I was in my room of the Oblivion Castle, rummaging through my desk for my journal.  It contained all of my notes on the studies of the heart, among my other observations, so it would quite disastrous if I’d lost it.
I always kept my desk very organized and neat, so I couldn’t understand how I could lose it.
Sighing, I sat down in my chair and stared at my white, empty desk.
It seems that, without a doubt, I have misplaced my notes…what a dilemma…
I touched the smooth surface of my desk, as if I was hoping the journal would appear just by touching it.
The only thing I’m probably arousing right now, is dust and more dust…and a scent?
I bent down close to my desk, trying to sift out the faint, distinguishable traits it contained.
…Larxene.
Sighing, I leaned back in my chair, my near shoulder-length, pale denim, silver-streaked hair moving softly away from my left eye.
Most likely – unless she was just passing by, which is quite unlikely – she was the one who took my notes, as it isn’t like me to misplace it.
Standing up, a dark swirl surrounded me, and I appeared in Larxene’s room.
The room was pure white, with a small bed in the corner and a desk on the right hand side.  Unlike the basement floors, the room was illuminated by several candles.
Larxene was standing by her desk, and seemed to be looking at a small, rectangular box.
“Larxene,” I said, “will you give it back already?”
She turned at the sound of my voice, her shoulder-length, platinum blond hair waving as she moved.
“Oh, hey, Zexion,” she greeted, her jade green eyes sparkling with delight.  “It’s nice to see you topside.”
“Give it back,” I ordered, fixing my midnight blue eyes onto her face.  “It’s important to me.”
“What are you talking about?”  She asked, the corners of her mouth moving upward with amusement.  “You mean this?”
She raised the white, rectangular box that was on her desk and waved it in front of me.
“What’s in there?”  I asked, raising an eyebrow.
She opened it to reveal several pieces of chocolates sitting on a bubble-wrap.
“Want one?”  She asked, popping one into her mouth, the two thin, antenna-like hair bands on her head moving as she chewed.
“No,” I said, curtly.  “I just want my notes back!”
She slowly placed the box back onto the desk, as if she was ignoring me.
“It tastes pretty good, Zexion,” she said.  “You ought to try it.”
“Will you quit talking about the chocolate?”  I demanded.  “There’s no use in pretending that you don’t know what I’m talking about.  I found your ‘scent’ on my desk.”
“Ohh, so you want this?”  She said playfully, as she raised my black journal.
“Yes, that,” I said, exasperatedly.
“Is that all?”  She asked.  “Just because you want it, doesn’t mean you’ll get it.”
“…You’re not going to give it back to me, are you?”  I said, sighing.
“What do you think?”  She said, smirking.  “If you really want it, then you better do something that’ll entertain me.”
“What’s the point of all this?”  I asked, frustrated.  “I don’t see why you would need my notes!  I don’t have time for any of your games!”
“You don’t have to get so worked up, Zexion,” she said, coyly.  “Besides, all work and no play will make anyone dull.”
“That doesn’t sound right,” I said.  “I think it was all work and no play makes –”
“Yeah, yeah, who cares,” she interrupted.  “All I want is to be amused right now.”
“You’re bored?”  I said.  “That’s why you’re doing this?”
“What else can I do?”  She said, smirking.  “So?  What are you going to do?”
I walked forward and reached out to grab back my journal, but she moved her hand away.
“Why must you be so…so irritating?”  I remarked, glaring at her.
“How am I?”  She asked.
“By making me play your silly game,” I answered, “when I should be doing something much more important.”
“Oh, so getting your notes isn’t important?”  She asked, raising an eyebrow.  “If that’s the case, I guess I’ll just dispose of it…by tearing it apart, that is.”
She turned away from me and moved my journal sideways, as if she was about to rip it apart.
“No!”  I exclaimed, widening my eyes.  “Don’t!”
Without thinking, I rushed straight into her, and we fell to the floor, with me on top of her.
“Ouch,” she said, grimacing slightly.  “You do know that these floors are hard?”
“Sorry,” I said, before realizing why I did it.  “Wait a minute, I shouldn’t be apologizing!  The reason you’re like this, is because you wouldn’t give me back my journal.  In fact, you were about to tear it!”
“Well, if it isn’t important to you,” she said, “why not?”
“You know very well what I meant by ‘your silly games’,” I hissed.  “Quit playing!”
“Hmm…”  She said, as if contemplating something.
“What?”  I asked, suspicious.
Suddenly, she moved forward, pushing me back so that she was on top of me instead.
“I don’t think so,” she said, smiling complacently.
I was taken aback by her actions, but I quickly regained my composure and said, “Well, I have the authority to deal with you, so if you insist on not returning my journal, you’ll face the consequences.”
“Must you be so uptight?”  She commented, softly placing a finger on my chin.
I wasn’t sure how to respond to this, so I just tried to reach for the journal that she was still holding in her right hand.
Seeing what I was doing, she instantly grabbed my wrist with her left hand.
Fortunately, I expected this, and moved forward, knocking her back.
Her grip on my journal lessened, and I quickly snatched it from her hand.
I stood up and turned, ready to return to my room, when I felt a hand push my back hard, smashing me into a nearby wall.
I could feel my cheek throbbing as I moved back, and I rubbed it softly with my right hand.
Wait a moment, where’s my…
I turned and saw that she was holding my notes once again, and waving it in front of me tauntingly.
I saw her eyes travel to my bruised cheek, and she giggled with pleasure.
I sighed.  “Now that you’ve gotten your fun, can I have it back?”
“No,” she said.  “I’m not done with you y –”
Before she could finish her sentence, I had walked forward and shoved her against the wall.
“Well, I’m done,” I said, firmly, as I quickly took my journal out of her right hand.  “So, goodbye.”
Just then, I felt something sharp pierce my left hand, and I drew back instinctively.  I looked down and saw blood leaking from a large cut in my palm.
“You should be glad I didn’t cut through your bone,” I heard Larxene remark.
I looked up and saw that she was wielding a kunai in between the fingers on her right hand, and in her left hand, she was holding my journal.
“But wasn’t I…how did you…”
I looked down saw that my right hand was no longer holding my notes.
“I’m quick,” she said.  “Remember?”
“Yes, well…you just have to resort to inflicting pain,” I said, wiping the blood away from my left hand.  “It’s as if you’re trying to start a fight with me.”
She seemed almost disappointed that I wasn’t in any worse pain from her attack, and frowned.
“Well, I’m just trying to have some fun,” she said, sounding almost irritated.  “Is that so wrong?”
I sighed.  “Look, keep the journal.  When you’re done doing whatever you want with it, please return it.  Rip it, tear it, do whatever you want.  I don’t care anymore.”
She widened her eyes in surprise, as darkness surrounded me and I disappeared.
However, instead of going back to my room, I had transported behind her.
Quickly, I pushed her to the ground and pressed my hand against her back, to be sure she didn’t escape or try to hit me.
“Give it back to me!”  I demanded.
She laughed and said, “So I guess you do care.”
She raised the journal up for me to take, and I swiftly grabbed it out of her hand.
I moved away as she stood up and said, “Well, Zexion, I guess I’m done with you for now.”
“Good, now I’ll be going,” I said, hastily turning away from her.
“Wait a moment,” she said, putting her hand on my shoulder, stopping me from transporting.  “There’s just a small favor I want you to do for me.”
“What now?”  I asked, exasperated, but tightening my grip on my journal, just in case.
“Have some of my chocolate,” she replied, sounding almost vague.
“You’re still going on about that chocolate?”  I asked, raising an eyebrow.  “Or are yo–”
Suddenly, she leaned forward and kissed me.
I widened my eyes in surprise, and I could feel the heat rising to my face.  I could actually taste the chocolate that she had eaten earlier on her tongue, and a strange sensation rose in my chest.
When she finally moved away, she smiled and said, “Thanks for helping me.”
I could still feel my cheeks burning, and I quickly turned and made a path through darkness back to my room.
Alone at last in the basement, I carefully laid my journal onto the table.
As I opened it to write some more notes, I couldn’t stop thinking about what Larxene just did.
Why does that make me feel…so weird?  And why do I ‘feel’?  It is impossible – I don’t have a heart.  So what is this…unusual pang in my chest?  What am I experiencing that would cause me to –
“Hey, Zexion.”
Taken by surprise, I turned sharply and gasped to see my comrade, Vexen.
“V-Vexen!”  I stammered.
“Uh, was I interrupting your concentration or something?” he asked, cocking his head to the right slightly.
“No, no, no,” I lied.  “Not at all.  What is it that you want, Vexen?”
“I just wanted to know ho…hey, why is your face all red?” he asked, curiously.
“Uh…no particular reason,” I answered.  “Anyway, what?”
“I just wanted to know how your notes were coming along,” Vexen continued.  “So?”
“Well, Larxene took my journal earlier,” I replied, “so I just started now.”
“How did she take it from right under your nose?”  Vexen asked.  “And why would it take so long to get it back?”
“She took it when I wasn’t here, Vexen,” I explained, jadedly.  “And…it took a while because…you know how she is.  She just wouldn’t give it up without making me ‘entertain’ her a bit.”
“And how did you?” he asked.
“It’s a long story, okay?”  I said.  “Now let me finish my notes in peace.”
“Fine, fine,” he said, turning away.  “But dinner’s almost ready, okay?  So come up soon.”
“Yeah, sure,” I said, as darkness surrounded him and he disappeared.
I sighed as I sat down by my desk, my head still full of wonder about what I was perceiving.
I should really stop thinking about this and get to work…or perhaps I should get some dinner first.
Thinking about food, I noticed that I could still taste chocolate on my tongue.
It’s as if I already had dessert…
I suppose that’s what Larxene is.  Sweet, but sharp at the same time…
…like bittersweet chocolate.