Hemisphere (Updated July 17, 2008)

[classy_cat18]

Yes, I'm doing a KH fanfic. And unlike two-thirds of the KH fics on Fanfiction.net, one that doesn't have self-inserts, Mary Sues, shounen-ai, shojo-ai, yaoi, yuri, other freaky pairings, weird crossovers (maybe), or sex. Major gasp!

Another African American OC. So sue me, we're short on them! Also, I picked the title name from the opening of RahXephon. Chapters will be called movements because that's what symphonies are divided into (something I actually remember learning from BSC). And the subtitle of each movement will be named after a song in my iPod. First Movement is from the insert song from Fullmetal Alchemist because I thought that it kind of fit.

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Square-Enix. Wish I did, though.

First Movement - Dante

Blah blah blah, variable, blah blah blah subtraction…

“Nia, the answer to the question.”

I sighed and briefly looked up from my doodles. “Zero,” I answered dully. Everyone’s eyes snapped to me.

Mr. Jackson did a double take with me. “Nia, did you even hear the question?” he asked me skeptically.

I blinked in confusion. “Did I get it right?”

“Yeah…”

“Then I was listening.” I bit my lip as soon after I noticed that I had let another smartass comment escape. That meant another discussion about my attitude.

The algebra teacher pinched the bridge of his nose and ignored the giggles and whispers of his class. I went back to my notebook which only contained half a page of notes, the other half of the page consisting of spirals and flowers. Just because I didn’t teach out of this class…makes me wish I didn’t have to go to school to get a decent job.

Class was over before I knew it. “Okay, just read over the chapter and do the questions. The next quiz should be a breeze.”

I doubt it. These people haven’t stepped in a classroom for at least twenty years. And the rest are just plain idiots. Now I knew why adults had to admit that they weren’t smarter than fifth graders.

Nia Windfall, twenty-one years old and stuck at a technical school. I wasn’t exactly in my ideal setting when it came to higher education. It didn’t help that I thought like a snobby know-it-all. Didn’t care though. Some of these people really were stupid, and resented anyone who showed even the slightest intelligence.

“Nia, need a word with you,” the teacher told me while I was trying to hide in the retreating crowd. I groaned and stood beside him. He calmly cleaned his glasses before speaking again. “I’m just puzzled at your behavior, Nia. I’ve spoken to your other teachers and they all say different things. You say these inappropriate things in my class, but one of your other teachers told me you stay silent in her class.”

I looked at the floor. That would’ve been my English class. Another class I had decided to not test out of. “Then another of your teachers tells me you speak plenty and pay attention. Is there something I’m missing here?” he continued.

My eyes stayed on the floor. My mouth refused to open. It was the same thing that happened every time I was interrogated like this. I would just hang my head and surrender quietly. “No sir,” I replied in a low voice.

“Fine. Just keep that tongue under control.” I rolled my eyes and left before he can say anything about those too.

A couple of my same-age classmates stood by the door as I walked out. “Wow, Nia. You actually managed to stay awake today,” a girl with too much lip gloss commented.

Despite the flash of anger I felt, I managed to stay calm. “I’m a light sleeper. I have to decide between unconsciously tuning everyone out and consciously tuning you out while you noisily play with your gum.”

Her boyfriend looked at me like I just spoke in an alien tongue. “What did she say?” he asked his female companion.

“Didn’t get that? Let me slow it down. You. Are. Too. Loooouuuuud.” I drew out the last word for emphasis.

“Screw you, retard!” the guy retorted.

“At least you called me that to my face this time. Yeah, I could hear you whispering about me.” I left the conversation there and left the school.

Yes, I was considered a retard despite my intelligence. Probably because no one except half the teachers understood my manner of speech since it was hidden under so many layers of sarcasm and pessimism. But that was natural for me. Here are a few more natural things about me:

Number one. I don’t care for the human race. I save what little compassion I have for animals, plants, and electronics.

Number two. I truly believe that I am in hell. The Earth I live on is just a depressing shadow of the one you know of. Therefore it’s perfectly logical to not be happy about life here.

Number three. I’m heartless. Literally. It’s sort of a weird thing to say, but I’ve never had to explain it to a doctor. Despite what people might think, it’s not just a lack of the physical heart, but of the spiritual one as well. No happiness and little to no guilt and compassion.

Nobodies are basically a person minus the heart. They’re formed when the heart is overwhelmed by darkness. The Heartless, the creature formed by the tainted heart, scampers away while the Nobody is formed somewhere else.

I don’t like to reminisce about what life was like while I had a heart. I’ve willed myself to forget that former life. Too depressing to know that I was once happy.

“Hey, bitch!”

I sighed and stopped, not bothering to turn around to face the angry voice. “Thanks for answering to that,” I muttered to myself. The owner of the voice pressed something sharp and metal against my neck. I tilted my head to the side. “Is that a knife in your hand or are you just happy to see me?”

“You must wanna die.” He pressed harder. The pinprick of pain felt far away.

All talk, no action. “Get on with it already. I have better things to do than to be annoyed by a moron.”

“I had enough of your racist ass!”

He must be forgetful. I’ve insulted everyone in that class. “I’m not racist. I equally hate all humans.” Curse my honest tongue.

The flash of pain finally came as he slashed my neck. I stumbled forward and clasped a hand over the wound. The attacker stayed close, waiting for me to die in a puddle of my own blood. It wasn’t going to happen. No heart meant there wasn’t any blood to lose.

But I still had an act to do. I pretended to gasp for air and gargled spit in my throat, finishing it with a fall to the concrete. I patiently held my breath and kept still as I waited until he left.

I carefully checked my watch when it got quiet, still playing the role of corpse. Only fifteen seconds. That guy didn’t even make sure I bled. My joints popped as I sat up and stretched.

“Nice guy.”

“He’s an idiot. The world’s full of ‘em,” I replied. It took me a few seconds before I noticed that what I heard wasn’t my inner voice. What almost scared me was that I didn’t know the guy was there. Not wanting to provoke him, I stayed seated on the ground and stared at the other side of the street.

The man behind me chuckled. I heard the rustle of heavy material as he shifted around. “I’m surprised that I found you here of all places.”

The low mocking voice seemed to pass through my skin and freeze my insides. Every neuron in my body was screaming for me to stand and run. But I stayed seated and played it off. “Do I know you?”

“I’m a friend of a friend of a friend of yours.”

“That doesn’t really answer my question.” He indirectly knows about me. Not a lot of people know me. And he doesn’t seem to be freaked out by me.

He gave another chuckle. “No, you don’t know me personally.”

I narrowed my eyes in annoyance. “Do you know me?”

“I don’t know your name, age, or birthplace. But I do know that you gave my boss some grief…” My head was roughly yanked back as he snatched my hair. “Ansem’s little pet.”

A rough gasp was ripped out of my throat. My eyes opened and gazed at the hooded face looking down on me. I could make out piercing green eyes and a big grin. He was not a being of this world, but of the one I had come from, hopefully never to return.

“I’m not here for trouble,” he said quietly. “So let’s retreat to your place and discuss this like two rational adults.”

I swallowed to wet my bone-dry throat. Was this fear I felt? My throat had been cut just moments ago and it was this that had me scared. If he knew about me and was sent to find me, he must’ve had some sort of power to make his mission successful. It was almost impossible to even travel to the world I dubbed Shadow Earth without using the power of darkness.

“I’m going to let you go now,” the green-eyed stranger told me. “You won’t get very far if you try to escape.”

A threat. I should submit for the time being. I nodded slightly and slowly stood as soon as he released my hair. This gave me a chance to examine him. He was dressed in black leather from head to toe even though it was a warm night. The zipper on his long cloak was only halfway down, showing his black pants and knee-high boots. “My place?” I asked him, hiding my emotions.

“Better there than out here in the street.” He followed me closely, not caring that he was getting strange looks for his leather cloak.

My apartment was just a couple of blocks from where I was attacked. The stranger easily kept up with my quick pace with long strides. “Any reason you’re rushing?” he asked me curiously.

“Not including what you witnessed earlier, I have been stabbed twice, shot twice, and run over once.” I was surprised by my own casual voice. The whole dying routine was getting boring.

“You got run over?” He whistled.

“Now that was an accident, and it wasn’t like he ran all four wheels over me. I just spaced out and some goof wasn’t watching the sidewalk. I had a nasty bruise on my side for the rest of the day.”

He stopped momentarily on the second floor hallway of the apartment building. “The sidewalk.”

I shrugged. “I haven’t figured that out yet either.” I unlocked the door and stepped aside to let him in first.

The apartment was rundown, small, and smelly. The walls were paper thin and someone was always stomping around in the apartment above mine. There was water damage, pests’ droppings, and broken windows. But it was better than outside.

The stranger walked around the rooms, saving his critique until he had looked into all of them. “It’s a total mess. Why would you choose to live here?”

“It wasn’t my choice!” I barked. Both of our heads snapped to the sound of glass breaking. My favorite drinking glass on the kitchen table was now lined with cracks. I held my neck as a burning sensation flared up in my lungs.

The stranger gently lifted the glass with a gloved hand and whistled again. “Impressive. Now I know why that geezer sealed your powers.”

My fingers moved to the heart shaped tattoo on my collarbone. He even knows about the seal. How well does he know Ansem? I calmed down enough for the pain to go away. “I don’t think it’s fair for you to know so much about me and not give me anything about you.”

“How rude of me.” He finally removed his hood and smiled at the look of utter shock I gave him. His bright red hair stuck out in spikes like he had been struck with lightning. A diamond tattoo under each eye stood out under pale skin. “Are you gawking at the hair, the eyes, or the tattoos?”

“Um…all of the above.” I forced myself to blink. “You have to be the most colorful thing I’ve ever seen in this world.”

“Yeah, I do stick out. My name’s Axel.” He got closer and extended a hand which I just stared at. “You, on the other hand, blend in this world.”

“Dark-skinned humans aren’t in short supply here. I had to get stuck in a parody of a gangsta rap video.” My eyes became hard as I realized that he wasn’t just here for a friendly visit. “How do you know Ansem the Wise?”

His upper lip curled in a snarl. “And now we come to the interrogation. Yeesh, you could at least drop the attitude.”

“Answer the question.”

“Make me,” he teased with a smirk. He held his hands up in surrender. “Do to me what you did to that glass.” He raised a thin eyebrow at my visible flinch. “You could risk it. A little pain is worth your freedom, right?”

I growled in frustration. Great, he’s mocking me. What’s worse is that I have no idea what he can do, if he has any power. But I don’t think he’s here to kill me. He would’ve done that outside. I bit my lip and glanced at the cracked glass that had been set back on the table. It’s on the verge of breaking. Maybe I could use a shard from it.

The two of us stared at each other, waiting for the other to make a move. Axel finally broke his gaze as he sneezed, closing his eyes in reflex. I used the split second to rush for the glass. My hand closed around it and was met with burning pain. I hissed and threw the glass at the wall, shattering it to pieces. “Hot…hot…” I panted as I sat on the floor and nursed my burned hand.

Axel was laughing loudly and pointing at me. “You little devil! You were still going to try fighting me!” He stopped laughing and rubbed his forehead. “You’re a real handful, you know that? Did you actually think it was going to work after your fake death?”

My anger melted away to reveal a layer of fear and realization. He made that thing heat up. On top of that, he was able to get here. He was comfortable with me. Like he understood me. “You got here by using the paths of darkness. You’re a Nobody…” I whispered.

He nodded, a Cheshire cat grin gracing his face. “You’re not alone. Don’t you think that’ll make this game a lot more fun?”

It was pretty obvious that I was not going to escape him unscathed, if at all. He was just a sadistic cat playing with a half-dead mouse before he ate it. And all desperate prey eventually threw logic to the wind.

“Out of tricks?” he asked me playfully.

It was time for Plan B: beat the ever-loving crap out of him barehanded. The problem is that I had no experience in a fist fight. I rose to my feet and raised my fists, hoping that instincts and desperation would save me.

Axel wasn’t impressed. He rolled his eyes and watched his hand get enveloped in dark energy. “You definitely don’t have experience fighting another Nobody,” he said grimly.

I stepped back toward the door, already having Plan C in mind: simply trying to run out the apartment door and get the hell out of there. The air in the room got unbearably hot as Axel summoned something out of the energy he had gathered. Now he was holding a freaky chakram, parts of it colored red and black. There was a handle in the center that he could hold. “Tell me the truth. How stupid do you think I am?” he questioned.

I paused. “E…excuse me?” I stammered.

He glared at me. “You were backing up toward the door. Were you actually going to run from this?” He twirled his weapon in one hand.

I bit my lip and shook my head. “I’m not crazy. You’d just stab me in the back with that thing. It’s not an ordinary weapon, isn’t it? I can actually die from it.”

He nodded. “Do it, missy. Just one note. I might even have to retreat. You can keep your life for another day.”

My hands curled into fists. He’s been trying to goad me into using my power the whole time. There’s no reason for that! He’s just playing around with me before he kills me!

He rested his chakram on his shoulder and sighed heavily. “If you’re not going to make a good effort on defending yourself then I should just finish the job right now.”

No! I took a deep breath and belted out a loud, harsh “mi”. Axel clutched his ears and dropped to one knee. What was left of the window behind him shattered to pieces in the three seconds I held the note. After that my lungs ignited in fiery pain. I collapsed on the floor and rolled on my back, leering at Axel’s satisfied grin. “Did you let it all out?” he teased.

I wanted to tell him to screw himself but it hurt to even wheeze. Damn, I don’t think it did anything! All the effort I put into that attack didn’t do anything! I could feel my consciousness slipping away.

He rubbed his ears. “Wow, I cannot even hear the shouting from next door anymore. My hearing could be out for a whole day.” He walked around me and bent down to unclip my school ID from my shirt. “Nia Windfall. Hm.”

I opened my mouth only to find my own voice gone, a consequence from forcing my power out through the seal. “Don’t kill me,” I mouthed as my vision got darker.

Axel could read my lips. “I don’t think you’re in a position to plead.” And with that I blacked out.

[mr_pikachu]

Hmm, alright. So Nia's in the human world (I presume), forced to battle one of her own. why is he there? What's his mission? To study poor Nia? Take her back to the other side? I assume it's not to finish her, or else this is going to be an exceedingly short fic. No, you've got something intricate in the works. Always a good thing. You're good at delivering unexpectedly well-woven plotlines, so I expect that this could be your next gem.

To be honest, though, I think the pacing could have used some work. Missing transitions were a large part of that. There were several places where we just jumped from one scene to another without warning; from Nia's comment to the end of class, from the school to her attack, and from there to her apartment. That's a simple thing to fix, though; even an asterisk to divide scenes would signal everything to the reader. It's just a little off-putting without them.

The other pacing concern I had was the rate at which new information was thrust forth. In a couple of pages we found out that Nia's failing out of school, can't ever be happy, hates everything, has no heart (physical or spiritual), doesn't bleed, isn't human (although she used to be), and has some connection to another world that still isn't entirely clear to me. It was simply an information overload, particularly since many of the revelations didn't have a lot of prior evidence to support them. (If Nia had mentioned her lack of a heart after the non-bleeding attack, for example, it would have made more sense.) Finding out that Nia didn't have a heart as she was walking away from class... I don't know. It all just seemed rather... rushed. Maybe I'll have a much different view of it once I take a second look at it. After all, I've gotten about three hours of sleep in the last 48, so I'm not in any condition to comprehend anything.

The good news is that things flowed excellently once the fight ensued. Your action sequences were easy to digest, to the point that there was no need to explain Nia's voice power. I could visualize the thoroughly cracked glass with ease, and even the vaguely referenced "seal" was simple enough to grasp. While Axel, to someone who hasn't played all the KH games, is a little unfamiliar, you've set things up so that readers new to the fandom don't have to know everything (or anything) about him yet. To make a long story short, action is one area in which I think you've improved dramatically, and that scene showed your talent very well.

I think that this fic has a lot of potential, really. The beginning kind of surprised me, but you certainly found your stride in the second half of the chapter. No complaints there. That strong conclusion makes me wonder what you've got up your sleeve. Forcing our main character into submission was a simple first move by Axel, but what does he have planned for Nia? For that matter, what secrets lie in Nia's dark past? Only time, and you, will tell. I look forward to it!

[classy_cat18]

I really should try to keep the ball rolling. Second movement. "Not Ready to Make Nice" by the Dixie Chicks.

Second Movement – Not Ready to Make Nice

“You’re a danger to the innocent as well as yourself, young one. But I believe you have a right to live.”

“Liar…I’m not living.”

“I’m alive?”

Even when I was sleeping, I had sensations of being moved around. Now that I was partially awake, I could feel that I was in a completely different place. A warm blanket had been draped over me so only my head poked out. The bed under me was unbelievably soft. I was clothed except for my feet.

One of my eyes opened to examine the new room. Black and white must’ve been popular with my captor; they were pretty much the only colors in the room. What was really interesting was the sheet music wallpaper. I scanned all four walls to try to make sense of it. Who decorated this room? Mozart?

It had to have been some kind of music nut. The comforter I was covered in had a big treble clef on it. The pillow under my head had a ¾ time signature. The lamp on the nightstand by my bed had eighth notes on it. It was all pretty nice, actually. Especially when compared to the rathole of my apartment.

Something red caught my eye. I slid out of bed, nearly tripping on my sneakers. The floor wasn’t covered in carpet or wood, but felt like marble. There was a black table with a black chair with it, both made of steel and fabric. The red that I saw was a couple of long-stemmed roses in a vase that was similar to the lamp. I rolled my eyes at the note attached to it. “Sorry about the fight. Please don’t kill me later.”

A black bookcase sat against the wall right of the bed. It was five shelves high, slightly taller than me. Only the middle shelf had something on it, packed with CDs. Beethoven, Mozart, Bach…all classical music. They have good taste.

I tested my voice; it was barely back. But my lungs and throat were no longer burning. I was just left with a sore throat. Screaming wasn’t an option. Hell, talking wasn’t a good option either. I was pretty much a sitting duck.

But why am I here? I’m not tied or locked up, although they might have locked me in this room. A room that looks like it was made for me. I was silently debating on the possibility of being kidnapped for ransom when the doorknob turned slowly. I held my breath while the door stayed closed. If this is Axel, then he’s going to have to deal with a crazy girl with a ceramic vase.

“Um…are you decent?” The guy on the other side of the door sounded too soft to be Axel.

I really didn’t know how to respond to the unexpected question. But he probably wasn’t associated with the one who captured me, so it was okay to talk to him. “Yeah,” I replied hoarsely.

The door opened enough for the new stranger’s head to poke through. He was completely different from the redhead; the blond hair alone was enough to tell me that. It was styled in something between a Mohawk and a mullet. When he walked in I saw that he was only a few inches shorter than Axel, with the same black outfit. Same outfit, same insane cult.

We studied each other, the tension nowhere near as thick as when I was facing the last guy. “Hey, you’re up!” he said brightly. Then he noticed that I was reaching for the vase. “I hope you weren’t planning on smashing my head with that.”

I sighed and withdrew my hand. Busted. I shook my head in denial.

He relaxed. “Good. I apologize on behalf of my friend for the rough treatment. He kept saying that you wouldn’t go with him without a fight.” He searched through his cloak until he found a folded piece of paper. “Let’s see. ‘Make sure Nia stays in bed until I return.’” He glanced at me for a second, then back to the paper. “Got the wrong guy for this.”

A disbelieving look appeared on my face. What kind of a villain was he? First a psychotic redhead, now a blond wuss. I wonder if he can fight. My brain ran over the events of the last time I tested that idea. No, I’ve learned my lesson after Axel! Besides, it’s usually the sane looking ones who are the craziest.

The new guy curiously watched me go through my internal duel. “Are you okay? I’m not going to hurt you or anything, so there’s no need to be paranoid.” I rolled my eyes and went back to walking around the room. “Anyway, my name’s Demyx. I’m a Nobody too.”

I nodded in acknowledgement. I wasn’t wasting my voice on him.

Demyx sighed and went back to the note I assumed Axel gave him. “Superior says that I have permission to use force if you refuse to follow orders.”

I glared at him. Now I had to deal with his boss too. “Tell your superior that both he and Axel can kiss my ass,” I whispered. Whispering was easier on the voice, but I was still egging on someone who can probably kill me.

“You wouldn’t want me to do that. He’s not a nice guy.” He raised an arm to the sky. Droplets of water condensed around the room and were pulled into a single sphere in his hand. The sphere of water grew and shaped into weird looking guitar.

Not enough strings. What is that? A sitar? Unless he’s planning to club me with it, there’s no way it can subdue me. I relaxed my pose and sat at the black table, hiding my nervousness. “I’m not going to follow orders from a guy I don’t know or like.”

Demyx didn’t look angry at my stubbornness, just disappointed. “Last chance,” he warned me as he sat on the floor.

“Bite me,” I growled.

“Okay then.” He tuned his guitar-like instrument and strummed. “I’m not a total pushover, you know.” He played a quick tune that had me giving him my full attention.

I didn’t notice more water droplets forming around me at first. Then they started getting bigger, like what happened when he summoned his sitar. This time four watery Demyx clones surrounded me and the table. The one in front of me tried to crack his liquid knuckles.

My knowledge in science was enough to know that water was more solid than it looked. Slapping a hand on the surface could make it sting. Being blasted by a water hose could break bones. I wasn’t eager for more pain. “You win,” I told the real Demyx.

The Nobody smiled victoriously after I settled back in the bed. “Just sit still for a couple of minutes and I’ll get you something hot to soothe your throat.” He got up and let his sitar vanish back into water vapor. “The door’s locked so you can’t roam. If anyone knocks, stay quiet. If anyone besides me teleports back in here, feel free to use the lamp.” He winked before black energy enveloped him and warped him out of the room.

Now I was alone. The silence quickly became unbearable. I was left to contemplate about the new Nobody. His name’s Demyx. What kind of a name is that? He can control water with his special sitar, which could be more dangerous than it looks. He’s not like Axel. For one thing, he didn’t seem to want to hurt me. Although he’s able to teleport around the place, something that I haven’t been taught to do, he knocked before entering. Is it just an act or is he really nice?

Someone knocked on the door. “Hey, Demyx!” a familiar voice shouted from the other side.

I gritted my teeth. Axel… I stayed quiet as I was instructed.

Axel knocked again. “I know you’re in there, Nia! I can practically hear you growl!” he sung. My hands clenched at the blanket. “When Demyx comes back, tell him Xemnas wants us all to meet in the Throne Room in half an hour! Your new outfit should be in the closet!”

Xemnas? Outfit? I was getting out of the room. I’d finally get some answers. I leaned against the headboard of the bed and waited for Demyx to get back. “Axel said that some guy named Xemnas wanted us to meet in the Throne Room in thirty minutes. I think that was about five minutes ago,” I informed him.

He paled and nearly dropped the mug he was holding. “Shoot, that’s barely enough time! Here!” He handed me the mug. “That’s herbal tea mixed with Potion. Your voice should be back to normal by the time we get there.”

I nodded and took a sip, not liking the strong taste. The whole cup was forced down. It really did help my voice though. “It almost tastes like alcohol was put in here.” Then I swallowed hard when I thought of something. “Did you put anything funny in here?”

“I told you it was mixed with Potion!” he shouted defensively. He took the mug away from me and leaned in very close to my face. “Are you going to behave at the meeting?”

My face warmed with embarrassment as I tried to look at something other than his eyes. He was seriously creeping me out. “Why sh-should I?” Great, I was stuttering.

“Because I don’t want the new kid to be skinned alive on her first day.” He moved even closer until our foreheads touched, then tilted his head until mine was looking at the ceiling. “Huh. You really do have red eyes.”

I grunted and closed my eyes. My eyes look brown unless I tilt my head the right way, the light revealing their true color. Axel must’ve found out earlier. “Fine. Whatever.”

He withdrew and thumped my forehead with a finger. “You’re no fun,” he groaned as he walked to the closet and started pulling stuff out. “Get dressed and get me when you’re done.” The clothes were thrown at me, the biggest article draped over my head. Demyx was gone by the time I shook it off.

My new outfit was one identical to Demyx’s and Axel’s. The clothes slightly hugged my form, giving me the same slim look. It could’ve been a tactic used to make people underestimate their strength, or even to hide their gender. No guy I knew looked so feminine. This cloak is made of real leather. Their boss is loaded.

There was a mirror in the corner that I used to check myself. “Warning: objects in mirror are fatter than they appear,” I joked. “I don’t even want to know how they found out my size.” I kept the hood off and opened the door to let Demyx inside.

“Gloves,” was the first thing he said.

“Come again?” I asked. He raised one of his gloved hands. Mine were still on the bed. “Okay, I’ll put them on too.” I slipped them on and wiggled my fingers to test the feel of them.

“Looking good!” I looked at the doorway in time to see Axel snap a camera at my surprised reaction. “The camera loves you!”

I quickly pulled the hood up. “Bet the camera would love this too,” I said as I threw a pillow at him.

He caught it and stood next to Demyx. “For a second there I thought she was going to use the lamp,” he told his friend.

“Good idea.” My hand reached for it only to feel the heat emanating from it even through my glove. “Almost got me again.”

He chuckled darkly. “Hey, she can be taught.” I turned my back to him and gave him the one-fingered salute. He approached me and snatched the hood off my head, his face suddenly angry. “Listen, missy. It took me a long time to find you. I had the patience to track you and drag you back here without causing too much damage. As far as I’m concerned, you’re a pretty looking pain in the ass. I’m your superior and if you continue to fight me, I will not hesitate to resort to the cruel and unusual. Got it?”

My throat was once again closed, like it was with the teacher. I looked at the floor, feeling like an ant that was about to be crushed by his boot. This was my big weakness in my opinion, easily being subdued by intimidating figures. “Intimidating” being anyone who can truly hurt me (or my grades). I had enough of Axel to learn when to stop fighting him and stand down.

“You didn’t answer me,” Axel sung.

“Yes, sir,” I mumbled.

“Look me in the eyes and say that.”

First I glanced at Demyx, who looked back and pulled his hood over his head, hiding his face. You’re not even going to try defending me? I slowly lifted my gaze to Axel’s green eyes, cringing from the way they seemed to burn straight through me. I imagined myself shrinking to a foot tall while I managed to force out a whispered “Yes, sir”.

He smirked. “Speak a little louder. I’m afraid my hearing isn’t fully back.”

I wasn’t sure if he was just mocking me or if he was serious about that. “Yes, sir.”

“Much better.” He patted my head and yanked the hood back on me. “You’ll be a good toadie in no time.”

I clenched my fists, thankful that I haven’t been able to cry for a long time.

“We should go,” Demyx finally spoke up. “Long way or short way?”

“Kid can’t teleport. We’ll have to take the long way.” He pulled me out of the room by one of the metal pullstrings on my cloak. I almost had to jog just to keep up with him.

The hallways were confusing. Some of the doors we passed had Roman numerals on them, but other than that they all looked the same. Since I had my hood up, I couldn’t get a good look at the big picture. We went down stairs and turned so many times, I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to find the bathroom when I needed it. Maybe that was the point.

The two finally slowed down upon entering a circular room. Axel let go of my pullstring and teleported with Demyx, leaving me in the center of the room. I made the mistake of removing my hood to get a better view.

The room was almost all white, with traces of gray. As the name suggested, thirteen thrones of stone or something like it lined the circumference. They were so high that it made sense that the only way to get up there was by teleporting. Eleven of them were filled. Two of them must’ve contained Axel and Demyx but I couldn’t find them because everyone was wearing their hood. I figured the best thing to do was to just stand still and not look around like I was a stupid tourist, especially since everyone had their head turned down to me.

One more person teleported in the highest throne. All heads turned to them. “Superior,” everyone except me said together.

“Greetings,” Superior returned. His voice reeked of superiority.

He’s the one in charge of all of them. He’s Xemnas. I rubbed my arms nervously. It was hard to tell which voice was coming from where. The echo made it that way.

Xemnas looked down at me. “Nia. How nice to see you again.” Faking sincerity.

I nearly jumped at the sound of my name. I had a talent of remembering voices, yet his was unfamiliar. Of course, someone had to have known me. Otherwise I would still have been on Shadow Earth. “Do I know you?” I asked him.

“Do you remember a man named Xehanort?”

I nodded. Xehanort was one of Ansem the Wise’s six apprentices. Ansem took him in when he found him half-dead. Xehanort was nice when he was around, but secretly had this holier-than-thou attitude that I just couldn’t stand. “He worked for my caretaker.”

“What did you think of him?”

Besides the attitude? How about the fact that he’s the reason I’m a miserable Nobody? “He was a fool in my opinion,” I answered coldly.

I heard some mumbling. Someone in the corner of my eye quickly shook his head and made a cutting gesture across his neck, probably his way of saying “ix-nay on the ool-fay.”

Xemnas thought this was pretty funny, although his laugh still sounded fake. “I’d have to agree,” he told me. “Xehanort truly was a fool to let you slip through his fingers. I was led to believe that he killed you instead of simply hiding you.”

He almost did. Called it “ending my suffering”. He thought sealing my powers and sending me to a world hidden in the shadow of Earth was more merciful. Dumbass.

“You were one of his earliest experiments, correct?” one of the other Nobodies inquired. He sounded younger, and slightly familiar. “You helped him with the research on the darkness of people’s hearts.”

“Correct. A voluntary experiment at first. I was also a fool for becoming one without Ansem knowing. I didn’t know…how painful it would be.” I felt a pang of pain from where my heart should’ve been.

“It turned out for the best,” Xemnas commented. By now I could see who was talking because they would gesture while they spoke. “He unlocked a great power from inside you.”

“It was not worth three days of pain!” I yelled. Everyone covered their ears in pain. Once more my lungs and throat burned. I was reduced to rasping. “My heart was strong…which only meant that it took longer…for the darkness to take over. I was reduced to nothing.” The acoustics of the room were good enough to carry my lowered voice.

“Pain makes you stronger,” a female voice responded.

I ignored her. “Ansem found me much later in a realm between light and darkness. My heart had been taken, something he highly treasured. All that was left was my mind and body. There was no longer any happiness, but bitterness, anger, and sorrow. He…no longer wanted me.” I bit my lip. “I was a mistake like you!”

Those last few words rang throughout the Throne Room, bringing silence. I hadn’t meant to say it. The moment I opened my mouth to apologize, something zipped past my face, barely grazing my cheek. Embedded in the floor behind me was a blade made of red light. It vanished, leaving a hole where it once was. I stared at it with awe and fear. This guy is serious.

The female from earlier cackled. “Superior isn’t happy!” she exclaimed.

“Shut it,” I heard Axel snap at her.

“SILENCE!” Xemnas roared. Both immediately stopped talking. The highest Nobody jumped from his throne and landed in a crouch. He was holding another of those glowing blades. I took several steps back and fell on my butt. “You should watch your tongue before it gets removed. I really thought you respected me, Songbird.”

Songbird? Only one person called me that. “Xehanort…it’s you,” I whispered. My voice was nearly gone.

He removed his hood. His hair was different, but everything else was pretty much the same. “It’s now Xemnas. Xehanort was my pathetic Other. You may actually be useful to me. Your voice, when combined with your intense anger or fear, has the power to turn mountains to rubble. You can even turn hearts to dust. That seal is the only thing blocking your awesome power.”

It’s not true that Nobodies feel nothing. They just don’t feel anything positive. Fear, anger, sadness…that’s pretty much all I’ve been feeling for years. Right now I was feeling intense fear and anger for the being that was half of Ansem’s apprentice, and sadness knowing that there was no escape from this place. Despite that, I laughed bitterly. “Too bad, Xehanort’s Nobody. The only one that knows how to release it is Ansem. Besides, what do you plan to do with me if you do know how to get rid of it? My powers are uncontrollable; it was why Ansem the Wise sealed them in the first place. As much as I would love to scream at you, I don’t think I would like to clean the mess afterwards. And let’s not forget the fact that I just don’t like you.”

Someone’s hand was wrapped around my neck before I knew it. But it wasn’t Xemnas’s. “Silence yourself!” Axel commanded as he squeezed.

I looked down in horror. My feet were dangling about a foot above the ground. Axel may have been scrawny but he was far from weak. I stopped my struggles. “I’m sorry, Superior,” I said softly.

Axel loosened his grip but didn’t let go. “Hold her, Number Eight. I think she needs to see more of her former friends up close.”

Former friends? Five more Nobodies jumped down and surrounded us. One by one they took off their hoods. “Hey there, I’m Xigbar,” a scarred man with an eyepatch greeted.

“Xaldin,” the second stated. He had dreadlocks and sideburns.

“Vexen,” an older man with long blond hair said.

“Lexaeus,” a solidly built man said with a deep voice.

I gasped as I looked at each one. Ansem had six apprentices. If all of them shared the same fate…then that makes them Xehanort, Braig, Dilan, Even, Elaeus…

The last one removed his hood. Silver-blue hair that covered one eye and a freezing cold expression. The only one that seemed to have kept his appearance. “Zexion.”

“And Ienzo,” I finished out loud.

“You remembered us,” Zexion said as a statement.

“How could I forget?”

Xemnas motioned for Axel to set me down. “Number Eight, as much as I distrust you, you do seem to have a talent of calming her down. You and Number Nine will watch her the rest of the day.”

Axel leered at me. I wasn’t pleased with Xemnas’s decision either. I hoped whoever Number Nine was would keep him from killing me.

“You will now be known as Nixa, The Chaotic Aria,” Xemnas said to me. “May you someday prove yourself worthy of a number.”

“Welcome to the Organization,” Xigbar said as he pinched my cheek. Shoot, Braig used to do the same thing. It hurt then too.

“This meeting is adjourned. Number Eight, you are allowed to punish her as you see fit.” He walked out the room with the others, while everyone still in chairs teleported out. One stayed and teleported down to Axel and me. Number Nine, the one named Demyx.

“I’m your superior and if you continue to fight me, I will not hesitate to resort to the cruel and unusual.”

I gulped as I looked up at Axel. The air around him was shimmering with heat. “Axel, please…I’ll try harder! I’m sorry!” I pleaded. A quick strike silenced me and knocked my head to the side. I could still feel Axel’s burning hand on my cheek.

“Idiot. You never learn, do you? You have no idea how much trouble your big mouth might have gotten you into!” He picked me up by the collar of my cloak and slammed me against the wall. “Saїx was close to killing you!”

“Who?” I was feeling kind of dizzy.

“Another of the Nobodies. A guy with a big sword,” Demyx clarified.

“If I hadn’t have shut you up, he would’ve removed your head from the shoulders,” Axel growled.

He saved me. He could’ve easily have let Saїx kill me. He even gave me fair warning before the meeting. I closed my eyes in surrender. I can’t cry because I have no tears. I can’t scream because I’ll just hurt myself. But right now I would love to do both just to let something out. All I could do was whimper.

Axel dropped me on the floor and left the room. Demyx helped me onto his feet. “I tried to get you to stop earlier, when you referred to Xehanort as a fool,” he said.

I slipped on my hood and looked away. It was good for hiding my shameful look. “Don’t know why you’d want to help me,” I grumbled.

“Those guys can get under anyone’s skin. Axel went through worse than you did, and he was dropping F-bombs during his first three days.” He held my chin and examined the hand-shaped burn on my cheek. “There’s an important lesson that everyone had to learn. In the Organization, you have to either put up or shut up. Axel puts up, and I shuts up.” He grinned widely.

I tried to return the smile but it didn’t feel right. “I guess I should shut up while I have the seal on me.”

“Bingo. Lesson learned.”

“Will Axel be okay?”

“He’s a hothead but it usually doesn’t take him long to cool down. I’ll look after you for a while.” He gently ruffled my head.

He’s an oddball. Why isn’t he like the others? “I guess that won’t be so bad.”

“Come on! I can’t be that bad, Nii-chan!”

My eyes widened. “Nii-chan?”

“Bad nickname? I don’t really like the name Nixa. I know it’s routine to give everyone a name and title at least, but it gets kind of boring.”

“I agree. But according to my limited knowledge of Earth languages, you’re practically calling me your brother.”

“Whoa. That would be awesome! From now on, you’re my little brother!”

I gawked at him before slapping my forehead. “I’m a girl!”

“And…?” He really looked innocent.

When will I learn to just keep my mouth shut? I was brought back to my senses by a strange noise. “Was that your stomach growling?”

“Yeah. I hadn’t had much to eat since you got here. Mind if we get something to eat?”

“Only if you make me something edible too, and make me another cup of that tea.”

“Sure. Stay close.”

[Crystal Tears]

I like this story, I can't comment on the first chapter really because mr_pikachu said everything there was to be said. But I'll try anyways (I'm bad with criticism so don't expect much of that from me).

Nia - Pretty good character in my opinion, interesting take on nobodies as well (is that actually in the games? I don't remember them thoroughly explaining how, but I never played CoM so I might of missed it). At first I thought she was kind of a snotty girl, though she says to other students what we all wish we could say (with the knife consequence). However, when it came to the second chapter, she grew on me. I like her attitude a lot more, and there seems to be much more to her. I feel sorry for her lungs.

Axel - Your take on Axel is really interesting, I don't know though, he seems a bit to... Bossy from what I gathered in KHII. But otherwise the character suits him well, especially when he teases Nia. I'd hate to have to stare into those green eyes too.

Demyx - Best. Character. Take. Ever. By far my favourite character so far, the way you portrayed him is absolutely fantastic. I'm so happy you included him; he was my favourite character in the game as well.


Overall, I liked the second chapter much more than the first. Much more description in the second, and I love description. I'm curious as to what happens next, I shall be checking back on this.

[classy_cat18]

Crystal Tears - Glad someone else likes Demyx. Most people just disregard him as an annoying wuss in the game. Anyway, some information I got from CoM, some I probably got from KHII: Final Mix, and some info I made up myself (Nobodies can't bleed, feel negative emotions). It's from my weird logic.

Third Movement – Ichirin No Hana

I sat with Demyx in the kitchen, which was also almost totally white. It was in desperate need of some color. The black cloaks really stood out, though. “What is this place?” I asked my companion.

“The Castle That Never Was,” he said with a lopsided grin. “Located in The World That Never Was.”

“Clever name.” I watched my fellow Nobody rip big chunks out of his sandwich like a lion that had been starved for days. Mine only had two bites out of it. Now I was holding onto my tea, occasionally breaking my stare to take a sip. It tasted like there was less Potion in it than the last cup.

“Aren’t you hungry, Nii-chan?” Demyx asked me after swallowing his last bite. “You were out for two whole days.”

“I rarely feel hungry. I just eat when I think I need to.”

“You were out for two whole days,” he repeated. “If I don’t make sure you’re well-fed, Axel will burn my hide.”

I drank the last bit of tea before responding. “Are you sure that it won’t be my hide he’ll burn?”

“I really don’t know what’s gotten into him. He’s been having these wild mood swings lately. Something must be bothering him.” He took my mug and looked inside. “This stuff really works.”

He was deliberately changing the subject to avoid further questions. I still went along with him. “How’d you know it would work?”

He smiled sheepishly. “I didn’t. It was Vexen’s orders.”

“Oh. He was my doctor in the past.”

“You said that you lived with Ansem the Wise. That meant that you were from Radiant Garden.” He scratched the back of his head. “Funny that no one there now knows about you. Then again, the whole place has gone down the drain.”

“I was kept hidden. When I had a heart, I was physically ill all the time. It was so bad that everyone thought the sun would make me worse, so I stayed in a windowless bedroom. There were times, however, when I just had to sneak to the nearest window just to see the light.”

“Wow…” His eyes grew to the size of saucers.

“Yeah. Papa Ansem...” I growled as I let it slip. ”Ansem the Wise said I had a strong heart.”

He frowned, looking strangely compassionate. “I’m guessing this is a touchy topic for you. No wonder you’re always so moody. You act a lot like Xemnas.” He put on a serious face and folded his arms. “Like he was taking a dump on that throne of his.”

A sound shot out of my lips before I could stop it. A single bark of laughter. I glanced at Demyx’s goofy smile and struggled to keep from laughing more.

Demyx’s grin grew. “Did you just ‘ha’? Was that laughter I heard?” he asked me smugly.

“No,” I lied lamely. I still had a smile on my face that I couldn’t get rid of. My hand was over it hide it from him.

“You’re smiling. I don’t believe it! If I’d known that all it would take for you to smile was to do a stupid impression, you’d be rolling on the floor long ago!”

The smile quickly went away; I was too embarrassed that I had given way to his humor. He pouted (which was actually kind of cute) and leaned over the table. “You’re so depressed all the time. Why don’t you laugh? Why don’t you smile?”

“Because she’s a Nobody,” an unknown voice said sternly. We turned our heads to look at another cloaked Nobody. My nose twitched as it picked up the scent of lavender. “She knows to not pretend that she has a heart.”

Demyx groaned and stood from his seat. He looked so serious that it almost scared me. “It’s better for her to pretend than for her to end up like you, Number Eleven.”

“Who are you?” I asked Number Eleven.

I had to hide my reaction to the guy’s pink hair as the hood was removed. No longer was Axel the most feminine guy I’d seen. At least Axel didn’t smell like he rolled around in someone’s flower garden. “I’m Marluxia, the Graceful Assassin.”

I cocked an eyebrow. Okay, I’ll take graceful. But I’m questioning the assassin part. I went to eating my sandwich just to have an excuse for ignoring him.

“By the way, I seem to be missing something from my garden,” Marluxia told Demyx.

I coughed as the food started to go down the wrong tube. He has a garden?

Demyx snorted and went to the sink for a glass. “Nixa needed some color for her room so Axel picked some roses for her.”

I looked up to see a knowing smile on Marluxia’s face. “Funny, because even Axel knows to not go plucking flowers from my garden. They don’t like it when they’re abused.”

He takes the meaning of the team “flower child” to a new level. I kept eating although I was starting to get worried about the way Demyx shook.

“The only way you two could make it even worse is if you put them in water.” The second that was said, Demyx put down the glass that he was holding and ran out of the kitchen.

“Demyx?” I mouthed. I gave Marluxia a quick glance before rushing to the doorway. Number Nine was long gone. “Oh man, he left me here!”

Mr. Girly Assassin stood behind me and chuckled. “He’ll certainly get what he deserves for poking around. Sorry Nixa, you’ll have to find you a new room. And a new friend.” He laughed louder and disappeared in a portal.

“What?” That cryptic message didn’t go well with me. I was struggling between trying to find my room and staying put to avoid getting lost. Another option came when yet another cloaked Nobody walked by. “Excuse me…”

He stopped and looked my way. “Ah, the new lass.” His British accent caught me by surprise. “Aren’t you supposed to be with Eight and Nine?”

Hopefully he won’t be such a douchebag. I bounced on the balls of my feet in anxiety. My explanation sounded like a record being sped up. “Eight’s gone to cool off and Nine…well, I think he’s in trouble. That’s why I need you to take me to my room if you know where it is. Demyx and I were talking with that Marluxia guy and he mentioned flowers and Demyx got nervous about the roses I think he put in my room even though he said Axel was the one who did it…”

“Wait, wait, wait.” He put his hands up and breathed like he was the one explaining in one breath. “In normal speed, tell me what Nine did wrong.”

I took a deep breath and tried again. “I think he got some of Marluxia’s roses…”

“Oh bloody hell,” he groaned. “That’s all I needed to hear.”

That was a very bad sign. “Sir, I need to get to my room.”

“My name is Luxord.” He still hadn’t taken off his hood. “Come with me.” He raised his hand and summoned what looked like a portal of darkness.

“Never actually used one of these…” I started. Luxord stepped in it. “But you’re not giving me a chance.” I followed him into the tunnel of darkness, holding onto his robe tightly until he stepped out again.

“Thanks,” I told Luxord. My hand shot to his sleeve when I heard the sound of screaming behind a door only a few feet from us.

Luxord sighed and pulled back his hood to scratch his hair. He didn’t have a weird hairstyle like the others, just short and neatly trimmed. He had a blond beard to go with it. But I noticed the four or five piercings he had in one ear. “Lass, you can hold on all you want to but I’m not helping him this time.”

I blushed lightly and let go of him. “Fine then.” He left the way he came. “Don’t let the darkness hit you on the way out.”

The door to my bedroom flew open, letting out a louder scream. To my relief, Demyx shot out and slammed into the wall. “Demyx!” I called out as I ran to him.

“Not good…” he grumbled to himself. There were scratches on his face and gashes in his uniform. He didn’t seem to notice me as he was too busy staring at the closed door.

I shook his shoulder until he came to his senses. “Demyx, what’s wrong?”

He frowned at me and pulled himself to his feet, trying to look tough. “Nii-chan, I can handle this. Stand back before you get hurt.”

“Handle what? Get hurt by what?”

WHAM! Something heavy rammed the door. Demyx yelped and flattened himself against the wall. “Then again, maybe I can’t handle this.” I inched towards the door to my room but he yanked me back by my hood. “You really don’t want to go in there.”

I narrowed my eyes and growled through clenched teeth. “Demyx, that’s my room. I have to sleep in there tonight!”

Something in my room gave an unearthly roar. Both of our faces seemed to lose their color. “Well, for now it’s the roses’ room.” He grabbed my arm and tried to pull me along with him but I resisted and pulled back.

Another roar, and another slam. This one knocked the door off its hinges. Demyx tackled me to the floor a second before the door hit the spot where I was. We both went “oof” as we hit the floor hard. I recovered long enough to see his tired grin before something ripped him from me and toward my room. “Whoa!” Demyx exclaimed as he gripped the doorway to avoid being pulled in further.

I sat up and scooted along the wall to get a better look at the strange intruder. Demyx’s leg had been grabbed by something long, thick and green: a vine. It, along with at least ten others, was attached to…well, picture Audrey II getting busy with a rosebush and then having a baby. That rosebush baby would have one large, closed-up rose for a head and be surrounded by smaller roses. The vase was gone, so its roots were all over the remains of the table. “Holy…” I gasped.

“Get help!” Demyx pleaded as Big Rosebud (what I called him) pulled on his leg. “Ow, ow, ow! It’s got thorns!”

“But…” I didn’t know the castle. I’d probably get lost before finding someone who could help. Besides, who would want to help in the first place? Luxord seemed annoyed with Demyx getting into trouble all the time. Marluxia would probably sit back and enjoy the show with a bucket of popcorn.

“Nia…” His fingers were slipping.

Wait, why was I even here? The flowers might have been in my room but that didn’t really mean it was my problem. It wasn’t like I could help. I could’ve just left and let Demyx try to handle it himself.

“She knows to not pretend that she has a heart.”

That’s right. I didn’t have a heart. I wasn’t supposed to care.

Big Rosebud’s “head” opened to reveal a fang-filled mouth. Demyx didn’t notice it at first. Another vine wrapped around his other leg and pulled gently. It didn’t want to kill its victim right away, just scare him. It was doing a great job.

“Nia, go get help!” Demyx screamed.

The floral monster growled and gave a hard tug. One of Demyx’s hands was yanked away from the doorway.

I’m not supposed to care…

“You act a lot like Xemnas.”

“It’s better for her to pretend than to act like you, Number Eleven.”

Does this guy care?

The monster tugged again. I had a split second to decide what to do.

My body decided for me. It shot forward and grabbed the other hand with both of mine. I felt like my brain was still trying to figure out what my body did. “No one else is going to help you,” I told Demyx as my feet struggled to get a good hold.

Demyx laughed a little. “Sort of figured that. What’s your plan?”

“Make sure this thing doesn’t eat you.” I looked at the monster licking its fangs with a long tongue. “I’m not sure how to do that. Did you have a plan when you got here?”

He shrugged as best as possible. “Sort of.”

“I hope that it didn’t involve your powers, because water doesn’t work with plants!”

He responded with a goofy grin. “Maybe.”

Idiot. This makes me wish my powers weren’t sealed. But it affects everything within a certain radius; Demyx would be hurt too. I tried to pull him back far enough to brace my feet against the outside wall. Just a little more…

Then my feet were pulled from under me by yet another thorny vine. I cried out as the thorns tore my pants and clawed at my skin. Something trickled down my leg. “Blood?” I questioned to myself.

Both Demyx and I were hung upside down in front of Big Rosebud’s head. Demyx could finally see the thing’s mouth. “AAAH! It’s gonna eat us!” he screamed.

“Didn’t I say that earlier?” I said roughly.

“I thought you were just kidding!”

Big Rosebud’s head moved to each of us as we argued, even though it had no eyes. Its vines shook us to silence our bickering. Then it spun each of us so it could examine us. It grunted after it examined me, as if it was disgusted. Then it looked at Demyx and nodded. I think it just picked my buddy to be the appetizer.

Number Nine struggled as he was lifted over the mouth. My mind was stuck on getting him down. I don’t want to force it, but I don’t have time to think of another plan. I took a deep breath and prepared a loud “mi”.

For some reason it didn’t come out anywhere near what I used for Axel. In the back of my mind, I reasoned that I should hold back so Demyx wouldn’t be hurt as badly. It was softer than I wanted. And it came out as a “la”.

The affects were unexpected too. Demyx held his head and whimpered. Big Rosebud’s head let out something between a roar and a whimper as it swayed. Its vines let go of Demyx, tossing him on my bed. Then it threw me further, almost out the door.

“Ughh…” I groaned as I sat up. The stupid thing made me hit the bruise that Axel gave me when he slammed me against the wall. It was still swaying, and the petals on its head were now closed. Only the tongue was hanging out.

Demyx moaned and rolled off the bed. “Make the room stop spinning,” he whined as he held his head. He quickly shook his head clear.

I disoriented them. Both of them were affected but Demyx recovered more quickly. I grabbed my partner’s hand and pulled him to his feet. “Let the stupid plant have the room,” I told him as I hauled him out of there.

I bumped into a solid chest on the way out. “Did someone call for a crazed pyromaniac?” Axel asked with that annoying smirk of his. He already had his weapon out. “You know, a funny thing happened on the way to my room. Marluxia, gods curse his soul, mumbled something about a giant plant about to eat a certain moron I’m not going to specify.” Another sudden “ha” came from me. Axel gave me an awkward look then frowned at me. “At least you think that’s funny.”

“Axel! Oh man, we’re so glad you’re here!” Demyx said with immense relief.

“No, we’re not,” I grumbled. I rubbed the healing slap/burn that he gave me earlier.

“Well, if Missy doesn’t want her room back…” the pyro started while he turned to leave.

I scowled at my newest nickname. “I do want my room back.”

He turned back to me and leaned down to my face. “Then you’ll have to be more polite than that.”

I gulped as if I was swallowing my pride. “Will you please get rid of that plant?”

He rubbed his chin and looked up in thought. “Hm…I’m not really feeling it. It would help if you got on your knees and begged me. Oh, and address me as Master.”

I glared at my tormentor. Oh, how I wish I could psychically turn your brain to mush.

“Come on, man. Nii-chan’s been through enough already. You can torture her after this mess is cleared,” Demyx pleaded. I didn’t know whether to hug him or choke him for both revealing his nickname for me and suggesting further torture.

Axel’s grin got wider. “For Nii-chan, I will clear this mess. But she owes me.” He flicked my nose.

My face turned three shades lighter. What the hell? What about Demyx? He started this!

Number Eight calmly walked in the room, Demyx and me right behind him. The plant stopped swaying and snarled at the redhead. “Hey there,” Axel greeted lightly. “I’m guessing that you’re one of Marluxia’s pets. Unfortunately for you, I don’t like the guy.”

“Ditto,” Demyx whispered.

Big Rosebud snarled louder and reached for Axel with a vine. Axel stayed put and snapped his fingers. The vine stopped inches from his face and burst into flames. The plant shrieked and thrashed. I watched in awe and fear as the whole vine was turned to ash. He’s in total control of his powers. It’s pretty scary.

Axel chuckled. “I’ve been looking for something to take care of my stress. Can you count, Rosie? How about you count your vines as I burn ‘em off? I’ll start. That one was one…” He snapped again, and another vine met the same fate as the first. “Two…”

Demyx sighed. “Oh boy, his sadistic side. He’s back to normal for now.”

“This is normal?” I asked in a slightly squeaky voice.

“Three…” Axel continued as he incinerated another vine. He yawned and slouched slightly. “This is getting boring. What the hell, let’s do ‘em all!”

It only took three for the monster to realize that Axel was a very bad person that needed to be taken care of. Four vines rose high and slashed the air around the Nobody, trying to scare him. In the blink of an eye, my eye, something flashed. The vines stayed still before falling to the floor in burning chunks. Axel was in an attack stance, his chakram surrounded in fire. “Are you done yet?” he asked Big Rosebud. “Because you stopped being entertaining twenty seconds ago.”

He’s fast.

He raised his other arm and summoned another chakram. Fire surrounded it to match its twin. The monster had stopped trying to attack, now just waiting for Axel to finish him off. The two bladed weapons spun in his open palms before they were launched. Once again, I couldn’t see what happened. Just several flashes before the chakrams returned to their master.

“Wait for it...” Axel muttered. Demyx and I watched with wide eyes. Big Rosebud was motionless. Then…WHOOSH! The whole thing went up in flames!

Demyx smiled and applauded. “Good finish!”

My jaw was dropped as I stared at the flaming dead monster. “Excuse me, but there’s a big bonfire in the middle of my room,” I told him.

Axel returned his weapons to wherever they’re stored and stood in front of me. “You said you wanted your room back. You even asked me to get it back. I got rid of the evil man-eating rose. And you’re bitching…why?”

I slumped my shoulders in resignation. “Never mind.”

“Good.” He snapped his fingers one more time. The fire in the middle of my room disappeared, leaving a pile of ash. “Fire’s gone.”

I surveyed the damage. The sheets on my bed were ripped to shreds, the table was broken (as well as the vase that was on it), the lamp was broken, there was scorch marks on the walls and ceiling, and blood on the floor from where Demyx and I were dangling. Oh, and there was a big pile of ash where Big Rosebud used to be. At least the CDs were unharmed. “I should get to cleaning,” I said to myself.

“Not with that injury,” Axel said while he pointed to my bleeding leg. “I’ll call a cleaning crew and treat you in my room.”

“Why not Vexen?” Demyx inquired.

“None of the old guys need to know about your screw-up yet.” He mumbled something inaudible after that, and then sharply whistled. “Yo, Dusks!”

Something white seemed to quickly slither in the room and by our feet. The thing stood up and looked up at Axel. It barely looked human. It wore a hood like we did, but the hood probably was its head. Arms and legs but no hands or fingers. Like it was wearing footie pajamas with long sleeves. Five others like it joined shortly. “Dusks?” I asked Demyx.

“They’re lesser Nobodies that couldn’t retain their human shape. We can command them,” the sitar player explained.

Axel started commanding them. “Okay. You three will get the supplies and clean this room. Replace what was broken. When I get back this place had better be shining. Got it?” The three on the left nodded and slithered out. “You two on the right will get bandages and disinfectant from the clinic. Get some rags and water too. Take it to my room.” The two on the left nodded and left. That left only one more Dusk. “Get Larxene and tell her to come to my room in an hour. Marluxia needs to be taught a lesson and I’m not done venting.”

“Kissing his garden bye-bye?” Demyx guessed hopefully.

“Maybe.” He smirked and shooed the last Dusk away.

I limped to my bed and sat on it. Demyx shifted uncomfortably before speaking. “Hey, Nii-chan. Is your throat okay?”

“Yeah. Why’d you ask?” Then I gasped. I used my power, or something close to it, without the seal interfering. “But that wasn’t my usual attack.”

“Mind clueing me in?” Axel interrupted.

“Nii-chan sung. But it wasn’t that glass-shattering yell that she did to you. It was actually beautiful…in a creepy, disorienting sort of way.” He leaned down. “The seal’s still there.”

Axel raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know you could do that with your voice.”

“Neither could I,” I admitted. I’d never tried to use different attacks.

“The Superior’s going to want to hear about this.” He looked disappointed for a moment. “First things first.” He bent down and slid an arm under my knees while the other rested on my back.

“Huh?” I was lifted off the bed and against his chest. “You’re not carrying me!”

“You’re injured,” he said sternly.

“So’s Demyx! Carry him instead!” I squirmed in his hold.

“Look, you can either be a bride or a bearskin.”

“Huh?”

“In his arms or over his shoulder,” Demyx clarified.

“Do I really have a choice?” I asked the crazy pyro.

“Nope,” the crazy pyro replied.

“You’re not carrying me!”

“Yeesh, you didn’t complain when I carried you here two days ago.”

“I was unconscious! Is this the ‘cruel and unusual’ you were talking about earlier?”

“Nah, ‘cruel and unusual’ would involve a loss of your innocence.”

I gawked at the redhead while he just grinned back. The bastard actually thought that was cute! My mouth failed to find words. “That’s…that’s…you…” I sputtered.

He laughed. “Now that I’ve successfully shut you up, let’s continue this in my room.”

“Psycho.”

“Cutie.”

“Nii-chan, you’re just provoking him,” Demyx warned. “If you want him to stop, then just let him do what he wants.”

I glared straight in Axel’s eyes while he carried me out the door. Come on, brain. Turn to mush. Liquefy, dammit! Magic has to defeat magic! Then I turned to concentrating on something other than the fact that he was doing this out of spite.

Axel suddenly stopped and looked closely at my face. “Why are you wearing makeup?” he asked me.

Demyx stopped and leaned over me. “Huh? She’s wearing makeup?”

I quickly hid my face. “You look like you’re wearing eyeliner and you’re calling my foundation to attention?”

“Nuh-uh, that’s not just foundation,” Axel pointed out. Demyx ran a thumb around an eye and managed to rub off the bags under it. “See, most girls wear makeup to look younger. Why add wrinkles, hm?”

I scratched at the makeup around my other eye. “To look older, of course.”

“I bet you look as young as Zexion without it.”

“I am. I was only a month younger than Ienzo.” Both guys’ expressions turned to surprise. “I put on makeup because I wanted to live by myself on Shadow Earth instead of with someone else.”

He gave me his evil grin. “You look cuter without it. In fact, I bet you’re like a little doll.”

I shrank under his glittering green eyes. He’s getting ideas. Forget melting his brain. Melt mine instead!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Author's Note: Nobodies can't bleed by conventional means, but magic can make a mess out of 'em. Magic plant monster, flaming chakrams, stuff like that. Another made-up rule by me. Now I need to work on Scattered Lights.

[Crystal Tears]

Ohhh, it appears even if Nia is a Nobody she still cares!

“She knows to not pretend that she has a heart.”

That’s right. I didn’t have a heart. I wasn’t supposed to care.

Big Rosebud’s “head” opened to reveal a fang-filled mouth. Demyx didn’t notice it at first. Another vine wrapped around his other leg and pulled gently. It didn’t want to kill its victim right away, just scare him. It was doing a great job.

“Nia, go get help!” Demyx screamed.

The floral monster growled and gave a hard tug. One of Demyx’s hands was yanked away from the doorway.

I’m not supposed to care…

“You act a lot like Xemnas.”

“It’s better for her to pretend than to act like you, Number Eleven.”

Does this guy care?

I rather liked that show of conflict in a potentially horrible situation. She’s not supposed to care but she does, that can be quite a problem for a Nobody I imagine. But that raises the questions if she’s really pretending not to care or if it’s genuine. A couple of the Nobodies in the game showed that they indeed, cared about something.

Anyways, onto the characters!

Nia:: I think the way you describe her power is awesome (as is her power in general). I’m quite amused how she is constantly being embarrassed by Axel, and likes to hang around with Demyx. It seems to me, despite her trying to act tough, she can’t help herself from growing attached from the amusing water-element man. I think she’s unwillingly beginning to gain a friend, especially after she risks her life to save him. Of course that also might be her deep and hidden good nature coming through (Though I doubt she’d rush to save Axel… But she does owe him.).

Demyx: Is still, in this story, my favourite character simply because he seems to be the closest to actually having a heart. I don’t believe his kind, caring nature is a fake, but rather something of his old self shining through (of course, I don’t know what his old self was like so I might be completely off). I really did like the effort he put in to try and make Nia feel better and more at home.

Axel: Quite the sarcastic hero, he has good intentions but he could go about them better. But that’s Axel I guess. I still find him a bit to demanding or ‘bossy’ (still can’t think of that word…) for the actual character from KHII, but something might’ve changed before the actual game. Either way, I liked his part in this chapter, well written.

Marluxia: I just looked up a picture of the man…. I agree with Nia. Quite the feminine character and the fact that he smelt like lavender was a great touch. I hope we see more of this character because if Axel really does torch his garden that’s going to be a hilarious and potentially violent scene.

Luxord: Even with a relatively small part, it was a great introduction for this character. I don’t have much to say on him, I’ll wait until later when I have more on him from your story.

Papa Ansem? This raises numerous questions. All of which are fairly obvious, so I shall wait for further developments…. Anyways, good chapter, the entire scene with the Big Rosebud was quite entertaining.

OH, and I'm not very clear on the whole bleeding thing, do you mean that magic makes them bleed rather than being shot/stab/etc?

Random: Why do all the Nobodies (notably anyways) have an ‘X’ in their name?