well. "See you later, Chatterbox."
Xarki gave him a polite nod and a smile as he left. "I might go back to my room," she excused herself. "Nice to meet you guys."
Marluxia and Demyx nodded a farewell.
"See you later, buddy~!" Larxene waved as Xarki departed in a Dark Corridor.
"Awfully chipper today, aren't we?" Demyx sneered once Xarki had left.
"I agree. What's gotten into you?" Marluxia asked.
Larxene glared at both of them. "Well excuse me for finally finding someone that's actually worth my time. She's not too happy, not too moody, she's not dumber than me and she's not smarter than me. And she knows how to take a joke! She's my kinda girl!"
...
Xarki appeared in the middle of her room and stepped out of the portal. After the darkness disappeared, she was able to see her room, and the figure on her bed, much more clearly.
Zexion looked up at her, smirking.
"What are you doing in my room?" Xarki demanded.
Zexion, who was sitting on the edge of the bed, stood up and started to walk slowly towards her. "I just wanted to have a little private talk with our newest member," he said innocently.
Xarki started to walk backwards, mirroring Zexion's steps. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. She didn't like the way that Zexion was smiling at her.
"Won't you hold still for a moment?" he said.
With that, Xarki turned and sprinted to the door that was just a couple of metres away. Zexion bolted after her, catching up too quickly for her to have a chance to escape. He took hold of her arm and spun her around. He threw her with great force towards the other side of the room, earning a frightened gasp from her. She flew all the way to her bed which she fell onto with a moan of pain.
Before she was aware of it, Zexion had made his way over to her and was now pinning her down by her arms, which he held up by her head. He paused, looking down and the girl he was holding captive for a moment before her leaned in close to her face. He inhaled deeply through his nose.
"W-what are you doing?" Xarki was really getting creeped out now.
"I knew it. You don't smell like a Nobody at all," Zexion muttered to himself.
Xarki tried to kick him, but he had his knees pushing her legs into the side of the bed so she couldn't move them.
Zexion moved his head down and placed it upon the part of her chest that could be seen under her coat. Xarki took a second in her panic to realise that even though Nobodies were theoretically unable to feel emotions, they seemed to like getting really close to each other. Or maybe they didn't think much of it because they couldn't feel awkward or embarrassed. But because Xarki was well and truly capable of feeling, she was growing more uncomfortable by the second as she felt the side of Zexion's face and part of his fringe press up against her bare skin.
After a couple of seconds, Zexion gasped and lifted his head. "A heartbeat." His eyes were now locked onto Xarki's.
"A-are you going to tell Xemnas?" Xarki stuttered as she whispered.
Who knew what the Superior would do to her if he found out that Xarki already had the one thing that the Organization was trying to obtain.
Zexion smirked as he moved his hands to Xarki's shoulders; freeing her hands, but still keeping her firmly stuck to the bed. "I won't tell. But I would like you to tell me how you came to get your heart back."
Zexion obviously wasn't someone to be messed with. But Xarki knew that if the Organization found out about the connection of her heart to Sora's and the consequence of destroying either of them, that could mean big trouble for her and her Reverse.
"I'm not going to tell you. Now get off me!" Xarki tried to shove him with her free hands, but he barely budged an inch.
Zexion was a lot stronger than he looked and that was a frightening fact. He gave a small laugh at her efforts before releasing her completely. Taking a few steps back, he put a hand on his own chest. "I'm very interested to learn how to obtain a heart as quickly as you have. I'll just have to come back tomorrow. And the next day. And even the day after that if I have to. I'm sure you'll get very used to having me around. But, let's not try to run away next time, alright? It might make things a little easier for the both of us," and then he gave her a polite smile and left the room.
Xarki sat up slowly and stared at the door as it closed, panting out of fear and shock. She pushed herself to the back wall that her bed was standing up against and wrapped her shaking arms around herself. She wanted to leave the Organization right then and there, but the lingering thought in the back of her mind reminded her that the other members could easily track her down again. It was no use trying.
Zexion had seemed so calm and collected when she had first met him. What other frightening secrets did the members of Organization XIII have? Xarki felt trapped.
"Dammit!" she screamed.
She didn't mean to throw her fist behind her to punch the wall; her hand just seemed to move on its own. It shocked her at first, but it made her feel a little better. Even so, the anxiety she was experiencing turned to sadness and she fell onto her pillow, crying.
She missed her friends terribly.