Unbreakable Bonds [Alanix]

[Slash]

Working.
[July 29th, 2010]

[/center]

Aixfeur left the Castle, admittedly tired but also slightly glowing with the amount of knowledge she had forced herself to absorb. Thanks to hours upon hours of nonstop studying and drilling information into her brain, she now understood what a Princess of Heart was and why they were important, as well as more about the nature of Nobodies and Heartless and a bit about Keyblades and Kingdom Hearts. Of course, she wasn't even close to the Academic's knowledge but even having a fraction of that was worth the effort.

She walked around the industrial structures of the world, drilling herself further to make sure that she had retained absolutely everything.

_________________________

Two Heartless slithered among the shadows of The World That Never Was.

Kyza stopped and looked around. It was quiet here. However, he wanted an end to the sneaking and the quiet. It has been so long since we have seen the mistress.

Lethe nodded. We did not even get to reach her in the Graveyard.[/color]

It was too much. They almost wished that she had not joined the Organization.

We should seek her out.[/color]

Perhaps it would not be too bad to drop cover, if only for a little while. They sensed their mistress's presence outside of the Castle, and appeared to her.

"Mistress," Lethe said, smiling. "It has been a while since we have spoken."

[Aerith]

Ah, it has been awhile.
--------

While boredom might have been an emotion that she could not truly feel, Alanix was at the very least remembering how it felt to be bored right now. Since the uneventful happenings at the Keyblade Graveyard, she had done nothing except linger in the Castle.

It was time for some much needed change of scenery. Wandering out into the city that was just as empty as the Nobodies who lived in the Castle, she thought about what to do now.

The Champion had proven to be less than formidable at the Graveyard, leaving before the fight even began. Why he had left, she had no idea, nor did she really care about his reasons. She had yet to receive any real benefit from keeping his secret. Perhaps it was time she told someone.

But who?

Suddenly, Lethe and Kyza appeared, almost as if in answer to her internal question.

Was that fondness she remembered? Yes. The other Nobodies had turned out to be unsatisfactory company, except for perhaps Lexeaus. Seeing the Heartless again filled some void other than the obvious one that she had developed.

"It has been. Quite regrettable." Not that she could feel regret, but the imaginary sentiment was present somewhere in the back of her mind.

[Slash]

Number Thirteen.

[/center]

Lethe nodded. "Yes, mistress. But we are here now."

"Have you learned anything important?"

"We would like to come out of hiding."

"Would that be possible?"

They really were very tired of hiding.

________________________

Aixfeur heard the sound of a voice not far off. Ah. That was Number Thirteen. They did not get along well, but perhaps she had some information that could be used. Aixfeur would pay her back for the debt- not in money, of course, but in actions. Money was worthless compared to that.

Upon finding Alanix, she saw the two Heartless that had taken her heart. So they were still traveling together.

"Ah. The Heartless. I thank you for taking my heart from me. I am in your debt."

Lethe and Kyza stiffened. They remembered her- the one who had placed her hands on them, threatening their bond by doing so.

"Should we kill her, Mistress?"

Aixfeur did not even blink. "If you would call them off, Number Thirteen, I have a question to ask you."

[Aerith]

This is different.
--------

Alanix was not allowed time alone with Lethe and Kyza before being interrupted. None other than the only other female Nobody in this Organization had appeared.

The Heartless were ready to attack her. But Aixfeur wanted no fight right now, it seemed. Alanix left her weapon unsummoned for now.

"No. There is no need to kill her."

She looked calmly at Aixfeur. "What is your question?"

[Slash]

Let us not waste time.

[/center]

Lethe and Kyza held themselves back.

For the mistress.

But the second we are allowed, we must tear her apart.[/i][/color]

Aixfeur was slightly relieved that they could just get to the point. She did not want to engage in more conversation than was necessary.

"The Champion. I have been searching for more information about him. Considering the amount of time you spend away, and your Heartless companions, I assumed that you might know something."

[Aerith]

Possibly.
--------

Quick and to the point. Alanix expected nothing less from Aixfeur. Hm. Would she be the best person to tell this secret?

She did not care either way, anymore. "The Champion? Yes. I might know something. I have seen him twice now, outside of the Graveyard, both times in the End of the World."

Aixfeur was very concerned about loyalty. This could potentially be a bad decision. She would be careful how she worded her responses.

[Slash]

Get on with it.

[/center]

"Hm." How interesting. She must know something, then. "The Champion is dangerous yet incompetent. It would be to everyone's benefit if any weakness could be revealed, or any plan brought to light. Wouldn't you agree?"

Aixfeur was not going to report the girl to everyone else. What loyalty did she have to the other Organization members? The only person who would hear about it would be the Academic, and if the information was good enough Aixfeur would not name her sources unless directly questioned.

"Did he speak to you, or did you just see him from afar?"

[Aerith]

The truth.
--------

"He spoke to me, yes. The first time I met him, I had not met any other Nobodies. He was insistent that I join the Organization and act as his spy."

She showed no hesitation as she continued. "To get me to help him, he told me a secret."

There was no reason to keep this secret any longer. Any faith she had placed in the Champion's ability to stop the darkness from fading had vanished the moment he left the Graveyard.

"He would have us all believe that he is a servant of darkness and that he fights for the darkness alone. This is not true. He consists of both light and darkness. I can only assume that his ultimate goal is balance. He sought to persuade me by claiming that if the darkness vanishes, so do my chances of getting my heart back."

[Slash]

Interesting.

[/center]

Lethe and Kyza were surprised when the mistress actually told the Champion's secret, but kept their mouths shut. Their loyalty was to her, not him.

Aixfeur would have smiled if she had been more familiar with the memory of happiness. Within a day, she already had obtained something to report back to the Academic. That was good. That was very good, in fact.

She'd try to get more, but this was already sufficient. If he was working for balance, and he had sought to convince Number Thirteen that the loss of the darkness would mean the loss of her heart, it was obvious that he was trying to use the Princesses to open the door and restore balance...or was that right? Opening the door seemed like it'd lead to greater instability.

Either way, she had the information she needed. The Academic would know what conclusion to draw.

"So, he seeks to stop the imbalance and bring darkness and light to equal amounts...I see. Will you continue to work for him? It would be risky, considering the secret you have told..."

[Aerith]

Not much to do, anyway.
--------

Alanix considered the possibilities. Either she continued to work for the Champion and feed him information, or she simple stopped going to visit him in the End of the World. That did not necessarily mean she would never run into him again, but the chances of it dropped significantly if she was not actively seeking him out.

And if he discovered that the secret he had entrusted to her had been leaked? It might very well lead to her death if he was angry enough. But such a secret seemed pointless to her now that she thought about it. If his ultimate goal was balance, why not state that openly, instead of masquerading as a "Champion of Darkness"?

"I see no point in it. Besides, all he wanted me to do was give him information on the Organization's activities. There is a considerable lack of that to report, as it is."

[Slash]

We'll forget about the traitor thing, then.

[/center]

"Unfortunately, that is an apt observation. Thank you for the information. I shall repay you in the near future." Aixfeur opened a Corridor. Time to report in.

"Considering the circumstances, I do not believe that your original purpose for joining is important. It will be forgotten."

She disappeared. Lethe and Kyza relaxed.

"She is a strange creature."

"Who do you think she is going to tell? Will it be dangerous for you, mistress?"

[Aerith]

Your guess is as good as mine.
--------

Alanix watched Aixfeur disappear into a Corridor. Lethe was right. That one was a strange creature.

"I do not know. I doubt I'll have anything to worry about from the other Nobodies. The Champion, however..."

She trailed off in thought. Would the Champion bother with her as long as she attempted to steer clear of him? He might have sought balance, but Nobodies had been rejected by both the light and the darkness. He would probably not bat an eye at killing a few.

Emotionless she might be, but Alanix knew that fading without her heart was not something she wanted to face.

[Slash]

We will help.

[/center]

Both of the Heartless were unfazed, resolved in their undying determination.

"We will keep you safe, mistress."

"To the best of our ability, we will keep you safe."

"He will not harm you as long as we exist."

"And there must be a way for you to regain your heart. We will help you find it."

They would defend the mistress to the last breath- and in doing so, give themselves purpose.

[Aerith]

It is the thought that counts, correct?
--------

Alanix wished she could feel emotion. Any gratitude she expressed would be hollow, and both she and the Heartless knew it.

That did not stop her from trying. "Thank you, both. I do not think the Champion will care too much about one secret getting out. If it was so important in the first place, he should not have told me, which makes me think he has plenty of other, far more important, secrets. It is foolish to trust someone you have never met with crucial information."

It was odd that a pair of Heartless wanted to help her get her heart back. Did that not go against their nature? Then again, when she had first met them, they had told her they were not "world-eaters." And the fact that they were sentient at all made them unique in at least one way.

[Slash]

When can we stop hiding?

[/center]

It did not matter that her gratitude was so insubstantial. They both knew that if she could feel it, she would.

But there was something else that bothered them. Skulking around the world could only be done for so long. After getting a taste of movement and battle, they did not want to return to their stupor so quickly.

"Mistress."

"We have something to ask you."

"Considering the pitiful state of the Organization..."

"May we come out of hiding?"