Disclaimer: Because you always need one, don't you? . No, I do not own Kingdom Hearts, nor any of its characters (but I really do wish that I did! D: But who doesn't wish this?). They belong to wonderful Square Enix! ^^ Decide you don't like the fic while reading it? Then stop reading and either click the back button or the pretty red x button in the upper right hand corner. Flaming sucks, and if that's all you're going to do to my story, you're pathetic.

With that said, I do hope you enjoy~

Warning: This fic is pretty violent/graphic (I could have done worse, but me, it wouldn't have fit you know?), so if you get queasy easily, I suggest you don't read. Also, angst alert towards the end. :3


The one thing you should never do is mess with another man's toy…

Unfortunately, it seemed like this piece of advice came too late to a certain blond Nobody. And the consequences? Well, let's just say that death was a preferable choice over what was actually done. But then again, torture wasn't exactly supposed to be enjoyable in the first place.

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Deciding that he had enough of the blonde girl's questions about 'Why he was in the room' and 'What he was looking for,' the older Nobody sent the younger one into what would commonly be called "time out." Vexen, number four in the great Organization XIII was far more superior than that silly little girl. And most certainly, someone of his caliber didn't have to answer the ridiculously insignificant questions she asked. That little girl… Namine, she should have known better than to question his motives. But then again, she was on his side, wasn't she? That pink haired monster had too much influence on the girl, and thus she couldn't be trusted with anything. The very fact that she knew his name was detrimental to this very important mission of his.

And the mission you ask? Trying to find evidence about a certain someone's betrayal.

Because how could that arrogant fiend not have something up his sleeves? Someone like that… that neophyte didn't deserve to be in charge of Castle Oblivion! Sometimes, he had to question what their Superior was doing (but never aloud, no, you never said a word against the Organization's leader). Though, to get better results in this search, the Chilly Academic had sent the naïve Nobody to a different room, and forced her to sit and stay in a corner as her punishment. Once he was confident that she wouldn't move, he once again went back into the same room to continue the search. Which, so far, seemed to be fruitless…

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Sitting alone, on the cold, hard floor wasn't much better than staying in that room. It was worse, but… at least she got a small change of scenery for once? 'Yes, think on the positive side Namine!' She thought to herself, trying to cheer up a bit. Really, the blonde girl hadn't thought she had done any wrong but… apparently it was better to hold her tongue while any Organization XIII member was around…

Clutching the notebook she had taken with her, legs were drawn to her chest with a small sigh, blue eyes closing as her head rested against one of the pure white walls. The castle seemed so peaceful for once (minus the fact that she could hear some rustling and muttering in the next room over because of Vexen's search), and it actually allowed her a chance to relax. If this was what freedom was like… then she hoped none of her captors ever entered the room she was moved to. This was much better than anything she had ever experienced! Time to rest without fear, complete relaxation… and the best part yet? No one would harm her. She was completely safe in this small bubble. And with that thought, a small smile graced the young girl's lips as she started drifting off into sleep, completely oblivious to the footsteps that were getting louder…

"Namine…?" The familiar, monotonous voice was enough to make the girl's eyes open immediately. Whether she was dreaming or not (rather, the dream would turn out to be more of a nightmare if that man was present), she would have snapped out of her peace instantly. And was it a good thing she did…

The pink haired man in front of her, even though his face was void of any type of emotion, she could tell he wasn't too pleased that she was here. After all, he had given her orders to stay in that room no matter what (unless he ordered otherwise, of course). But… how was she supposed to say no to the scientist? It wasn't as if she could protect herself or… anything. She was harmless, and terrified of getting hurt (as was apparent in her currently shaking body). The other Nobody's face terrified her (although, she wasn't able to feel emotions, right? So it must have been a result of constant abuse), and he was bound to "punish" her for her disobedience of leaving the room.

"M—Ma—Marluxia…-sama… P—please w—wait! I… I didn't… I didn't leave! I was p--put into time out… V—Vexen…! He… he…!!!" She pleaded, shrinking as far back into the corner as she could, arms covering her head as if to protect herself from any blow he might offer as a response.

Surprisingly… a gloved hand touched her head lightly, abnormally gentle. Slowly looking up, Namine couldn't help but feel a slight amount of relief build in her body. The man in charge of her wasn't going to hurt her, so did anything else really matter?

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Vexen, eh? Just who did that failure think he was? Obviously, someone important enough to boss around the youngest Nobody present in Castle Oblivion. But oh, how that idiot was wrong. As the Lord of this Castle, he wasn't going to allow anything like this to just go by unnoticed. No. If that were to happen, then his authority really wouldn't be taken seriously in the future, would it? A reign by terror and an iron fist, that was how he ran this whole place.

Besides, someone needed to be taught a lesson. Namine was his charge, therefore making him the only one currently residing in this castle the one to tell her what to do… Well, the Nymph was an exception for the most part.

"Well, for now we should just take you back to your room. I will deal with V shortly after that." Marluxia said, a hand being held out as he gently helped the girl off the floor. "But for a future reference, you are not to follow what that scientist says. You are under my care, not his." He added briefly, almost possessively, as he placed a hand on her shoulder (resulting in a slight shiver from the petite girl).

The two Nobodies exited the room, entering Namine's room shortly after. And there, rummaging through the room, was the offender that the Graceful Assassin had been keen on talking to… or rather, "talking" to.

"My, what do we have here? You send Namine away so you can raid her room? I didn't think someone like you would stoop to such a lowly act. So, what exactly are you looking for?" Came his usual haughty, condescending tone to the flinching scientist. The other Organization member seemed like such a pervert, rummaging through the room and freezing guiltily upon hearing a voice. It was vaguely amusing, to say the least. Larxene would have surely enjoyed this much more than he, it was unlucky for her that she wasn't present.

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So many different "emotions" were being shown in the room right now. One, completely frozen at having been caught in the act, another terrified and still shaking, while the other was calm, thoroughly enjoying the tension hanging in the air.

'I wasn't expecting him to be back so soon…' Vexen thought, silently cursing his luck. "No, it was nothing really. I thought this girl might have had something useful for one of my experiments, but apparently not." He finally responded with a slight air of indifference and superiority. To play it off as being nothing special would only help his case and allow for a faster escape route. Because, who knew what would happen if XI found out that he was actually looking for proof of betrayal?

"Then why did you send Namine off to a different room? Surely you could have asked her if she had anything for your experiment. Isn't that right?" Blue eyes gazed down at the timid girl, who nodded her head fearfully. If she hadn't… then Marluxia surely would have punished her.

… or worse, given Larxene the charge of punishing her.

"Oh… that… that was… because she was constantly asking me questions and I couldn't think properly. That girl needs to learn when to close her mouth. You should teach her better." So far, so good. But perhaps the smirk on his face was slightly misplaced, and appeared at the wrong time. Just because he had thought that the conversation was over with, and he was safe to go back to his lab, nothing was final until the moment the Chilly Academic left the room and was safe in his own lab.

The scientist's eyes widened, a gasp leaving the blonde girl's mouth as the oldest Nobody in the room had just barely managed to block an attack from the other male.

"What are you doing?! Trying to kill me?! This is treason!" Well, although the blond male had finally found proof, this wasn't exactly what he had in mind. There wasn't anything physical that could be used plus… if he wasn't careful, then he would surely die. Then again, that would be more than enough of the "physical proof" that he wanted but… well, who exactly wanted to die for something such as that? Vexen was perhaps one of the least suicidal people in this castle (or at least, that was what he thought).

"Treason? No. Treason is what happens when you kick Namine out of her room and leave her unattended. What would have happened if she decided to run away?"

"Well, that's none of my concern. Whatever you plan to do with that girl isn't my prob—"

"Isn't your problem? Perhaps you would like to tell the Superior that. Namine is vital to attaining Kingdom Hearts, remember? Or, have you forgotten about the Organization's mission?" He hadn't finished speaking yet, and in turn, Marluxia made sure to interrupt the other man before the sentence was completed. The Academic had already gone too far, and now it seemed almost as if the other was trying to be punished.

A malicious smirk was met by a shocked, horrified look. They both knew what would happen if the Organization's leader got involved, and it wouldn't turn out pretty. For one of them at least. But, the Graceful Assassin was far too keen on the idea of punishing the other himself. To vent out all of the irritation that was pent up towards specific Nobodies, two of which were in the same room.

Then, out of nowhere it seemed, vines suddenly grabbed the scientist's arms and yanked him down to the ground with a loud thud. The vines were thick with medium-sized thorns, thick enough to break through the cloak and puncture flesh, but small enough to make only a small, bloody puncture mark. With both the thorns cutting into his skin, and the sudden jerk downwards, Vexen cried out in pain. Of course, it didn't quite help that afterwards, a foot suddenly stomped on his back and was kept in place, before a hand yanked at his hair and pulled his head up. Sometimes, it was hard to figure out who was more horrible: Marluxia or Larxene. But at times like this? It was apparent that the former was much worse. Perhaps that was why the lightning user so readily complied with the pink haired man's ideas.

Yet another small gasp was emitted from the petite girl, shaking hands being raised to her mouth as blue eyes closed tightly- the notepad she had been holding before had dropped to the ground with a soft clatter. This was much too horrible for her to watch, and the sounds weren't any better. Perhaps… perhaps since they were busy she could move to another room, and not witness such a horrible event? Yes, that seemed like a perfect idea. Just, hopefully she wouldn't be caught by Larxene.

"Did I say you could leave?"

Letting out a startled yelp as a vine (thankfully without any thorns) wrapped around her waist and tugged the young Nobody back into the room, Namine bit her lip, eyes wide with fear. She hadn't expected that Marluxia would catch her missing, at least not when she had almost slipped out of the door.

"S—sorry! P--please don't—"

"Hush. Or else you will get the same punishment as this feeble-minded scientist." The Graceful Assassin stated, throwing Vexen's head back against the ground, a smirk creeping onto his features as the girl's head wildly shook 'no.' Of course, the action made the other male let out another noise of pain, a bad move as the torture would again continue so long as Castle Oblivion's Lord had his attention caught on the pitiful scientist.

The thorn covered vines had trailed from the scientist's wrists to his shoulders, and some had even sprouted and held the male's legs. With each passing second, a sharper pain would course throughout the Academic's body, the vines growing tighter relentlessly, mercilessly. A vine with tiny, barely noticeable thorns was wrapped around the older male's neck, the vines lifting said Nobody into the air as the pink haired man casually strode in front of the other to view the damage that had been done. Already, quite a bit of blood had dropped onto the white floor. But with the defenseless man up in the air, one could watch the droplets slowly fall onto the ground, mimicking the pattern of raindrops. The soft 'pitter-patter' sound seemed to echo through the now quiet room, and an oddly relaxed feeling overcame the Assassin as he watched the droplets splash against the ground. But it was all lost the moment he looked back towards the man who had defied him. And there was no doubt in Marluxia's mind that it would happen again, though more subtly next time.

"You see, V, because of your carelessness, the Organziation could have lost something valuable. I suppose this is why the Superior left her in my charge, and not yours." Blue eyes flashed with a certain venom as he watched the blond man try and gasp for breath as he was being strangled by the ever tightening vine. "But the most important lesson that you should get out of this, is to never touch, or order around something that is mine. Because next time, I guarantee you that you will not be let off so easily like this." A gloved hand grabbed the other's cloak, the vines tearing away suddenly, the thorns scraping and leaving a nice crimson liquid in its stead. But yes, even that was being "kind." For, the pink haired Nobody could have left the vines on the other. But then, that would make the throw that was soon to follow even more painful, wouldn't it?

Yes, the thorns would have dug even deeper before eventually slipping off, but not without scratching and causing the older male even more pain, causing more blood to be spilled. If the vine around the older man's neck hadn't been removed, there was a chance that his idiotic victim would be killed. Which had to be avoided at all costs, especially when his plans were still in its early stages. The throw made Vexen's limp body crash into the wall with a shocked, painful groan, before sliding down and landing onto the ground with a loud thump.

Namine, she simply had to avert her eyes from the painful looking sight. Water welled up in her ocean blue eyes, which she so desperately tried to hold back. No more! Why did she have to watch such a sight?! The blood was splattered almost everywhere, and the strong metallic stench that hung in the air made her feel sick. If it wasn't for the vine that held her so securely, then she was quite sure she would have fallen to the ground. Her legs were so weak, and she felt like she was about to faint. This whole thing was far too violent for her, and her main captor's power was simply… terrifying. If he ever used that against her, she would surely die. Then again, death seemed to be more welcoming that having to survive what the Chilly Academic had gone through. The scientist seemed to be in a near-death state, so limp and lifeless… was he even still alive?

The unconscious body was disposed of properly- a corridor of darkness had been summoned and, the scientist's body had been thrown in and would reappear in the lab. Turning his back on the portal before it closed, Marluxia walked towards the stunned girl, her eyes glazed over in disbelief. Smirking with a soft chuckle, it seemed that half of his plan had worked: she was going to follow his orders no matter what after this display.

One of his gloved hands grabbed, and suddenly jerked the blonde girl's head towards his, his lips hovering over her ear as he whispered something inaudible to all but her. "If you ever get the idea in your head to disobey me, I swear that I'll make you regret it much more than that failure will for having ordered you around. Understand?" His soft, cooing tone masked the perfectly malicious, and ill will he had towards the girl. Even so, the small Nobody could still feel the truth, the raw energy that would be released upon her if such a thought even crossed her mind.

As the vine unraveled from around her waist, the girl slowly sank to the ground helplessly, something in her chest feeling like it was tightening, and it hurt. But Marluxia, he just let her sink to the ground. Victoriously smirking as he summoned a portal. Namine wasn't going to leave any time soon. Not with that desperate look on her face. Though, once he left, warm, wet tears finally trailed down her cheeks and fell onto her hands, body trembling- so over come with fear and despair. For now she knew, there was no way she could be freed from this prison.

Freedom was just an unattainable dream, so long as she was held captive in this castle.

A/N: Maaarrrlluuuxxxiiaaa is such a bastard, and I love him for that. :) This was actually… half inspired by a role play I was doing with my Namine, and half off of… well, if you know about Gaia, and do zOMG, or even Barton Town, basically my Namine was sitting in a corner like she was in time out. And of course Vexen was to blame for it. XD Too bad we didn't see a Vexen. . [/shot]

Ah, but yes! Constructive criticism would be nice if you have any! What should I improve on? What did you like? :3 Please feel free to tell me (so long as you don't flame… . I hate flamers)!