I sat back looking out on the beach. I had never expected to stay here for as long as I had, but after Nim and I had found Triskix we could go anywhere we liked and yet we stayed on an island.
Nim was lying in the sand looking up at the passing birds. Finally she sat up and turned around to look at me.
“Brother why aren't you smiling? Brother?" Nim asked looked at me. Her brown eyes looked ready to shoot the question off as many times as it took to get me to answer.
"I am smiling....just in my own way...." I answered trying to smile even a little bit as to convince Nim I was. It wasn’t working. Nim gave me a wry look.
"Brother a frown is not a smile...." she finally said.
"Heh....I just can't smile right now I'm sorry.....so where do you want to go to first?" I asked trying to change the subject long enough to distract her.
"Brother.....I want you to smile....." Nim persisted. I sighed knowing it wasn’t going to work.
"I just can't...part of me won't let me...." I answered truthfully.
"Triskix? He won't let you?" Nim questioned looking straight at me.
"Kinda.....he just really wants to go home....and it's making me want to go home....but don't worry we can keep traveling forever..." I said trying to change the subject again.
"Brother we don't have a home...." Nim answered.
"Triskix did though...his home was Castle Oblivion...." I answered, “And in a way….that made me feel like Castle Oblivion was my home too…..Don’t worry though. We’ll find a permanent home together ok?”
"Ok……Ah......Brother?" Nim started up again.
"Yes?" I answered.
"Can you send him home then?" Nim asked.
"Wha-" I asked not sure of what to say. It wasn’t like this was sudden. I knew that Nim wanted me to smile, and she was willing to do anything but this was too far.
"He is a part of you....and he wants to go home....so at least for a little while....I want to make him...you...happy...let’s send him home...." Nim answered.
I tried to ignore the sudden excitement in me, but for some reason….no I knew the reason….Triskix was getting fired up….
"But you couldn't come...and a part of me would be a heartless...." I finally answered.
"No I would just give you your heart back as soon as he split away..." Nim laughed. She had done it before when Triskix had split the first time…..when I gave up my head to keep the heartless away….
"But....." I said trying to find the words to describe that this wasn’t going to work.
"And then we'll go to the Destiny Islands for a bit and when you feel the tug to go get him, you can and I'll wait on the Destiny Islands...." Nim continued as if she hadn’t heard me.
"But if we split....and I go searching for him....he could run away and I would never be whole again....and I would be searching endlessly like before...." I answered.
"Brother...Triskix is a part of you...he won't run away...he just wants to go home...and if he does run then you'll just have to chase after him!" Nim laughed.
"If I chase after him.....I won't come back to the Islands for a long time...." I answered. It was the truth and I wanted to make sure Nim knew.
"That is saying if he runs....Brother I want to make him...you...happy...." Nim smiled.
“Nim….” I answered, but she just smiled and reached at my shirt. I felt my heart suddenly rip away and the process began.
I split away from Kristian again and stared at the both of them. They looked at me and I at them. I stood up and turned away.
“Thanks Nim,” I said calmly, “But I’m not coming back.”
“Triskix!” Kristian yelled.
“Triskix!” Nim mimicked, but I was gone.
I opened a portal and walked in. Home again…..I looked up to see the ravaged castle and nearly wanted to cry. It was in ruins…..abandoned and in shambles…parts of it were already crumbling away forever.
“The castle….” I said finally.
“So you do remember it,” a voice said from behind me. I turned around sharply to look at a hooded figure. He was a tad shorter than me, but he was a lot more muscular looking. I looked at him with my head cocked to one side.
“Who are you?” I asked.
“A nobody,” was the response I got.
“Your name?” I asked.
“Why should I tell?” was the response.
“What are you doing in castle oblivion?” I asked glaring. It was not under the best circumstances ad he was making things worse.
“The castle….she is what Organization 13 has become….a crumbled symbol of nothingness….and yet…I am debating whether or not to restore it to its former glory,” he answered.
“No one can fix that,” I answered, "The order is gone forever....."
“What if I told you I could? And what if I told you I could restore the Organization as well…Triskix of Castle Oblivion…..” the man asked.
I stared straight at him.
“Who are you?” I growled summoning my scythe. Sparks of fire exploded and shimmered out of the scythe. I had almost forgotten the feeling to want to kill….it was the only feeling I had as a nobody….and it was back…..
“I am a nobody who can restore everything you want,” he answered not fazed by my weapon.
I remained on guard but his words had made something in me that I couldn’t explain…
“And the cost would be?” I asked glaring at him.
“I could even bring back your friends who had ran off to other worlds after the Fall….you know Lexian, RaXi, and Nyx? I could bring them back to the castle if you want…..” he said.
“They aren’t friend…nobodies can’t have friends,” I answered, “We don’t have feeling….”
“Fine then…your acquaintances…happy? Oh and I could even bring back the Original 13….how does that sound? You could have so much fun again…fighting Lexian on the beach….watching as Axel cooks....Locking nobodies in Marluxia's closet….wouldn’t that be fun?”
“You are a dammed if you think that I would believe you can bring any of that back,” I answered.
“Ah but I can…..” he answered.
I turned and looked at his hood.
“What is the price?” I asked knowing it would be something that I couldn’t give…..
“Why the price is you, Triskix,” he answered.
“What do you mean?” I asked caustically.
“You, your memories, you being, that deadly scythe of yours….I want you….and in return I would give you everything I just said and more….”
“Me…..in exchange for the castle….and everything….” I said looking at him.
“All I would need is your servitude and I can grant you anything your little nothingness of a being can ask for…I want to start the castle up again, but I need someone like you to run it…so now it is up to you….what do you want Triskix? Or should I saw Kristian?”
“Don’t ever say that name again,” I growled, “Or I will burn you at the stake and throw your ashes into the nothingness of this abyss. Got that memorize you jerk?”
“Oh oh o….Spitefulness, I’m going to have to break you of that, but I knew I chose the right man for the job. Now then do we have a deal or not?”
“What it the contract?”
Somewhere in my dreaming the pounding in my head subsided and I opened my eyes. I looked up to see I was in my room….in the castle….the wall of fire was gone, but it looked like no one had entered.
“Had a nice nap?” the Leader’s voice asked. He was standing in the corner his head down.
“I needed it if that was what you were asking,” I answered stretching.
“You’ve been asleep for five days….quite interesting to see what the other thought happened to you…” the Leader chuckled, “There was a rumor going around that I had secretly killed you and that I sealed off your room to keep it a secret. Another rumor said that you had burnt yourself to ash while asleep…..and the last one believed that you were going to pull a Rip Van Winkle and sleep for a hundred years……they do have quite the imagination this crew of nobodies….”
“Meh……” was my answer. I was still groggy.
“On to business,” the Leader started, “Missions need to be starting up as we have discussed. I have already had RaXi gather everyone in the main hall. Get dressed and go.”
“You always do stuff like that to me,” I said, “Have me run around like your dog….”
“And what has brought such disrespect from the dog?” the Leader asked. I felt one of my scars split, and I grabbed it.
“I hate dogs,” I answered, “I’m more of a cat person…..”
“Has sleeping so long fired your memories?” the Leader asked.
“No,” I answered, “I will go….”
I stood up and watched the Leader vanish. I slipped on my coat and looked in a mirror. It had grown a bit. I took scissors to it immediately. Finally I appeared on the platform in the main hall. It was true…all the nobodies were there…..
“So you didn’t die,” Akane pouted.
“Too bad,” I answered, “I can’t, remember?”
I rolled my eyes and looked down the hall. Nothing looked disturbed which made my job easier….
“Now then…due to some research by the Leader there appears to be an excess of heartless and nobodies running around that must be destroyed. Also we need more information about this rival group. So we will split into teams and conduct work through the worlds. Both these goals will be met if we do this. Got it memorized?” I said calmly.
A murmur went through the group…..
