Saix sat in the lounge listening to a report from Xigbar.

"There's a spy in our midst." he sneered.

"A spy?" Saix asked. "You're sure?"

"Course I'm sure." said Xigbar. "I could tell by his weapon."

"Care to elaborate?"

"I saw him standing on a building, just looking at the castle," Xigbar explained, "which I thought was suspicious, so I decided to shoot at him and he blocked my shots with a black and red sword. It was shaped like a bat's wing."

"It must be that Riku kid." Saix deduced.

"Who's that?"

"One of Sora's companions." said Saix. "He caused some trouble in C.O. which the traitors tried to use to their advantage, but now that he knows where we operate, he could cause more trouble."

"I'll have Snipers posted on each tower." said Xigbar. "They can keep watch, round the clock."

"Good. If he comes back, we can take him out and Sora will have one less ally."

That morning, when Xion entered the briefing room she found Saix sitting at his desk. He was looking at her the same way he looked at Dusks.

"A spy has been discovered." he told her.

"A spy?"

"Yes, a stranger wearing one of our uniforms and wielding a red and black sword. He has just been sighted in Forland, taking out some of our Nobodies. Find him and do not return until you eliminate him."

She obediently entered the portal he opened for her and strode through the corridor of darkness. She wondered if Saix would treat her more like a member if she eliminated the spy.

Forland was dark when she arrived; she hoped she would be able to spot the spy. As she trekked across the countryside, she spotted a couple of Dusks in the moon's dim light. She ran toward them to warn them about the spy but came to a halt when a better idea came to her: If she stayed out of sight and kept an eye on the Dusks, the spy might come to eliminate them, when he did, she could take him by surprise.

She followed the Dusks for about twenty minutes when a black cloaked figure dashed out from some trees and beheaded them both in one swift move. Xion could make out the bright red highlights of his sword and saw that his hood was down. He had white hair and had a black cloth wrapped around his head, covering his eyes. He was definitely not a member of the organization. She sprinted out from her hiding place and began striking at him, though he evaded each strike. He then parried a quick thrust she made and shoved her back. She pointed her Keyblade at him to shoot a fireball but he knocked it out of her hand with a fireball of his own. He then grabbed her arm, hurled her onto the ground, and pulled her hood off. He lifted the cloth covering his eyes, which were blue-green and unmistakably familiar.

"You're face…" he gasped. "What are you?"

"Tell me first, why you are dressed like one of us." she demanded.

"To make sure my friend sleeps in peace." he replied, picking up her Keyblade. "This Keyblade is a fake…just like you."

"I…I am not a fake…" she said, "You're the one pretending to be someone else!"

The boy did not reply but tossed her Keyblade aside and walked away. She picked it up and charged at him but he whirled around, and knocked her into a pond. When she crawled out, he was gone. Suddenly a series of images began flashing in her mind: her being knocked off an island by that same white-haired boy, that boy striking her in the face with her own Keyblade, nearly knocking her off a cliff, and many other images of her losing to him. When the visions stopped, a cry erupted from her, brief but loud. She stood breathing heavily, wondering what made her cry out and wondering if she would have more visions. When nothing else happened, she opened a portal and ran into it.

She spent the next ten hours looking for the white-haired boy. She looked in Twilight Town, in the Accursed Dominion, in Rome, and every other world she knew how to get to, but she could not find him. She would have to tell Saix that she failed and he would have her turned into a Dusk. She would not be friends with Roxas and Axel anymore, she would not be able to remember them, knowing this made her feel bad…very bad. She had this feeling when she couldn't summon her Keyblade, she didn't know how to describe it. When she finally made it the castle's corridors she dragged herself a few feet before her vision went black.

Roxas returned from the castle after a long day of heart collecting in a desert world. He was tired and headed for his quarters, but he ran into Axel.

"Roxas, something's happened to Xion." he said.

"What?"

Axel took him to the lab where Xion was lying, on a metal slab.

"What…happened?"

"She got sent on a mission and when she got back, she collapsed."

"Is she…going to wake up?"

"Dunno, we'll just have to see."

With that, Axel left and Saix entered soon after.

"Roxas, you are not supposed to be in here." he said.

"But…Xion…"

"There is nothing you can do. It failed its mission and will remain here until Xemnas decides what to do with it." Saix stated. He didn't understand that Xion was Roxas' friend.

"I should still be with her. She's…like me." he insisted.

"It's useless to you now." Saix said, as though he were talking about a tool.

"She's not an 'it'!" Roxas said, more loudly than he meant to. Hearing Saix talk about Xion this way was making him feel…different. He had never felt this way before.

"Xion is no longer your concern, now get out."

Roxas glanced back at Xion and reluctantly went back to his quarters.

Saix watched Roxas walk slowly back to his quarters. It was ridiculous for him to make such a fuss over a tool of the trade, and a defective tool at that. Roxas was not born like other Nobodies, his original self still existed. Roxas had no past and therefore no basis for acting, so it made no sense for him to behave this way. If he became too hard to control, he would have to be eliminated.