Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts (although that would be pretty cool!).


Although emotionless, Saïx did find some joy in the work that he did for the Organization. Assigning missions was usually droll for him, as it allowed him to know the important things going on in the Castle. But, there were times that mission assigning was a chore. And giving Demyx a mission usually lined up in the latter category. The Superior had asked Saïx to assign The Melodious Nocturne a very unusual and special mission, one that Saïx had protested.

"If I may say so, that's a horrible idea, Superior," Saïx retorted.

"Would you rather him go on a mission on another planet, where he could be spotted and his cover blown? By sending seven members out on long-term missions, we will have to rely on the other members to pick up the slack, meaning that he would have to go out more often," Xemnas reasoned. "Ergo, giving him this mission will keep him here in the Castle, where he can only cause minor mischief."

"But he doesn't take his missions seriously. There is no way that this will turn out well."

Xemnas laughed. "If he fails, it is a microscopic part of the master plan. We'll get along just fine, even if he fails. And if it works out, it would be a cherry on top."

Saïx sighed. "Very well, sir."

And that's how Saïx found himself standing in front of a door marked with "IX." Of course, you didn't need to know Demyx's number to discern which room was his. The loud music that tended to blare from the room gave it away rather easily. Saïx knocked on the door politely. He was not surprised to find that his knock was not answered. Rolling his eyes, he knocked again, louder and more direct. Yet again, there was no response.

Sighing, Saïx stepped away from the door and summoned his Claymore. Closing his eyes, in a truly calm before the storm moment, he breathed in deeply. Then, Saïx opened his eyes, rage now filling them. With a primordial roar, he smashed the door to pieces with his Claymore in a furious blitz. Breathing heavily, he calmed down and looked inside the room, which no longer had music playing.

Demyx's room looked very similar to a teenage wannabe rock star's room would look: dingy, poorly lit, half-eaten food lying around, music posters partially attached to the wall, etc. Demyx was currently sitting on his bed, with headphones on, looking terrified that his door had just been broken down.

"Whatever it is, I didn't do it!" he exclaimed with a look of defensiveness.

"I knocked twice and you didn't answer, so I took matters into my own hands. I have a special mission for you from the Superior himself."

"Oh no! I'm not getting sent somewhere to build a base am I? 'Cause I'm not smart enough for that!" Demyx whined.

"Duly noted. What the Superior wants from you is for you to create an anthem for the Organization. He wants you to create a song that is our calling card for when we take over."

"Like a theme song?"

"Somewhat. You know how planets have different anthems? He wants one for us."

"That'd be pretty rad. I bet I could lay down some pretty sick beats for this."

"Not exactly. There is a caveat," Saïx cautioned.

"Ooh! That's that expensive fish, right? I think Vexen said that's good brain food. Sweeto!"

Saïx sighed. "That's caviar. A caveat is a warning: he wants a formal anthem, not whatever hip-hop garbage that you autotune around with," Saïx explained.

"But I don't really do that sort of thing. Too boring."

"The alternative would be going on more missions. The Superior thought you could choose."

Demyx was, without question, the laziest member of the Organization, and did everything that he could to avoid having to do any work. Demyx thought about Saïx's proposal, and came to the realization that doing more missions would not be fun. "Oh, I see."

"This may be the only time ever that you'd be getting a mission that involves your musical 'talents.' I suggest you take it."

"Sure! I can make an anthem! It'll be something new for me."

"I had a feeling you would accept." Saïx turned and headed out of Demyx's room before turning around. "Don't fail or you'll have Xemnas to answer to." He took another step before turning around again. "Also, fix your door." Finally, he walked off.

Demyx gulped, understanding the implications of Saïx's statements. "I guess we're going to give classical music a try."


The Great Dining Hall was where feasts where held in the Castle, serving no other purpose than that. While that may point to the decadence of the Organization, the fact was simply that the Castle was large enough to afford a room only one purpose. A long table was in the center of the room, with fifteen places set up. Xemnas sat at the head of the table. Down his right side was, in numerical order, where members two through eight sat, with the rest in similar form on the left side.

Feasts were the only time where all of the members ate together, which always made the atmosphere interesting. Usually, an awkward silence hung like a blanket over the room as everyone ate. This was possibly due to the fact that this quality of food was normally not seen in the Castle, hence the ferocious eating. But more likely, this awkwardness was due to the fact that there were few topics anyone felt discussing as a group outside of business.

In addition to the assortment of meats that Xaldin had prepared, several vegetable dishes had been supplied as sides. A special lemonade was made for the event, as alcohol was never served at feasts. Xemnas had said this was because he wanted no one to feel left out, as the younger members couldn't drink, but the reasoning was probably due to his desire to not see his Organization get into a drunken stupor.

But that didn't stop everyone. Vexen turned to look at Luxord and nodded. At that moment, Luxord snapped his fingers and time stopped completely except for Vexen and Luxord. "Thank you. You're a lifesaver," Vexen told Luxord. He pulled out an icy flask for under the table and poured some vodka into his lemonade.

"Of course. Not that Xaldin's lemonade is bad, it just could use some kick," The Gambler of Fate replied. Vexen passed him the flask and Luxord spiked his drink as well. Vexen then put away the flask and Luxord snapped his fingers again, resuming time with no one the wiser.

Even if time hadn't frozen, Zexion would not have noticed anything different, as he was currently staring at Larxene. In classic Larxene fashion, she was not using the provided knife to eat her food, but was instead using her Fondre to eat the meat, which gave the illusion that she was eating like an animal with its claws. It probably didn't help that she was somewhat savage in her devouring of the meat, but Zexion was staring for an obviously different reason. He wasn't staring in horror, but rather, in a love-struck way.

Sitting next to him, Lexaeus realized this and sprung into action, not wanting anyone to see Zexion's staring, least of all Larxene. He elbowed Zexion to shake him from his trance. But an elbow from Lexaeus is quite a bit stronger than one from someone else. The sheer force from the elbow caused Zexion to lose his air and choke. As he wheezed, everyone turned to look at him. After regaining his breath, he explained. "I'm fine, choked on my food."

This satisfied everyone, as each went back to his or her meal. Zexion glared at Lexaeus, but Lexaeus merely shrugged and whispered, "You're welcome."

Xemnas looked up to Xaldin and commented on the meal. "This is excellent. Xaldin, you have really outdone yourself this time." Nods and mumbles of agreement came from the other members.

Xaldin nodded. "Good. It's not in my nature to hold back," he answered with a twinge of ferocity. Once again, silence ensued.

"Oh, I meant to ask a question," Marluxia interjected. "I was wondering if anyone was interested in taking care of the garden while I am gone for the mission." Another silence spawned. "It wouldn't be very hard. I'll leave instructions and everything. It's not that you'll have to do it alone. There will be a team of Dusks to help you." More silence continued, causing Marluxia to become more desperate in his plea. "Anyone?"

"I guess I could do it, Marluxia," Roxas finally answered.

"Anyone?" Marluxia repeated, pretending that he had not heard Roxas.

Raising his hand, "Yeah, I said I would do it," Roxas replied.

"Well, if no one wants to do it, that's fine. I'll just have my Dusks do it then."

"But I said…"

"My Dusks are more than capable," Marluxia continued.

"But…"

"Do you have ears, Roxas? Then use them! He said no," Vexen exclaimed. Many of the members were thinking the same sentiments, but didn't want to openly insult Roxas in front of the Superior. Vexen had no such qualms, being one of the most outspoken members of the Organization. However, he was relatively safe to make such statements due to his importance in the Organization, although no one wanted to admit that to him.

Vexen's remark once again silenced the room, with most members content to stare at their plates as they ate. After several more minutes of silence, Xaldin made an announcement. "It appears most of you are finished, so I shall call for desserts." He clapped his hands twice and Dragoon and other, lesser Dragoons entered the room carrying the desserts. The lesser ones brought in a variety of pies, while Dragoon brought a wonderful soufflé. "I must insist that everyone try the soufflé. I'm actually surprised how well it turned out. But don't worry if you don't like it, I guarantee you'll find a pie you like," he continued.

"Oh Xaldin, you spoil us," Xemnas commented.

"And don't worry, Superior, I have a Shaker Lemon Pie for you here as well, replied Xaldin, alluding to Xemnas' favorite type of pie.

Dessert, like anything Xaldin personally prepared, was excellent and after its completion, Xemnas made his dismissal announcement. "Thank you for the feast, Xaldin. It was greatly appreciated that you were able to prepare it on such short notice. To those of you with missions tomorrow, good luck. Remember, every day spent on your mission is a day closer to getting your hearts back. Dismissed."

As everyone left, Vexen and Zexion walked out together, giving their goodbyes.

"Good luck on your mission and the spawners. And whatever else you decided to come up with," said Zexion.

"Some vacation time in tropical weather should do me well, I imagine."

"Just don't get burned. That'd be ironic."

"I'd never hear the end of it from Axel," Vexen agreed. "Good luck with your mission and spending time with that vixen. Try to come back in one piece."

"I'll do my best." He smiled, but then imagined Vexen getting a box filled with pieces of sliced-up Zexion, turning his smile into a grimace. "It will definitely be interesting."


Hey there everyone! Sorry for the short chapter, but this is the last piece of the exposition before we get into the missions themselves. Also, super shoutout to v.t.7 for the awesome reviews! Thank you so much, it means a lot to me!

See ya real soon,

The Mustachioed Academic