Chapter 7

Roxas headed straight to C.O.—Castle Oblivion—right after receiving his missions, unable to keep the grin off his face. By a stroke of luck, they were all solo missions today. He couldn't wait to tell Xion.

He wasn't sure why he ended up in C.O.'s Main Room instead of closer to Xion's room, though he supposed excitement and lack of focus explained it. He supposed he was somewhat glad he did, though, in a way. He arrived not ten feet from 26 and 29, and they were… arguing.

"I haven't seen anything out of the ordinary," 29 said, quite loudly, and in a tone that suggested he was repeating himself and getting very tired of doing so. "I've been too busy watching Joseph because that's my job, and in case you weren't aware, it is a job that generally keeps my hands tied."

26 said nothing, though he didn't look happy.

"Speaking of seeing things, though," 29 added, lowering his voice to normal. "Have you noticed anything… odd about the amount of Experiments wandering around? Odd as in… there don't seem to be as many as normal?"

26 shook his head. "That's not my business, 29."

29 huffed. "Fine. Then I'll go ask someone who's business it is." And with that, he stalked off.

26 looked about ready to stalk off, too, but then he spotted Roxas.

"Ah, Roxas, can you come here a moment?"

Roxas grimaced, but he couldn't exactly say no. His only excuse was I've got missions to do, and that would be met with if you have missions, then why are you lurking about C.O.? He sighed.

"Have you seen anything strange?" 26 asked, as Roxas neared. "Anyone strange?"

"No," Roxas said. It surprised him how easily the lie came, and how easily he was able to mask the concern from his face. Was 26 asking about Xion? How would he know about her?

26 narrowed his eyes. "You know…" he said, very slowly, giving Roxas a sideways look. "It is your duty as a member of the Organization to report anything out of the unusual to a higher up."

"I thought my duty was to collect hearts," Roxas said, without hesitation. He fought to keep his face straight—though now he was only threatening to smirk.

26 grunted. "On top of that."

Roxas shook his head. "Well, I haven't seen anything." He started to walk away, but then paused and reconsidered. "I have heard rumors that Riku's been seen in this Castle, though, if that's worth anything."

"Riku?" 26 laughed. "I'm pretty sure someone would've noticed if he's been lurking around in one of the Organization's Headquarters by now."

"Alright. Don't believe me, then." Roxas couldn't care enough about the matter—about Riku—to press it. Besides, he'd wasted more than enough time talking to 26. He needed to go get Xion! He didn't wait for 26 to start off, he just headed for Xion right away, all but running.

"Hey! What's got you so worked up?" Xion asked, laughing, when he burst into her room, panting for air. After the initial laughter, her face darkened with concern. "Don't you have missions?"

"That's just it! I have a couple solo missions today!" He gasped as he spoke, but he was grinning. First, at the news, and then at the grin that spread on Xion's face as she processed the news. He'd never seen her look happier.

"What are we waiting for?" Xion declared. She jumped to her feet. "Let's go!"

xxx

Three days later he had more good news: More solo missions! He stopped at C.O. to tell Xion right away, this time using a dark corridor to get as close as to her room as was polite so he wouldn't waste any time.

"Saix mentioned there might be more solo missions in the future, too!" Roxas added, once he was done telling her that there were missions to do today.

"Really?" Xion looked surprised, but not unhappy.

Roxas nodded. "Apparently there have been a lot of Replicas that've gone M.I.A., so they don't have a lot of people to send with me. Not to mention I apparently do really well 'on my own'—I think us near doubling the quota last time really helped."

Xion laughed at that. "Should we be worried about the M.I.A. Replicas, though?"

"I dunno. No one's told me to be worried. I think some of the other Organization members have been sent to hunt them down, but no one expects me to do anything. My only job is to collect hearts."

"Just because no one's told you to be worried doesn't mean you shouldn't be," Xion said. She gave him a look that he was sad to read as disapproving. He started to say something to clear it up, only he didn't have a chance. Xion was talking again. "There's a lot of… well, I wouldn't call it trouble, but something's going on here in Castle Oblivion," she said. "I don't know much about it, but Amaryllis has come to me twice now saying how it might be safe for me to come out of my room more often. I've never had a chance to ask him why, though. A Zexion Replica called Alpha seems to need him immediately after he walks in my door."

"Heard anything more about Riku?" Roxas asked.

Xion shook her head. "And thank goodness for that. I don't think I could stand it. He's a jerkhole."

"Jerkhole?"

The look Xion gave him told him not to ask further.

"You only met him once, though," Roxas said. "I wouldn't be so quick to—"

"You've never met him," Xion countered. An anger blazed in her eyes. "He was rude, and he shouldn't be here."

Roxas frowned at Xion. He didn't understand why she was being like this. "Don't you have some of Sora's memories of him, though? I do. He's not all bad…"

"Are you sure you have the same memories?" Xion crossed her arms over her chest and turned her nose up.

"What?"

"Look, never mind. Don't we have missions to get to?"

"Oh. Yeah. Yeah, we do."

This mission went like the last one did—well, and it was done in half the time, so they spent plenty of time sight-seeing and killing Heartless when they happened to show up. The quota wasn't just doubled, it was surpassed. They talked plenty, too, though not about Riku. They talked about Joseph, or about something stupid Roxas had seen Demyx do, or that Axel had said.

Missions generally went like that, every time they went together. Roxas didn't have a solo mission every day, but he did start getting more of them, just like Saix had said he would. He was very happy to be spending the time with Xion, even if it was time spent killing Heartless. The only person he enjoyed going on missions on nearly as much was Axel, who's attitude towards him had mellowed considerably. They were even something of friends, now.

As for Xion, she was happy to be up and about more. Of course, she was happy the time was spent with Roxas, too, but merely being out and moving and fighting and just doing something was better than sitting in her room all day. Days when Roxas had solo mission were the happiest days of her life.

She could almost forget she was doomed to die.

xxx

To both Xion and Roxas's surprise, 7 was waiting for them one day, in Xion's room, when they were done with missions. He was very concerned about where they'd been, though was quite happy to see Xion had befriended someone, and conceded that being up and about wasn't a bad thing for Xion. He did tell her at least twice that she shouldn't push herself too far, though.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Xion asked him.

"Hope we didn't keep you waiting too long," Roxas added.

"No, not too long," 7 assured them. "And I'm here because I—hopefully—have good news. I may have figured out a way to fix your data, Xion!"

"Fix it?" Roxas sent a confused look at 7. "What's wrong with it?" Had Xion mentioned? He didn't think she had…

"She was scheduled to be deactivated because her data was deemed insufficient to run," 7 said. His eyes darted to Xion, before he went back to considering Roxas. "Surely she told you?"

Roxas started to shake his head, and then paused. "She mentioned the thing about insufficient data… But she never mentioned what it meant."

"Sorry," Xion mumbled, looking down at her toes. "Didn't want to worry you."

7 looked between the two of them, lips tight. He looked as if holding back an emotion he did not want to express, or an opinion he did not wish to voice. He cleared his throat, finally. "Well, to put it bluntly—and I do hate to put it like this—insufficient data means she's… lucky to even be standing here. That she shouldn't have enough data to run."

"It means I should be dead."

Xion's voice was so quiet he almost didn't hear it. Roxas stared, and opened his mouth to protest—though what he would protest he wasn't sure—but then 7 cleared his throat.

"Perhaps there isn't reason to worry anymore," he said. "Like I said, I think I can fix the problem. Supplemental data was what got Roxas's data to a sufficient state, so I don't see why it wouldn't work for you, Xion. Getting the supplemental data proved to be the biggest challenge, but…"

"Let's try it out, then," Xion said. The smile on her face seemed uneasy.

In a short time they were in what 7 called his office, which also functioned as a small infirmary. The left wall was taken up by a cot, a desk and computer sitting against the back wall next to it. The right wall was completely occupied with a bookcase, with a second desk and computer—7's personal computer—against the front wall. He assured them that they wouldn't be disturbed, between the distinct keep out sign on his door and the fact he'd corridor-proofed the room.

"Is this going to… change me?" Xion asked, situating herself on the cot. She kept rubbing at her arms.

"Change you?" 7 looked surprised at the question. He laughed. "Like your basic personality or memories or anything like that?"

Xion nodded, affirming that, yes, that was what she was worried about.

"It shouldn't, no," 7 assured her. "Trust me, I know what I'm doing, and I know a simple edit like this one won't change any of your important data. It shouldn't change any of your data at all, it'll just add to it. Now lie down and close your eyes—this will only take a moment."

Xion did as told. Roxas pulled a swivel chair over from the desk of 7's personal computer and situated it before the door. That way, he could keep an eye on both Xion and 7. 7 stood at the computer by the cot, entering commands. Xion lay there peacefully, as if asleep. Roxas crossed his arms over the back of the chair and rested his chin on them. In a second he'd ask 7 what he was going to—

Wait a minute. It didn't look like Xion was breathing.

Roxas must've made a noise or jolted or something, because 7 sent an amused, though kind, look at him.

"Don't worry," he said. "I've only turned her data off so I can edit it. She'll wake up the moment I'm done."

"Oh," Roxas said. He slowly relaxed back into the chair, resting his chin on his arms again.

"Technically, the proper term for what I did is Disable her, though I don't like using that term. Reminds me too much of Deactivate." 7 had turned back to the computer, but that clearly wasn't meant to stop the conversation.

"What's the difference?" Roxas asked.

"Disabling is temporary, Deactivation is not. If she were Deactivated, she'd never wake up at all," 7 explained. He sighed deeply.

"And they wanted to Deactivate her…" Roxas said, very slowly, eyeing 7.

7 nodded. "It's the kind way of killing a Replica."

Roxas swallowed.

"What- what did you say you were going to do? To her data?" He wanted to get the subject onto something new, and well away from Deactivation.

"Fill in the gaps with some supplemental data, so she'll no longer have an insufficient amount to run on," 7 replied. Roxas realized 7'd basically said that earlier, and felt a little dumb now for asking. If he'd just listened the first time… 7 didn't notice he was repeating himself, though, or if he did, he didn't mention it.

"Where'd you get the supplemental data from, anyway?" Roxas asked.

"Sora's friend, Kairi. It seemed like best choice, the best data to mesh with the data Xion already has."

Roxas shifted in his chair. "Could you have used any sort of data?"

"Well…" 7 paused. His eyes darted over to Xion. "Yes…. But I wouldn't be so comfortable promising that no changes would be made to her personality. Kairi's data is one thing, seeing as Xion already resembles her quite a bit. Vexen data, however, or Larxene…."

"…right."

Roxas didn't have any more questions to ask after that, so he stayed silent. He sat there for a long time, watching Xion more than he watched 7 type and click and drag. 7's movement was interesting, but not interesting enough. Mostly, Roxas's mind drifted to Xion, to her Keyblade, to why it was such a bad thing she existed. Xemnas wanted Kingdom Hearts. Killing Heartless and collecting their hearts was the only way to make it. Collecting hearts required a Keyblade.

Maybe they'd tell Xemnas once they were done here, once Xion was stable enough to run properly—whatever that meant. He hadn't thought that she was anything wrong with how she was running, she'd seemed fine. But he supposed he should trust—

7 went rigid very abruptly. The computer made a faint dinging noise. 7 said nothing, he just stared, slowly reaching behind him for the chair which Roxas was sitting in. Realizing it wasn't where he needed it, 7 grunted and grabbed the other chair and pulled it to where he was.

"What's wrong?" Roxas asked, sitting up straighter.

"I…" 7 peered intently at the screen. "It says it's… incompatible…"

"Incompatible?"

7 nodded, slowly, not quite looking like he believed it. "The supplemental data. It's incompatible."