Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ The New Organization XIII ❯ Number 23 ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Mandy: Hi, and welcome to The New Organization XIII! I had this up before, but I've decided to redo it. I'm going to update once a week, so far I've got three chapters up and running on fanfiction.net. Fourth chapter is coming soon!

Axel: Disclaimer: Mandy doesn't own any of the Organization, and only owns Vaxni.

Mandy: Thanks, Axel, sweetie. I forgot about that. Anyways, enjoy!

Chapter One: Number 23

My eyes snapped open, and I found myself cold and alone. I felt empty, as if someone had torn out my insides and left only some vital organs. I clutched my chest -- it didn't feel quite right. My body was still, unless I moved or breathed, but there was just some other involuntary movement missing...

I was afraid, scared of what was happening. What was happening? I looked around, finding myself in a town with no people. The more prominent colors were dark blues, blacks, and whites. Did I die? Am I in heaven? If I am, where is everyone?

Glancing down, I examined my clothes. I was wearing a black cloak, the hood down. Underneath, I had shorts and a t-shirt on. Standing up, I flattened the cloak so that I could walk around comfortably in them. People don't wear black in heaven, do they...?

To my right was a tall skyscraper, and I was in its shadow. Beyond that, in the far off distance, I saw a huge, floating castle, the strangest thing out of this scene. It was strange to me because it was the only thing I could remember seeing at the moment.

I wandered out in front of the big -- but miniscule compared to the castle -- building as I pondered who I was. My name... is Vaxni, right? At least I've got one thing from whatever life I had before here...

There was a whooshing sound to my left, and I jumped at it. A black cloaked person stepped out of the portal, almost as if he was expecting me. I backed away, not knowing who he was and what he might do to me, and I couldn't see his expression because he had his hood up.

“Steady,” Said the mysterious man, walking with light footsteps to me, “I'm not here to hurt you.” He threw back his hood, revealing long silver hair and amber eyes. “I am Xemnas.”

“I'm...Vaxni,” I stated, still wary of him. “What do you want?”

“I have come to tell you that you have a choice -- continuing being as you are, as a special Nobody, or,” Xemnas's eyes glinted, “Be turned into a Dusk where you will serve out your life serving others.”

“Wait, what's a Nobody? What's a Dusk?” I implied, almost pleading. His second option didn't sound so swell...

“Nobodies are the body and mind that's left behind when a Heartless takes your heart. You do know what Heartless are, don't you?” I nodded, which saved time because I just wanted to make the decision and get it over with. As long as I wasn't alone in this town anymore... “Dusks are Nobodies, also... but not as special. They are lower than us -- they weren't left with a mind, only a body and a strong will.”

“What's the catch if I continue being as I am?”

Xemnas smirked. “You catch on quick. You would have to join the Organization XIII. We are nobodies like you who seek to become whole.” I pretended to think for a moment, wondering whether or not to take him up on his only decent option.

“Alright. Beats serving others.”

“You will still serve me, though. You do not have to listen to the other thirteen members... You are now deemed Number 23.” He said.

“Wait, that doesn't make any sense.” I calculated the numbers only briefly. “Why are there thirteen other members and I'm `deemed' 23?” Xemnas said nothing, only stared off at the castle. “What if the topic was brought into a conversation? `Oh, no, we only have fourteen members.' And what happened to the other nine Nobodies before me if there are only 13 others?”

“Hmmm...” Xemnas still didn't look at me, “It's highly improbable that such a matter would be a topic in open conversation. And the other nine Nobodies... what happened to them are too soon for your ears...” He grabbed my arm, pulling me into the dark portal.

It felt as if we were ghosts, floating through time and space, feeling no physical pain. In a matter of moments, I found myself inside the castle that I had seen from a distance -- it was bigger than I'd imagined. Everything was white, grey, and black. The only real colors were outside. A heart-shaped moon hung outside in the night sky, the middle of it missing.

“This is the Castle That Never Was, in the World That Never Was.” Xemnas said, quickly gesturing around us. “It all technically doesn't exist, that's why it Never Was.”

“Yo! Superior!” Called a guy from behind us. We turned, and I almost burst out laughing. Instead, I was in a fit of almost contained giggles. I tried to suppress the urge to make fun of him. “What's up with her?” The man with a patch on his right eye asked. A patch!

“Ye be a pirate!” I managed to say through the giggles. “Where be ye parrot?”

Xemnas put his face in one of his hands, shaking his head. “Oh, great, she's one of the crazy ones...” He muttered, probably hoping that I could hear that and stop laughing. Of course, I couldn't.

“What'd you just say, little girl?!” He shouted, looking ready to punch me. It only made me laugh more. He was in a stance that made him look even more like a pirate.

“Yes, Xigbar... meet our newest addition, Vaxni. Well, I have things to do, so... show her around. Yes, and... Goodbye.” Xemnas rushed, quickly walking away, and I stopped laughing. I rubbed my tears of mirth out of my eyes, and then I grinned, trying to make it look evil. And I succeeded, because Xigbar was cowering.

“So... Xigbar, is it?” I said, striding over to him. “Sorry `bout that. You just don't make a very good first impression, now do you, Patchy?”

“Shut up! I'm a higher number than you! I have authority over you!” He shouted, hiding behind his lame excuses.

“Oh, yea? Well, I don't give a flying duck about our `numbers'!” I said, “I should be upgraded to Number 14, since the other nine Nobodies are dead!”

“How can you assume that Numbers 14 through 22 are dead? They are Nobodies! We are Nobodies! We weren't meant to exist. Maybe they're nothing now instead of just being a Nobody.”

I glared at him, and then walked swiftly away. “I will show myself around, thank you very much. Bye-bye, Patchy!”

I was lost, and I knew it. I kept going, turning down white halls, looking casual in case someone was watching. I already suspected that someone was following me, since my shadow was much bigger than it should be. I stopped, turned, and stomped on my shadow. A howling noise came forthwith.

“Don't follow me, then, stupid.” I said. A man with silver hair covering his right eye came out of the shadow, cradling one of his hands that I apparently stepped on. He looks way too emo.

“I was curious about you, Vaxni. Of course, my only option was to hide in your shadow.” He said, and then slightly bowed, “I am Zexion, Number 6.”

Yea... so, either get out of here or I'm going to make fun of your seriously gelled hair.” I sniped, not liking how this “Organization XIV” was turning out. And I've only met three of them... what are the other ten like?

Zexion simply made a face, crossed his arms, and said, “No.”

“Jeesh, for an emo, you put up quite a fight.” I mocked, and then smirked, “What, were you trying to copy someone else's look?” Mentioning Xemnas, if you couldn't get the clue.

“Oh, ho, what's this?” Said a guy's voice from behind me. I almost toppled over Zexion, I was so surprised. I spun around to meet mocking green eyes and spiky red hair. “Zexion, were you following the new girl? You dirty, dirty man!”

“I just wanted to see her!” Zexion protested, “And what are you doing here, anyways, Axel?”

Axel examined his fingernails, although they were under his gloves. “I was going to introduce myself, of course. I didn't want to have a bad first impression by not even coming to greet our newcomer,” He turned his attention to me, grinning; “I'm Axel, Number 8.”

“Vaxni. Number 23.” I said in turn.

“Ha!” He said, “You know Xemnas was kidding about that, right? He made all of us tell you that there actually were nine Nobodies before you.”

“Really?” I glared angrily at the floor, “I should return the favor...”

“Axel! Don't provoke her! Didn't you hear what happened to Xigbar?” Zexion said. Without looking away from Axel, I cheerfully took Zexion by his coat and threw him into the Dark Realm. I learned how to do that from watching Xemnas. It wasn't all that hard, really.

“So, you met Number 2, did you?” Axel asked, then started laughing, “It's the eye patch. Every time...” He wiped at his eyes. “Anyway... want to join our little group inside the Organization?”

“And what do you guys do?” I asked, curious.

“Take every shred of sanity out of this castle.”

“Hell yea!” I threw a fist into the air. “When do we get to do that?”

“First, you've got to meet the rest of us.” Axel pulled me into a portal, which transported us to a white room. It was a blinding white, not that beige white you see on the walls of a normal home. Not that I would know what a normal home would look like. There was a couch in front of a wall-size flat screen LDCTV (“With Direct TV hookup!” Axel said proudly) and a big round poker table to our left. A blonde-haired boy sat on the couch, legs spread, arms stretched on top of the couch. Well, he looks relaxed.

“Finally, Axel. Didn't think you were -- “ He glanced up, stopping when he saw me, the new girl. He straightened up. “Is this our newest member?”

“Yup. It sure is.” Axel replied, putting an arm around my shoulders in a half-hug. It was the kind of hug only a guy would give another guy. “Vaxni, meet Number 13. Roxas.”

“Hello.” I said, raising my hand slightly in a quarter-wave.

“Hey, there, Vaxni.” Roxas said.

Axel steered me into another room, where two people sat in individual chairs, drinking out of pop cans labeled “XIII”. “And these two here are Marluxia, Number 11, and Larxene, Number 12.”

“What's with the pink-haired girl? Her hair looks like she flat-ironed it with a bulldozer.” I said. Marluxia got up, looking ready to explode.

“Vaxni...” Axel said through laughter, which only pissed Marluxia off more. “Marluxia's a guy.”

“He is?!” I said, quite shocked. “And I suppose `he's' also got `flower power'!” Marluxia turned red from anger, but I imagined it was embarrassment.

“Now, see here, you --“He started arguing, but Larxene sighed, poking him. It seemed her touch zapped him, and he slumped into his chair, unconscious.

Axel tried to stop laughing in order to tell me, “He does have flower power.” I burst into laughter at my mistakes.

“I... I must be the... the world's best guesser, huh?” I said, panting, then laughing some more.

Larxene picked up a book on the table and started to read it, adding her warning, “Will you two go on? I want to know what happens to Harry Potter in the end. I'm hoping he dies.”

I was steered again by Axel to the poker table, where Roxas, Zexion, and two others sat. We joined them at the table. Axel pulled out a deck of cards from a drawer and started dealing two to each of us. “Texas Hold `Em. You know what to do, Luxord.” The blonde-haired man across from me summoned a bunch of gambling chips, each labeled with the Nobody symbol. Everyone got an equal share.

“That's Luxord over there, Number 10. Gambling pro. These chips represent time. We don't have any munny to bet so we use our time. Oh, yea, and that's Demyx over there, the water boy, Number 9.” Axel hurriedly explained to me. Demyx glared at him.

“Ante up, Nobodies.” Luxord said, and everyone threw in two chips. We peeked at our cards, wondering whether or not to fold. I had two Aces. This was going to be easy, unless someone had two Aces, too...

Demyx folded immediately, and Axel exclaimed, “Wimp!” Roxas and Axel bet normal, while Zexion rose with a smug grin on his face. They all met this demand, and I raised it even farther.

“No...No, she's got to be bluffing...” Roxas said under his breath. He sucked in his lips, and then admitted defeat. He threw his cards in the middle.

Axel took another swift peek at his cards and folded. Zexion was scrutinizing my face, trying to find out if I was bluffing. I guess he thought his cards were better, and raised me. Luxord gazed at us in amazement. He folded, also. I threw in the chips.

I glared at Zexion. “So? What do you have?” They all looked at him. He turned over his cards. An ace and a king. I stared evenly at him, flipping my cards over. They gasped. Zexion stared at my cards, eyes wide. I grinned, now realizing why gambling was so addictive.

When you win, it feels awesome.

Mandy: Yay! And just so you know, Vaxni's not a total b-word. There's a reason as to why she treats people this way. XP

Next time: Nicknames and Video Games.