Hi!!! Emily here again with another Kingdom Hearts fanfic! (feel free to scream) lol

Anywho, the pairing in this is zemyx!

It's rated m for cutting and a bit of language...other than that, it's not so bad.

It was late in the afternoon. The sun was setting over Hollow Bastion. A lot of the stores were closing, the owners pulling down flaps to hide the windows. Everything seemed fine.

But to six men sitting in a lab just outside of town, everything was far from fine. The air was thick with tension. A man with dark skin and white hair was pacing in front of the machine he and his assistants, now close friends, had designed. "We have to step through, tonight."

"I'm still a little skeptical," a man leaning against the wall said. His long dark brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail.

"I agree with Braig," a man sitting on the edge of a table said while twisting a lock of his dirty blonde hair, "I mean, Master Ansem was correct on a lot of his points. Hearts are unpredictable."

The man with white hair slammed his fists on the table. "Even, are you saying you're going against me? I was under the assumption that you agreed with the research."

"Of-of course I do! I just don't think it's wise for us to jump into the Door to Darkness...Xehanort? Sorry, Ansem?"

Ansem sat, running a hand through his white hair. "Beyond this door could be the heart of all worlds. All of us stepping into the darkness will only prove that hearts are stronger than we lead them to be. That darkness in hearts is more powerful than pure darkness itself."

"Ansem..." a man with long black hair said.

"Yes Dilan?"

"What if it's too much? I mean, what if we-"

"It's a risk we'll all have to take," a man with short red hair said, "Gaining access to the heart of all worlds is too great a thing to pass up. We weren't afraid to research further. We weren't afraid to do the experiments. We weren't afraid to build this machine. Why are we getting cold feet now?"

"Aeleus is right," Braig said.

"There's only one thing I want to know," Even said slowly standing, "Who steps in first?"

Everyone was silent.

"Well, I vote for Ienzo," Braig said suddenly, "Little man was our test subject for all the other experiments."

The youngest of them all snapped his head up upon hearing his name. His violet bangs hung in his eyes. "Not this time! I had enough last time when Dilan burned my arm." He held up his hand, showing blistered skin.

"You wouldn't have gotten burned if you would've listened to me," Dilan snapped.

Ienzo glared at him.

"All right!" Ansem said loudly. He stood slowly, taking his lab coat off. He walked over to the machine and flipped a switch. A dark purple light filled the room as the portal slid open. Wind blew around. Ansem stood before the portal, his dark eyes staring at the light. "I'll see you all on the other side...in the darkness." He outstretched his right hand, touching the purple light. It flashed, causing the other men to cover their eyes. When they opened them, Ansem was gone.

"Ansem?!" Dilan shouted into the portal.

"He must have made it," Even whispered.

"I'll go next," Braig said stepping up on the platform. He looked at the others, grinned, and disappeared.

Dilan and Even went next.

Aeleus stepped up on the platform.

"This is madness," Ienzo said suddenly, "We don't even know if they survived, or where they ended up! Why did we agree to this?"

"Curiosity, Ienzo," Aeleus said before jumping in the light.

Ienzo looked around the empty lab. He sighed and stood up, pulling his lab coat off. He took his glasses off and set them on the table. He stepped up on the platform, the wind blowing his violet hair back. He peered into the light, trying to see his friends. He cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted, "Braig?! Even?! Xehanort?!" He had never called him Ansem. "Someone answer me!!" He lowered his hands when he got no response.

Ienzo took a deep breath and said, "I must be out of my mind." He stepped into the light.