Xemnas always acted like he was trying to tempt us or something. Whenever he appeared, it was like watching a play. Maybe that was because he didn't have a heart.

This happened back when Radiant Garden was still called Hollow Bastion. We were fighting some Nobodies that were attacking the town.

Six guys in black coats appeared in front of us. They were members of Organization XIII. Their faces were completely hidden in their hoods.

The first time I saw Xemnas' face was at Hollow Bastion, too. He showed up before the huge battle against the Nobodies.

He turned to us, and slowly pulled back his hood. He looked down at us, a silver-haired man.

“It's the guy who's NOT Ansem!” Donald shouted.

“You mean it's his Nobody!” Goofy followed.

“The leader of Organization XIII…” I said.

“Wait a minute," King Mickey cried at last. "Now I know! Now I remember! Xehanort! Ansem's apprentice!”

I think that was the moment Mickey realized who exactly the man who called himself Ansem had been.

“Xehanort!” we yelled.

“How long has it been since I abandoned that name…” he said, like he was reciting a monologue.

“Out with it, Nobody! Where's Kairi? Where's Riku!?” I yelled, readying my Keyblade.

“I know nothing of any Kairi. As for Riku… Perhaps you should ask your king,” was all he said, and then he vanished.

We'd filled up our quota on stuff we didn't understand, when Axel showed up.

“Way to fall right into their trap.” Our hackles raised reflexively at the sight of Axel's black coat. “C'mon, it's a set-up by Organization XIII. Xemnas is using you to destroy the Heartless—that's his big master plan.”

“Xemnas?”

“The guy you just saw. He's their leader. Got it memorized? X-E-M, N-A-S.”

That was the first time we heard his name.

Then, finally, we confronted Xemnas in the World That Never Was. We had just foiled the completion of Kingdom Hearts.

“Ohh… my Kingdom Hearts… ruined," Xemnas said, sounding like he was in the middle of a monologue as always. "Now I'll have to start all over again. Warriors of the Keyblade! Go forth, and bring me more hearts!”

Riku, King Mickey and I all pointed our Keyblades at him and shouted, "No!"

Xemnas shrugged calmly. “You accept darkness, yet choose to live in the light. So why is it that you loathe us who teeter on the edge of nothing? We who were turned away by both light and dark—never given a choice?”

“That's simple. It's because you mess up our worlds,” Riku said, plainly.

“That may be... However, what other choice might we have had?” Xemnas' face was sad. But he didn't have a heart. So—

"Just give it a rest! You're Nobodies! You don't even exist! You're not sad about anything!" I yelled, and Xemnas laughed.

“Very good. You don't miss a thing. I cannot feel—sorrow... No matter what misery befalls the worlds. No matter what you think, what you feel, or how you exist.”

Xemnas lifted both hands to the sky. Countless hearts—hearts that had been scattered about the world—began to rise to the heavens.

It was so dazzling I had to close my eyes.

Then, we challenged Xemnas to the final battle.