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Raven watched from the shadows as Cinderella danced in the arms of the prince, their eyes locked in a gaze of pure love and adoration. A pang of longing clutched at Raven's heart. She yearned to feel that intimate connection with someone, to be held as if she were the only person in the world that mattered.

Raven glanced over at Xemnas standing silently beside her, his face an emotionless mask. How she wished she could break through the icy facade and uncover the man that lay beneath. She was drawn to him in a way she didn't fully understand, sensing a kindred spirit behind those cold amber eyes.

As they turned to leave the glittering ballroom, Raven felt Xemnas's penetrating gaze upon her. She met his eyes, seeing past the impassive glint to the faintest flicker of something deeper stirring within. The intensity of that look sent a shiver down her spine. What was he thinking behind that inscrutable expression? For a moment, she thought she glimpsed a tenderness in his eyes that gave her hope.

Raven turned away, a blush creeping up her cheeks. She couldn't let Xemnas see how his gaze affected her. He was a Nobody after all, incapable of emotion. She had to stop imagining there was more between them.

As they stepped through the dark corridor back to the World That Never Was, Raven felt Xemnas's presence like a physical weight. The charged silence between them was deafening.

"Is something troubling you?" Xemnas finally asked, his deep voice cutting through the tension.

Raven nearly jumped at the sound. She hesitated, unsure whether to confess the conflicted feelings churning within her.

"It's nothing," she mumbled, avoiding his piercing amber eyes.

"Do not insult me by lying," Xemnas said, an edge sharpening his tone. "I can sense your disquiet."

Raven's temper flared at his commanding words. "Oh, so now you're suddenly so perceptive?" she snapped. "I thought Nobodies couldn't feel anything."

Xemnas regarded her steadily. "Emotions are not entirely lost to us. We have...imprints of feeling, shades of what we once were."

Raven searched his face, looking for any crack in his stoic mask. "But not enough for things like affection or desire," she said bitterly.

"You presume to know the depths of a Nobody's heart?" Xemnas stepped closer, his presence overwhelming. "Tread carefully, Raven."

Her name on his lips sent a spike of heat through her body. She trembled but refused to back down. "I'm not afraid of you," she whispered.

Xemnas inclined his head, a sly smile playing about his mouth. "Perhaps you should be."

Raven's breath caught at his cryptic words. Xemnas's presence surrounded her, equal parts intimidating and magnetic. She couldn't tear her gaze away from his intense amber eyes.

"Why did you choose me for your Organization?" she asked, desperate to understand this complex being. "Was it just because I am the Chosen One?"

Xemnas traced his thumb along her jawline, sending a shiver down her spine.

"It was my duty to make you part of the Organization," he said evasively. "Nothing more."

Raven's temper flared again. She knocked his hand away, eyes flashing.

"Duty? Is that all I am to you?"

Her outburst seemed to amuse Xemnas. One corner of his mouth curled up in a smirk.

"You forget yourself," he chided. "I am your Superior. My reasons are not for you to question."

Raven stepped even closer, refusing to be cowed. "Oh really? It seems to me like you're the one who's forgotten himself."

Xemnas raised an eyebrow, intrigued by her audacity.

"Go on," he purred dangerously.

Raven's heart pounded as she stared defiantly into Xemnas's golden eyes. She knew she was playing with fire, but her turbulent emotions propelled her forward.

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"Ever since I got here, you've kept me at a distance," she accused, jabbing a finger into his chest. "Acting cold and indifferent. But I see flashes of something more in you sometimes."

Xemnas's expression was impassive, but a muscle in his jaw ticked.

"I know you feel something for me," Raven barreled on recklessly. "So stop pretending otherwise. Stop hiding behind your so-called duty."

For a long moment, Xemnas was silent, his eyes boring into hers. Raven held her breath, wondering if she'd gone too far.

When he finally spoke, his voice was low and dangerous. "You presume much, little Raven. I feel nothing. The void in my chest remains as it ever was."

Raven flinched as if struck. She searched Xemnas's face for any crack in his stoic mask, any hint of the emotion she was sure lurked beneath the surface. But his eyes were flat and cold.

Her temper evaporated, replaced by a profound sadness.

"I thought...I thought I saw something in you," she said in a small voice. "Some remnant of your heart. But I guess I was wrong."

She wrapped her arms around herself, feeling foolish and exposed. With immense effort, she kept the tears burning behind her eyes from falling. Xemnas watched her, silent and inscrutable. After a long moment, he turned abruptly and strode away without another word, his black coat swirling behind him.

Raven watched him go, an aching hollowness in her chest. She had gambled and lost. The Superior remained as remote and unreachable as the moon.

With a defeated sigh, she opened a dark portal to follow him back.

***

Raven stepped through the dark portal, emerging back in the stark white halls of the Castle That Never Was. She kept her eyes downcast, not wanting to meet the gazes of any Nobodies passing by.

Her footsteps echoed as she made her way slowly to her room, feeling the weight of failure and rejection pressing down on her. She had been so sure she'd seen something in Xemnas's eyes, some spark of warmth when he looked at her. But she'd only imagined it, like a fool.

Lost in thought, she didn't notice Xemnas until she nearly walked right into his broad chest. Raven stumbled back with a gasp.

"Superior! I'm sorry, I didn't see you there."

Xemnas gazed down at her, his golden eyes unreadable. Raven shrank under that piercing stare, wrapping her arms around herself.

"What you said back there..." Xemnas began. His voice was low and measured. "It was not wrong."

Raven's eyes widened in surprise. Xemnas looked off to the side, his jaw tightening.

"I cannot afford to feel," he continued after a moment. "The Organization must come first. But..."

He met her eyes again, and Raven was startled to see a glimmer of vulnerability there. "You were right about me. I am...not as empty as I pretend."

Joy and relief flooded through Raven at his quiet admission. Unable to stop herself, she threw her arms around Xemnas in a fierce hug. After a stunned second, she felt his strong arms slowly wrap around her in return.

Raven held onto Xemnas tightly, almost afraid to let go. She could feel the steady beat of his heart against her cheek, proof that he was not as devoid of emotion as he claimed.

After a long moment, Xemnas gently pulled back. His golden eyes searched her face.

"Raven," he murmured, "I cannot give you what you seek from me. My duties..."

"I know," Raven said quickly. She dropped her gaze, embarrassment flooding her. "I understand, Superior. I won't bother you again."

She moved to step away, but Xemnas caught her arm. His grip was firm but surprisingly gentle. Raven looked up at him in surprise.

"It is not that I do not...care for you," Xemnas said haltingly, as if the words were foreign to him. "But there are those who would use any closeness between us against the Organization. I cannot risk that."

Raven's heart sank. She blinked against the sudden sting in her eyes. Of course. Duty above all else.

"I understand," she repeated dully. "I'm sorry for being so foolish."

Xemnas studied her for a long moment. Then, slowly, he reached out and brushed a tear from her cheek with his thumb. The gesture was so tender that it made Raven's breath catch.

"You are many things, Raven," he murmured. "But foolish is not one of them."

With visible reluctance, he let his hand drop and stepped back. His expression was shuttered once more.

"Come. It is time for you to go back to your room. You need rest, as do I.."

Raven walked beside Xemnas through the white and plain corridor in silence. Her heart felt like a lead weight in her chest. She had hoped, foolishly, that by opening up to him, something might change between them. But Xemnas remained as distant and unreachable as the moon, as they reached her respective room.

"Raven."

She started at the sound of her name, soft yet firm on his lips. Turning, she met his intense golden gaze.

"Do not mistake my restraint for indifference," Xemnas said quietly. "There are...emotions I thought lost, which you have awakened in me. But I cannot allow them to cloud my judgment."

Raven's eyes widened. Was he actually admitting to having feelings for her? Her pulse quickened.

"Then don't," she blurted out. "We can still be allies without being...more." Even as she said it, her heart twisted painfully.

Xemnas studied her for a long moment. "Perhaps," he said at last. "But I find myself...reluctant...to let go of this unexpected connection between us."

He reached out and gently brushed his knuckles along her cheek. Raven shivered at the contact, leaning into his touch before she could stop herself.

Xemnas's eyes darkened. His hand moved to curl around the back of her neck, tangling in her hair. Raven's lips parted as he slowly drew her closer, until she could feel the heat of his body against hers. Her senses swam with his spicy, masculine scent.

"Raven..." Xemnas's voice was a husky whisper.

Her eyelids fluttered closed. She felt the barest brush of his lips against hers...

Then he was pulling away, his expression shuttered once more. Raven swayed, shaken.

Without another word, Xemnas strode on ahead and into his own chambers. After a moment, Raven sighed and went to her own room, her emotions in turmoil. There was no going back now. Something had sparked between them, and try as they might, it could not be denied.