If I include myself, you make Six... [Ansem]

[Deleted]

[cs=2][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px, bTable][STYLE= background: #000000; height: 205px; width: 205px; padding: 10px; margin-left: 1.5px; margin-bottom: -12em; border: 5px solid #000000; border-radius: 30px 30px 0px 0px;] [/style][STYLE= font-weight: bolder; font-size: 28pt; font-family: garamond; text-align: justify; margin-left: 240px; letter-spacing: -4px; text-shadow: -1px -1px yellow, 0.7px 0.7px #333; border-bottom: 5px solid #000000; width: 200px; text-transform: lowercase; margin-bottom: 30px; color: #000; line-height: 24px;]WHY.. AM I HERE? WHAT... PURPOSE? JUST... WHATEVER...[/style]

[cs=2][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px; background-color: #000000; border: 5px solid #000000; border-radius: 10px, bTable]

[atrb=style, background: #111111; border: 5px solid #99983E; border-radius: 10px; opacity: 0.8;][style=font: 7pt arial; line-height: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; padding: 7px; text-align: justify; color: #ABABAB; width: 400px;] A man rested upon a bed in the hotel of Traverse Town. Just by laying there, the bed got dirty due to the man's appearance. Soil, dirt, hardened blood, filth from the man's body and clothes fell and rubbed off the man onto the bed. Heartless moved around the room as he was laying until a voice called upon him from outside the room. "Surely you've better things to do than this," the voice had been unfamiliar, unknown. Yet, it was as if there was a familiarity. Something that hit the man, but he wasn't sure what. Suddenly the man opened his eyes, he wasn't on the bed any longer, but standing before a large door. He had already noted the castle and felt the darkness heavily in the air. Slowly he lifted an arm and scratched his head, why did I recall that meeting? It was the memory of his first meeting with another of his 'kind'. A humanoid Heartless named Rhoden back in Traverse Town, at the time he knew little of his own kind. Before he had never cared nor bothered with it. He traveled and destroyed with delight. Her words had somehow make him move around... more actively, it seemed. I never thought of it before, what has been happening to me? The man pushed the door then open as he walked onward. "No, you have no destiny past today. Only those with a heart are worthy enough to receive a chance at a future. If you had a destiny, it would be to perish at my hands." The voice was that of a so-called hero. A man that was no more than a murderer in the dirty man's eyes. Whether his words had rang with truth or lies, he never looked at them. The man covered himself in a sphere of Light as the dirty man shot bullets of Darkness from his gun at him. “What do you know of a Heartless?” The dirty man shouted back as he moved in on the man while continuing his gunfire, “my destiny is much greater! My chance at life is still present! You say I have no heart, but my dark heart within this body will continue to push my body forward!” The memory faded as the man continued to walk onward. He had fought many people. He fought those of Light only at first, then this hero appeared, one that claimed to be of Neutral. He had switched sides later as well, no longer fighting for Darkness, but stepping in for Neutral as well. Why did he join the man's cause? No, I never did... The dirty man stopped his movement as stared blank before him, it came to him, that the only reason he stopped to fight for Darkness was because of the other slave... the one named after the night... The boy gave a glare to the dirty man, "former slave or not it gives you no right to harm these people. Being an ex-slave myself I can understand where you're coming from and I would rather not fight you, however...." the boy trailed off. Then the bracelet on his arm started to glow and his entire body was consumed by Darkness, from the Darkness the boy appeared in a lion-shaped armor. Then the boy stretched out an arm and a Keyblade appeared out of nowhere. The boy aimed his weapon at him, "If you continue to try to hurt these people," he continued, "I will not hesitate to strike you down." The dirty man threw up his arms and yelled back: “you say you were a slave, then what are you trying? Would you save a person that would sell humans? I’ve met people that named themselves saviours and all they attempted was bring an entire race to extinction!” It felt too troublesome to talk... but the Heartless started to doubt about what he was doing... And in the end... I chose to wait, the Heartless thought to himself, slightly giving a grin as he started to move his feet forward again. After that first meeting with the boy, he had met him on occasions again and spoken to him. There was... no ill thought between them anymore, it seemed. Yet, I fight for Darkness again... This thought made him wonder... what changed. No, everything changed... My entire life changed. First my life changed upon my rebirth, then my life changed upon meeting these, where will it end? Then an echo from the past suddenly hit him. ”What a touching story, unfortunately I could care less." The voice sounded in his head. Why? He thought to himself and looked around himself, he had moved quite far around the castle and was in some kind of hall now. His walk on memorylane had just pissed him off. "Damn... it..." [/style]

[tr][td][style=padding: 5px; background-color: #111111; text-align: center; color: #ABABAB; font-family: georgia; font-size: 10px; margin-top: 2px; line-height: 10px; border: 5px solid #99983E; border-radius: 10px; opacity: 0.7;]WORDS ;; 1011 || TAGGED ;; Ansem, Seeker of Darkness || NOTE ;; Sorry, I felt something for a memory-full starting post. ^^;; [/style][style=width: 400px; margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 30px; text-align: center; font-size: 9px; opacity: 0.5; color: #757575]made by prism of, btn, sgo, and ls~[/style][/td][/tr]
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[deshitana6]

((No need for an apology. I like learning about OCs this way. <3))

The quiet town of Radiant Garden was at peace once more. The warriors of both Light and Dark that had come here to battle for the Heart of this world were thought to be long gone by now, so the people had once more come out to repair their city and breathe in the fresh morning air. The patchwork of a town moved on its normal schedule unbothered and oblivious to the presences that lingered not too far away. Across the vast flat valley where Sora had battled 1000 Heartless, there stood a castle on a strange cliff that did not look as if it could even hold up the large structure that rested upon it. The large castle was a makeshift of stone work and machinery, an advance place that still ran even though the dark masters that had run the place had long ago disappeared.

At one point this place had been the strong hold for Heartless, beings with dark Hearts, and an evil fairy that thought she was in control of it all. It was the place where the seven Princesses of Hearts had been gathered and used to open the Final Keyhole that would’ve lead to Kingdom Hearts and it was also the place where the first true final battle for the worlds had been held and won by the Light. Ever since that day, this castle had remained empty, only being noticed again when the war for Light and Dark started up once more. From that point, the place had become a battlefield that always flipped from Light to Dark and back again. The place that could never stay where it belonged sunk into the Darkness. Regardless of who laid claimed over the world, the castle was one place that could never be cleared of the dark stain that had tainted it. Hollow Bastion… even now after suffering many wars did the castle still stand and allow the Heartless to wander through its halls and empty rooms. The Heartless were after all the castles dark and territorial protectors. With ease, they slid through shadows, brushed over broken columns and stone work, splashed through hidden water ways and more. Always they searched for the wandering Heart that may have come to this place seeking knowledge or for the foolish intruder that tried to enter their home. Despite the Heartless’ presence and the dark history of this castle, the place was peaceful, only turning to chaos when war was brought to its door steps.

The beautiful dark castle was a symbol of what the world could be like if only everyone could live in harmony with one another as the Heartless did here. This peace and calm could last forever, but as the damaged stones and pathways told, there was always resistance to the idea of peace. Resistance that brought war and destruction… a constant unbreakable cycle that Hearts were so eager to keep motion.

Infuriating? Perhaps, but also beneficial. At least with war around research subjects and frail Hearts for the taking were always abundant. The Heartless couldn’t complain and neither did the Dark Heart that ruled over them. The Dark Heart had just come out of a rather challenging battle for the world’s Heart and had decided to take refuge in the safest place he could think of outside of his dark home at the End of the World. Perhaps the battle would’ve been easier if luck had been on his side; however she was not on his side at all. Back then, the field had been leveled as long as the Dark Half Heart known as Vanitas was present; however, for whatever reason the Half Heart had decided to abandon his duty to Darkness and instead leave the dirty work to the Heartless Leader. An agitating little bump, but at least being alone with the two warriors that fought so hard for the Light of this world, he had been able to gauge their power and in turn began finding ways to deal with them should he run into the two warriors in the future. He was still a bit perplexed as to why a warrior of Darkness would fight for the Light, but he suppose just as opposites repelled, so too they attracted. Maybe the Dark warrior saw some benefit by siding with the Light or maybe he was playing both sides. A dangerous game, but if that was the path that crimson clad man choose then so be it. As long as he stayed out of the Heartless’ path, the Dark Heart had no interest in hunting down the defect and destroying him. No, it was much better to keep him alive to study rather than waste time having to clean up an unnecessary mess. Sure, this could lead to trouble along the line, but trouble was just something that came with the territory. Not everyone was going to agree with his methods and living subjects were indeed tricky to observe. One always had to make sure that the subject didn’t bite he/she back after all. It was this element of danger that made this particular Heartless’s job fun and allowed him to brush off defeat ease. The Dark Heart figured that as long as he could live to see another day, to continue to do research while slowly working his way to his true goal then there was nothing to complain about. So despite, the rough battle and the wounds he had gained from it, the Heartless remained in a good mood.

After all, he wasn’t meant to be a powerhouse of destruction. Just a distraction to buy time for an idea far grander
than anything these common warriors could understand. So he let them fight their wars and believe they had won when they did defeat him. In the end, the victory would be his and everyone else laid bare. It would be a beautiful moment when all the pieces were set and finally in place. It made one almost impatient to reach the end, but things such as this took time and so time the Dark Heart gave it.

The Dark Heart continued to walk down the halls of the familiar castle, drifting unconsciously to its favorite spot within the place, the library and deeper in the hidden labs. There the Heartless would be able to find the remains of his research go through the notes, reorganize things, and correct what had gone wrong. The process would take a while, but time he had, so he did not mind this cycle of never ending work and adjusting. It was just the way life had to be until true power and knowledge was unleashed.

He kept moving, his thoughts wandering here and there as he went until eventually the Dark Heart stopped in his tracks and listened to the castle, his senses telling him that another was here long before the Heartless in the area did. He heard the Heartless whispering excitedly over something and had to wonder what it was they were happy about. From the sounds of it they seemed to be welcoming something like them into the castle. This was not an uncommon thing for them to do when a powerful Heartless appeared in a place it normal would not. It was a family greeting and one that would not have bothered the Dark Heart if he recognized to whom this welcome was being given; however, the presence he felt while indeed belong to a Heartless was not familiar at all. This presence was new and it was this made the Heartless curious and a bit territorial.

It wasn’t that he had qualms with other Heartless. No, by all means he welcomed them with open arms, but those new to the group sometime forgot their places and decided to cause trouble until knocked back into place by one stronger than them. The Heartless here was indeed new to him and from the pull of its dark Heart powerful. Interesting. He wonder to who or what such power belonged.

Letting curiosity over-ride hostility, the Dark Heart vanished from his spot and began traveling through the dark pathways and shadows looking for exactly where the new Heartless was. He had only been searching for a moment and then he spotted…or rather smelled the new comer as he was passing a hall. Being careful not to judge and also not to startle the new comer, the Dark Heart eventually pulled the Darkness towards himself and began to form quietly on the path a respectful distance from his guest.

In a matter of seconds, the gathering Darkness had shifted and become the shape of a man before blowing away leaving behind the tanned skinned and white haired Heartless that called itself Ansem. He stood still and unsmiling as his amber eyes took in the reeking Heartless before him. This new comer was a mess covered in dirt, torn clothes, and blood. The sight and smell alone was enough to repel anyone, but add the aroma of Darkness to the mix and you had quite a potent and nauseating perfume. It was something that any sane person would say stay away from, but for Ansem it had a different effect. Sure, the boy was far from pleasant in every way, but that little trait was also what made the boy intriguing to the Heartless. To make this subject even more interesting was the fact that this was a human Heartless, a sign that whoever he had been in his previous life was strong indeed and in turn, Ansem could find ways to use that strength to further his plans…If he could get him on his side that is. After all, human Heartless could not be controlled in the same way as the lower rankers.

No, the boy was on the same level as him, meaning that the child before him had free will and the option to turn against him. Ansem couldn’t exactly see that happening considering they were one in the same, but one could never be too sure with Heartless at this level, so for the time being the white haired Heartless simply tolerated the boy in his space. For now, he would see what this child was really about.

The observation and silence that Ansem gave the boy lasted only a second and then the Heartless was speaking as his facial expression softened into a more welcoming and friendly one.

“Well now. It is not every day, I get visitors, ,” he said his voice calm and kind. He took a few steps forward before pausing again, keeping his distance from the Heartless out of respect more so than fear. He kept his eyes on the boy, his expression and friendly manner never changed as he continued to talk. “Tell me. How is it that I ended up with such a unique guest in my home. Who are you? What is it you are seeking?”

Ansem’s voice remained non-hostile and calm, his questions asked out of curiosity more so than anything else; however, the boy’s actions and words were being carefully watched for the wrong moves that would signal that he was indeed a threat…

[Deleted]

[cs=2][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px, bTable][STYLE= background: #000000; height: 205px; width: 205px; padding: 10px; margin-left: 1.5px; margin-bottom: -12em; border: 5px solid #000000; border-radius: 30px 30px 0px 0px;] [/style][STYLE= font-weight: bolder; font-size: 28pt; font-family: garamond; text-align: justify; margin-left: 240px; letter-spacing: -4px; text-shadow: -1px -1px yellow, 0.7px 0.7px #333; border-bottom: 5px solid #000000; width: 200px; text-transform: lowercase; margin-bottom: 30px; color: #000; line-height: 24px;]WHY.. AM I HERE? WHAT... PURPOSE? JUST... WHATEVER...[/style]

[cs=2][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px; background-color: #000000; border: 5px solid #000000; border-radius: 10px, bTable]

[atrb=style, background: #111111; border: 5px solid #99983E; border-radius: 10px; opacity: 0.8;][style=font: 7pt arial; line-height: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; padding: 7px; text-align: justify; color: #ABABAB; width: 400px;]The presence had gone by the Heartless a bit unnoticed as he had gone up in his thoughts. When the voice reached his ears, the man left his thoughts wander out as he cleared his head to focus better. Looking ahead and listening to the choice of words, he found another of his kind. Unfamiliar, he thought to himself as he reminded himself of a series of others that came to his mind. "... Unsure..." He said in a rougher, but calm way. Then he shook his head as he closed his eyes. Bringing a hand up to his head, he scratched the back of his head while looking down. As he did so, he thought what to do about this situation. "I'm just... searching for reasons, perhaps," he answered then, now much calmer as he had still some of the rage boiling in him. Despite being still angered about his thoughts, he didn't want to come across as a jerk nor an enemy. "Well... maybe I search for certain things..." he continued after a short bit, but went quiet again as he thought about what he just said. Vengeance on some people, truths about some things, but also a place... or a reason... I don't even know anymore, he sighed and shook his head again, "what do you seek? Did you call for life, saved from chaos? Or are you just a hunter... seeking only more hearts to add to the pack?" With those words, he maintained silence to hear what answers the man would give him. He had made sure to select his words carefully. Having dealt with different kinds of humanoid Heartless, he wasn't even certain anymore what to think of them. The first was more interested in setting the worlds in motion, the second searched only for destruction, the third stood in balance and was even willing to destroy his own kind, and the fourth was a predator, a hunter seeking for hearts. So what did this fifth saw in this life when he was reborn? A light smile flashed on his face as he dropped his hand beside his body again. [/style]

[tr][td][style=padding: 5px; background-color: #111111; text-align: center; color: #ABABAB; font-family: georgia; font-size: 10px; margin-top: 2px; line-height: 10px; border: 5px solid #99983E; border-radius: 10px; opacity: 0.7;]WORDS ;; 373 || TAGGED ;; Ansem || NOTE ;; Perhaps a little later than usual, but my head's been disagreeing with me. [/style][style=width: 400px; margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 30px; text-align: center; font-size: 9px; opacity: 0.5; color: #757575]made by prism of, btn, sgo, and ls~[/style][/td][/tr]
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[deshitana6]

((Aww sorry to hear that love. Well, I am glad you are back and posted. Take your time if you are not feeling well. I can wait. ^^))

Ansem stayed where he was watching the man quietly, patiently waiting for an answer. He did not rush him for there was no need to rush, this castle and world belonged to the Darkness and the Heartless, so there was nothing for this one to fear unless he proved to be a threat. Sure there was some work still to be done on his home, but for now Ansem put the busy work on hold as his attention instead settled on this man.

He could sense that something was amiss within the man as he continued to tolerate him well enough. The Heartless could feel his rage and frustration about something, but what the source of such negativity was was hard to say. What was certain was that the rage was not directed at himself, so he assumed it was perhaps whatever the man had been thinking about that had caused the reaction. Whatever the case was, the man seemed oblivious to his presence until he had opened his mouth to question the curious being before him.

In response, the man came back to reality and looked at him, observing him in his own way before answering his question.

Unsure…that was the first word out of the man’s mouth, spoken in a rough tone that still held a bit of anger to it. Ansem tilted his head at such a vague answer. Unsure? Unsure of what? Who he or what he was? Or perhaps his purpose in life? Or was it both? The man certainly did seem at odds with something in his mind, even though the what of the matter was still unknown at the moment; however, instead of pushing the matter, Ansem waited to see if the man would answer the unspoken questions his own. He watched as the man did his best to gather himself once more as he shook his head and closed his eyes before bring his hand up to scratch the back of his filthy head. Thinking, thinking, thinking…and then he was speaking again. The man was still unsure as he spoke of searching for reasons and then after another pause he spoke again, saying there were specific reasons he sought out; however, he did give voice to these particular reasons as he once more left the subject vague. The vagueness in turn held the Heartless’s attention, making him more and more curious about his guest by the second as he continued to listen taking note that the anger from earlier was slowly melting away.

He waited a bit more to see if the man would clarify his vagueness even more, but instead found only silence and a sigh. To this, the Heartless’s eyebrows rose slightly wondering what was going through the man’s head to get such a despairing response; however, before he could prod the man for answers, the man was asking a set of his own questions. And what a strange set of questions they were. The man asked him what he sought and what his purpose was in this life. Was it to be free of the chaos of life or did he seek out Hearts like a hunter Heartless did? The questions were unexpected and made the Heartless wonder just where the man had pulled such questions from. What had this Heartless seen or met that made him ask such things? Had he perhaps bumped into others like himself? Human Heartless, things that were even rarer than Nobodies? It was a far-fetched idea, but the man was not surprised by his own appearance and the man was a Heartless himself, so while the possibility seemed unlikely, it wasn't impossible. It made Ansem wonder just how many Heartless were out there on the same level as they were. And if many did exist would they be problems or allies to his cause? Why had he not run into any until now? Were they avoiding him for reasons unknown? Would he ever know the answers to such questions or was this a mystery in life he was not to grasp? Hmm...Questions. Questions. Question, but no answers. The Heartless pondered this idea for a while longer before turning his amber eyes back to the dirty man before him.

Curious, he observed the man for a moment longer noticing the small smile come across his face after he had fallen silent and went back to his thoughts. The smile made the Heartless suspicious, but for now he did not let it bother him as he instead focused on the situation at hand.

The situation had indeed taken an unexpected turn, but this turn at least was one that Ansem appreciated. It was the sort of turn that allowed one to learn rather than to get stuck somewhere. It was a nice twist and change of pace that pleased the Heartless, so it was with ease that he placed his misgivings on the back burner for the moment and answered the man before him.

“What is it I seek?” he repeated as he took a few steps forward careful to keep his distance from the man, his voice remaining calm and non-hostile as he moved. “I seek two things in this life. First thing is to see every world and Heart return to the Darkness where they came from. It is only when all is back where it belongs that we can have true peace in the worlds and all the wars that plague us now will cease,” he told the man and then paused as he began to pace slowly to the right of the hall. “The second thing is to understand the Heart. Collecting Hearts is part of such research, but I do not hunt them down mercilessly like some Heartless do. I understand them to be a source of power and food for some, but for me, they hold too much fascination to just destroy or consume recklessly. I like to watch them in their natural elements to see what I can learn from them in that fashion,” he turned and paced in the opposite direction.

“In a nutshell, I love to study the world and the interactions all Hearts have with one another. My knowledge is quite vast, so I am sure I can help you with what you seek. All you have to do is ask the right questions, Mr….” the Heartless paused in his pacing as he turned slightly and tilted his head towards the man, hoping for a name in place of the blank he had for now.

[Deleted]

[cs=2][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px, bTable][STYLE= background: #000000; height: 205px; width: 205px; padding: 10px; margin-left: 1.5px; margin-bottom: -12em; border: 5px solid #000000; border-radius: 30px 30px 0px 0px;] [/style][STYLE= font-weight: bolder; font-size: 28pt; font-family: garamond; text-align: justify; margin-left: 240px; letter-spacing: -4px; text-shadow: -1px -1px yellow, 0.7px 0.7px #333; border-bottom: 5px solid #000000; width: 200px; text-transform: lowercase; margin-bottom: 30px; color: #000; line-height: 24px;]WHY.. AM I HERE? WHAT... PURPOSE? JUST... WHATEVER...[/style]

[cs=2][atrb=cellSpacing,0,true][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=style, width: 440px; background-color: #000000; border: 5px solid #000000; border-radius: 10px, bTable]

[atrb=style, background: #111111; border: 5px solid #99983E; border-radius: 10px; opacity: 0.8;][style=font: 7pt arial; line-height: 11px; letter-spacing: 1px; padding: 7px; text-align: justify; color: #ABABAB; width: 400px;]The Heartless listened to his fellow Heartless' words. The answers to his questions, hearing his questions being answered so easily, the man wasn't too sure what to make of the man. At least, he seems to be more a scientist or professor than a hunter or a murder, he thought to himself. He nodded more or less to himself. He was also given the option to make questions to the man, to find answers to perhaps many things in this world. At the end, he seemed to have left an opening for his name, "hmm..." He scratched his head again and pulled a bit on his shawl around his neck. Not sure what to make of things, he opened his mouth again in response: "We... are Heartless, but is that our name? What purpose are we given? I've met others... just like you and I. You..." he scratched the back of his head again as he tilted his head, "make the fifth I met. So six with myself." A sigh escaped his mouth again as he looked at the other man, looking more direct into Ansem's eyes, making out that they were the same as his. Yellow or golden eyes, the others didn't seem to have them. Are we different from those? Or more Heartless than Human? With those thoughts going through his head, he continued, even more calm than before: "the first wanted to set the worlds in motion. Standing still wasn't good, making things move and change. The second..." he sighed in a depressing tone as he continued slightly more annoyed than before, "was only interested in destruction. To take any hearts found, but the ultimate plan was to destroy the worlds themselves." Regaining some of his calmness, he continued after a pause: "the third stood for balance. Not after hearts at all, he was willing to kill even his own kind. He wouldn't hesitate to turn his fists upon ourselves. The fourth and last, was a hunter and a loner. Seeking hearts and pleasure." He shifted his weight onto his right leg and he tilted his head slightly to the right, "this is why... I asked where you stood." A light smile appeared on his face after another pause and he continued: "myself... I try, in a sense, to find myself. I'm no one, nameless, was I given a purpose? Before I was freed by the Heartless, I was no one and I thought... I was given purpose, but I lost my direction. I'm no longer certain of anything." He nodded to the man, "there you have it. What answer can you give me to my existence?" It was perhaps one of the strangest questions to ask to a stranger, but he felt somehow more comfortable with the man now. [/style]

[tr][td][style=padding: 5px; background-color: #111111; text-align: center; color: #ABABAB; font-family: georgia; font-size: 10px; margin-top: 2px; line-height: 10px; border: 5px solid #99983E; border-radius: 10px; opacity: 0.7;]WORDS ;; 495 || TAGGED ;; Ansem, Seeker of Darkness || NOTE ;; Extremely late, sorry!![/style][style=width: 400px; margin-top: 5px; margin-right: 30px; text-align: center; font-size: 9px; opacity: 0.5; color: #757575]made by prism of, btn, sgo, and ls~[/style][/td][/tr]
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[deshitana6]

((You are not late. I am just happy you responded. ^^))

Ansem had given his answer and left the court open for the strange man that had many questions on his mind. There was another silence, but the Heartless did not push for the man to hurry. Instead, he waited taking note of the way the man had listened carefully to what he had said and even seemed to come to some form of understanding of his words.

He liked that. A good listener and one that did not seem to require too much work to keep on the same page. This man despite his appearance had potential, but for whatever reason did not seem to use it. A curious being to say the least and one that only got stranger when he decided to answer his unspoken question of a name. As Ansem watched the man carefully, his eyes flickered briefly over the man taking note of the way he scratched his head and tugged at the shawl around his neck. Was he uncomfortable or confused? Perhaps a bit of both, the move suggested uneasiness, but unlike before the strange actions did not make the Heartless tense or suspicious. He was being too accept the fact that this particular Heartless was not hostile and would not cause him trouble. There was no need to be territorial any longer. As for nervousness and odd smiles, Ansem simply passed it off as part of the man’s personality. Odd little quirks that made him unique.

On top of this, the caution had been wiped away bit by bit the more the man talked. Ansem had seen many people in his life time, heard many stories, but this Heartless. This Heartless was an odd ball in the bunch. Most Heartless were sure of one thing only and that was feed on Hearts and sink the worlds into Darkness so they could survive. They sought it with a passion and would let nothing stand in their way. Heartless were sure of themselves, but this one was not. This one had questions. Strange questions that made Ansem even more interested in his strange guest.

For starters, he did not give him a name. Instead, he spoke on the word Heartless, questioning if it was their name before questioning purpose once more. On top of this, the man told him that he had met four others before him. Six human Heartless existed then? But if that was the case, where were the other four now? Did they disappear into the Darkness or were they perhaps hiding somewhere? And if so why? He needed more people for his army and he was sure that if these four were as interesting as this one, they would make interesting pieces to add…provided he could convince them join him in the end. He suppose he could look into this matter later, but he wasn’t going to waste his time if the hunt would be futile.

Ansem would’ve ponder this further, but the man’s sigh broke his train of thoughts as his amber eyes looked back over at the man and locked with his goldish colored ones. A trait that marked them as Heartless instead of men. He wondered….Did those that the man had met have the same colored eyes? The questions that rested in the other’s eyes, suggested something different; however, Ansem had no time to poke into what the man wanted to know as the other opened his mouth and began to speak once more.

The man’s tones were calmer than before as he spoke of the human Heartless he had met. Ansem listened as he described each. One Heartless was all for change and constant action.... The dirty man paused with another sigh that suggested he was becoming depressed by the subject at hand and agitated too boot. Regardless of the change in attitude, Ansem remained calm and quiet as he continued to listen to the man speak. The next Heartless was bent on destruction and taking any Hearts found...Another pause. The man regained his composure and then calmly continued on. A third stood for balance and was even willing to kill his own kind to achieve his goal of balance. And the last sought to just hunt alone and wanted nothing more than to have Hearts and pleasure.

How diverse these human Heartless were, but was he truly surprised? After all, human Heartless were a special sort of Heartless. They weren’t bound to the basic rules of the game like the lower ranks. They had intelligence and the ability to act out their own plans…and it was this key difference that kept Ansem so attached to the Darkness and in love with Hearts and Heartless alike. Always something new to be discovered there! Always.

Despite how fascinating the subject was, Ansem kept his wandering thoughts from getting too far as he kept an eye on the man before him. The other shifted his weight to the right and then tilted his head before speaking once more. He explained why he asked where Ansem stood before smiling and speaking of himself. He said he was trying to find himself since he was a nameless no one. A no one that wondered if he had purpose. He said he thought he had a purpose once, but now was once again lost and uncertain of anything.

A lost soul that wound up coming to the Reaper of Hearts himself for answers. And what was that? Now, he was asking if Ansem could give him the answers to why he existed? Give him a reason to exist? A purpose? Strange and yet fascinating.

He almost like a Nobody, but so much better,[/color] Ansem thought seeing a chance open up.

A small smirk appeared on Ansem’s face as he simply took in the wonderful subject of study before him for a while longer and then shaking his head to refocus. He spoke to the Heartless.

“Heartless is a name slapped across all who have become lost to the Darkness within, but it is only a label. Just as we label creatures by a particular name to encompass them all, so too, do humans lump us into categories. It could be classified as a name if you wanted to take it as your own, but I would think it would be very confusing in the end. Perhaps we can find a different name that is suitable for you, hm?” Ansem said and then pausing for a moment, his eyes left the man as a Shadow scurried across the path curious as to what was happening before disappearing again.

Since there was no message left behind, Ansem refocused on the man before him.

“At the basic level Heartless have one purpose and that is to consume and sink Hearts into Darkness. They want to expand their population and eat just like any other animal or creature that you would find out there; however, the further you move up in the ranks…the more intelligent they become. They go from animals to warriors to defenders of their kind. Their soul purpose is to survive and thrive. That is the nature of the Heartless on a basic level, but human Heartless. That. That is another matter entirely,” Ansem said as he looked over at the nameless man with a shark like grin. The grin was brief, but enough to suggest that the Heartless before the other was enjoying this conversation a lot; however, just as quickly as the grin came it was gone replaced instead by a gentler smile...although the gleam of excitement did not leave the man’s eyes.

He remain quiet for a moment before clasping his hands behind his back and leaning forward in slightly, a shadow of his true self shinning through. After the pause, Ansem continued.

“Human Heartless are rare. I am actually quite surprised that you have found so many and I have hardly bumped into any except you. In fact, my network of eyes tells me nothing of these Heartless you speak of so I think I can safely believe that they are hiding or have decided to sink into Darkness than to walk amongst the living, no?” he said before pausing as he stood up straight once more, shifted his weight to the left, and folded his arms across his chest. He looked down at the ground as a small frown appeared on his face. “A little disappointing if this be true. The way you described them made them seem like interesting subjects to study…” he said and then trailed off a bit as he became lost in thought about the lost potential there; however, he did not stay lost in thought for long as he looked back up at Nameless with an apologetic smile.

“But you didn’t come here to listen to me babble on about research now did you?” he said and then unfolding his arms, he began to close the gap between himself and the young man. His steps were slow and deliberate, his eyes focused on his target.

“Human Heartless are powerful in the fact that even when sunken into Darkness their Hearts still have enough power to keep them as whole people and pieces of their will exist in the memories the Heart contain. Some follow these memories to continue what their human side could not do while others carve new paths for themselves. Most of the time, Heartless are non-hostile towards each other, but on occasion you find some that veer from the path and would seek to take us all out. The direction these sort of Heartless take is as diverse as humans. And why is that?

"It is because we are still human in a way. Despite being apart of the Darkness and made into something more. We still have free will and the ability to do as we please. We do not bow to any rules and so purpose becomes unique to each Heartless like us, so you see,” he stopped a respectful distance away from Nameless and locked his amber eyes on his golden ones once more. “I cannot give you an answer to your existence, but I can give you some direction; however, the choice is yours, whether you heed my words or not,” he told him and then paused to let his words sink in. When he thought enough time had passed, Ansem moved to the left of the man and walked past him heading down the hall at a casual pace with his hands clasped behind his back. As he walked he spoke.

“You can go down many roads to determine if you rather be a human or animal. You can continue your journey to find yourself if you want or you can follow the animalistic nature of Heartless and devour Hearts. You can become a hunter, destroyer, savior, whatever you want to be if you wish to take that trek. I won’t stop you. In fact,” he paused and turned to look back Nameless. “I’d be very interested to know how much you succeeded. My home is always opened to you, so don’t be afraid to come find me if you get lost again,” he said with a smile and then turned away once more.

“Or,” he began again, keeping his back to Nameless. “You can stay here and help me rebalance these Light filled worlds with Darkness. Help me build a new home for our kind where peace reigns. I always appreciate help and you wouldn’t have to worry about much. I take care of my kind and those who help us, but again that choice is yours. You don’t have to answer right away. You can think on it and come back if like or you can stay here for a bit and make yourself at home. You are quite safe within my halls,” Ansem said and then fell silent once more. He let the silence stay in the area for a moment longer before he began to walk once more down the hall at a casual pace, pretending to be content with where the conversation had left off; however, he was far from content. He wanted to hear the man’s answer. Wanted to see if he took the bait or went his own way. The man said he wanted to find a purpose, no? Well, Ansem could certainly give him one.