Larxene kicked open the door to the captive's chamber. She sashayed in, holding a slice of coconut cream pie on a sparkling white plate and a cup of milk in a frosted glass. A very monochromic meal indeed.

"Chow time!" Larxene said, approaching Namine, who sat at the center of the white room. Though it was comfortable in many respects, Namine knew what the room really was: a giant birdcage to keep her from escaping the Organization's clutches.

"Yo Namine! Didja hear me?" asked Larxene, nudging the girl with her toe. "Vexen thought you might function better with a little food in ya." Larxene looked over the crouching girl's shoulder to see what she was up too.

Namine was clutching a sketchbook close to her body, while a small, tight fist guided a pencil along the pale page. A swath of Namine's blonde hair prevented Larxene from seeing what it was she was sketching.

Sighing, Larxene set down the milk and pie. "You know, that won't help you escape. Vexen doesn't have the castle working yet. Even when he does, he'll make sure your powers don't harm us."

"I'm not trying to escape. I'm drawing for fun." explained the girl softly.

Instantly, Larxene stiffened. "For fun? No way." she said with a disbelieving laugh. "Not possible."

Namine looked up at Larxene curiously, "Sure it is. Can't you draw Larxene?"

Larxene snapped upright, her expression of condescending doubt becoming one of outright dislike. "What did they promise you anyway? What reward did Vexen dangle hmmm?" asked Larxene coldly.

Namine flinched, turning back to her sketchbook. "A...friend." she whispered.

"A friend? For you? I'm guessing that would be Sora. Didn't Vexen tell you he already has friends? Plenty of them." Larxene laughed cruelly as Namine curled closer to her sketchbook. "You're gonna have to make Sora forget his real friends forever then, because he would never choose a freak like you over them." Larxene she icily.

Namine stole a glance at Larxene before she turned back to her sketchbook. What was the expression on Namine's face? Hope? Despair? Disbelief? Larxene prayed it was pain.

"You can do that right? Make Sora forget? Vexen told me you could...you better do a good job." Larxene crowed.

Namine seemed to be trying to make herself smaller, hugging her knees to her chest.

Larxene was about to continue goading the girl when she was interrupted by another Organization member.

"Larxene!" cried Zexion. He sounded repulsed.

Larxene spun around, her demeanor instantly breezy. Crossing her arms behind her head, she said easily, "Oh hey Zexion! I was just..."

"Don't even try." said Zexion coldly. "I know very well what you were doing. You aren't to compromise the captive emotionally."

"Ah Zexion but..." said Larxene stepping forward.

"Get out of here." snapped Zexion. Anger he couldn't feel flared behind his eyes.

"Fine." said Larxene, suddenly surly. With a wave of her hand, she snapped open a dark portal, which she stepped through with ill temper.

Alone with Namine, Zexion was suddenly awkward. He didn't want the girl to be upset but he was not exactly the one to try and cheer her, since he was partially responsible for her being in this situation in the first place. Zexion decided that chasing away Larxene would have to be enough, and he opened a dark portal of his own, leaving Namine in perfect solitude.

When Zexion stepped out of his portal and onto the main basement level of the Castle, he paused for a moment to collect his thoughts, before sharing his findings with Lexaeus. Why would Larxene abuse Namine like that? After all, it was Larxene's idea to bring the girl food. Unless Larxene was just using the food to get at Namine...but what argument would Larxene have with a little girl? He wondered.

----------------------

Previously that day...

The slap-dash meeting that had been pulled together at roughly 6 in the morning had been quite a spectacle, as Zexion had predicted. None of the denizens of Castle Oblivion had expected Namine so soon, so the first matter discussed was where to put her while the meeting took place. Both Marluxia and Vexen confirmed that Namine's room was equipped with all the defensive equipment that would keep the captive from escaping, but the avenues that would channel her powers were not yet complete. When that was established, Axel had to play delivery boy (at Marluxia's command) and drop Namine in her cell.

After that immediate problem was taken care of, Vexen had another parade of powerpoints, which focused on his recent string of successes with the castle ventilation system. Surprisingly, Larxene had not yawned loudly, or interrupted Vexen by trying to strike up conversations with Axel from across the table.

When Vexen finally finished, Larxene had instantly jumped up to address the table. "Hey! I know she just got here. Like, JUST, but I think it might be a good idea to feed the captive."

Zexion had blinked, confused by this seemingly inane suggestion, "Why should we feed her? She doesn't require food, just as we don't."

"Actually.." said Larxene, "You know how she's more human than we are, right? She probably doesn't need food, but I'd be willing to be she's pretty miserable without it. Like, it helps her function."

Lexaeus had raised his eyebrows, skeptical. "If you think that will help, by all means, feed the girl."

"Actually, she needs my permission to do that first, seeing as I am the one in control of the castle." pointed out Marluxia smoothly.

Larxene gave him a puppy dog look from across the table.

"Permission granted." he said, trying hard not to look flustered. With that, he dismissed the meeting, probably because half the Organization members were asleep anyway. Vexen had dropped off as soon as he had finished his powerpoint, and Axel was simply never awake to begin with. He seemed capable of only basic functions in whatever state he was in. Even Marluxia himself had struggled to stay awake through Vexen's powerpoint.

"What was that all about Larxene? Why did you do that to Namine?" asked Zexion as he walked through the basement. He had finished reviewing his day, and was ready to make his report to Lexaeus.

----------------------------

Present Again

Larxene stepped out of her dark portal, leaving Namine's room behind her, in the darkness. She had appeared in the residential corridor for the upper level Castle residents, still mortified that Zexion had interrupted her attacks on Namine. Seething, Larxene brushed past an astonished Marluxia. The memory of embarrassment brought a flush to her pale cheeks.

Why did it have to be Zexion? She thought as she stormed into her room and collapsed on her bed. Of all the Organization members, he was probably the one who was least likely to understand. But Larxene desperately wanted him to know...

"I'm not evil." she told her pillow. Unconvinced, the squishy pillow withheld it's judgement.

Larxene stared at one of her poster-encrusted walls. The truth was, she was jealous of Namine. Namine could draw; could create something of beauty. Larxene, and probably the rest of the Organization as well, could not appreciate or make anything original and pretty. Larxene's personal theory on that matter was if you couldn't feel, you couldn't create, and naturally you couldn't feel without a heart.

Often, Larxene would sit for hours in front of a blank canvas or paper, trying to bring some art into the world. Paint a picture, write a poem, anything. But nothing ever came to her. Nothing ever moved her to put pen to paper, brush to canvas. Inspiration had no heart to take hold of. It was the ultimate, insurmountable writer's block.

But, for whatever reason, Namine was different; somehow, more human than the Organization members. She could give birth to pretty little pictures, raise them in her sketchbook and fill them with life and meaning.

Larxene hated her for it.

Namine's creativity was a symbol of everything Larxene had lost when she died. Laughing a little, Larxene sat up in bed and further explained her situation fo her pillow, "I'm not evil. I'm just a jealous bitch. That's all."

Suddenly, a loud rapping at her door interrupted Larxene's melancholy monologue. "Larxene? Are you alright? You looked upset." It was Marluxia, inquisitive and concerned-sounding.

Time to play girlfriend I suppose. She thought. Larxene shook herself and sauntered over to her bedroom door. Smiling coyly, she slunk outside with a distinctly catlike air, "Well, I was a bit unhappy, but knowing you were worried about me cheered me up." she lied.

Marluxia blushed as pink as one of his pet pansies. "You know I can't feel concern." he fumbled.

Larxene slid up to him and tapped him on the nose. "Could have fooled me. Say, didn't you mention something about buying a rare orchid recently? How's that coming?" she asked, clinging to Marluxia's elbow.

"Very well, actually. Would you like to see it? It's in bloom now." he offered awkwardly.

"Why, I believe you just invited me back to your place." Larxene winked flirtily at him. "Rather forward of you."

"I...I didn't mean..." Marluxia stammered, his face going from pink to red in seconds.

"I'm just teasing. You're cute when you're flustered. Let's see how that plant's doing, hmmm?" said Larxene from her position at Marluxia's side.

"Sure." said Marluxia, walking off towards his room, though his tone was still rather unbalanced.

Un-noticed by both Marluxia and Larxene, Axel had overheard the entire conversation from around a corner. "Laxative Laxative. Is mixing business with pleasure the only way you get things done? Naughty girl." he said aloud, smirking at his fingertips.

----------------------------

When Zexion found Lexaeus, he began his report with what he had seen in Namine's room. Lexaeus absorbed the information cooly, completely unaffected by Zexion's descriptions of Larxene's cruelty. "It's probably best to keep Larxene away from Namine." Lexaeus considered when Zexion had finished his report, "We don't want the captive damaged."

"That's what I thought...at first anyway. But it occurred to me that occasional visits from Larxene might inspire Namine to do a quick and efficient job with Sora's memory. Larxene has a penchant for cruelty; she knows that Sora is somewhat of a delicate subject for Namine. Perhaps if Larxene mentions Sora every so often, Namine might be encouraged to do a better job." suggested Zexion.

Lexaeus nodded, "True. We won't bar her from the room via scientific defensive means, but we will certainly pretend to discourage her visits. Henceforth, Larxene will be secretive about her talks with Namine, and when she does 'risk' a chat, it will be concise and cold, in fear of discovery." Lexaeus concluded.

Zexion nodded in agreement, "Perhaps she needs a little more incentive to keep her visits quick and infrequent. For whatever reason, she seems to have gotten it into her head that I will not discipline her when she does something wrong. Perhaps we can arrange it so Marluxia walks in on her verbally abusing Namine?"

Lexaeus raised his eyebrows. "Why Marluxia?" he asked.

Why Marluxia indeed! Thought Zexion. His name just sort of came to me...why would I want him mad at Larxene? But Zexion was not called 'the cloaked schemer' for nothing. It took him less than half a second to formulate a reasonable sounding explanation for his suggestion.

"If Marluxia and Larxene are creating some sort of nefarious plot against the Organization, things will certainly progress slower if they are angry at one another. We might be able to stifle their plans without getting the Superior involved." explained Zexion hurriedly.

Lexaeus agreed, "Right. Good thinking. I'll get Vexen to make some surveillance cameras to secret away in Namine's room, so we can track Larxene's 'movements'." showing a rare smile, Lexaeus said, "I'll tell Vexen we need the equipment because w suspect Marluxia is tampering with Namine. That will guarantee us a good job on Vexen's end."

"Indeed." said Zexion, trying to hide how ill at ease he felt. With the discussion on Larxene and Namine finished, Zexion began work on the outlets that were supposed to regulate the flow of Namine's powers throughout the castle. He was somewhat distracted though, still bothered by that central question, Why Marluxia?