The battle was really quite spectacular.

Even bound by false memories of Naminé, Sora was still a good match for Xemnas; Vexen knew that for a fact, having already felt the Keyblade Wielder's terrifying power twice before. But although as good a match as he easily was, it was also nail-bitingly even.

The Chilly Academic watched with nervous detachment - lives hung in the balance here, and not just Sora's or Xemnas' - over the Never Was intercom system from his place propped up in pillows on a bed, somewhere. He was gently recovering from a few nasty bruises and cuts, a broken arm and plenty of second degree burns. Everybody else was presumably viewing the fight live.

He heard the sullen click of the door opening and twisted his head around to face whoever was coming in.

It was Marluxia. The man - an arrogant bastard, Vexen had always thought - carefully adjusted his position amongst the bedding with a gentleness Vexen hadn't realised he possessed, then sat down next to the bed in a plain, wooden chair.

"I thought I'd come and check to see how you were doing." He said lightly.

"I'm fine," Vexen snapped quietly, still staring at the screen in front of him. Xemnas was winning, but only just. Sora healed himself, and the ground was even again. "I thought you'd be watching the fight."

Marluxia smiled, craning his neck to gaze out at the empty, placid sky.

"The way I see it," He said respectively, "Is that the sooner amends are made, the better. Wouldn't you agree?"

Vexen subscribed to the "Least said, soonest mended." school of thought, and told Marluxia this. It elicited a chuckle from the younger, stronger man.

"Very well. I shan't apologise for very nearly, but not quite, killing you, then. Nor shall I tell you why."

He must have known that Vexen was a naturally curious man, for he simply smiled at the predicable response of narrowed green eyes and the ghost of a hiss escaping through gritted teeth.

"By now I'm sure you have guessed that I'm executing a plan to take over the Organisation," He continued, anyway. "But, and I'm sure you think little enough of me to have believed otherwise, I'm not simply overthrowing Xemnas in a bid for power. A man of your intelligence must have realised that the man is completely and utterly insane."

Vexen barked a laugh, then winced as it sent pain shooting through his bruised and burned, if not broken, ribs.

"We all knew he was off his rocker. Unfortunately, he was dangerously so."

"Thank goodness you have me to act for you, then," Marluxia remarked. "But anyway. I needed to assess Axel's trustworthiness, and also present the image to Sora of a broken, evil Organisation. Your supposed "death" worked perfectly to this end - Sora was driven only further by the execution presented to him, for fear of what we could do to Naminé if we were willing to kill one of our own, and I was able to gauge that Axel was indeed as dangerous as we had feared. The Riku Replica is dealing with him now. A remarkable creation, I must add. Axel would not be able to tell the original from the fake."

Vexen sighed, but he didn't have the heart to summon up furious, vindictive rage.

"You could have told me that I wasn't actually going to die."

"Oh, but you put on quite a good show out there. And informed sources tell me that you are rather a terrible actor. I needed the illusion to be infallible."

Vexen frowned at Marluxia's comment.

"Informed sources...? Zexion and Lexaeus knew?"

Marluxia shrugged.

"Things would have been ruined if they'd interfered. Don't hold it against them."

Vexen huffed a little, refocusing his wandering gaze to the last throes of the battle. It looked as though Sora was going to pull through, and win.

"If you'd bothered to consult me I could have just sent a replica out, instead. That would have saved me a great deal of pain indeed."

"Oh." Marluxia said, finger to his lips. "I hadn't thought of that."

"Idiot." Vexen muttered under his breath.

There was one final cry from the Intercom and Xemnas, the Superior, fell. Marluxia grinned, and from a normally composed Nobody as he, it was terrifying.

"That's "Idiot Superior" to you."