The boy awoke in a small bamboo grove with an enormous rock oddly standing in the corner. A man, or something that looked like a man, was wearing a black coat, the hood pulled over his face, and leaned against the rock casually. Then again, it may have been a female, but he hadn't really thought much of the gender. What did was that the man took slow, but long strides toward him. The boy started to ask, "Who-, "but was cut short by the robed figure's hand. "Not important," it assured a bit too hastily. Must get that a lot, he thought to himself. Large gold letters floated in front of him, spelling out, "Alyk." He thought about asking who that was, and then remembered the man's answer. He'd probably offer the same response. With a regal wave, an X was added to the end of the name. "Alykx," he commanded. "Come with me." As he said so, an ovoid mass of darkness manifested, and he walked through. Obediently, the boy followed.

Axel was starting to realize that his hatred of Vexen had truly no bounds. Correction: his hatred of Vexen's Experiments knew no bounds. He hated Vexen in front of everyone else, but alone the two were cordial. Until the scientist had done an experiment involving the seventy fourth floor toilet and stale potato chips, Axel had tried not to incinerate the old dude. Vexen's eyes were bugging and a blur of movement. He plucked a vial with a green label filled with something purple and oddly bubbly. "This is helping how?" Axel asked, already annoyed by Number IV's mumbling. Vexen shook his head rapidly, and plucked another one with the same label but filled with red fluid. He chucked it Axel, who caught it deftly. "I mixed a re-animating solvent with whatever the hell was in the toilet."

"Why in the name of hell would you do that?"

"I was bored, and hungry."

"Well, I give you points for creativity, fine sir."

"Oh, and Axel, if whatever is brought to life attempts to smother you, I wish to be included into your doubtlessly short will."

"If I die Vexen, you can be positive that you'll be dead before me."

"You'll still never figure out where the bombs are. Make sure you throw that red… stuff at the beast, and don't drink it! It's cherry flavored poison."

With that fine note, Axel turned on his heel and left the laboratory making sure to fly the 'bird' at Vexen before the door closed. As soon as he walked two steps, a short, black robed body bumped into him. He'd say it was Roxas, but the kid was actually taller. Not by much, but still. In a soft voice totally unlike Roxas's but laced with slight…menace. "Are you Vexen?" the short form he was going to guess was a boy asked. "Not even close. Guy's in there though. I'm Axel. Got it memorized?" Axel commented dryly. The kid simply gave an OK, and walked inside. Axel lingered around the door for a bit, then heard sounds of glass breaking and choking noises. He heard a strangled voice call out his name.

Just to have fun with Vexen, he opened the door slowly. What Axel saw was… shocking. The kid's hood was down, and minus the hairstyle, hair color and obvious female body parts, he was Larxene's clone. He even had eight knives which he had stabbed into Vexen, except his were curvy and dark blue with cyan tips, not to mention noticeably larger. "Vexen, I recall Xemnas clearly canceling the replica program," Axel stated lightly, and nodded to the boy. "What's your name?"

"Alykx."

"Okay, uh, Alykx you can't just kill him."

"I wasn't trying to, but he called me a dirty excuse of a whore."

"If he says sorry, can he live? He does pay health insurance."

"Nope."

"Why not."

"He freaks me out in all the wrong ways."

"Yeah, me too, but hey, health insurance."

"Fine, whatever you say Axel."

Alykx released his grip on Vexen, and trotted over to Axel. He calmly looked at him and asked, "Do you have any coffee?" Axel nodded once and looped an arm around the boy's shoulders, leading him to kitchen #42. They had stopped naming them after twenty four. "Why did you have to see Vexen in the first place?" Axel inquired in an effort to break the silence. "Superior told me to go to Xaldin, who said I needed to see Vexen and that I wouldn't be allowed out until he said whatever, but I stopped caring when the guy started talking," Alykx somehow managed to get out all in one breath. Axel blinked twice and stared at the boy. Larxene's eyes and that same heart shaped face stared back, but the boy's hair was rough and straight and a chocolate brown color. She has some explaining to do, he thought grimly to himself.

All of the questions Axel tried asking the boy were answered with I don't know, maybe, and I think so, so conversation on the way to the kitchen was stagnant at best. As soon as they got there, Alykx cannon-balled into the pantry, coming out with an abnormally large bag of Doritos and promptly left a bewildered Axel in his wake.

Saix would wonder where his chips were that morning and went on a psychotic rage until he found the empty bag.