Organization IV

It was my birthday. The day that fourteen years ago I became a Nobody.

I didn't expect to spend this day sitting n this beat up, abandoned building, lounging in my make-shift throne, watching the darkness crawl and consume at the walls like living tar. Of course, that was eleven years ago, when I would fantasize about all my birthdays to come. I had said I would spend this one by taking Saix and Xemnas to a field and show them how well I could control the heartless. The thought made my thoughtful, depressed frown sink its roots of permanentness into my expression. Fat chance of that happening ever.

But still, here I was, fourteen years old and enduring more of a mid-life crisis than any 40-year-old would.

I toyed with an apple in my hand, my feet lifted and resting on the desk, the chair seemingly miles away from the desk as to provide a more comfortable position. I stared at the walls, the walls of climbing, spreading, engulfing, hungry darkness. The floor was in the same state, simply not in my direct line of sight. The apple rolled in my palm, and in no time it was no longer red and shiny, but decayed and smothered with black, tar-like darkness. Without warning, I snapped and hurled the apple at the wall, watching with frustration as the apple didn't burst, but instead was absorbed into the wall as if it had been thrown right through.

I wasn't normally this foul; especially on my birthday. But that was the point. The birth part wasn't the only thing that made this day different. Something had happened to upset the balance in Light and Darkness. Something had either drastically changed, or some thing must have been created.

I picked up another apple from my desk, stretching my arm to reach it. I rolled it with my fingers, inspected its skin. I could just barely see the outline of myself on the shiny green surface. I drew it to my mouth and bit into the reflection. I chewed thoughtfully on the sour flesh of the apple, inspected once more where my reflection had been. It was replaced by an off-white patch of apple flesh. My eyes flickered with the hint of emotion. If only getting rid of myself was that easy!

I bit into the apple once more, taking a chunk out of the once spherical fruit. Then, tossing the rest aside to be consumed by the darkness, I stood and loomed over my desk, my hands spread apart on nearly either end. My head hung low and I stared hauntingly at the maps and charts. Surely Kingdom Hearts hadn't spread its darkness that rapidly in that little time? From what I had seen, it was spreading gradually, only growing exponentially when I helped. What, then, had caused that shift in balance?
I paced. It was the simple, effective thing to do. The movement caused my cold body to flow blood again, and my mind was fed the life-giving substance. It helped to think deeper, faster.

Perhaps, I considered, a shift in Light, not Darkness? It would be quite a change for me. A change in Light... a growth in Light.... a... new being of Light?
The idea struck me as preposterous for only a mere moment. But was it so impossible? If the Darkness could spawn me, the pawn of itself, then why not Light do the same?

And then another thought crept up and struck me a hard blow to my fragile reality. Could it be a new member? For some reason, my mind unconsciously expelled that thought. I caught myself and drug it back to the front of my mind. A new member? In Organization IV? A member who... controls Light?

It was a terrible thought. A Haunting one, and yet it made me think deeper. Light and Darkness could never truly be "out of balance", so to speak. The Nothingness filled in the gaps and retained what was missing until the lowered element could retain the balance. Had the Nothingness... the Nobodies... a Nobody... filled in the space in the Light that I had given the Darkness? Was there a Nobody who was meant to counterbalance me?

It seemed too simple. And I was disturbed by the simplicity. Surely there was something more? I looked the the doorway, open, if not dripping, oozing, leaking darkness. One thing was clear in my mind, if nothing else: I wasn't about to find out sitting here. With one simple step, I walked into the darkness-smothered wall and portalled to the castle.