Luxord caught himself staring, standing in the room where all the crimson light hit the walls from everywhere. Everywhere. Throughout the room, a red glow was bursting out from tombstones, nearly blindingly. The Gambler of Fate never understood why, even before their deaths, members of Organization XIII would have to be the so-called proud owners of a tombstone each.

Everyone, except for Xemnas, apparently.

Luxord lifted his gaze towards the back of the room – a large opening, a doorway, was locked tightly. Magically, even. Rumor had it that not even a Keyblade could open that particular lock.

'No more easy ways, boy,' Luxord thought to himself. He looked away in what you could only describe as disgust. The red light… it made him completely uneasy. It was as if he had stepped into a crime scene, the remains of the victims still laid bare for all to observe. The red… the crimson… on the floors and the walls… even the ceiling!

Vexen, Lexaeus and Zexion were some of the first to go. Of those who weren't traitors, at least. He looked at their ruined tombstones, remembering how their deaths had caused great turmoil within him. Nobodies couldn't feel, no, but their memories of sorrow and grief were strong enough to feel real. They had all known sorrow; they had all known… pain. But it wasn't that. Knowing that they could all die… having all his visions and nightmares come true… knowing that he was to never interfere in Fate's plans for everyone… that was the worst. And even though he and Xigbar had made amends after those discussions and fights, Xigbar had never come to understand. No one had.

Luxord looked at the other tombstones, all savagely vandalized by some unknown force. The demise of Marluxia and Larxene was hardly unexpected. They were traitors. Saïx had carefully planned for their deaths, Luxord suspected. Xaldin and Demyx were gone, too, and Luxord could feel Lady Death's cold and clammy hands close around his throat more and more. What bothered him was the fact that he would have to accept it. Accept it and Death would feel like a warm embrace instead.

'But we are not people,' Luxord thought bitterly. 'We are Nobodies. We do not die. We disappear.' His fists clenched for a few seconds.

Sometime earlier, the lights on Axel's tombstone had gone from a vibrant blue to the sickening red color, only to join the rest of the room's macabre attempt to illustrate the death many beings – the dismissal of dark creatures.

The Murder Room was truly shining tonight.

Luxord sighed and dug out a watch from his pocket. When he had been staring at his own reflection in the glass for a while, he realized that he had no interest in knowing the time. The tick-tock filled the silence of the room, but sounded all too slow. He squeezed it, hearing the leather of his gloves stretch and strain, and then he looked back up, staring straight ahead at nothing in particular.

"For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven," he mumbled dryly. "A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted…" He sighed, putting the watch back.

"This is a weird place to hide," Xigbar declared, walking in from the hallway. "Not preferable."

Luxord didn't turn around, but Xigbar came to a halt next to him, staring at the sources of all the red lights as well. The Gambler of Fate could have sworn that he heard an exhausted sigh. There was silent for almost a full minute.

"Sora's reached the Dark City," Xigbar mumbled.

"I know," Luxord said.

"He's gonna reach the Castle soon."

"I know."

Xigbar folded his arms. "Ready to take him on?"

"I don't know," Luxord said. "Going into battle really never was in my…" He trailed off.

"Blood?" Xigbar suggested.

"Repertoire," Luxord corrected.

"Well," Xigbar shrugged, "then I don't know what the hell you've been doing these past years. Sure looked like fighting to me."

"We fought for a cause," Luxord sighed, rubbing his brow in frustration. "We wanted hearts. We wanted to be human again."

"And now?" Xigbar inquired.

"Xemnas has obviously given up on granting the rest of us our hearts once he reaches Kingdom Hearts," Luxord explained. "We now only serve as living shields."

"Yeah…" Xigbar said, glancing at Luxord. There was silent again, until Xigbar said, "So why not leave?"

"I've said my goodbyes," Luxord said sternly, a strange frown on his face. "There's nothing left but to let Fate decide what is to happen to me now."

"You're being melancholic," Xigbar scoffed. "I don't suppose she took it well, then?"

The Gambler of Fate turned to look at him with a sad smile. "No," he simply whispered, followed by a quiet groan. He threw his head back, running a gloved hand through his blond hair. "How do you explain to someone that you're never coming back?"

"I'm sure you were really smooth," Xigbar grinned.

"Why don't you leave?" Luxord retorted. "I know what I've seen through the years, Xigbar. If there ever was a Nobody capable of hating someone, it would be you. You hate Xemnas with a passion. So why stay by his side? Why be Number II?"

Xigbar looked straight at him with one golden eye, scrutinizing every inch of Luxord's face in surprise and slight confusion, as if he had never imagined such a response. Then a small, crooked grin crept onto his face again. "My life… hasn't really been my own for a long time, buddy," was all he could say. He didn't elaborate. "It ain't my decision anymore."

Luxord looked back at him. He remembered having seen the hatred and anger that Xigbar was capable of. The absolute, maddening, white-hot rage. The darkness that rested in his presence. He remembered the night the Castle was visited by those strange creatures – he had seen a wound on Xigbar, raw and untreated, and it was eating him up from the inside out.

"I know," he simply said. "Who's being melancholic now?"

Silence fell upon them again.

"Xigbar," Luxord said after some time. When the Freeshooter looked at him, he continued. "Who is Xehanort?"

Xigbar inhaled deeply. "Just an old coot I knew once," he sighed. "Why?"

"I can't explain it," Luxord said apologetically. "The name is… burned into my mind. I hear it, I see it. It's as if I were chasing a ghost."

Xigbar scoffed. "Don't waste your time on that idiot," he said.

Once again, it was quiet. The conversation had a habit of dying down only to slightly change the subject. They were just two men talking to each other.

"You know what Xemnas did to you, don't you," Xigbar asked quietly. "When you joined the Organization?" They were both just staring ahead at nothing now.

"I do," Luxord said calmly.

"How?"

"Believe me, my friend," Luxord said, "I wish I didn't know nearly as much as I do."

Xigbar found himself scoffing again. They looked at each other.

"I gotta go, man," Xigbar finally said. "Sora's reached the Castle That Never Was by now, and I'm gonna try and stop him."

Luxord nodded. "I understand, Xigbar." He held out a hand for Xigbar to shake. "I was right when I said I had a feeling that you were going to be… around a lot. It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Xigbar grabbed it and gave it a firm squeeze. "Whatever that means – you too," he said.

In the blink of an eye, Xigbar was gone, having teleported to his final destination. Luxord took a few steps to stand in front of the tombstone with Xigbar's number, title and weapons on it. He could feel his blood rushing through his veins; feel whatever was in his chest on its way out through his ribcage. He reached back into his pockets and produced the watch, his hand slightly shaking.

Luxord didn't know how much time had passed. He could feel it physically hurt when another red light joined the rest of the damned, adding to the murder scene and the pile of bodies. He looked up at Xigbar's tombstone, now the same crimson as the others.

Everything stopped.

The watch stopped, the atmosphere stopped. Luxord had stopped the entire world once again, except for himself. It felt as if someone had punched him in the stomach and kicked him in the head at the same time, and Luxord had to kneel on the floor for a few minutes. His hand squeezed the watch until it broke before he regained his composure and rose to his feet once again.

The broken watch clattered to the floor, emitting a metallic sound.

Luxord stepped over to his own tombstone, glancing shortly at Saïx', before closing his eyes. He saw faces, names and people.

'The Wheel of Fortune,' he thought. 'The Tower…'

Wheel of Fortune…

Tower…

He inhaled deeply. "Goodbye," he said loudly, stepping through his own portal.