Kingdom Hearts Fan Fiction ❯ The Tune in Darkness ❯ Kirux ( Chapter 2 )

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

Author Notes: Some characters are introduced, but only their appearance is really given. You'll be safe with little or no gameplay.
 
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The Tune in Darkness
 
Kiru is a very ugly name. It means to behead, to murder, or to kill.
 
"Hey, are you up yet?"
 
I turned over from staring out the clear-paned window to find that someone was standing outside my door. There was no Light in the room, just Darkness.
 
Apparently, that's all I could handle for the moment. Darkness.
 
But there was Light outside the door, and I was able to make out the shape of a figure. For a brief moment something inside me fluttered, and I thought maybe it was the same person who saved me. On a second look, I realized it wasn't. I could not see this person's face, and I never saw the face of my savior, but this person was much taller. I could tell even from a distance.
 
It was then I remembered that though blunt, I had been asked a question.
 
"Yes." My voice was so horse I was amazed that the other person could hear it across the room. I had tried to sound firm, but right as my tongue rolled up to form the word my voice cracked, and it came only in a whisper.
 
Like I said, I was amazed if anyone could have heard me, but he did.
 
"Good."
 
And with a soft click from the other side of the room, Light blinded me.
 
Something akin to a surprised hiss escaped my lips as I rolled back over to bury my head in the feathered pillow I had used. My fingers gripped the fabric of the bed sheets as spots danced behind my closed eyelids.
 
Why…why does the Light burn me? Was it a mistake leaving that place?
 
"Man, no wonder he didn't take you straight to Xemnas when you guys got here last night. It'd been a trip just to walk down the hall."
 
Defiantly a man's voice. He must have walked over to the bed when I had hid from the Light; he sounded a lot closer now. His voice was deep, but not too deep, and it had this edge to it…it's hard to explain. It was an edge he could use to his advantage if he ever wanting to irritate someone.
 
I wanted to see what he looked like. I saw all these figures. Those creatures, that person who saved me, this guy, but I've never seen a person in my whole life.
 
Not even myself.
 
"Can't believe I gotta do this…" The man mumbled above me. At least…with my head buried in the pillow it sounded mumbled.
 
I suddenly felt something press down on my arm and I immediately jerked away.
 
"Just sit up; you don't have to open your eyes."
 
Though wary, I complied. With my eyes still tightly shut, I lifted my head from the pillow and sat up as I drew my legs beside me. The Light still pricked against my eyelids, so I brought my hands up to help block out even more rays.
 
But my hands were brushed away by something very slick and cool. "Keep your hands away." I thought from the rather irritated statement the man mumbled earlier that any other things I might do to hinder his actions would only irritate him more, but he sounded slightly amused when he told me to keep my hands by my sides.
 
A small gasp escaped my lips when a cool fabric suddenly brushed over my closed eyes, then around the sides of my head. The two came together in the back and after some short tugs the fabric was let go, but it stayed in place with the help of my nose and the fact that he had tied it firmly.
 
I had been blindfolded.
 
"There." My company sounded proud at his simple achievement and before I could protest he had put his hand (which I realized then much be gloved, because of how smooth and cool it was) behind my left elbow and had dragged me up to my full height on the floor, which was cool under my naked feet.
 
"Name's Axel, by the way." The man told me from only a few inches away, hand still on my arm. "Got it memorized?" He spoke after a brief pause, and even with no way to see, I could tell he wore an amused smirk on his face.
 
Axel…I wish I could compare name to face. And what a weird phrase…got it memorized?
 
I liked it.
 
Something clicked suddenly in my mind. I should tell him my name! "My name's…"
 
What…what was my name?
 
And like that, all the pleasant feelings I had felt upon meeting another person, upon meeting Axel, were shattered.
 
What's my name?
 
"Blank with a capital 'B'." I hear Axel sigh from above me. He tugged on my arm and without complaint I let him drag me along.
 
Why can't I remember my name?
 
Maybe Axel knew…"Axel, I can't remember-"
 
He tugged on my arm, distracting me enough to stop in my statement, which was what he wanted. "I'll let Xemnas explain." And with that, I felt that he had closed off all other conversation.
 
So, I let him guide me around without any complaint. If I wasn't so disturbed by my lack of memory, I might have asked him what everything looked like. Even with the blindfold, the Light tried to creep underneath and still irritated my eyes, so I kept them closed.
 
Soon Axel stopped and I heard the sound of a door opening. We began moving again and after a few steps I heard the door shut behind us by itself. Axel's footsteps echoed around us while mind just made light tapping noises that could barely be heard, though I tried my best to listen to them. I had never walked before, and I wanted to preserve this moment in my memory forever.
 
"So this is the girl."
 
My right hand shot up from my side and reached over to clench the fabric of Axel's sleeve, all before my mind could even tell me what I was doing. I was not aware that someone else was with us, and the voice had been near, only a few feet away, it had surprised me. Axel must have led me into a room.
 
Suddenly, I felt Axel step back from beside me and his arm left mine. I did not like this at all, and it must have showed when my right hand reached to grab him again. When I realized he was no longer within my reach, I let my hands fall to my sides, and I stood there quietly.
 
Strangely, I felt more alone now, with two known people in the room, than I ever had sitting in the Darkness.
 
A pregnant pause followed, and I wondered if maybe Axel and this other man, who must be Xemnas, were talking through there eyes. Is that even possible? I'd have to find out…when I was able to see within the Light, that is.
 
"How long did he estimate this girl was in there for, Axel?" The Xemnas finally spoke, and I found that he sounded closer then he did even before. He must have moved closer. His voice was deeper more even than Axel's, but his was much quieter, while Axel was rather sharp and naturally loud. This man may be quieter, but that added with the shear deepness of his voice made it powerful, more so than Axel's.
 
"About a month, it I remember." Axel responded from somewhere behind me. He sounded detached, almost bored.
 
"That sounds right." Even closer. I'm surprised I didn't feel the heat from his body he sounded so close. I wanted to step back, but I didn't dare to.
 
"I think he's just full of it." Axel spoke, a hint of irritation in his voice. "He says he's known for almost a month, but I think he just stumbled across her. If she had been in there for a month, without any food or water, she'd be dead."
 
"Were you not listening when he explained?" I was starting to wonder who this 'he' was. Could it be the person who saved me? Why wasn't he here? "He found her in the darkest hole, where not even a single ray of Light can shine through. In such a place, there is no such thing as time. If she managed to escape 30 years from now, she would still look exactly like this."
 
I did not understand what this meant. How being born in such a dreary place could be so astonishing.
 
"Leave us, Axel."
 
I didn't want Axel to leave, but he did anyway, with the soft shutting of the door.
 
Only after the door was closed did I feel movement around me before something was tugging at the knot of my blindfold.
 
Remembering the pain the Light gave me, I decided to speak up. "I-" But with a sharp tug the knot was undone and the blindfold slipped from my eyes. I quickly brought my hands up and covered my vulnerable eyes, squeezing my eyelids together so tightly I could see small dots, or maybe it was just from the Light.
 
Something pressed against my forehead. Gloved fingers. Axel's touch had felt slightly cool, but I shivered from the icy feeling I felt with this man. For a moment I felt lightheaded and almost felt like fainting.
 
"Open your eyes." A quiet demand.
 
Against my better judgment, I did.
 
Nothing around me was clear or in focus, and I figured that if this was all my sight could do for me after so long in the Darkness, then I would just keep my eyes closed forever. But after blinking a few times, slowly, my vision got better. My head was bent down, so the first thing I saw clearly was my naked feet.
 
It was silly, but I wiggled my toes just to see them move.
 
After that, I noticed that the floor they rested upon was white. Very white. It hurt my eyes a little, so I looked up, and by doing so saw the man who somehow made the Light bearable.
 
Xemnas was taller than me by a good amount, and wore mainly black. A soothing color for my eyes. It looked like a black coat with a silver zipper running down the middle. I looked up even further and saw his face. He had very dark skin, at least compared to my very pale body. His eyes were a piercing yellowish gold that at the moment were staring down at me, maybe even through me. His hair was gray, and his long bangs framed his face until the tips reached his neck. He also had some shorter strands of hair that were pulled back, and most of his hair fell down to rest on his broad shoulders.
 
This…was the first person I saw out of my home.
 
I was somewhat disappointed.
 
"Tell me, child." The first time he actually spoke to me. "Do you remember your true name?"
 
My true name? I had more than one? I opened my mouth to respond, but like before, I was left with nothing, not even an indication of what my name could be. In fact, now that I realized it, I knew nothing about myself expect that I was born in a very dark place.
 
"No." I finally whispered.
 
Xemnas didn't look surprised, or sympathetic. He turned, and I suddenly realized that one whole side of the room was nothing but giant windows. It was night outside, just like it was in my room some time ago. It always seemed to be night here. Though through these windows, I could see an odd shaped moon, the shape of a heart, only half of it must of have been covered in shadows.
 
"Until you remember your true name, you will be called Kirux."
 
Kirux…
 
The letter X is generally associated with things that are unknown or secret.
 
"You are dismissed."
 
I had come down with no remembrance of my name, and I ended up with a fake one. It was almost like a band aid to cover up an ugly scar until it healed and the skin looked beautiful again. In my case, Kirux was the band aid to cover up an ugly person who knew nothing about herself.
 
I turned and began walking out of the room, mind still deep in thought. After the room thinned out and I followed the slightly curved pathway, I came upon the door. Slowly I lifted up my right hand, grasped the handle, and pulled it open.
 
When I peeked around the door, I was greeted with the backs of two people who were clad in that same black jacket. They were quietly talking to each other, and had yet to notice me. The taller of the two had very wild flame colored hair that spiked back and reached just below his shoulders. The other had short blonde hair that mainly fell along the skin of his neck, but the hair at the very top of his head stood straight up, almost forming a bowl.
 
One of them was Axel, I just knew it. My instincts were pointing to the red head. "Axel?"
 
As I thought, it was the red head who turned around first. He was rather lengthy and thin in frame. Unlike the silver haired man I just left, Axel's sleeves were very slim and clung to his arms, while the blonde had thick sleeves. Axel had very sharp, forest green eyes that you couldn't help but notice. They stand out so much from his wild hair. He also had little diamond shapes under both his eyes.
 
"There she is." Axel spoke as he and the other boy stepped closer. My eyes fell on the new person I did not know. Axel must have noticed because he waved his hand lazily in his direction. "That's Demyx."
 
Demyx had very nice looking aqua eyes, though they always seemed to be blocked by his few long bangs. He looked to be around the same age as Axel, and I only assumed they were older than me because of how tall they were.
 
"What's wrong with her eyes?" Demyx asked suddenly as he stopped in front of me. His voice wasn't as deep as Axel's, in fact, it sounded pretty young for what he looked like in age.
 
"How should I know? I never got a good look at her eyes." Axel shot back at Demyx, but there was no malice behind it.
 
"Xemnas did something to fix my eyes." I finally confessed. I think that was the longest I sentence I had spoken since Axel got me.
 
"Xemnas?" Axel frowned before shaking his head. "Listen to me, anything he gives you has a price, no matter how small. Got that memorized?"
 
I nodded, slightly amused by that phrase again.
 
"He may have sped up your vision change, but now you don't have any pupils." Axel continued.
 
"Pupils?" I asked.
 
"Yeah, pupils." Demyx leaned over and pointed to the black dot in the center of his eye. "It looks really weird."
 
Axel elbowed him and Demyx started to argue with him, but I just stood there trying to image what my eyes looked like with no pupils. I didn't even know what color they were.
 
"So, are you the newest member?" Demyx asked as he rubbed his right shoulder that Axel had punched seconds ago.
 
"Member?"
 
"Yeah, you know…" Demyx looked at Axel with some sort of meaning, but Axel just rolled his eyes, crossing his thin arms over his chest. "Of the Organization?"
 
I wasn't even aware these new people I had been meeting were part of any organization. Though, I suppose it made sense. They wore the same black coat and they seemed to follow Xemnas' orders. My confusion must have shown on my face, because Axel decided to clarify.
 
"Did Xemnas give you a name?" He asked simply, that same bored tone coming out again. It seemed to always surface when Xemnas was the topic.
 
"Um, yes. Kirux."
 
Axel and Demyx exchanged looks. "That's rather depressing…" Demyx spoke after a short pause.
 
"Axel, Demyx."
 
I turned around to find another man had just come around the corner. He donned the now common black coat, boots, and gloves. He had long blue hair that fell over his shoulders on either side of his face and behind his head.
 
"Saïx." Axel whispered from beside me. He spoke his name as if having it in his mouth was disguesting.
 
"Demyx, I believe you were called in for a mission yesturday, but it seemed you had…disappeared."
 
Demyx shifted a bit, his coat russling, before he gave a reluctant reply. "Yeah, I was just on my way down."
 
"And Axel," Saïx wasn't to found of saying his name either. "After you excorted the girl down here, I believe you also were given another mission."
 
"Right, must have slipped my mind." Axel replied carelessly. He and Demyx were both apparently going in the same direction, because they both stepped foreward and mearly brushed past Saïx before disappearing all together. Saïx kept his eyes on me for only but a second before he too disappeared behind the wall.
 
It was only then, when everyone else had gone, that I realized I did not know how to get back to my room.
 
I suppose I could have gone back and asked Xemnas, but the only people I felt slightly comfortable with were Axel and now Demyx. Axel's warning also remained fresh in my mind, so I just decided to try and find it on my own. Maybe along the way another member would pass by and I could ask them.
 
I decided to go the opposite way Axel, Demyx, and Saïx went. My feet padded softly against the white stone as I walked along, peeking around corners when they appeared.
 
Now that I had the chanse to look around, I found there really wasn't a point for it. Everything was basically white, or a shade of gray. If I passed by a window it was always dark outside, that half heart moon shinning down.
 
As I rounded another corner I spoted what looked to be a tall tower outside one of the windows. I focused and tried to get a better look, but I suddenly slammed into something and was knocked to the floor.
 
On the floor, the first thing I noticed were black shoes barely covered by the rim of a black coat. Another Originization member. I stood before looking up at the person's face, which was much easier because they weren't as tall as Axel or Demyx. My eyes locked with ocean blue ones, and something in my mind just clicked.
 
This was the person who saved me.
 
I couldn't explain it. I haden't even seen his face in the darkness, but something inside me just knew. I was so excited and my stomach felt so light that my mind could only take in his sandly brown hair that stuck up on the right side of his head and his young features after a few moments of staring slight up at him.
 
"What's your name?" He asked simply. His voice fit just right for his age, which I guessed was around 15, but it also sounded a tad deep.
 
"Kirux."
 
He grabbed my hand and started walking back from where I came. "Come on, I'll show you back to your room."
 
"Wait!" I gasped. It echoed once around the white walls before dyng away. He stopped and turn to look back at me.
 
"C-could you tell me your name?" I asked softly.
 
He stared back at me, and I desperatlly wanted to know what he was thinking. What he thought when he knew of me a month ago, because even though Axel doubted him, I believed it. I woundered what he thought when he found me with those creatures crawling all over me; the moment I gave up to them. What he thought when he unlucked my chains, when he reached out to me, and when I accepted it.
 
"Roxas."
 
Roxas…
 
Kirux, an ugly name even with the X added to it. Even more ugly. An unknown person discovered in Darkness, given the freedom to behead, murder, or kill. In fact, it was almost exspected.
 
/~/
 
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