The World That Never Was

The necessity for privacy was one that Xemnas found himself the most comfortable in indulging since his passing over from his previous life into this one. There was little satisfaction in the call of the meeting room, where he would summon the eleven, soon to be twelve, other members of the Organization to engage in an orderly meeting to address and inform.

The eating was a time wasting opportunity that he simply didn't enjoy, and even resting did nothing for the leader more than simply give him uninterrupted time to contemplate in the silence of his domain. The managing of so many different and varied personalities in this world was a challenge in of itself, and besides the seething rage he can occasionally draw upon whilst in the midst of combat, irritation was a near constant feeling the Nobody felt. The strumming of the sitar from the sloth Demyx, the sound of target practice in the distance from sharpshooter Xigbar, and the arguments over poker games heralded by gambler Luxord in the lounge were the lovely noise of his intimidating ivory and exalted ebony base of operations.

The most recent meeting with Saïx had proved to be fruitful. The murmurs of there being this coup in the works had made its way to his ears and the most he could surmise in its discovery was that it was inevitable for the Organization to fail to be this perfect well oiled machine. Nobodies were as imperfect as their heart filled counterparts, and as such, are susceptible to the same pitfalls that plague those with hearts. Even with Saïx's dull affect, there was a sick feeling of satisfaction that radiated off of the Nobody when Xemnas gave the order to 'handle it swiftly.' How he would do so was of no concern to Xemnas. As long as it was done, Saïx was all too pleased to do whatever he had wanted.

Xemnas' use of the Dark Corridor into his room was one of necessity, as he didn't have a proper door to his room. Not that he ever wanted one. He disliked the idea of anyone being able to intrude on his privacy unannounced. Preferring being the only one able to enter and exit as he pleases.

The disturbance he felt was not unlike the notice he felt when that blond haired kid had been split from his other half. The husk of the Keyblade wielder's forsaken body was sent to Twilight Town, just like the others. While identical in nature, this creature felt as though it clawed itself out of the dark and into the world of light. Not unlike Roxas, in its own way. In fact, that pulse felt similar to his own-

The second body in the bedroom was one that was recognizable immediately. Standing off beside the window staring at the incomplete Kingdom Hearts that looked over his incomplete Kingdom. The pulsing moon sized heart has a huge void in the center of it, it still needed a significant amount of hearts to eventually be completed. It would take time, but Xemnas had time.

"It's artificial." The intruder commented, with a shake of the head. Disappointed, impressed? Xemnas didn't care to dwell too much on the implication. Just that this uninvited guest was invading his personal space. "That must be a disappointment. To have to settle for a cruel imitation of the purity I am to experience."

The figure's slicked back silver locks glistened in the light of the moon, the high collar coat barely hid his tanned ears from sight, the pair of white gloves clutched tightly into fists at his sides. It was his other half, the Heartless half of his once complete self.

"It's as real as I need to be. As if you have any authority on what is artificial and what is authentic. What brings you here…" Xemnas' rumble echoed in his fairly barren domicile. The single mattress, plain and white, the wide window pangs to gaze upon the still in construction Kingdom Hearts, as well as a chair. In case he were ever interested in sitting rather than laying down or standing. Xemnas elected to let one hand fall over the wrist of his other, head dipped in a slight bow to the Heartless half of his original self. "Brother?"

The Seeker of Darkness glances over over his shoulder towards the Nobody, his amber eye squinting before turning full body towards his other half. Despite the two could end up being mistaken for twins, there were subtle differences between the pair.
Where Ansem was leaner in the arms, Xemnas was broader. Where Ansem had controlled, sweeping silver locks that rested down his mid-back, Xemnas had sprawled and waved hair. Hair that messily stood on end and rested along his shoulders in splitting streams of silver strands. Ansem diverted his attention to the floor, his lips curling to what could be perceived as a smirk, before grinding his front teeth together.
Xemnas's right eyebrow flicked up in surprise, feeling the irritation radiating off of the Heartless. Their golden eyes met, and the two shared a stare. The Heartless' fury warmed the golden glow in his eyes, while the cool indifference settled in the Nobody's unoccupied glare.

"There has been a… disturbance." Ansem noted with a dip of the head, stiffly walking over towards Xemnas' mattress and taking a wide seat along the edge of the bed. His left hand resting on his knee, his right forearm laid across his right knee and his gloved thumb brushing over his fingertips in thought. "There was a Heartless released… that appeared much like myself. Not like the others that have been formed. It arrived when the boy released his heart to save his precious Princess."

Xemnas nodded, casting a glance aside towards the walled off corner where his door would be appropriately placed at. Old gestures died hard, it seemed. Xemnas' huff echoed in the empty room, Ansem's eyes shutting in contemplation.

"It would seem so. I did feel a similar occurrence for when the thirteenth was brought out from the ether." Xemnas raised his chin up, nonchalantly giving his chin a short twist to turn to the Heartless. His yellow eyes resting on the Heartless. Who sat there in deep contemplation. "It was very similar to when we were… pulled. Was it not?"

"That is what disturbs me." Ansem noted with an authentic, unsettled tone. His eyes shooting open and his right hand clutching tight. The leather between his fingers rubbing against one another and the resulting creaks making Xemnas' eyes squint slightly in annoyance. Such an ugly sound. "Because it was too similar for my own liking. Too familiar for my comfort. The thing… rebounded my efforts. I couldn't bring it to heel."

There is a silence between the two, each staring at the other. The Heartless and the Nobody both acknowledged the awkwardness in the room almost immediately to themselves, even if the other didn't want to admit it first.

"We have not seen one another since the incident. It feels so long ago…" Xemnas noted with a glance toward his personal Kingdom Hearts once again. That glowing heart in the midnight sky illuminates the city in its ethereal glow. His lips curled to a satisfied grin, feeling the vague light beam on his face. "Has it been… lonely for you?"

"We both knew our tasks. What we decided amongst ourselves. There was no reason to facilitate some false identity of companionship after that." Ansem started speaking surely with a wicked smirk of pride, rising up from his station and glaring down at his Nobody. Who continues to stare at the Heartless with that infamous lok of impassiveness. "I have since sent dozens, if not hundreds, of worlds into the dark in the name of my mission. I manipulated that fool Maleficent and the Keyblade Wielder to suit my own needs. I have brought the seven Princesses of Hearts together. That was my duty."

"I have done my part, should you believe that I have been doing nothing since our arrangement." Xemnas said with a shake of the head. His hands slowly clutching into loose fists against his knees. The inkling of aggression rising to the surface. Not that anyone who knew the Nobody could tell, whose eyes barely shifted and whose breathing remained steady and easy. But Ansem knew he had gotten a rise out of the flat affect of Xemnas, because of course he knew. "I am securing the thirteenth vessel while we are conversing. In fact, the fated number thirteen is in the process of being recruited. The one to be called Roxas. So there shouldn't be any issues with my ability to accomplish my portion of the mission."

Nobody glances to the floor before letting out a short sigh. His shoulders slouching and his lips breaking to let the breath ease the tension in his chest. Ansem followed suit, unable to focus on his other self and let his gaze rest on the floor.

"Tell me, brother. Do you recall… us?" Xemnas pondered, staring at his hands with a short breath huffed out between his lips. The rationalization that these aren't his real hands, but they are his hands at the end of every day. These weren't the hands that once held his old friend's hands, or that conducted the research that spawned those Emblem Heartless. These weren't the hands that slew his initial six conspirators. But his hands carried that weight with them. "I am plagued with the knowledge of our duty. Of our life before."

"It comes. And it goes all the same." Ansem said, taking some mild offense at the inquiry. His right hand tapping into the left hand with short, loose punches as he spoke. "There are days where I recall our previous life with great detail and I acknowledge my place in the plan, then there are days where I am me, and I wonder how I ended up in this predicament…"

"As is the curse of our existence." Xemnas grinned grimly, his yellow eyes reflected the light of the moon, Ansem could see the still incomplete heart in the glimmer of Xemnas' right eye. Taunting him with its presence. Maybe taunting them both. "To live knowing there are choices made that aren't our own."

"But we have our part to play. At the end of it all… we have our part to play." Ansem nodded, turning to the Kingdom Hearts in the sky once again and giving a wistful grin. His eyes shut for a moment to bask in the light of the artificial Kingdom Hearts. "Don't we, brother?"

Xemnas simply nods in return, eyes turning to his moon with the same grin on his face.

"Yes we do." Xemnas replied, before standing up to join his Heartless' side to stare up at the moon. The pair are bathed in the rose colored hue that radiated off of the large breathtaking Heart. The two, in sync, share a sigh of relief as they feel the power resting in the eternal evening sky. "Yes we do…"

The Heartless turned towards Nobody, and the Nobody followed suit. They both had their parts to play, both had their missions set forth. Both had their destinies ahead of them and they both were ready to meet them. With a single knowing nod, the Heartless blinked out of existence, swallowed by the corridor of darkness, setting off to witness the destruction of the once beautiful Destiny Islands. Xemnas remained alone in the light of the moon, left by the only other one who could relate the burden of their responsibilities.

"Goodbye…" Xemnas grumbled, eyes shutting as he turned his face back towards the window, his hands reaching out to skim across the glass. Imagining for a moment that the only thing keeping him from his Kingdom Hearts was a single pane of glass. How easy it would be to shatter it and claim his prize. His fingers curl into a tight fist, which rests against the window. It would, and should, be so easy. But he had to be patient. He had to wait. "Brother."

Twilight Town

The walking tour around the twilight shaded town had gotten tiresome after the tenth cycle? Or was it the fifteen? Possibly twentieth. However, when left to his own devices, he did what he felt was curiosity taking over and chased after that rogue thought. That is how he ended up walking up and down the winding hills of Twilight Town. Aimlessly heading to nowhere in particular.

He had surely passed that tram station at least six times by now. The ringing of that blasted bell echoed harshly in his ears so much, he could still hear the ringing of the fourth bell by the time the sixth one had begun to ring.

Roxas' feet began to ache after the fifth mile and his neck and face were beaten red by the glow of the red rays of the sun. But the boy had no other plans.

Granted, the lack of motivation sincerely helped the boy with not truly feeling the pains that echoed up his shins and heels. All he could do was walk. And that is what he did.

Roxas walked through the main plaza of the town for what must've been the dozenth time, when this time he passed by several locals. These three were a group of teenagers, similar in height to himself walking together in a band.

A brown haired girl in an orange shirt with verdant shaded eyes like the greenery outside the town walls, a blonde haired boy with spiky hair wearing cargo shorts, and a dark haired boy with chocolate shaded eyes with some animal printed on his shirt. The three children seem to be eating something on wooden sticks. The treat was this pale blue rectangle dripping and melting from the evening sun and their repeated licking. Roxas' pace slows down to passively observe them, wondering why the three wandered together in a pack formation? For safety? Was there danger in this somber shaded town?

As he pivots to continue to perceive them, Roxas feels this spindly hand clap down along his shoulder, jolting him forward and rocking him back. Roxas is nearly shoved off of his feet, before the figure settles his hand on the shoulder and holds on tight.

"Take it easy, there buster." Axel smirks with a low rumble, fingers curling against the boy's jacket. "That's the first thing we gotta work on is your balance. Can't have you working with us and falling all over the place."

Roxas slowly turns his attention to the speaking Axel, those bright baby blue eyes rising up to Axel's emerald shaded stare. Axel lets out a quick huff, that shade of blue was something special, it was as if the glint of the sun were caught in ocean water and it rested in his eyes.

Roxas glances back at the trio of teenagers as they continue to walk along, ignoring the new pair. Axel's eyes turn to the three, then back to Roxas. Axel saw, or better to say imagined, a wistful look in the gaze of the newly born Nobody. Axel crossed his arms over one another, nodding to the blonde haired kid.

"What? You want some ice cream? Is that what this silent treatment is about, you want a treat?" Axel inquired with a snicker, shrugging in confusion as he glanced over at the ice cream window off against the walls of this district. Axel glanced back at Roxas, the way the sun caught on his blonde locks making it look translucent and shiny. Axel met those blue eyes again, void of any real thought but harbored a longing curiosity. Axel brushes his fist against Roxas' shoulder, before walking over to the ice cream stand. "You're lucky I'm feeling -if I could feel- generous. Those social skills need some polishing before you can talk me into anything else."
Axel walks over to the ice cream kiosk, hands over several handfuls of Munny and orders two of the world famous Sea Salt Ice Cream popsicles and walks them over to the blonde zombie. Roxas' eyes lingered on the floor, staring at the sandstone walkways that he found himself parked atop of. Axel dangles them in front of his face, gathering his attention.
Roxas' eyes glance up to the movement, more because of the shifting movement rather than the item in question. Roxas recognized them as the shape of the very treat he saw those trio of teenagers eating, and the thought to examine its features popped into his head.

Roxas slowly raised a hand to grab one of the two popsicles, only for Axel's free hand to reach up to grab hold of his wrist before his fingers could skim the plastic cover of the ice cream. His fingers wrapped all the way around Roxas' wrist, holding him securely in his grasp. Axel's lips broke as a quick chuckle escaped his lips at the size difference between the two. The boy was so small compared to him. His hand could totally eclipse the younger boy's own, as well as he stood a full head and shoulders taller. He could swear if the boy even stood up at full attention, Axel would still be a full foot taller than the blonde haired kid.

"Tsk-Tsk-Tsk say please now," Axel teased, with a wicked grin and a glint of mischief in his eyes. Giving the wrist a playful shake about before continuing to speak. "And not here. Come on, blondie. Let's find someplace more secluded just in case you make a mess of yourself. You don't want to be covered in ice cream, now do you?" Axel then leads Roxas by the wrist to a secluded alleyway, quickly summoning a dark corridor to send them to a quiet spot for them to sit down and enjoy this treat. Granted, Roxas lacked the proper attire to navigate the darkness for very long. But this initial corridor and the one to bring him back to the home base shouldn't damage him too much. At least, damage him in any way that truly matters.

Axel had been to Twilight Town several times in the past, and the best spot by far to enjoy the landscape and that gorgeous sunset view was at the top of the clock tower. Which was built atop the tram station on the highest hill in the quaint little town.
Axel had sent them to the very top, the dark corridor leading them to the edge just overlooking the massive hour and minute hands and the clock face. Axel let go of Roxas' wrist and handed the ice cream off to the zombie, his quick strut leading him to the edge of the building and followed shortly by him throwing his legs over the edge of the clock tower and working on unwrapping his own treat.

Roxas, ice cream now acquired, mimicked Axel's own movement down to the way he swung his legs, as he was now sitting over the edge. Axel watched out of the corner of his eye, rolling them in amusement as the zombie began to follow his movement.

Axel would truly start getting peeved if Roxas tried to style his hair into the mane he currently was rocking, then he would have to give the new recruit a stern talking to. Roxas didn't notice Axel's subtle stare at him as he was too preoccupied to pay attention to the other Nobody.

His vacant blue eyes were simply staring at the treat in his hand with an intense interest. Axel watched as he pensively brought the ice cream up and inspected it. As if he were looking for the most minute detail out of place. The sun began to melt the diary treat as small dribbles of cream began to trace along the blonde boy's knuckles.

Not that it registered to Blondie at all, as he mindlessly stared at the ice cream. Axel shrugged nonchalantly, taking a quick taste of the treat and grimacing at the texture. It had a rough exterior and it felt as though it scratched his curious tongue, the feeling as though there were tiny pebbles littering the surface of the cream. It was so salty.

Axel took a hard bite, ignoring the texture as best as he could as let the ice cream melt in his mouth. After a few moments, his eyebrows rose in surprise and his lips curled to an impressed smile. After the initial salty spike, there was a lingering sweetness that made its presence known.

Roxas squinted his eyes as he began feeling an intense pain just striking his chest. As though he had just received a solid punch to the sternum and felt it rebound throughout into his extremities. His fingers twitched and his back curled in response. Roxas felt his breath get lost in his chest, his sight grew ever so darker and just joints began to lock up and seize. Roxas's vision was lost to the pitch, and he could not hear his new companion's voice as he began to speak once again.

"Interesting choice, Blondie. It's very good." Axel noted taking another lick of the ice cream. The silence wasn't surprising, but there was a disturbance in the nature of the silence. Axel glanced over at Roxas, whose shoulders dipped forward, and whose eyes were pulled shut. The ice cream slipped out of his fingers, descending to the bottom of the clock tower in a spin.
The melting trail raced after it as it fell. Axel took a bite of ice cream for the road, tossing the ice cream off the side of the clock tower and grabbing hold of the now unconscious Roxas. Axel curled an arm around the bend of Roxas' knees and the other bent around the shoulders. The blonde boy's rosy red cheeks pressed against Axel's chest as he remained what appeared to be asleep. His short breaths make his chest flutter gently against Axel. Axel rolled his eyes, letting out a good natured huff.

"Alright, alright. I'll pretend you formally accepted Xemnas' offer and drop you off at base so you don't fall off this tower. Then it's off to Hollow Bastion to see what got Xemnas' tassels tangled."

The Ruins of Hollow Bastion

The duo walked along the various landings and corridors that only seemed to further their descent down this massive, steam fueled castle.

Some lead them into rooms of high technology, with wires of cracking blue energy carrying great disks across the skies. Others led to openings to running walkways overlooking the vast skies, where the earth below was blanketed by a sea of clouds.

Kuro hated it.

The stonewalls began to run endlessly it seemed. The sound of crackling electricity in the lift rooms and bouts of pressurized steam was to be the music of this place and Kuro found it bothersome in its repetition. Kuro's hands remained ever tight as the thought of danger was around every corner. For it was.

There wasn't another ambush along the way from their initial spat with the Wyverns, but there was a creeping sense that they were still being watched. Sometimes being followed.

Dusk bounced along in its step, keeping up with Kuro's gait effortlessly. Dusk seemed mentally preoccupied. Their eyes squinting and head bobbing as if they had something to say. Eventually, after the third hallway trudge, Dusk spoke up.

"Is it scary?" Dusk's words break the silence as Kuro's eyes shift from the endlessly continuous wall down to his small companion. Eyebrows raised as if asking them to explain. "To be born into this world without a plan?"

"It's… definitely something I need to get used to." Kuro mumbled honestly despite the fact it was such an understatement, his arms crossing over one another as he marched further down the hall. "The fact I am just sort of thrown out here, fighting for my life, and I seem to be…I'm not sure… I'm just confused."

"What is confusing?" Dusk inquired.

"Why am I here? What…brought me here?" Kuro shrugged, stopping in his spot as he turned to the Shadow. His arms folded over one another as he looked upon his friend. Given the darkness of the hallway, he was grateful for the pulsing yellow orbs that bounced along in the dark beside him. "What am I doing here? What am I? Am I a creature of the dark like you or…something…else?"

The silence that followed elicited concern in the Heartless. Dusk wasn't sure even if there was a different answer. Dusk rose its antenna and flicked them towards Kuro. As if they were trying to read him. The brushes of the antenna felt like the brush of a feather duster with the pressure of the pads of a lumbering kitten. Soft, and pointed. Imprecise yet smooth. He hesitantly swatted them away, a smile threatening to break on his face.

"What are you doing?" Kuro asked while biting back a grin and snickering to himself as the antenna tapped along his hands and abdomen. Dusk's eyes squinted as they continued.

"I do not smell any prominent light in you, friend. Although the light you carry is faint, but it's hidden. Nothing that I didn't smell before. The scent of vanilla, seasalt, and grass. That is not what you smell like. That's what the others smell like. The Hearthavers." Dusk explained, its eyes narrowing as it focused on Kuro. Kuro raised his arm, sniffing himself. That smell, that light scent wasn't present at all, except for the smell of perspiration from the spar with the winged beasts. That was prominent.

"What do I smell like?" Kuro asked, a cringe spreading across his face. He was uncomfortable, clearly. Dusk once again tapped him with its antenna, this time getting a chortle out of the copper toned warrior as it brushed his forearm in just the right way. Feeling as though a feather had skimmed across his skin.

"You smell of burnt wood. Of the friction of stone. Of smolder. Of sulfur. You smell like me. Tell me…Do you think that you are-"

"Heartless?" Kuro's eyes darted to the creature beside him as they continued their walk together. He wasn't sure what qualified something to be Heartless except the most obvious necessity. One that he imagined necessitated the name. However, a finger pressed to his pressure point did not make a mistake.

Bump. Bump. Bump. Bump.

Kuro did have a heart beat, which meant he had to have a heart. "I'm unsure of a lot of things, Dusk. All I am sure of is that I need to leave this place and find out exactly what I am supposed to be doing."

"What are you supposed to be doing?" Dusk inquired. Confused as to what a being without no idea how they got to where they are would be tasked to do.

"I suppose the voice will tell me. When I hear her again." Kuro muttered as he rounded a corner and groaned in annoyance. Another hallway of visible lights and crackling energy. The darkness illuminated by the blue jolts that thundered above them. "It told me I needed to leave this place."

"Why must you leave this place?"

"Because…" Even Kuro did not know. Kuro's eyes unfocused as he stopped in his spot. "I… I don't know. They said this was a dying place."

Deeper and further they got, the two only grew more and more impatient. Kuro's eyes kept getting adjusted to the darkness before getting constantly blinded by the light of the outside every time. Annoyance to the highest degree.

It was in the third ill-lit hallway that it struck him. That's when it hit him, like a spear through the chest, through his heart.

Kuro felt his body shake and tremble, his heart thumping hard. His hands began to sweat and his breath was trapped in his throat. The thumping was getting louder. It was hammering harder in his chest. He tried to breath but couldn't get the breath out. The his heart began beating rapidly.

He squinted his eyes, shutting them tightly as he tried to ease the pain away. Tries to wish it away. Dusk's cries grew louder, its screams deafening the area. Kuro slammed his fists into the floor as he struggled to get a single breath. His head knocked against the cold floor with a harsh 'thunk.' And then it came.

The Dive to the Heart

Silence.

It was aggravating at first, to be stuck once again in the dark. His eyes transitioned to the dark and then the bleeding light beneath him.

Breaking the floor beneath him and revealing just pangs and pangs of shimmering stained glass.

The stained glass beneath him shaped into the image of a brown haired boy, clad in red and white with a large key in his right hand. Images of star shaped fruit and palm trees in the background with a setting sun against a gorgeous stained glass blue sea. The lingering images of a brown hair girl with an ever present smile on her face, a silver headed boy with a cocky grin and kind eyes, a duck with a wide bill mid laughter and a dog with a warm gaze and prominent teeth are illustrated in similar glass portraits besides the main figure's body. Circling around their head as a halo would circle around an angel.

Kuro glanced to the end of the platform, seeing this figure standing opposite of him dressed in black leathers that nearly blended them into the darkness they surrounded them. Strands of blonde hair peeking out of the hood. Their eyes met, staring at one another with a curiosity that drove them closer together.

Kuro took a hesitant step toward the blonde haired kid. Eyes squinted and his hands curled into fists. Just in case the stranger decided to strike.

"Stranger," Kuro called out, his voice echoing the dark. The stranger lifted their head slightly in acknowledgement. "Where are we?"

"I'm not sure…" His voice was flat, droll, and cold. As if he were just asleep and still waking up as he spoke. He looks up at Kuro, his piercing blue eyes meeting Kuro's fiery orange. "I've been having…these weird thoughts lately."

Kuro let out a breath, glancing around and tapping his foot against the glass. The echoing noise sounded like the clink of stone hitting window pangs. Echoing for what felt like eternity. He took another step forward.

"Like," Kuro began to say. The blond-haired kid taking a defensive stance. His right foot pivoting back, hands coiled at his sides. "Is any of this for real, or not?"

The two of them shared a quick, but serene smile. Exchanging the expression as the two of them drew closer and closer together. Their footsteps thundering throughout the boundless sky around them.

"Who are you?" The blonde haired kid asked, Kuro's eyes darting to the floor. He could see the vague reflection of his own face in the glass, save for the sunset glow of his eyes. He shook his head, turning his attention back to the hooded figure.

"Someone from the dark." Kuro responded, loosening his fists as continued forward. "A familiar spirit in this…I believe."

"A familiar spirit…" The boy responded, looking to his hand as he moved to reach for his hood, the world vanished once again. The lingering dark swallowed him whole yet again.

"See you later."

Kuro pulsed, his body aching and his screaming echoed in the halls. Dusk grabbed hold of the Kuro's face, their small clawed hands holding the sides of Kuro's face to keep his eyes locked on the yellow glow of their gaze.

"You passed out, Friend." Dusk muttered gently, their eyes softening as Kuro's orange hued stare met theirs.

"I did." Kuro grumbled in the dark. Slowly, he rose to a sitting position, propping his knee up to rest his elbow along the bend. Kuro's eyes squinted and his fingers rubbing the lids of his eyes. The deafening ringing in his ears making him cringe. "Oh, my head. It stings to hear things again."

"What's the issue?" Dusk whispered as their little claw rests along the knuckles of Kuro's hand. Kuro looks towards the small creature, giving him a weak smile and a sigh.

"Just… need a moment to breath. I think…" Kuro whispered, his mind focused on the blonde hair kid, and the platform painted in darkness. Whoever that kid was, there was a sense of familiarity. Of difference but similarity. Kuro couldn't decipher it. It lingered like a vague dream. On the edge of his tongue, but no word felt familiar enough to say.

Eventually, the last corridor led them to this hallway of velvet carpet and dark oak walls. Kuro fell to his feet, rubbing his hand over the carpeted floor as he was thankful for not having more stone walls around him. As he settled to the floor, that was when he heard the roar.

"I'm not leaving without Belle." Kuro's body tensed at the deep guttural growl of this voice. The kind that made even Dusk jump behind Kuro in defense. "Now go! The Heartless are coming!"

Kuro's eyes narrowed as he slowly eased his paces and hesitantly matched forwards the mouth of this hallway.

"All right. Let's get out of here." This voice spoke out, a twinge of remembrance hitting the ears of Kuro. His eyes going wide and his jaw dropping. He knows that voice. He heard that voice before. Somewhere in the Dark. Kuro quickened his pace to enter the next large room, his eyes adjusting to the new surroundings as he and Dusk emerged from the dark.

The room revealed a massive lobby, with two curved staircases down to the first level, with a waterfall placed in between the two. A lion's mouth agape, pouring water out of its maw. Two postured lions on either side, standing guard besides the basin.

The carpeted indigo floors sewn with great intricate patterns, waved and motioned along the floors mimicking ocean waves. The marbled columns suspended the third floor above the second, which Kuro noticed with great interest. This world seemed to only get larger. He walked towards the edge of the staircase, looming over the landing to see this massive hulk slamming its claws into the heartless creatures. This beast was massive, no doubt dwarfing even the draconian creatures that Kuro had fought earlier.
His slashes tearing through the heartless scores at a time, the weight of his strikes both emphasizing his ferocity and his strength. Kuro slowly descended down the staircase, Dusk beside him as they walked. Kuro felt their claws grip the edges of Kuro's pants, clutching them as they descended.

The Beast rose high on its hind legs, a cerulean cloak draped across its boulder sized shoulders. Those huge mounds of muscle rolling back as it turned its ravenous maw towards the two. It's piercing blue eyes meeting Kuro's fiery orange. The two at a standstill.

"Stranger, what are you doing here?" The Beast growled, his claws locked and primed to strike out. Kuro continued his heavy steps down the staircase, his eyes focused on the Beast.

"Beast, I have no issues with you." Kuro stated, his hands rested at his side as he made his way down. Dusk hidden behind him as he moved. "I just want to leave this place."

"You…you didn't come with Sora." His voice bellowed out like the roar of a lion, nearly shaking the walls down to its foundations. Kuro felt a strange pang strike his heart, his eyes squinting as he heard that name. That weird, strange name.

"I…did not." Kuro said, as he reached the last step and stood on the carpet. His eyes focused on the great Beast. He wanted to ask who Sora was, but felt this wasn't the proper time or place. Kuro's hands tightened into fists, his head crooked to the side. Dusk's eyes peered around the edge of Kuro's leg. "Leave us alone and we will-"

"Have you seen Belle?" Beast's question was one that baffled Kuro, so much so that he let out an awkward chuckle in response. Kuro's hands loosened from his fists and hung loosely at his sides.

"I haven't. But if I do, my friend and I will-"

"Friend? That thing!? Step aside from that creature. It needs to be destroyed!" Beast's growl could have blown Kuro off his feet had they not been planted firmly into the ground. Kuro's eyes gained a bolster of fury, his lips curled to a stagnant grimace.

"That is not happening." Kuro warned, shaking his head vehemently at the furried goliath. Beast's brow furrowed, as he leaned forward and began to prowl on his hands and knees. His gigantic arms pounding into the floor as he stalked around Kuro and Dusk, enclosing them. Kuro kept his chest towards the Beast, a hand resting on Dusk's bobbing head as he guided him to stand behind Kuro.

"You choose to ally yourself to the darkness? Are you willing to pay the price?" Beast grunted, his eyes focused dead on Kuro as he let his claws drag against the floor, leaving scuff marks against the carpet. Flaying it wildly. A sight that Kuro could see happening to him, should he not be too careful.

"I will not stand by and let you attack my friend." Kuro warned, his chin bolting slowly to the left and letting it crack in anticipation. "So, I'll say it again. Let us pass."

"Not while that thing draws breath." Beast stated, stopping in his tracks and tending his hind legs. "This is your last warning-"

"If you don't back down and leave Dusk alone, I will make sure you never see your precious Belle again." Kuro growled in a rage, his eyes going wide as he realized he just threatened this hulk. Beast froze in his spot, before steadily rising up to his feet. Kuro barely reached his mid-chest, his broad power body looming over him. Those blue eyes of his growing still and dark as his jaw clenched and his fangs bared. Kuro cleared his throat awkwardly. "I am sor-"

Beast's claws took hold of Kuro's neck, giving him an eardrum splitting roar to the face, proceeded to slam him straight into the floor with great force, dragging him against the carpet before rocketing him into the waterfall. Kuro's body slammed against the decorative metal furnishings and marble, before dropping into the basin below. Kuro's body tensed in the dark liquid, a torrent of water beaming down atop of him and keeping him underwater.

Kuro's eyes burning from the rushing contact of the fountain, his body getting raddled with such power it started to burn from the force. Kuro rolled out from under the waterfall, stumbled around in the water and threw his arms along the edge of the marble bowl. A few harsh coughs and Kuro discharged water from his body. Draining out of him not unlike the marble lion that attempted to drown him.

In his groggy haze, Kuro looked up to see Dusk dodging to the left and to the right of the Beast's strikes. Those claws, while missing Dusk by inches, slashed through and left huge marks against the floors. Kuro took in a harsh breath, his hands gripping the brick and mortar as he steadily rose to his feet and stepped out of the water.

Kuro charges forward and rocks his fist against the Beast's side, Kuro's attack slammed against Beast's rib. On contact, Kuro's arm snapped and his wrist then popped against the flesh, feeling as though he had just punched solid stone and not a monster. Kuro's eyes went wide as Beast's forearm reeled back, to slam against him in an effort to knock him away.

Kuro ducked underneath, feeling the fur skirt above his head as Beast lunged forward to sink his teeth into him. Kuro reached ahead and took hold of the Beast's maw, feeling the pressure of his fangs dig deep into the center of his palms. Kuro pivots and with a twist of his hands, sends Beast into the western staircase's rising wall, the furious monster crashing into wood and metal with great force.

Kuro glances over at Dusk, whose eyes focused on the Beast before turning its attention to the suited armor that stood proudly in the corner of the room. Dusk scurried, moving as fast as it could towards the faux knight.

Beast prowled towards Kuro on all fours, fangs dripping in anticipation and trickles of blood that he earned from Kuro's grasp. Kuro flexed his hands, feeling his blood trail between the webbing of his fingers.

"You decided to risk your life for this nothing? For a monster?" Beast lunged forward, Kuro's jump back dodging a crossing motion of the monster's claws, nearly tearing him into ribbons. Kuro dipped out of the way of a clawed right paw uppercut, then rolled under the slashing motion of his left hand. Kuro saw Dusk jump onto the armor's chest plate, and with three hard pulls, disarmed the suit with the spear in their hands. The heavy metal decoration toppling to the ground. The sound of metal on wood thundering the nearly silent room.

Kuro bolted towards Dusk, his right hand pulling the spear into hand as he throws Dusk up into the air with his left. The spear, unbalanced and hollow inside, was made to look dangerous. Never the intention to see real combat.

"First time for everything." Kuro thinks to himself as he turns to Beast with the spear in hand. With a charge, Kuro jabs and thrusts the spear towards Beast. The rounded tip of the weapon smashes into the Beast's broad chest and abdomen, the force of the stabs pushing the Beast back towards the center portion of the room. Kuro pivots and lets his hand slide down the grip, hands folded together with one over the other and slamming the rounded tip of the spear against Beast's cheek.

The blow nearly rocking the monster onto his knees before Kuro drives the spear into the Beast's thick throat. On impact, the spear bends against the flesh and snaps immediately. Kuro stumbles off his feet as he is propelled forward, the stance breaking nearly sending him to the floor. Kuro didn't have time to react as Beast shoves their shoulder into Kuro's stomach and knocks him the rest of the way down.

The rest of the way down, Beast pounces and slams his claws on either side of the floor against Kuro's skull. Beast, with an open maw, goes in for a bite. Kuro struggles but eventually slams the rounded grip of the spear into Beast's jaws. The massive fangs leaving deep imprints in the metal as Beast rustles and twists, trying to wrestle the spear out of Kuro's grip.

Kuro keeps a steady hold, before tensing his body and slamming his skull into Beast's snout. The first blow doesn't disorientate the monster, neither does the second. Each hammering of the attack made the Beast's jaws slowly sink further into the wooden shaft. It was the fifth smashing of skull on nose that finally broke the bite and Kuro could try to escape. Slamming the bottom half of the spear into Beast's cheek, Kuro was able to wrestle the monster onto their back.

With the Beast's snout dribbling blood and Kuro mounting over their broad chest, Kuro grabbed hold of the right protruding horn and sent a right cross into the Beast's chin. Another to the cheek, one to the eye, and the fourth to the nose. Each slam darkened Kuro's knuckles, the third one splitting skin and the fourth leaving his blood across the face of the Beast.

Kuro pulled his arm back for another strike, eyes wide and his breathing erratic.

"Wow, and I thought we had to deal with just one boy with silver hair and anger issues. What a surprise to come down here and find out there are two of you?" Kuro's eyes darted up from the downed Beast, his eyes seeing a lithe figure clad in a black coat. The figure's voice was smooth, cocky, and snide. Their finger fiddling and tugging on the small silver chain hung around their collar and the free hand tugging at the edges of the hood they pulled over them. Hiding the figure's face from Kuro. They reminded Kuro of the Blonde Haired kid. Just taller, and a more annoying voice. "You think that would be just a funny coincidence if it did not rattle the cage back home. It's starting to feel like more of a mistake, putting it bluntly."

The figure removed their hood, a huge mane of red erupting from the pull of the hood. Two small tattoo black checks along his cheeks, and burning emerald eyes focusing on Kuro's form.

"Where is home to you then?" Kuro asked, stepping off of Beast and walking over towards the red headed figure. Leaving the now unconscious monster resting on the floor. His orange eyes blazing in a passive rage as he meandered closer. His split right hand slowly trickled blood on the floor spaces he passed. Leaving drops to peddle the carpet with every step. "Who are you?"

"The name is Axel," The figure noted with a smug grin, raising his right hand and tapping it against his temple. "Got it memorized?"

Kuro squinted his eyes, flexing his wrists and rolling his shoulders back. Was Axel a friend or a foe? It was time to find out.

"What do you know about me?" Kuro inquired, letting his stepping cease before relaxing his weight on his back leg. Staring at Axel with a crooked head turn and a harsh glare. "Where am I? What is going on?"

"You're… really out of sorts here? Aren't you, bright eyes? Well, let's say you're the wild card in the deck, so to speak." Axel quipped, with a loose shrug of his shoulders and sucking his teeth with a relaxing gaze. "I'm not so sure what's got Xemnas so anxious about you, boy. But if you are so off the wall that the big man is taking notice, I just had pop in and get to to meet 'cha."

"Consider me met then." Kuro crossed his arms over each other, before diverting his attention to the floor. Kuro's eyes focused loosely on the carpeted area around him, before nodding his head gently and turning back to Axel. Who gave him a glance over before loosening a good soft laugh out into the world. "How do I leave this place?"

"You want to leave? Well, then be my guest. By all means, I don't care if you leave this place. That simple fact you managed to go get a look other than unfettered apathy out of Xemnas' face makes it all worth it to me." Axel then snapped his fingers and a corridor of darkness erupted up out of the floor, the pulsing dark calling to Kuro. Beckoning him to enter. "But stay aware that you are going to be facing some… unhelpful individuals wherever you go. Especially with those eyes looking like that and hair as silver as yours, pal. Trust me, no one likes that combo."

"Where would this send me? This… darkness." Kuro asked, as he slowly approached the corridor. Dusk slowly trailing behind him, their little paws brushing over the other in anxious worry. "If it just doesn't kill me outright, that is."

"Aw, afraid that I'm a poor sport? Come now, we're friends. It'll take you to a place." Axel said, getting an unenthused glare from Kuro. Axel rolled his eyes in response. "Ok, wiseass. A place where you don't have to be… It's a place for people like you. Lost and… worldless folks. I think you'll fit right in."

Kuro walked hesitantly forward, staring daggers at Axel before he flashes him a wicked grin. Axel then claps his hands together, ushering him into the dark. Kuro, taking up Dusk into his arms and then walked into the dark.

The gloom dim surrounding the both of them like sunlight covers a barren field. He then hears the redhead's voice break out a string of hearty laughs that begin to echo as he enters the dark.

"Make me proud!" Was the last thing Kuro heard before the dark enveloped him. Axel chuckled as the door was shut, arms bending back and resting along the back of his head. Eyes narrowed with nefarious intent as he chuckled darkly to himself. "And now, let's see if this'll get under Xemnas' skin."