"Larxene," Marluxia said, knocking on the Savage Nymph's door.

"What do you want, Flower Boy?" her voice snarled from the other side.

"Just want to talk," Marluxia answered, attempting to keep his nerve and not shoot himself over about what he was about to do.

"Fine!"

Marluxia took a deep breath and walked inside, eyes widening when Larxene suddenly threw a kunai in his direction. With a hissed curse, he ducked and slammed the door shut. The kunai sunk into the wood with a dull thud and Marluxia whirled to face Larxene.

"What the hell?!"

Larxene smirked. "I can never lower my guard around you. Just making sure you weren't coming in here to murder me you backstabbing-"

"About that," Marluxia interrupted, crossing the room to sit beside her on the black covered bed.

"What?" she snapped, her kunais, which she still clenched tightly in her fists, sparking.

Marluxia sighed. "Calm down, please. I'm not here to kill you. I'm actually here to talk to you about um…well…before."

Larxene's green eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Which before…?"
"The one when we were uh…"

"Fucking?" Larxene finished, smirking at Marluxia's grimace. "Since when did you become so soft? Oh that's right, when you decided to get with that pansy Vexen."

Marluxia kept his reaction down, fighting the urge to smack her across the face. That wouldn't work for what he was planning.

"Yes, that. And you must've realized there was a reason I've come back. Vexen is like you said, a pansy. He can't handle my needs."

With each word, Marluxia wanted to bash his head against a wall. He promised to himself to make it up to the ice fighter later.

"I knew it," Larxene said, turning her nose up in the air. All according to plan. I'm a genius. "So you came back just for me, didn't you?"
"Yes, I admit it," Marluxia murmured, eyelids drooping slightly. "I'm still madly in love with you, Larxene."

Larxene's eyes widened. She hadn't been expecting that. Ah well. His pain will be all the more pleasurable when I betray him. She quickly leaned forward, sealing her lips against his in a possessive kiss.

Marluxia accepted it, allowing himself to be pushed back on the mattress and for his hips to be straddled by the short haired blond. Her hands moved quickly to his jacket, seizing the zipper and yanking it down roughly as her lips continued to dominate his. She drew away for a breath and whispered,

"You…are…mine!"

RSRSRS

"So…Rezen is Rin. And Rin was one of the apprentices that studied under Ansem the Wise," Saix said. "That's a lot to take in."

He was curled up to Xemnas's side on the man's bed as Xemnas's fingers twirled in his hair, expression thoughtful.

"I wonder about him though. There is no way we can possibly trust him. Plus there's Envy. He's a total loose cannon," Xemnas muttered. "We need to find away to get them both under control."

"I will gladly throw my life away to subdue Rezen for you," Saix told him, no hesitating in his words at all.

"I won't make you do that. In fact, I want you to be more careful in future battles," Xemnas said, shifting to make himself more comfortable. Saix's head moved to his stomach.

"But-"

"It's an order."

"Yes, Superior," Saix said, voice neutral. "I'll obey your commands, as you wish me to. But can I ask why?"

"You could've been killed last time. I don't want to risk it."

"I'm stronger than the others," Saix said. "You shouldn't hold me back like this."

"I told you, it's an order. Don't argue, just obey."

RSRSRS

"So whose all coming with us this time?" Sora asked, glancing around the table as they ate dinner. Leon still hadn't returned and Namine was still working on Xigbar's memories.

"Oh, let me go!" Yuffie cried, not caring that she had a mouthful of food.

"Ew, gross!" Demyx protested, wiping something off his face.

"Let me go! Oh please, please, please!" Yuffie continued after swallowing.

"Why do you want to go so bad?" Kairi asked.

"Well I stole that scroll with all the coordinates on it-"

"You-" Riku started.

Yuffie continued on. "And I recognized the coordinates from the scroll I stole from Vinny which means he'll be at your next stop!"

"Vinny…?" Sora asked.

"Give us the freaking scroll back," Riku growled. He was once again ignored.

"She's madly in love with Vincent," Aerith said, not caring what she had told the ninja's secret. "He's an old friend of ours."

"Oh! Aerith!" Yuffie whined. "Why'd you have to go and say that?"

"You can come with us," Kairi interrupted.

"Does anyone care that she stole our things?" Riku demanded.

"As long as she gives it back," Sora said, glancing at the dark haired ninja with a silent order to return the scroll in his eyes.

She nodded, smiling brightly. "Of course I will! I'll go get it right now!"

She vanished up the stairs seconds later and yet another silence fell over them. Vexen broke it then, startling and surprising them all.

"I'm going with you," he said, not looking up from his food.

"Any specific reason?" Demyx asked, already having a guess. He knew Vexen just wanted to busy himself until Marluxia returned.

"That is personal, Number Nine. Mind your own business," Vexen said, his voice reminding them of why he had been called the Chilly Academic.

"Yes sir," Demyx squeaked, not wanting to anger the man further.

"So Marluxia should be returning soon. He'll kill Larxene and return, regardless if he gained any information," Zexion suddenly broke in.

"What?" Riku asked.

"It's the truth," Vexen sighed, finally looking up. "It has to do with his somebody's past. Revenge."

"Like when I killed his parents. I didn't kill Lerena's. That must be why," Axel said softly.

"Don't blame yourself for this. You can't shoulder the blame every time," Vexen told him.

"Solve it with this," Luxord suggested, shoving a bottle into Axel's hand.

Roxas tugged it away and shoved it back at Luxord. "Don't listen to him. He's not smart at solving problems."

"Shut up," Luxord growled.

"I knew that, Roxas. So what are we going to do to Marluxia when he gets back?" Axel asked, wanting to know just how far everyone else's anger went to. Marluxia was a fool if he thought he could get away with it.

"We'll decide that later though personally I'd like to beat him upside the head," Zexion said coolly.

"It doesn't matter now," Aerith interjected. "Just wait for him to get back, maybe he did find some information for you. I don't think he would just outright use you guys like that. He doesn't seem like that type of person."

"You must not really know Marluxia then," Luxord snorted.

"Shut up," Vexen snapped.

"How about we all are quiet before a fight breaks out?" Namine suggested, appearing at the stairs.

"How's Xigbar?" Sora asked.

"He's fine. He's sleeping now and recovering. When he wakes, he'll be able to tell you everything he knows about Rin," Namine told them, taking a seat next to Kairi. "What's going on?"
"I'll fill you in later," Kairi sighed. "It's complicated."

RSRSRS

Marluxia let his eyes flicker open, slowly letting them adjust to the dark room. Larxene was asleep beside him, the soft sound of her breathing almost lulling him back to sleep. He slipped out from beneath the black covers and quickly redressed. As he did so, he pulled a vial out of his cloak pocket.

He held it up to the window, crepuscular light shining through the glass bottle. The liquid inside was perfectly clear. It was from Vexen's room and he had stolen it before they had gone down to dinner, guessing that he would end up leaving without having a chance to stock up on anything he might need. He popped the cap off and dipped his finger inside, drawing it out and then coating the liquid thoroughly on his lips.

Ignoring the sting, he approached Larxene's sleeping form. Gently, he grasped her pale and smooth shoulder, shaking her awake. With a grunt she woke, turning to face him, green eyes sleepy.

"Hey," he whispered softly, leaning over her.

She leaned up and seized his lips in a kiss. His eyes slid close as their lips and then pulled back, nuzzling her neck before suddenly smirking.

He drew away, laugher echoing around the room as he did so. Larxene licked her lips, eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"What the hell Marluxia? What's so damn funny?" she hissed, sitting up when she tasted something on her tongue, clutching the sheet to her chest.

His laughter didn't stop even after he wiped his lips with the back of his hand. Fear grew within Larxene but she tried not to show it. What was the weird taste in her mouth? And why did she suddenly feel so dizzy?

"Oh, dear Larxene," Marluxia cooed after his laughing had ceased. "You don't even realize what's happened, do you?"

"What did you do, bastard?" she growled.

Marluxia stepped closer to her, moving to hover over her once again. None to gently, he shoved her back on the mattress.

"I knew what you and Envy were planning," Marluxia said, smirking as he softly stroked her cheek. "You should really be quieter when discussing your plans. But you see, before I came here, I was already planning on killing you."

"You…what?" Larxene panted. For some reason, it felt like her lungs were no longer working, almost as if they weren't there at all.

"You are directly connected to me becoming a Nobody, Lerena," Marluxia murmured. "I needed my revenge on you. So I came here to act as a spy when in reality I was only here to kill you. I knew I couldn't just come at you with my scythe, so I stole one of Vexen's poisons. That kiss I just gave you…let's just say that poison is acting on your internal organs as we speak, slowly breaking everyone of them down."

Larxene opened her mouth to speak only to find that she couldn't. Desperate, she clawed at her throat as tears began to blur her eyes before streaming down them.

"There go your vocal chords," Marluxia said. "Revenge is brilliant, no?"

Larxene shook her head furiously as her tears ran faster, hotter.

"I never loved you," Marluxia breathed in her ear. "I never will. I hate you and so does everyone else. Enjoy your time in hell, Savage Nymph."

RSRSRS

Envy moved down the hallway, heading for Larxene's room. It was ten thirty at night. She had told him that she would've killed Marluxia by that time and to come find her when she was done. With Marluxia out of the way, they wouldn't have to worry about any more nuisances and could continue on with their plan to remove both Rezen and Xemnas and take over completely.

Envy knocked on the door. "Hey gorgeous, open the door."

The door opened but instead of the constantly angry blond he had been expecting the pink haired man, Marluxia, opened the door. Envy's eyes instantly narrowed and his first reaction was to punch the man in the face. So he did, or at least tried to.

His fist smashed into the pink metal of Marluxia's scythe and he leapt back, shaking his wrist at the stringing pain.

"You traitor," Envy hissed.

"Oh but so are you. You were planning to kill me and overthrow the organization, weren't you?" Marluxia asked, stepping closer to Envy, pinning him to a wall with the scythe. "Take my advice. Don't do it."

Envy's lips twisted into a snarl and he ripped Marluxia's scythe out of his hands, tossing it down the hallway. Marluxia forced it to vanish into rose petals and then whirled on Envy, seizing him by a fistful of green hair and slammed him against a wall. Envy lashed out with his feet, kicking Marluxia in the gut with his superior strength and forcing Marluxia to slam against the opposite wall, denting it.

He coughed and fell to his hands and knees only to have Envy's knee smash into his nose, forcing him back into the wall again. Envy moved to punch him but with the last of his strength, Marluxia opened a portal. Despite the bleeding nose and wheezing breath, he still managed to look dignified as he stood up, staggering slightly, and said,

"You haven't seen the last of me, Envy."

Before Envy could react, Marluxia had disappeared. Enraged, Envy screamed and then burst into Larxene's room, flicking the light switch and moving towards the bed. Larxene lay there, wrapped in the black silk sheets and green eyes wide as they stared listlessly at the ceiling. He checked her pulse, cursing when he found it was gone. He would murder Marluxia for ruining his last chance of breaking free.

RSRSRS

Vexen opened the pack he had brought with him, stowing away several bottles of his poison. He paused then, looking at the shelf he stowed his poisons on, eyes narrowing when he realized one of them was missing.

"Marluxia," Vexen growled. "You are so dead when you get back."

"I might be if you don't help," Marluxia panted, staggering through a portal.

Alarmed, Vexen spun around. Marluxia was kneeling on the ground, blood pouring from his nose and clutching at his stomach.

"Marluxia? What happened?"

"Just heal me," Marluxia hissed.

Vexen scrambled to obey, quickly casting Curaga several times. Marluxia winced as his nose snapped into place along with the two broken ribs. Slowly, the blood stopped and Vexen hurriedly cleaned the mess. He helped Marluxia stand and then helped him over to the bed.

"So, happy you got your revenge?" Vexen sniffed.

"Vex…it wasn't just revenge. Despite what you think, I did want to gather information," Marluxia said. "But…I am really sorry."

Vexen frowned. "What for now?"

"Well, I had to get Larxene to lower her guard. The only way I could do that-"

"You bastard," Vexen hissed, getting what Marluxia was hinting at.

Vexen began to move away but Marluxia snapped his hand out, seizing his arm and dragging the other man on top of him.

"Marluxia, let go," Vexen growled, pushing himself away only to have hands grip his shoulders and yank him down.

Vexen felt the will to fight die when Marluxia's warm and smooth lips slid over his. Marluxia's hands slid up his neck and tangled with the smooth blond locks as Vexen shifted into a more comfortable position on the flower man's lap. Marluxia winced as his stomach gave a painful twinge and Vexen pulled back completely.

"I still haven't forgiven you. It'll take awhile for you to earn my trust back. But right now…you need rest," Vexen murmured. "So just go to sleep."

"Stay with me?"

Vexen sighed. "Alright."

RSRSRS

Xigbar groaned when he woke, his head pounding to the beat of his heart.

"You're alive," Zexion stated, somewhere off to his right.

Xigbar opened his eye, turning to face the smaller man despite how his muscles protested against the movement. "Who're you?" he asked blearily.

Zexion sighed. It seems the memory sacrificed was of me. At least it wasn't someone more important. "I'm an old friend. You gave up your memory of me for the memories of Rin." Zexion flipped a notebook open. "Let's hear it."

Xigbar hesitated, obviously feeling awkward in such a position. Finally, Zexion stood up from the chair he had been sitting in. He could already tell that this was going nowhere, very fast.

"Never mind. I'll bring someone you actually do remember," Zexion said before disappearing out the door.

He tramped down the stairs to where Axel, Demyx, Yuffie, and Luxord were playing cards. A low hum of the television came from the connecting room, a signal that Aerith and Namine were too smart to try and win a game against Luxord.

"Xigbar woke up," Zexion called. "Unfortunately, he doesn't remember me so I need someone else to question him."

"I'll do it. I'm losing anyways," Axel said, tossing his cards on the table.

"You were expecting tow in?" Zexion inquired, quirking a fine eyebrow.

"Shut up," Axel grumbled as the two headed up the stairs.

"Where are the others?" Zexion asked.

"Sleeping. Well, Vexen said he was going to pack for tomorrow. Cid is working on the computer and Leon is still gone," Axel replied.

"I'm going to talk to Vexen. There's a journal in Xigbar's room so I want you to record everything. Don't miss a single detail," Zexion instructed.

"Yes, sir," Axel said, giving him a mock salute and a grin before disappearing within the confines of Xigbar's room.

Zexion continued down the hall to Vexen's room. He opened the door without knocking only to freeze at what he saw. Marluxia was back only he was asleep, curled up into Vexen's side. Vexen, however, was awake and shot Zexion a warning glance that clearly stated, Wake him and I'll freeze your balls off.

Zexion sighed, his own glance saying Marluxia was in for it later.

RSRSRS

The next morning dawned early, light streaming into the almost completely white room Xemnas sat in. A meeting had once again been called and everyone had arrived, everyone except Larxene anyways.

"So Marluxia was a traitor. That leaves…four of us, five counting Lexaeus and six counting Rezen. We are greatly outnumbered," Xemnas stated.

"You think?" Envy spat, arms crossed and gaze averted.

"I recommend you do not insult the Superior again unless you wish to be without your head," Saix said quietly.

"Eh, whatever, it'll grow back," Envy muttered.

Xemnas continued on as if he hadn't heard Envy. "For this reason I am sending both Xaldin and Saix to go to the three worlds Sora has already visited. Talk to his enemies, we know he has them, and offer them a place among our ranks."

"Yes, Superior. I will return as quickly as I can," Saix said, standing up and opening a dark portal.

Xaldin gave Xemnas a silent nod and did the same, disappearing moment after Saix.

"And why the hell can't I go?" Envy growled.

"Well, for one you have no method of transportation. Second, I don't trust you," Xemnas answered, smirking when Envy's expression became enraged.

"You don't want me as an enemy," Envy grumbled. "Trust me. You are human now, I am not. You wouldn't stand a chance."

"But Rezen can kill you. How, I do not know. But if you killed me, you would die as well. Now please, dispose of Larxene's body for me."

Envy opened his mouth to retort but then clamped it shut. "Yes, Superior!"