Author's Note: This chapter is primarily setting up the two main plotlines- edging up to the starting line of the race, so to speak. And yep, I sure will try to update once a day or once every other day, if at all possible!

Sleeping in was something Zexion hadn't done in months. When he woke up and turned his head to see the clock, he had a momentary stab of panic when it said '10:30am'. Then he remembered the afternoon ahead of him, and he sank back against the pillow with a sigh, taking time to stretch and wake up.

This was the day when he could turn things around. This was the day he could really prove himself, show to Xemnas that he could handle the more important tasks.

He ate and dressed quickly, eager to get to the lab and begin to prod Larxene for more information. As always, he turned on a news channel for a few minutes, greeted first by a report about the ongoing trial- Axel's present pride and joy.

And Axel had a right to be proud. Just that morning, he'd managed to disprove a key piece of the prosecutor's evidence. Axel's reputation was skyrocketing, and the prosecutor's case was crumbling more with each moment.

Zexion smirked. In time, Axel might even convince him the guy wasn't guilty. It had always struck him as odd that a man who'd only burglarized grocery stores would leap to murder over peoples' wallets, but he didn't profess to understand the mind of a criminal.

He left for work early, taking his usual path down the boardwalk to the lab, which was only half a mile past where he and Axel always met for drinks. The sun was already high in the sky, the waves a little rougher than they had been the night before.

Once again, that melancholy swept over Zexion, and his footsteps slowed. The ocean was so close, and yet there was such a barrier in place; if he believed in God, he might believe that God put the water there to make it harder for humans to disturb the pristine world below.

If that was the case, then God's plan was becoming less and less effective with the new technology around.

Zexion finally reached the lab, swiping his card and going past a security guard to get in. The security guard was Cloud, an intimidating young man whom Zexion often spoke to on his breaks. None of the other scientists seemed to give Cloud the time of day.

"You're in later than usual," Cloud said as he turned the page of his newspaper.

"I'm taking an overnight shift tonight with a new specimen coming in," Zexion explained, leaning against the security desk. "Do you know anything about it?"

Cloud shrugged. "All I know is that Larxene and Xemnas left early this morning to go with the research boat. They're not back yet, so if you wanna slack off, I'll cover for you."

"Thanks," Zexion said, but with a frown. "But…Xemnas never goes out with the research boat. Marluxia told me that himself, and he's been here for years."

"Don't ask me. You know I don't know anything around here. Except that I signed for a shipment here yesterday that was full of canned tuna, crabs, and raw fish."

"Probably food for the specimen."

"Probably. If I hear anything else, you'll be the first to know."

Zexion smiled, pulling away from the desk. "Thanks."

"No problem."

Zexion headed for the lab, his mind taking in the new information. Average sized fish, and canned tuna…the research subject probably wasn't all that big, if they weren't ordering larger feeder fish. He was nearly trembling with excitement as he swiped his card and entered the lab- and he was shocked to see a very large tank in the middle of the room.

He probably shouldn't have been surprised, but it was still a big change from the usual landscape of the room- small machines and tables. There was a computer hooked up to the tank, and on the screen were constantly updating values of water temperature and pH balance, among other things. The tank itself was devoid of any plant life or animal life, which pointed strongly to the idea that the fish being brought in was strictly carnivorous.

"Good afternoon!" a cheerful voice called out, and Zexion tore his eyes away from the tank to see a shaggy mop of pink hair behind one of the larger microscopes. Marluxia lifted his head, gesturing at the tank. "What do you think? I spent all night helping set it up!"

"It's…big. Very big."

Marluxia rolled his eyes. "That's kind of the point. After all, with what's going in it, the space will be needed!"

Zexion saw his opportunity. "What is going in it?"

A pause. "I don't know, now that you mention it…"

"You don't know?"

"No one does. Xemnas ordered that the information of species and such stayed between him and Larxene and Xaldin until the subject was safely here, at the lab. Then he'll brief us," Marluxia said, checking his watch. "They should be back anytime. I got a call ten minutes ago from Larxene, she said the subject was safely captured and they were heading back."

Zexion sighed. This game of twenty questions was quickly becoming tiring, but if Marluxia was right, they'd all be enlightened any moment about the identity of this mystery creature.

A sudden crash made him jump, and both he and Marluxia turned to face the back room, where the electron microscope was stored. A hand waved from somewhere on the floor outside the door.

"I'm okay!"

Marluxia groaned. "Xigbar, it's been five months."

Xigbar stood, brushing himself off and pushing his ponytail back over his shoulder. "It's hard to get used to! You try wearing an eyepatch around for a while, see what kinda things you run into, dude."

Zexion couldn't help but snicker. He'd already heard the story about how Marluxia's experiment with a rare Amazonian venom-spitting flower had ended in the loss of Xigbar's eye. That's why Marluxia had his own lab for his plant-based experiments now- and why Xigbar was still constantly running into things.

"Where's Saix?" Zexion asked, eyeing the man's work station. Xigbar shrugged.

"He left early. He got really upset about somethin' he saw on TV in the break room."

"Odd…"

Zexion was about to ask Xigbar how the atom separation experiment was coming along, when the back door to the garage began to grind upward. Zexion's breath caught; this was it. The green research truck was there, and whatever they were going to study was stored in the back of it, right behind those tightly locked doors on the back of the truck.

The front doors of the truck opened, and Xaldin climbed out, but Larxene literally leapt out the passenger side of the truck.

"Woohoo!" she cried out, rushing to the back. "We did it! The damn thing put up one helluva fight, too."

Xemnas stepped down from the backseat of the truck in his normal regal fashion, straightening his suit jacket before turning toward them. And when he did, Zexion's eyes widened; Xemnas was holding a bloody cloth around his left arm, the ripped sleeve pulled up to the elbow.

"What happened to you?" Xigbar asked.

"That little cretin bit me," Xemnas said, his chin high even as his voice was tainted with barely restrained fury. Xigbar burst out laughing.

"Aw, man, I think I'm gonna like this one!"

Xaldin was muttering as he unlocked the three large locks on the back of the truck, then he opened the doors to reveal…a long black box. And from inside, Zexion could distinctly hear a thumping sound that resembled…fists. It sounded like someone was banging on the inside of the box.

"H-Hey! Let me out of here! Please, let me out!"

There was utter silence in the lab. Larxene, Xemnas, and Xaldin seemed unaffected by the fact that a very human voice was coming from inside that box, but Zexion, Marluxia, and Xigbar were staring in shock.

"Larxene…what's in that box?" Marluxia asked, his voice quiet for once.

Xigbar let out a growl. "Better yet, who?"

"Oh, relax, you guys," Larxene said with a dismissive gesture as Xaldin lifted the box. "Just shut up and watch."

Whoever was inside let out a shriek as Xaldin tilted the box to climb the stairs to the top of the tank- the man's strength was simply astounding. Zexion still felt like his stomach was somewhere in his feet now, his mouth felt dry, and he couldn't quite summon the ability to speak.

There was a person in that box. A human being. Not a fish. Not unless they found some form of sentient fish that had developed the ability to speak.

Xaldin pressed a button by the tank with his foot once he was on the upper level, and a section of the glass top of the tank slid open with a hissing sound. Zexion didn't even realize he was holding his breath as Xaldin slid one end of the black box open, tilted it, allowed the contents to fall into the water below, then pressed the same button again to close the tank.

At first, bubbles obscured the view of the creature within the tank. Then, as the bubbles cleared, Zexion's eyes widened.

It wasn't human. It wasn't a fish, either.

It was a mermaid.

Zexion heard a thud, saw Marluxia drop to his knees out of the corner of his eye, but he didn't take his gaze away from the tank. The boy didn't look a day over 20, his skin a beautiful lightly tanned shade with a nearly ethereal glow. His blonde hair was long, nearly down to his shoulders, and his bluish-green eyes were wide with fear and confusion.

The real mesmerizing part of him, though, was the fin. It was a light blue that turned nearly silver when caught by the right light, with a flowing smaller fin on each hip. The scales shone as the frightened mermaid gave his fin a kick, meeting up with one wall of the tank.

Zexion felt sick. He felt absolutely ill as the realization hit the beautiful creature, and he swam along one wall, hands pressing to glass in a desperate attempt to find a means of escape. He only met another wall.

The mermaid's eyes met his. He could only stare in stunned silence.

"Isn't it just amazing?" Larxene said, breaking the silence of the lab. "We've been tailing this one for three months."

No one answered her. Zexion took a few steps forward, then hesitantly put his hand against the glass. The mermaid pressed his hand to the other side, and once again, they locked eyes.

"Please. Please, take me back!"

Zexion could only look away. Boy, was that a mistake. Before he even knew what the finned teenager was doing, the mermaid swam backward a few paces, then swung his fin hard. It struck the glass so hard that Zexion yelped and fell backward, landing on his ass on the floor.

Xemnas and Xaldin started laughing. "This is why I ordered the reinforced glass for you guys. This little brat is feisty."

"But…how…" Marluxia managed, slowly making his way back to his feet. Zexion still hadn't attempted to stand.

"This is our research specimen, gentlemen," Xemnas said, stepping closer to the tank. "A mermaid. No scientific name as of yet. Your jobs have already been explained to you by Larxene. Marluxia is in charge of environmental controls, Xigbar is running any medical testing, and Zexion will taking psychological evaluations on a regular basis and keeping a journal of habitual behaviors."

"I won't do it," Xigbar suddenly said, crossing his arms. "This isn't an animal, he's perfectly sentient."

Larxene snorted. "Look, when you signed your contract, you knew you'd be doing some controversial shit. Don't tell me you're backing out now, when you have a chance to make history! You'll be famous. Rich."

Zexion tuned them out. The debate of ethics went unnoticed as he slowly pushed his way back to his feet, his eyes locked on the young man in the tank.

The mermaid was rubbing his fin where it had made contact with the glass, the expression on his face one of frustration and anger. When he looked up from his fin, he once again met Zexion's gaze, but this time the expression wasn't fear. It was hatred.

Zexion had never been so affected by the way someone looked at him. He felt like the world was crumbling around him.

"Zexion!"

He jumped in surprise, then turned around, met by the stares of everyone in the room. "Y-Yes?"

Larxene sighed. "Are you going to be taking part in this study, or are you having a crisis of conscience, too?"

"I…"

He hesitated. Luckily, though, Marluxia saved him from having to answer.

"Why don't we ask the mermaid if he'd be willing to partake in a study? That way we at least don't have to brand ourselves as kidnappers."

By this time, the mermaid was attacking the glass again. He was punching it, slapping his fin against it, anything to try and crack the glass. Like Xaldin said, he was feisty, and not about to just sit passively in an empty tank.

Xemnas, though, wasn't having any discussion of morals. "This is how my lab is run. Anyone who has a problem with this experiment is perfectly welcome to leave," he said dryly. "Though I doubt you would accomplish much more than the loss of a job. It's not as if anyone would actually believe you when you say that we're harboring a mermaid against his will."

Silence fell once again, other than the pleading cries of the trapped mermaid behind Zexion. But all the same, no one walked out.

It appeared that the fascination with the creature of legend was overcoming any urge to take the higher moral ground, even in Zexion. He didn't want to move from this spot, not until he'd divulged every secret of this mythical race.

Even if he had to set aside a little empathy to get there.

"Good. Then the research begins now," Larxene said, setting her briefcase on the desk and opening it up. She began handing out files to each scientist, and Zexion quickly opened his, having a look at the charts inside.

"This…can't be right," he said, eyeing the history of the specimen. "It says here that this…specimen was first sighted near downtown."

"That's quite correct," Xemnas said. "Why do you think we have the tank covered? We have obtained security camera footage from four cameras downtown, showing him masquerading as a human."

"Impossible."

"Well, that's one thing we'll be testing," Larxene said, walking over to the glass. She tapped it hard, and the mermaid winced. "Ha! Just like the goldfish I had when I was five. Just a big fish."

Just a fish.

Zexion pressed a hand to the glass, and this time, it went ignored. The beautiful blonde creature was exhausted from its efforts, and it sank to the bottom slowly, curling up tightly on the bottom of the tank.

That's it. Just keep the pronoun 'it' firmly in place, don't think of it as a 'he'. You're a scientist, it's your job to look at things in a rational and detached manner.

As he watched, the mermaid's shoulders began to shake. His whole body was trembling, and Zexion hesitated, a wave of nausea hitting him again. The mermaid, he was…

Larxene suddenly shoved a notebook and pen at him. "Make a note, time and behavior. Do your job, don't just gawk."

Zexion paused again, watching the mermaid as he opened up the notebook.

12:21 pm, June 29th, 2007

The mermaid has exhibited the ability to cry in an identical manner to humans. Behavior duration: 18 minutes.

"He won't eat."

Larxene snorted. "It's not like he's going to starve. He'll eat when he's done being mopey."

The mermaid hadn't moved in hours. It was still curled up on the floor of the tank, unmoving. Zexion would've thought it dead if he couldn't see its chest rise and fall though the tangle of arms and fin.

It was time for the others to leave for the night, and they were setting things up for tomorrow's experiments. Zexion stood by the tank, coffee in hand, only three or four notes made in his journal.

"It'll be more active tomorrow. This one is a ball of energy, it won't be able to sit still much longer," Larxene said, clamping a hand tightly on Zexion's shoulder. "You'll have more to do the longer it's here."

"And just how long is that?"

Larxene chuckled. "Until we're satisfied."

She patted him on the shoulder and walked away, grabbing her briefcase and her coat. Soon, it was only him left in the lab, the others leaving in silence soon after the bosses were gone. It seemed like everyone wanted to get home and be by themselves tonight.

The lights were dim, and Zexion pulled up a chair beside the tank, sitting down with his coffee and his journal.

The mermaid didn't move. The only sound was that of the pump on the tank, keeping the water continuously in motion. Zexion just watched for a few minutes, his mind wandering once again.

He felt horrible. Sure, it was in pursuit of knowledge, but the mermaid was completely miserable. He bit his lip, then decided that he should at least try to do something nice for the poor thing.

"Hey…uh, you. Mermaid," he said, tapping lightly on the glass. No response. He sighed, then got up, walking over to the drink station set up in the lab. He made a cup of hot chocolate, then thought for a moment before taking the stairs up to the second level.

Xemnas will have my head for this, he thought, sitting down on the edge of the upper level and pressing the button to open a small section of the tank lid. The mermaid finally moved at the sudden hissing sound, his head jerking as he looked up to see what it was.

"Come on up. I brought you something," Zexion said, trying to see through the ever-moving surface of the water. The mermaid didn't move. "Please?" Zexion added for good measure, but still, nothing.

This was a stupid idea. I don't even know if he can digest chocolate, Zexion thought with a sigh, and then he set the hot chocolate down by the edge of the tank and stood up. Or at least, he tried to.

Some water was still left on the floor where it had splashed when the mermaid got unceremoniously dumped into the tank. Zexion's foot slid on the floor, sending him into a fall- right into the tank. He flailed, unprepared to be submerged, not an ounce of breath in him to hold. He took in a breath of the salt water, jerked, and everything went from dizzy to black.

Zexion came to slowly, his head aching as he shifted and moaned. He could feel the hard floor beneath him, and his lungs almost felt sore. He opened his eyes, blinking a few times- and hovering over him were bright, inquisitive eyes. The mermaid.

He let out a yelp of surprise, looking around. He was on the second level, by the tank's edge, and soaking wet. And sitting beside him was the mermaid, only he was very human.

And very naked.

"Are you okay?" the mermaid asked, tilting his head. Zexion just stared.

"You…you…have legs," he managed. "You have legs."

"Of course I do, when I wanna," the mermaid said indignantly, crossing his arms. "You fell in the tank."

"I know," Zexion said, sitting up and coughing, and also attempting to avoid looking at the mermaid's lower half. "You…saved me?"

The blonde nodded. "You're a really bad swimmer."

"I can't swim."

"That's ridiculous, everybody can swim!"

Zexion laughed. "Not everybody can swim, I promise you that," he muttered, then he looked curiously at the mermaid. "Why didn't you run away? Even after you pulled me out, you could've left…"

"I had to stay and make sure you're okay," the blonde pointed out. "I'm not completely heartless, like you people."

"That…listen, I can explain about that," Zexion said, wincing at the accusatory tone. "None of us knew they were bringing in a mermaid."

"Merman."

"What?"

The merman rolled his eyes. "I'm a merman, duh. Not a mermaid. How would you like me to run around calling you a girl?"

Zexion couldn't help but smile. "You're right. I'm sorry," he said. "Speaking of what to call you…do you have a name?"

The merman nodded. "Demyx. And you're Zexion, right?"

"Yes. So, Demyx…I'm really sorry about all this. I can't say I agree with their decision to keep you here, but I…"

"But you're going to help them anyway."

Zexion sighed with frustration, burying his face in his hands. This was getting so confusing, so quickly. If he helped Demyx escape, right now, he might feel better- but Xemnas had real power in the scientific community. He'd never work in another lab in his life.

"Hey, this stuff is good!"

Zexion snapped his attention back to Demyx, who was sitting with his fin in the water- he'd somehow switched back to fin while Zexion wasn't paying attention- the forgotten hot chocolate grasped in his hands. He was sipping at it cautiously, kicking the water like a little kid.

"It's hot chocolate."

Demyx nodded. "I saw it on signs and stuff when I went on walks, but I don't carry human money, so…"

"Why did you go for walks like that?"

"For the same reason you thought it would be a bright idea to dump me in a tank and stare at me for hours. But I don't run around kidnapping humans."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Zexion mumbled. "Listen, if I could do anything, I would. Try to look at the bright side; if you cooperate, we can get done a whole lot faster, then release you right back where we got you from. We're not evil, we don't want to torture you. We just want to learn about you."

Demyx eyed Zexion with skepticism. "You aren't even supposed to know we exist. I'm breaking our laws by even talking to you."

Zexion paused, watching Demyx as he began to gulp down the hot chocolate. He felt the urge to just open the door, let Demyx back to the ocean right now…but was he really ready to ruin his life over this? Really?

"I'll make you a deal."

Demyx turned to look at Zexion. "A deal?"

"You stay and cooperate, so I can learn about you. If you do that, stay a few weeks at the very most, I will not only help you escape…but I'll make sure all the evidence of your existence is completely destroyed," Zexion explained. "I don't particularly care about getting famous or rich from the things I learn about you. I just…want to know. And if I have the time, I can figure out a way to do this for the benefit of both of us."

Demyx took a few long moments to consider this. He stared down into his hot chocolate, kicking at the water gently.

"I want hot chocolate every night," he finally said. "And human food! I want to try human food. I guess it could be a kind of…what do you call it? V…vay…"

"Vacation?"

"Yeah, that!"

Zexion smiled. "That sounds like a good deal to me. As long as you promise to start eating the fish, too, to keep your system balanced," he said, holding out his hand. Demyx stared at Zexion's hand in confusion for a few moments before the light bulb flicked on, and he grabbed onto Zexion's hand and shook it enthusiastically.

"You don't shake hands in your culture?"

"We slap fins."