VII
Time moves quickly for some. Others, it drolls on, and on, and on into eternity. For myself, it seems to waver between the two. Sometimes, days, weeks fly by as if they were not even there. Then, suddenly, one minute takes ten times that to pass. Caught between two extremes, with no moderation. It has always been this way for me, even when I was Somebody. Since...her Rebirth, the latter of the two extremes is all that more common.
The search for another to have discussions with has not proved fruitful. We number more than one hundred, yet none of them have quite the same quality to their arguments. As such, I find myself wandering more. I've opted to not go to Twilight City on Saturdays. Our worlds are seperate now, and the sooner she realizes that, the better off she will be. I have nothing to do with her any more...I do not belong.
Jaleax did indeed seem intrigued by my theories regarding the Heart influencing the response of our bodies to emotional stimuli while we still feel nothing. He went so far to admit it as a valid theory. That, I think, shall keep him and his team busy for some time. To fill my own, I have been volunteering for more and more scouting and recon missions. Somehow, The Castle That Never Was seems more vacant, even though only one of us left.
So I have travelled, reporting at the end of every day. I have seen many new places. Sights my old self would call spectacular. Places worth remembering to visit once I regain my Heart. I have met people, blended in with them. The sheer closeness of them made me feel burned by the sheer power of their Hearts...and most, if not all are completely ignorant to the gifts they have. They act as if all is well, and that having a Heart is no great matter. While I may not have mine anymore, even I see that it is ungratefulness at its prime. But still, I travel. I learn. I report. I map. I sleep. I avoid Saturdays.
I did take a look, once. Months must have passed, and I was in the City on assignment. I looked on from a distant rooftop, and she was there, sitting on a ledge with a book in her lap, her hair tied in a small bun. She would look up every few minutes, scan the crowd, look around, for me, then go back to her book. Odd that the Heart would make her do such a thing, for something that doesn't even exist. Time granted mercy in that occasion, and the hours flew by, the orange sun casting everything in an odd light just before setting. It was only then she closed the book, looked aorund for me one last time, sighed in disappointment, and left. Curious.
By this point, easily half a year has passed since Ari became Whole. I remember time going on, slowly, dragging its feet, yet looking back it seems like it has simply flown. The only other real point of interest happened three days ago. It spurred me on to put in this entry, an activity I find myself doing less and less, but still I must. If I do not find my Heart, this journal must Exist for me. I wander more when I write, I have noticed this too.
The world was marked by wide, flat, warm grasslands. Civilization was present in sparce pockets here and there, but for the most part, there were fields. I was scouting, as usual, and had temporarily taken up residence in an emptied barn. The wood was stained with the musk of years of storage. Hay and straw, whatever difference there may be, was piled in great heaps in every corner. Rodents, insects, birds, and all sorts of small animals made their homes in this derelict. No one would notice my presence there. It suited my purposes. The day had started without incident. I forsook my signature Organization coat, and wandered the towns, under the guise of a wandering musician. I have not touched a violin since becoming a Nobody, but the ability has not forsaken me like so much else. When presented with one, the notes came easily to my fingers, and like a recording, I played as I did when I was alive. The townsfolk seemed pleased, but an elderly man came up to me and said,
"Young man, you've got a lot to learn about playing the violin! You hit the notes perfectly, but there's so much more to it! You have to -feel- the music! Let it move you! Music all comes from the Heart!"
I was very much tempted to kill him for shouting the obvious at me. But, instead, I smiled, bowed my head, thanked him for the advice, and vowed to kill him if he tried to give me any more. I spent time among the people, waiting for any sign of Heartless, and found nothing. This was a quiet world, and would likely stay that way for quite some time. It was not until I moved to leave that anything happened. It was as soon as I pulled on my coat and flipped up my hood. The barn shifted with a large bang, as if impacted by a large object. This, of course, warrented investigation.
I had hardly stuck my nose outside before I pulled myself back to avoid a blade coming down infront of my face. A Keyblade. It was a twisted variant, with a number of bones and a large perpetually laughing skull at the end of it, held by a man dressed entirely in white. White boots, an open white coat much like ours in design, a white shirt and greaves, white gloves, and a wrap-around white, featureless mask. He was average physically, perhaps a few inches shorter than I. I stood in the doorway of the barn, and quickly twisted to the side to avoid being impaled when he lunged at me declaring,
"You shouldn't exist!"
I summoned my Claws to me, extending the blades at my fingertips out slightly, sliding smoothly into a low stance, waiting for his next move. He lept forward, raising his balde up for a crashing blow from above. I held my ground and grabbed the shaft of the blade with one claw, thankful for the armor plating around my hands, and slashed at his midsection. It was clear, the only reason he was here, was to kill me. Somehow, he knew I was a Nobody, and had some sort of innate predjudice towards me. Typical. What was not so typical is that he spun, rotating his body so that he was more or less peforming a handstand on his weapon as I held it, then turned, sparks flying from the friction of our two weapons, then lept away as soon as I loosened my grip.
I wasted no time, darting forward towards him, raising one claw, before feinting to the side and striking with my other. He fell for it, and I was rewarded with a small jet of blood from just under his ribcage. He cried out in pain, and kicked at me rather agilely. It was impressive, but the actual force of the kick was not. I was knocked back slightly, and he took the opening to attempt and impale me once more through the chest. He met, however, with open air. Had he known my ability with illusions, I doubt he would have made that brash a move.
Allow me to explain. If I have precisely seventeen seconds in the presence of another, then I am able to alter what their mind's eye sees. As such, for reference, if you want to kill me, you should do so within seventeen seconds. After which, you are mine. Like this poor fool.
Striking at what he thought was me with my guard down, he left his back entirely open. I, however, do not waste oppurtunities. I struck with both of my claws, slashing the tendons in his arms and legs, rendering him useless, but still able to talk, which was precisely what I was going to get him to do. The man in white crumpled, crying and screaming in what I am going to guess was frustration, pain, and disgust. Towards me, and this situation. I rolled him onto his back with the toe of my boot, and crouched down, tracing a Claw along his neckline.
"I think I've won this one. Now, as my prize, I'll take what you know. Now then, I am going to ask you a few simple questions. Answer them truthfully, and I let you live. In fact, I will even get you to medical help. If you lie to me or refuse to talk, I will stab you. Along your arms, and your legs. Then I will flay off your skin one layer at a time. These Claws are very good at that. Then, if you persist to the end, I will kill you. So. Who are you, and why are you here?"
Red was smeared all over the white of his attire. Where the material was torn, I could see tanned skin underneath. A bit of red formed under the facemask. I assume he was coughing blood. My time with him was limited as it was. But, then I realized, he wasn't coughing blood, he spat it. Spat at me, and was laughing. Of all things, this fool was laughing at me as he died.
"I'm with the Union that is going to cleanse the worlds of your kind, Nobody. You aren't supposed to exist, so we are going to clean up."
He laughed more, and I thought I saw movement under the mask. I heard a crunch, chewing, and only realized too late that he had just bitten into a suicide tablet. I slashed at the fabric around his neck, to attempt to keep him from taking his secrets to his grave, but it was too late. But, he did pass one secret on to me in his death, a fact that still, for some reason or another, made the air seem colder around me in that barn.
As I dropped the mask, I found myself looking down at the grinning, defiant corpse of Sora's son.
Clara's father had decided that the secrets of his Union and the killing of Nobodies were more important than going home to his family.
We are the ones without Hearts, yet those with them are still capable of such a thing.
Still, now I ask, what is the Union?
-IX
