Title: Mission Impossible

Author: Ladya C. Maxine

Rating: T

Summary: see chapter one

Warnings: see chapter one

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or any of its characters. I am not making any money off of this. I write only to entertain.


Roxas gaped at the twisting towers and turrets that slowly rose above the edge of the Rising Falls as they rushed up the invisible path among the large, floating rocks. The roar of the unusual waterfalls was deafening, and the mist that descended from their tops (or were those considered the bottom of the falls?) was cold, but Roxas was too entranced with this new world to be discomforted by its overwhelming dynamics. As they reached the solid stone platform at the very top, which was scattered with bits of ruins, the Superior raised a hand, signalling an immediate halt.

Hollow Bastion stood high and proud on the other side of an immense canyon. Built on a dangerously small foundation above spiky blue rocks and water, it's structure, with all its twists and bends, boldly defied every law of physics. Even from this distance, Roxas could see blue and red lines of sparks winding their way over and around balconies and walls while soft columns of purple smoke or steam rose from old chimneys and massive brass pipes. Despite the eclectic mesh of pieces, the Bastion was one solid, formidable fortress.

"Doesn't anyone live there?" Roxas asked, finding it hard to believe that such a impressive place could have gone uninhabited for so long.

He turned to the Superior and was at first surprised that the man was regarding the Bastion with such an unimpressed look. Once the wonder wore off, he remembered that, for the Superior, this place held a whole other meaning, and not a good one. Roxas was about to withdraw his question, but the Superior finally answered it.

"When the Bastion fell to the darkness, so did the rest of this world," he said, staring upon his former home with nothing more than detachment. "Radiant Garden is slowly rebuilding itself, but the Bastion remains a place of taboo and much fear."

Roxas jumped when something growled softly on the Superior's other side. Saix hadn't spoken a word since arriving in this world, as per usual, and had taken up the rear of their small party, allowing the Superior and Roxas to run ahead while he kept an eye out for anything trailing behind them. Since the Superior had briefed them both on the layout of their destination before leaving The World That Never Was, Roxas could only assume that Saix had never been to the Bastion either.

But Saix was too focussed on his role in this mission to take in the breathtaking sights. Having ascertained that nothing would be ambushing them, the Diviner was staring straight ahead, up at the dark forms that were lazily circling the towers.

"Heartless," he said needlessly, as if subtly hinting that he wouldn't turn down an order to destroy them.

"The Heartless shouldn't pose much threat to us," the Superior said, leading them towards the crumbling edge. "We have nothing they want, though the Wyverns and Defenders may just challenge us over territorial disputes. Roxas, unless our opponents are the weaker Shadows or Darkballs, you will not fight."

"Yes, sir," Roxas said, although put off that he was still being treated as a child.

He put those feelings aside to make room for some anxiety as the edge of the platform came closer and closer, with no visible way of crossing in sight. How did the Superior intend to get all the way to the Bastion from here?

"Shouldn't we have used the Corridors of Darkness to reach the Bastion, Superior?" he asked when they were just a few feet from the edge.

"That would not only alert the Heartless of our arrival, but incite them as well," the Superior said. "They may not be too big a threat, but I don't want to waste time battling Heartless. All I need are those documents. That's our main objective."

"But, sir … " Roxas didn't know the full extent of the Superior's powers, but he did know that Xigbar was the only Organization member who had powers over gravity in most situations. "Sir, there's no bridge!"

Too late.

The Superior disappeared! Had he fallen? Confused and panicked, Roxas turned to Saix, but at the unconcerned look on the man's scarred face Roxas looked back. There was the Superior, standing whole and unharmed, several metres from the edge, on a round contraption that hung from a thick cable of crackling electricity.

"You didn't expect us to fly, did you, Roxas?" the Superior asked, permitting himself a tiny smirk at Roxas' stunned expression. "Come, the both of you. Even this manner of transportation will not go unnoticed for long."

Saix didn't hesitate. Blindly trusting their leader, he took a step forward, and the next one would have his foot land on nothing but air. This time, though, Roxas saw the dull flash enveloped the black-clad body and Saix was gone, reappearing next to the Superior on the lift. Both now waited on him as Roxas peered over the edge. Yeah, that was definitely a long way down.

"Just … walk?" he asked.

"Just walk," the Superior confirmed.

Squeezing his eyes shut, Roxas took one step at a time, waiting to feel air beneath his foot. One step, then another, then another, then—

"You can open your eyes," the Superior's voice said from right next to him.

There lift was made from steel pipes and crystal supports, much like the Bastion itself, and it had no obvious means of controls. There were no buttons or levers or wheels. All there was, except for them, was a crystal balanced on a pedestal in the centre of the floor.

"Oh. That was easy," Roxas said, feeling foolish to have made such a big deal out of nothing.

"You'd be surprised how uncomplicated things can be," the Superior said. He touched the spiky crystal and it changed colour, somehow prompting the contraption to move along the energy cable, which lead directly to the Bastion.

Out of nowhere, Roxas felt a sudden and weird jolt of recognition. He frowned as he studied the lift, the way it moved, and the sight of the Bastion drawing nearer.

"This … feels familiar," he said. "I think … I've been here before. In another life … "

He thought he saw something change in the Superior's countenance, but it could very well just be the shifting sunlight playing across the other's face. When the Superior answered, his voice was as calm and neutral as always.

"It is highly improbable that you'd remember anything from your past. Though we have yet to understand why, you neophytes were truly reborn: returned to existence as completely new beings with no connections to your pasts. You were found in Twilight Town, and chances are very high that your heart was originally from there."

"Where were the others neophytes found?" Roxas asked, appeased that, given the current situation, it was safe to assume that the Superior would not have the mind—and time—to go off on one of his lengthy tales. "Also in Twilight Town?"

"You were an exception," Xemnas said, almost proudly. "All Neophytes were first 'born' in the World That Never Was. Their origins are difficult to trace, though, of course, there are strong indications, based on their powers and traits."

"Axel insists that Demyx was once a merman, because of his water-based powers and the fact that Atlantica is his favourite world," Roxas said after giving it some thought. Axel had spent most of a day (or night, as there was no day back home) coming up with charts and lists to prove his theories, much to Roxas' surprise, for Axel wasn't renowned for his love of research, which he found dull, time-consuming and irrelevant.

("Just like Vexen," Axel always said.)

"Perhaps," was all the Superior said.

"He also thinks that Luxord once ran a gambling house in Port Royal. And that Marluxia was from Wonderland and owned the Cheshire Cat. And that Saix … " Roxas shut himself up, but he couldn't stop his eyes from straying to Saix, hoping the other was still ignoring him. Unfortunately, the Berserker had been drawn away from Heartless-gazing at the sound of his name.

"What of me?" he asked, fell yellow eyes slightly narrowed.

'Damn you, Axel! You're not even here and you still manage to get me into more trouble,' Roxas thought, sticking close to the Superior as he answered the question. "Axel just said … Well, we all kinda agreed, but Axel said … that … Because of your moon powers and … certain features … Axel believes that you're from Halloween Town."

Roxas braced himself, and prayed that the Superior would not let too much harm come to him, but if the theory offended Saix the Diviner did not show it. He almost seemed to consider it, though with Saix it was always difficult to tell what he was thinking.

"That was IV's first assessment as well," Saix said with a small nod, then lost interest in the conversation all over again and went back to Heartless-gazing.

"Vexen had a fair share of theories when Xigbar returned with you," the Superior said, studying Saix as if he'd never seen him before. "His most ambitious claim was that you were a lycanthrope."

"A what?" Roxas asked.

"A werewolf."

"Really? But is that possible? I thought only humans could become Nobodies."

"We may never know," the Superior said. "There were several discrepancies in that theory, and very little proof to support it other than, as you mentioned, Saix's powers. His fangs and hair aside, however, his appearance is not that remarkable: he and Xigbar both have yellow eyes and pointed ears, which could simply be side effects of the transformation from human to Heartless. We all underwent physical changes. Myself and the first five almost didn't recognize each other when we first awoken in The World That Never Was. We'd never seen anything like our new selves."

"What did you think when you first laid eyes on Saix, sir?"

… Oh, that was smooth. Roxas would have slapped his forehead if he didn't have two pairs of eyes staring at him; Saix, once more reacting to his name, and the Superior, awaiting a sound explanation. Roxas pretended to find a really fascinating rock amongst the hundreds that littered the canyon below.

"I mean … It must have been a surprise, finding another Nobody when the six of you thought you were the only ones. Were you suspicious, or glad that there were others?"

Unbelievably, hanging around Axel did have its advantages: he was a much better liar then when he first joined the Organization. The Superior still looked suspicious, but he eventually bought the excuse.

"Of course we were curious. When our Dusks reported the presence of a new powerful Nobody roaming The Dark City we immediately took action to track down. Only, some of us had underestimated this one's strength and adaptability," the Superior said. "Which led to a bloody showdown." Fact: when the Superior smiled it was hardly ever a comforting thing. "Ever wondered why Xigbar wears an eye patch?"

The first thing one ever wondered upon seeing Xigbar was what kind of hideous fight he'd been through. Roxas had once asked the Freeshooter about it, but Xigbar had just grinned his Devil-may-care grin and skirted around the topic long enough to throw Roxas off.

"Did he and Saix … " Roxas gulped.

"How long did the fight last?" the Superior asked Saix. "An hour?"

"55 minutes, to be exact, sir. II was reluctant to use his weapons against me, as he wanted me alive, and, in the end, he defeated me." Saix held up his hand, admiring it as if the fight was taking place in his palm. "No other opponent has ever lasted that long against me since."

"Had it not been for your weakened new state, you would have undoubtedly triumphed in that battle," the Superior told the Diviner, who accepted the appraisal with a humble nod. "Compared to the deciding but single strike to your chest Xigbar managed, the injuries you inflicted on him would have killed him had you been in top condition, as you are today."

"I misdirected my aggression to a loyal member," Saix said. "If only I had been as quick to attack XI upon his arrival, his treachery would have never been able to threaten the Organization's unity."

"Marluxia was not your responsibility," the Superior said, and Roxas imagined that, were the Superior a more emotional and open man, he would have said more, but he didn't.

No more questions could be asked, though, when the contraption came to an abrupt halt, almost throwing Roxas off his feet. Before he could even ask how they'd get off, the contraption's mysterious magic teleported them to the nearest solid ground, which looked to be the main terrace. The silence, the decay and the size welcomed them with an ominous grudge. Above the towering front doors was a giant Heartless-like emblem; a grim reminder of who now ran the castle, which, this close, was no longer as captivatingly beautiful.

Instinctively, the three of them stood back to back and scanned the area for hidden dangers. Saix was the first to straighten, a good enough indication for the other two that the coast was clear, though the yellow eyes were continuously flitting from one corner to the next, ever vigilant.

"Sir?" Roxas asked softly.

The Superior had been staring at the front gates, lost in his inscrutable thoughts, but snapped to with a blink of his eyes.

"Stay on your guard," he said, and lead the way.

Roxas looked up, surprised at the sudden tenseness in the deep voice. He had come to understand that, having lost his heart, the Superior no longer felt anything for his former home, so this sudden show of bridled aggravation surprised him. Was it his inability to feel anything for this place, or indeed lingering feelings that was affecting the Superior?

Roxas said nothing and hurried along, with Saix taking up the rear once more.

Opening the front doors would attract attention, so the Superior let them in through a smaller, less noticeable side entrance, but once within the spacious front hall Roxas felt yet another strong pull in his chest; the same as he'd felt out on the contraption. As he took in the wide staircase, the graceful arches, the great chandelier, he couldn't help but doubt the Superior's earlier dismissal. He didn't want to believe that the Superior had lied to him, so he reckoned that the Superior, having admitted to not knowing much about neophytes, was simply mistaken. But Roxas was sure that he had been here, in this hall before. The floor … those walls … that ceiling … that stairwell … And he hadn't been alone either … But who had been there with him then … ? How many … ? Two … ?

Honestly troubled by the scattered thoughts, Roxas dismissed them altogether, telling himself that, true or false, they were only distracting him from their mission.

They travelled soundlessly and swiftly for such a long time Roxas started when Saix, triggered by a shift in the air only he could detect with his sharp senses, summoned his claymore. The Superior looked over his shoulder, but didn't stop. Whatever had been following them, the sight of Saix's weapon was enough to keep it at bay, or perhaps even flee. Still, Saix held onto his weapon from then on as they moved through the seemingly endless and aimless corridors, walkways and stairs.

Finally, at the top of what had to be the longest stairwell ever built, the Superior stopped. Roxas peeked around him to find the most unimportant, ordinary door in perhaps the entire Bastion. Thinking they still had some way to go, he was proven wrong when the Superior gave him a sharp look that demanded nothing but complete obedience.

"Roxas, wait here. We have given the Defender that was following us the slip, and this is area is not easily accessible by Heartless, but stay alert."

Roxas nodded, though he wasn't happy with having been led all the way here, only to be left on guard duty. Regardless, he stepped aside, leaning against the wall to watch the Superior hold out his palm to the keyhole. With a loud click, the handle turned, beckoning the two older Nobodies into the darkness that lurked beyond it. The Superior, knowing what to expect, went through with little hesitation. Saix, not knowing what to expect but never one to doubt their leader, followed with as much intent.

The door closed, and Roxas was all alone.

Sighing, he knelt down, keeping an eye on the stairwell but knowing not to expect anything coming up the steps anytime soon. With free time on his hands, he considered his progress. He'd survived it this far, which was good, but whatever it was Axel had expected to come of him accompanying the Superior and Saix, it hadn't proven successful yet.

'Axel,' Roxas groaned, annoyed. 'You idiot. You're just doing this for laughs, but it's my ass that's on the line right now.'

He couldn't help, however, wondering how the redhead was doing. Having somehow managed to get the rest to their beds to let them sober up, he had quickly returned to Axel's room before meeting up with the Superior. Axel had been fast asleep, draped over his bed where Roxas had left him, occasionally mumbling things that were beyond Roxas' understanding.

Crouching on the dark landing, Roxas thought back on the sight and found himself smiling before he could really understand why. Picturing the sleeping, peaceful expression on the usually lively, devious face, he folded his arms on his knees and rested his chin on them.

"Axel ... you idiot," he repeated softly, with less annoyance and something of affection.


"Is it wise to leave him out there alone, sir?" Saix asked when the door closed behind them. For a second, they had been thrown into the darkness before torches had flared to life, revealing a new set of spiralling stairs. "Although the boy wields two Keyblades, he isn't experienced enough to handle something like a Defender or a Wizard."

"I would have rather not bring him along at all," the Superior said, leading by a step, "but I couldn't risk leaving him behind and having one of the drunken fools blurt out information best kept secret."

Sensible, Saix thought.

"He does appear to have recollections of this place," he said. "Is there any chance of him remembering who he is?"

"No."

The sudden and abrupt answer made it clear that the Superior had other things on his mind, and Saix accordingly said no more. He had seen the looks the boy had been giving their leader earlier: the Superior's reaction to his old home had not gone unnoticed by either of them, apparently.

Oddly, Saix felt a pang of something unmentionable in him. It wasn't the usual rage he felt, or even the feral anticipation of battle, but having otherwise little experience with emotions to identify what he was feeling now, Saix easily ignored it.

The stairs finally deposited them in a hallway that was as tall as it was wide. More lanterns lit themselves, but their light was minimum, illuminating only the doors they hung next to. Nothing about the Bastion felt right to Saix, but this hallway was definitely gloomier. More than anywhere else they'd been, this hallway had a poignant feel of emptiness. Whoever had occupied these rooms in the past, their presences were sorely missed here.

Most of the doors were bare, but further down Saix slowed his steps when he caught sight of the name engraved in the door on his left; Ienzo. The next door was plain again, then another name; Aeleus. Four doors down they'd passed Evenand Dilan. Three doors from the end of the hallway, the Superior opened the door marked Braig.

Saix had never heard any of the original six Nobodies' real names, but even a fool like Demyx could have deciphered the anagrams and realized that these were the old quarters of their esteemed superiors.

Even without the labelled door, Saix would have known the room they entered to be that of the Sharpshooter. These days, II was far more interested in fighting, having forgotten most of his scientific roots, but the shelves in here were lined with thick books, tightly bound scrolls, and maps. Loose papers were scattered everywhere, though some had been pinned to the walls in a sequence that was never finished. Amongst the scientific instruments, books and charts were dozens of boxes of cartridges. Firearms of all shapes and sizes took up what little free space there was left on the walls and in the corners.

The Superior went straight for a bookcase and began searching the shelves. Saix remained near the door, keeping out of the way. Looking about the disarrayed room, his eyes settled on the desk nearby and, after having examined everything on it from a distance, he moved closer and picked up the topmost notebook on a pile. Handling it with respect, he opened it to find some untidy scribbles in the upper left corner of the cover.

"'Memoirs of a Genius'?" he read softly to himself, easily resisting the urge to snort at the cocky statement. So typical of II.

"Put it down," the Superior said without looking behind him.

"My apologies, sir," Saix said as he returned the notebook to its exact spot. He allowed the Superior to continue his search for many more minutes. When it looked like the Superior was making some progress Saix deemed it acceptable to speak. "May I ask why all of this is still here? Why did II never return for his belongings?"

"Because this is nothing but rubbish."

Again, Saix's felt a stab of something unpleasant in his chest, and his natural response was to hold whoever it was that aggravated him in any way responsible, but this was the Superior. Surely, he shouldn't be reacting this way to his leader's conduct?

To stifle the confounding feeling, he distracted himself by looking around the room again, this time picking up the most insignificant details. Unwillingly, he could only focus on the very thing that was not there, yet present at the same time.

Emptiness.

Despite the clutter, the room was so barren. Everything had been left in disorder, but clearly with the intent that it would all be tidied up later. Only, II had never returned. The drawers were open; old socks were half-hidden beneath the bed; a stack of books and empty spaces on the bookshelves where they belonged; bed unmade; a plate that had once held the remains of a sandwich; a half-finished sketches on the wall: everything was exactly the way II had left them on the ill-fated day. He had left his room, never knowing he wouldn't be returning from the laboratory.

"It is something."

Xemnas had been searching the pages for Xigbar's cryptic notes, but something in the voice broke his concentration.

"What was that?" he asked, frowning at no one in particular.

"This room ... these items ... they're all something, sir," Saix said, merely sharing his observation in an emotionless voice. "Proofs of existence. I cannot understand your apparent disinterest in your past, sir. Forgive me for saying so, but I truly don't."

"Our former selves won't matter once Kingdom Hearts is done."

" ... But until then, sir?"

It was bad enough returning to this place without being forced to acknowledge it like this, but what bothered Xemnas the most was this unusual curiosity Saix was exhibiting. Since when did the Diviner care for anything other than Kingdom Hearts? And since when did Saix pursue a topic even after Xemnas had made it clear that it was not up for discussion? Was this ... rebellion?

'Never,' Xemnas told himself sternly. 'Saix would never challenge me.'

It had to be the Bastion that was playing tricks on him, not his most faithful follower.

"Until that day comes, nothing else matters," he finally said. "We are working towards a future, Saix; a future that acknowledges us. A future that was stolen from us, which we have all rights to reclaim. But for now, we don't matter. We are presently prisoners because of our past. We must distance ourselves from our pasts in order to secure our future."

Saix could hear the finality in the Superior's words, and lowered his voice, talking more to himself then the other.

"Perhaps if you had kept your pasts closer, IV, V and VI would still be with us."

Although but a whisper, Xemnas heard every word. And while he had trained himself to dismiss the notion of true emotions, the mention of his former peers, once his close friends, stirred something in him; a feeling he did not like. Snapping the book shut, he turned around to pin a dangerous look on the Diviner.

"You are on dangerous grounds, VII," he said stiffly, stressing the other's rank. "While we no longer feel emotions, the loss of Vexen, Lexeaus and Zexion was a severe blow to our ranks. Had I known my dealings with Marluxia would lead to their deaths I would have killed the traitors sooner. If you are implying that I cared not for what happened you are gravely mistaken, Saix."

Saix felt humility seep back into him.

"My deepest apologies, sir. It's not in my place to question you, and it was poor taste to bring our deceased comrades into the conversation. I spook out of … jealousy."

"Jealousy?" Xemnas scoffed as he picked out another book. "And what would a Nobody be jealous of?"

"We are all Nobodies, sir, but you and the first five retained your memories. If I had anything, so little as a hint of who I was before, I'd hold on to it; to the proof that I once existed. Here you have your old home, your old rooms, your old belongings, all of which you reject. Longing for my past, while watching you neglect yours, is almost cruel."

"Is it?" Xemnas asked, returning the book to its place and blindly adding another to the growing stack in his arms. "How can you envy when you have no true emotions, VII?"

"The same way I can feel respect you, sir. The same way I can feel the thrill of a hunt. The same way I can feel the wrath that feeds my attacks. If I felt nothing, I would be unable to garner the rage needed to transform into my berserker rage."

"Your 'rage' stems from frustration, which comes from your acknowledgement that you are nothing," Xemnas said, speaking in a tone of one who was growing weary of having to repeat himself all the time. "Because you feel nothing—and because you are aware of your inability to genuinely feel anything—despite your wish for otherwise, you become conflicted, which you assume is agitation, which you then interpret as emotions."

"Surely, sir, it's not as formulaic as that?"

"It is better to keep things at a simpler level."

"Then there is more to it than that?"

"Saix, I've had enough of this. Leave well enough alone."

"But, sir—"

"Enough!" Xemnas snapped, slamming the book he'd been leafing through down and walking over to the surprised Diviner. He then grabbed the other by the shoulders, using his height advantage to stare down at the Diviner with superior dominance. "Do you not see, Saix? Everything we've just discussed will be irrelevant once we've regained our hearts. Our hearts are all that matter because until we have them, we simply don't matter. Once we get our hearts, we can argue our views for all eternity, if we want. But for now I will not hear another word on the matter. We need to succeed, and for that to happen I need you by my side. Do not disappoint me."

"I do not intend to," Saix said, bewildered that his questions had affected the other this way.

"Your 'jealousy' speaks otherwise."

"It was ... It was just a moment of weakness, sir. It will not happen again."

Xemnas studied the other. He believed that he had reinforced his will over Saix, but that didn't change what had already been said. Saix didn't question him. The others did. Some would carefully challenge him, and Marluxia and Larxene had openly defied him, but Saix ... This was the last person Xemnas would have ever expected to question him in this manner. Living a life that never was in a world that didn't exist, where nothing was certain, the Diviner had been one of the few things Xemnas could rely on to be predictably constant; to be safely trustworthy. He had as much confidence in Saix's loyalty as he had in the completion of Kingdom Hearts, but if Saix was proving to be unpredictable, then did that mean that Kingdom Hearts … ?

"It'd better not," he snarled, letting the other go roughly. "I will not tolerate disloyalty…"

Their mission forgotten (a shocking rarity), Saix's mind went blank. He almost dropped the books the Superior had pushed into his hands. Disloyalty? It couldn't be that ... the Superior no longer trusted it ... could it?

"Sir, I will readily admit that I was out of line, saying what I said, but speaking my mind cannot possibly be considered a sign of disloyalty."

Xemnas hesitated. Saix always spoke the truth to him, but had never sounded this sincere while doing so. Perhaps he was wrong to judge so quickly and—

"What, are you doubting yourself now?" asked a voice in his head, sounding so foreign that it was as though another had invaded his mind. "Believing in your minions rather than yourself? Have you such little resolve?"

'Who are you?' Xemnas demanded.

"No need to sound so worried. I am no enemy of yours. In fact, I've always been here, a part of you, silent with content. But now ... You are faltering. For the first time, you are no longer in full control of your own thoughts and resolutions."

'Then you should know that I do not second guess myself.'

"Prove it," the Voice challenged. "What would a true leader say to a disobedient servant?"

"Sir?"

Saix was staring at him expectantly, making Xemnas realize that he had blanked out for a moment, too busy arguing with the Voice. Caught off guard, and with the challenge still ringing in his ear, he looked at Saix with resolute eyes.

"In times like these, I will take no chances. Loyalty has grown overused and underappreciated. Each of us swore our allegiance to the Organization, yet in the course of months our numbers were nearly halved, thanks to two who had taken that oath."

Saix wondered what change had come over his leader. The orange eyes had dimmed a few moments ago, as though the Superior's mind had been temporarily transported elsewhere. The Superior seemed to have come around, but ... something was different.

"I gave you my word, sir," Saix said. "I have done as you have commanded without fail. I have sworn you my loyalty and life. If there were more I could do to prove myself, I would do it without fail, but I thought that I had proven myself to you already, sir. If that is not the case ... My apologies, but there is nothing more I can do, other than serve you."

As if a raging fire had been doused within him, Xemnas felt a welcome calm wash over him, clearing his thoughts, which had somehow become clouded without his knowledge. More importantly, the Voice was gone. A moment of weakness. While berating the Diviner for losing sight, he himself had shown a shameful loss of control.

Pulling himself and his authority together, he walked out of the room.

Adjusting his hold on the books, Saix followed wordlessly, uncertain as to whether his words had gotten through to his leader. The Superior hadn't gone far. He stood before the remaining door, marked Xehanort, at the end of the hallway. Saix kept his distance, but waited faithfully.

Xemnas looked at the name—his old name. The name he had discarded long ago.

"Leave me," he said without looking back.

There was no immediate response.

"I said leave me, Neophyte," he snarled.

After a short pause, he heard Saix turn around and walk away. Listening to the fading footsteps, Xemnas slowly turned around, half hoping that Saix would look back as well; almost hoping that the Diviner would defy him and return to his side. But Saix did as told, and disappeared down the stairs.

"A servant," said the Voice. "He is but a servant. They all are. Do not let any of them get in your way. Can you really trust anyone? Once Kingdom Hearts is completed, and their hearts are returned, what will you mean to them? Nothing. To them, you are merely a means to get what they want."

'What are you suggesting?'

"That they are only good as tools. They think they can use you, but only you have the rights to use them, because you are superior. Remember your power, and do not let anyone take it from you. Nothing else matters. More importantly, no one else matters."

Without answering, Xehanort opened the door and slipped into his old room.


Having exhausted his counting skills on counting all the steps in sight, Roxas was beginning to grow very bored on the landing floor when he heard footsteps. Quickly getting to his feet to cover up his inattentiveness, he jumped back when the door slammed open, almost knocking him down the stairs he'd just counted.

"Hey! Are we under attack? What happened—"

Next thing he knew, a heavy stack of books were shoved into his arms and he just barely registered Saix's long blue hair before a black portal opened and then closed, once more leaving Roxas all alone at the top of the stairs, wondering what had just happened.

Had it really happened? Well, his arms were now straining holding the massive volumes, so something had happened.

Cautiously peering around the door, which had been left open, Roxas expected to see the Superior returning as well, but he couldn't hear any footsteps on the spiralling stairs. The door soon closed itself. Feeling like a lost child, Roxas just stood there with the books, wondering what to do. He considered following Saix, then he considered going to check on the Superior, but finally decided that, since no new orders had been issued, he was still on guard duty.

Putting the tomes on the ground, he sat down with a sick feeling in his stomach.

Whatever had happened, it had put Saix in a bad mood. As dangerous as Saix was, Roxas doubted he'd get so worked up over nothing. But the only other person who'd gone in there with Saix was the Superior. It couldn't possibly be that ... they'd had an argument?

Saix ... ? The Superior ... ? An argument ... ?!

What sort of hellish dimension was this, and what sort of powerful magic did it posses that could cause the Superior and Saix to argue?

'Crap! Crap, crap, crap!' Roxas thought, now pacing the limited area. 'No way. I must be mistaken. The Superior and Saix don't fight. Saix always agrees with the Superior. Impossible. Something else must have happened. Maybe they met someone in there. Or maybe they encountered a Heartless that ran away before Saix could kill it. Yeah, that's it. Saix's angry because his prey escaped him. That's it. That's got to be it ... '

Not convinced by his own arguments, Roxas took a moment to realize that, since Saix had summoned a portal, he must have returned to the Castle That Never Was. Saix had gone home, in an extremely dangerous state.

'Axel, I hope you guys aren't doing anything stupid ... ' Roxas sincerely wished, suddenly fearing for his friends' lives.


Dusks were fun.

To the bored-and-eager-for-any-distraction Nobody, Dusks were the next best thing to, well, boredom. One alone was entertaining, but get a whole group together and you were guaranteed a good time. Funny looking; fun to boss around; fun to use as target practice. Yup, having a couple of the squiggly things around was a good way to pass the time between nothingness and eternal nothingness.

Dusks were also pretty stupid.

They couldn't think for themselves. They didn't appear to think much of themselves. When ordering them about you had to use short, simple commands. Big words were best avoided because Dusks associated big words with big things, as they'd unwittingly discovered when Vexen had ordered a Dusk to fetch him a 'quantumagnaregenerator'. The dumb thing had interpreted the strange but big word as Vexen wanting something strange and big, so it had gone and fetched him Xaldin.

Some of the higher ups had supposed that, over time, the Dusks would evolve into more sensible beings, but for now Axel could conclude three things: Dusks were funny, stupid and obedient. And he liked them like that.

"This," he held out a seemingly innocuous piece of paper to the group of Dusks he'd gathered around him. "This. Here." He pasted it onto the wall, where it eventually faded into the whiteness.

"How pleased will the Superior be with you playing interior decorator in his office?" Xaldin asked, leaning against the desk, watching the redhead directing the eager Dusks to the walls. Their wriggling bodies were giving his already sore head another headache.

"All I care about is how pleased I'll be when I don't have to go out on suicide missions anymore," Xigbar said, walking across the ceiling, pasting more of Axel's mysterious strips of paper to the white surface, using his foot to smooth out any air bubbles. Along with Luxord, he was the only one who had already fully recovered from their little booze fest. "I hate wasting good ammo on stinking Shadows."

"How exactly do these things work?" Luxord asked, studying one of the papers Axel had conjured up not half an hour ago, turning it this way and that and finding nothing but plain paper.

"Subliminal messages," Axel said, sighing when one of Dusks failed to coordinate its aim properly, which ended up with it pasting the paper on another Dusk's back. "Anyway, I encoded Saix's name onto these papers and, once we've covered this entire office with them, our dear Superior will suddenly find himself thinking about Saix a whole lot more."

"This is so bad, you guys," Demyx insisted from his post at the door, still wobbly on his feet with the taste of rum at the back of his throat. "They can be back at any moment and if the Superior catches us in here—"

"That's why you're on lookout," Xaldin reminded, lifting scrolls and books off the desk for Luxord, who was applying the strips with swift efficiency.

"But what if they teleport?"

"Xemnas doesn't teleport into his own office," Xigbar said knowingly, having some trouble wrapping a strip around the light fixture. "He teleports to the end of the hall, then he just walks the rest of the way."

"Stupid things," Axel said, half exasperated, half amused as he tried to un-stick a Dusk that had managed to paste itself to the wall. It was wriggling furiously while the others gathered around it, encouraging it by hopping around uselessly. With a final pull, the Dusk was freed, and did a happy jig.

"I still don't like it. I've got a very bad feeling about this," Demyx said as he kept glancing around the doorframe for any sign of movement.

"You always have a bad feeling about something," Xaldin said. "And this is actually one of Axel's better ideas. All we have to do it sit back and wait for these things to do the job for us."

"Among other things … "

The thick eyebrows furrowed as Xaldin glared at the redhead.

"What do you mean 'among other things'? Don't go making it complicated, VIII."

"Sheesh, don't get your panties in a twist," Axel snorted and was only saved from a savage pummelling from Xaldin thanks to Luxord's quick thinking. The Lancer froze mid-lunge.

"You've got 30 seconds to explain yourself before the spell wears off," the Gambler said.

"Look, the longer the Superior's exposed to these messages, the more effective they'll be. Meaning that we've got to find a way to keep him in here for the messages to work."

"That shouldn't be too hard. He's in here most of the time anyway," Xigbar said, experimentally tapping the top of Xaldin's head with his knuckles.

"Axel's plans are never easy," Luxord reminded, trying to rub off some of the stickiness from his gloves. "So you expect us to find a way to quarantine the Superior to his own office?"

"Hey, what's with the looks? My plans have worked so far, haven't they?"

"All the more reason to be wary," Luxord said. "Inevitably, your plans never work out exactly the way you thought they would, Axel. There's only so much luck in the world. Ah, time's up, by the way."

"Dammit, Xigbar!" Xaldin growled, gripping his head as the spell released him from its hold. "Once this headache is gone I'm going to crush those bony knuckles of yours!"

"I'm shaking in my boots," the gunner grunted, reclining in mid-air without a care in the world, well out of Xaldin's immediate reach. Flipping over onto his stomach, he turned his yellow eye on Axel. "And what exactly is your next move, Red?"

"You're going to have to get back into a lab coat," Axel grinned. "Since you're the senior scientist here."

" … Go on."

"You can cure diseases, right?"

"Not as good as Lexeaus could, but yeah. Only, there are no diseases here."

"But what if we all caught one?"

"Nobodies cannot catch colds," Luxord interrupted.

"Correction," Axel said. "Nobodies have never gotten ill yet. There's always a first time."

"I thought we were doing this to preserve our health," Xaldin said.

Axel ignored the comment.

"Remember that time when Vexen accidentally spilled something on his arm—"

"You mean when you jumped out of the closet and screaming while he was mixing two very volatile chemicals together," Xaldin corrected.

"Yeah, that little accident—"

"It wasn't an accident."

"Fine, that little incident. Anyway, remember he got a really bad rash that cleared up in a few days time, with no consequences? If we can find more of that stuff, we can fake some sort of deadly virus."

"You mean to say that, if we all become 'infected' by this 'virus' … then those who are still 'healthy' would have to be separated to prevent becoming 'contaminated' by the 'disease'," Luxord analyzed, getting an increasingly wider grin of confirmation from Axel. "You plan to convince the Superior that he should stay in here to prevent himself from getting infected."

"You're missing the other half of the equation: Saix," Xaldin reminded.

"We'll say that the disease has spread through most of the castle and that this office is one of the few safe places left. Meaning that, unless he wants to get infested, Saix would have to stay in here too." Axel tried to recall the last time he'd had this much fun plotting, and failed. Not even watching Marluxia be cut down by that squirt of a Keyblade wielder had been this entertaining.

"Why am I under the impression that this Master Plan of yours is getting more dangerous than any of the missions the Superior has ever sent us on?" Xaldin grumbled.

Before the debate could go any further, a Sniper Nobody materialized out of thin air, and stayed there, clinging to an invisible wall right next to Xigbar. It was not unusual for their servant Nobodies to report to them, and Xigbar had specifically assigned his troops to keep an eye out on the rest of their base while they were holed up in the Superior's office.

"Massster…" it reported in the raspy voice shared by all lesser Nobodies. "Massster … One hasss returned."

"Already?" Xigbar frowned, growing serious. "Which one?"

" The Berssserker."

Xigbar's frown deepened. It was unusual for those who left together to return separately, unless something had gone wrong.

"Is he injured?" he asked while the others stood below, listening intently.

"No, massster."

"Where is he now?"

"He isss contained."

Meaning that Saix had gone straight to his quarters.

"He isss alssso dangerousss."

Meaning that Saix was pissed off for some reason.

"Dismissed," Xigbar said, jumping down to land gently on the floor. Above him the Sniper Nobody vanished.

"What do you think happened?" Axel asked, voice pinched. "I mean, Roxas was with them and if something major happened he could be hurt or—"

"Chill out, dude," Xigbar said, shoving Axel's shoulder. "There's no way in Hades Saix would have run from a fight, or left them behind if someone was injured. I don't think anything serious went down. The Superior and Roxas are probably still at the Bastion."

"It isn't like Saix to return on his own when the Superior's still abroad, though," Luxord said. "Not unless ... he was ordered to."

"Why would the Superior order Saix to leave?"

" ... Maybe Saix isn't feeling so good," Demyx said when no one else could come up with an answer. He had joined them in the middle of the office.

"Have I taught you nothing about standing guard?" Xaldin rolled his eyes. "Whatever the reasons, if Saix is back then the other two might not be far behind. We'd better get out of here before the Superior returns."

"Yeah, we're pretty much done in here," Axel said. "Next stop, the labs. We've gotta find that fungus Vexen was messing around with."

"Someone still needs to clear away all the rum barrels," Luxord reminded.

"Have fun," Xigbar said, slapping Xaldin on the back. "And that's an order."

"At least I won't be caught somewhere where he shouldn't be," the Lancer shrugged.

"Scram," Axel told the Dusks, who proceeded to run around mindlessly, not sure what the word meant but aware that it had something to do with movement. "Man, these things are cute! Er, let's see ... Go away."

That command they knew well; Vexen used to shout it at them on a regular basis. As one they slunk away like jiggly mice.

"What about Saix?" Luxord asked.

"Someone's gonna have to feed the story about the 'virus' to him," Xigbar said.

"And who's stupid enough to approach that one when he's is such foul a mood?" Xaldin asked.

Demyx, who hadn't been paying as close attention as he should have had, had been humming to himself as he looked around, testing to see if he could find one of those subliminal messages things. His happy tune turned sour, however, when he noticed the silence, and the four pairs of eyes (well, three and a half pairs) staring right at him.

"What?" he asked innocently, oblivious to where the conversation had strayed.

Axel threw an arm over his shoulder and grinned a grin wider than the Cheshire Cat.

"Heeeeey, Demyx, little buddy! How would ya like to be relieved from guard duty?"

Tbc …


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