Do you honestly think that YOU can somehow find the strength to chase back the darkness on your own? Don't make me laugh, that thing you call a weapon won't protect you one bit.

Yes, it will! My...my sister gave it to me! She said….she said that if I'm ever lost, the weapon will shine and she'll know where to find me!

Please. She only said that because she doesn't want to watch over you anymore. Do you honestly think she cares about you?

My sister does care about me! That's why she made me this!

Made you what? Something that can find you when you're already consumed by the beings that lurk in the darkness? If she really cared about you then you wouldn't be alone right now, would you? You'd be by her side like an obedient pet every. Waking. Moment. You wouldn't have to fear the dark because you've got her right by your side.

She does care!

Keep telling yourself that for me. It makes me utterly drunk! Your sister couldn't even care about you if she was paid to do it! Don't you understand! Nobody cares about you because you're unimportant to everyone around you!

That's not true! Everybody cares about because-

You're special. I know. Don't tell me that garbage that people tell you. You're nothing but a worthless waste of space while I am somebody that everybody flocks to. Compared to me, you're nothing. Nobody. Somebody that would be better off dead!

What's going on in here? Why are you crying?

She does care about me…..she does! They all care about me! No matter what you say, they care! They all…..

"They all care about me….they all do," sobbed Naxah in her sleep.

Tears began to stream out of her closed eyes like a dam before she quickly woke with a jump. Her hand instinctively went for the golden bow that laid beside her bedpost, clenching it within its grasp. The warm glow that emitted from the weapon slowly brought her to a steady rhythm of breathing. She looked around at the darkness that surrounded her, expecting no answer when she whined in fear. Even so, the warmth and small glow from the weapon was enough to calm her down and cause her to step out of bed, toward the door and out of her room. It was enough to carry her down the long, dark hallway that was illuminated by the glow of her golden weapon that was like a torch about to lose its glow. Though her pulse quickened a little and her legs felt like jello, the light was enough to carry her through the hallway and in front of a specific door. She took a deep breath, raising her quivering clenched fist a few inches away from the door.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Silence. Broken only by the sound of her stilled breathing. She took another breath.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

Her pulse quickened even more as her body trembled in fear, her breaths becoming louder and shorter and faster.

BAM! BAM! BAM!

A groan set her mind on edge and she was now convulsing with fear like a wet dog in sub-zero temperatures.

WHAM! WHAM! WHAM!

"WHAT THE HELL!?" A Voice exclaimed as the door flew open.

Naxah literally threw herself into Storm, who flinched back in surprise.

"Damn, I was using the bathroom to be assaulted by a fifteen year old girl!" exclaimed Storm, prying Naxah from his body."It's too early to be acting like a crazy person!"

"Sorry, I was just-" began Naxah.

"Well, since you've almost given me a heart attack, c'mon in," interrupted Storm, turning on his heel into his room.

Naxah carefully walked in, hugging the bow to her chest and closing the door.

"Have a seat on the couch over yonder," called Storm his voice flat and indifferent.

All the rooms were the same with a couch and tv being the first thing there when you first walked in. The bathroom was about a few feet away from the couch and tv while the bedroom was in the door behind the couches. She spied the silhouette of a mini-fridge beside the opened bathroom doorway, which was quickly opened by Storm as he pulled two water bottles out of it. There was no light that came from the fridge and Naxah wondered how he even saw the bottles. He flicked on the light switch that was above the mini-fridge, bathing the room in a brilliant light that immediately cause Naxah to calm down.

"I knew you were afraid of the dark a little, but I never knew that you freaked out THAT much," acknowledged Storm, tossing her a water bottle as he walked over to sit next to her.

She caught the water bottle in her hands before sighing loudly.

"Care to explain why you came to my room at nearly two in the morning?" quizzed Storm, taking his seat." I reckon it's not for some training or whatever.

Uncapping the water bottle, she stared at her feet for about twelve seconds before looking at Storm.

"I had….a nightmare," replied Naxah, looking to the side for a moment." I think."

"You think?" He made a dazed face at her." What do you mean, you think?"

"It wasn't like most nightmares," translated Naxah, frowning." I mean, usually after I wake up from a nightmare, I just go right back to sleep. But this was kind of different. It was like….like I was remembering something."

"I've been meaning to ask this, but do your memories naturally come back to you or you don't remember certain memories. Because when Raxis came back, you seemed pretty upset at her even though you didn't really know she existed."

Naxah shrugged." I have no clue, but I somehow knew I had a sister before Xemnas even told me. I just didn't know if it was true or not."

"I only ask that because you say you don't have memories, but you seem to recall certain things as if you do have them. Is it simply because you don't want to remember them or are you just a walking flesh of confusion and incompleteness?"

"I don't really know….why, is that-"

"Never mind, just me pointing out flaws of the people around me. Anyways, what is this nightmarish memory that you've recalled? Does it involve anything scary because-"

"I was having a conversation with a voice in my head-"

"Geez, that must sound fun."

She glared at him, causing him to shuffle in his seat." Sorry, go on."

"I was having a conversation with a voice in my head. It asked me if I thought I could drive back the darkness on my own with that thing I call a weapon."

Storm's eyes glossed over the weapon she held to her chest." Uh-huh."

"I told them that my sister said that it would protect me if I was ever lost and that she'd come to save me. They told me that wouldn't and she only told me that because she didn't want to watch over me anymore. I denied it and said that my sister does care about me along with everybody else."

"And who is this 'everybody else' that you tell me?"

She shrugged." I don't know. The voice said that I wasn't special, just a waste of space, while they were the one that was special. Nobody cared about me, but I knew they did. They said that they would care about me no matter what. They promised me-"

Tears flowed down her face like a river, causing Storm to rest a hand on her shoulder. He didn't know why this was happening, but he wasn't going to let Naxah be upset over something os meaningless.

"Relax, Naxah, you've been through a lot tonight. Why don't you spend the night here? I'll get you a blanket."

Her head moved up and down as Storm got up and went to fetch some blankets from his dresser in the bedroom. It wasn't until he came back in that he started to question why he was doing this. He didn't want her sleeping on her couch like some sort of bum; he honestly wished she would leave and go back to bed. Then why did he answer the door and let her in? It didn't really matter as he threw the blanket over her lying body, walking over to wipe away her tears with his thumbs.

"Night Naxah," he said, smiling as she fell asleep.

He stared at her for about three seconds before he groaned, going back to sleep himself.

I'm getting soft again in a world filled with nonsense, Storm thought.

"Like I said, I don't know what to do at this point," replied Storm, uncertainty in his voice as he sat in front of Xemnas' desk." I mean, I WAS going to start her trial but she's talking about voices in her head and I don't think she's ready."

"Well, why don't you take her on a mission?" asked Xemnas, wiping his left temple with his gloved hand." That's a trial in itself."

"Yeah, but-" began Storm, biting his lip."I don't know. I have a bad feeling about this, like, something bad's about to happen. Or better yet, another crazy event that's going to make me even more confused."

"Do we really have a choice in the matter at this point?" quizzed Xemnas, shrugging.

Storm sighed, already knowing the answer.

"Fine, but I'm taking my mummy before I leave. Insurances aren't cheap."