A/N: Wow… it's really almost over… I'm getting a little emotional… *sniff*

"You think Xiggy's onto us yet?" Demyx asked, clicking away at the Organization's shared computer.

"I don't know." I kept watch by the door, never letting my guard down. Surely Xigbar knew we were up to something by now, right? We'd triggered his trap; we'd alerted his Snipers. Was he trying to lull us into a false sense of security? Or maybe he was curious to see what ridiculous prank we would come up with.

"Are you almost done yet?" I tapped my fingers on Xigbar's blackmail box.

"You can't rush this much awesome," he replied, then burst out laughing. "Man, you've got to watch this! That cake made you guys crazier than R-2!"

I rolled my eyes; I'd put enough effort into forgetting all about that incident. "I'll watch it when we play it for Xigbar. Just worry about getting it all put together before he decides to come looking for us."

"Aww, fine…"

In between staring at the door, I rifled through the box of blackmail. The plan was to destroy it in front of him and see his reaction, but until then, I might as well see what he'd collected on the other members.

"Huh…?" I went back to a photograph I'd flipped past too quickly. Two kids were sprawled out in a blanket fort, one with red hair, and one with blue. "Hey Demyx, come look at this!"

"You mean I can take a break?" He grinned, jumping out of the spinney chair.

"Just for a second." I couldn't resist; I had to show him. "Who does this look like?"

Demyx squinted. The picture was in good condition, but it was obviously old, and it wasn't taken at the clearest angle. "No way… Axel and Saïx!? They're so little! Aww, look at little Saïx – who's a good little Berserker~?" He cooed like someone would talk to a puppy. "Wait, Axel and Saïx were that young when they joined the Organization? They're like Roxas and Xion."

"And they were friends." Which I guess made sense… Guess it explained how Axel got away with so much more than everyone else.

"Whoa. Saïx had a friend?" Demyx's eyes widened. "He wasn't always a scary werewolf?"

"I guess not… Too bad we can't find anything like this about Xigbar." I sighed, pocketing the picture of young Axel and Saïx in their blanket fort.

"Yeah…" Demyx agreed.

Our prank still felt pretty lackluster. Sure, we were going to show off our pranking adventures, burn Xigbar's blackmail, and cut off his ponytail, but that was about all we had. We still hadn't actually found out how to get the eyepatched man to stay still and let us do half of those things… I had to hope that our usual method of 'winging it' wouldn't let us down.

Demyx hopped back onto the chair, spinning around to face the computer. "Let's see, I'll just trim out some of this part..."

When someone flung the door open, I thought for sure we were done for. Demyx actually screamed; I summoned my mace.

"Normally I'd tell you to stop attacking anything that moves, but we've got more important things to talk about," Axel said, casting a sideways glance at my mace.

"Oh. It's just you." I dismissed it, glad I'd pocketed the picture already. Demyx still stifled a giggle, but at least he didn't bring up his and Saïx's slumber party (yet, anyway). "Wait, where's R-2?"

"Safe. With Riku, Naminé, and Roxas."

"You found them?" Demyx asked, spinning back around in his chair.

"Yeah, tell you about that later," Axel waved him off. "I also happened to run into our unfriendly neighborhood troll. And I might've promised him a homecoming party tonight."

"You what?" I asked as he brushed ashes off of his coat.

"It was flexible thinking!" He defended. "He asked for a welcome home party, right? I told him that's where he'd get his answers about how – or if – we have hearts."

"Aww, we do too have hearts." Demyx smiled, staring at the ceiling while spinning absently. The redhead gave him an exasperated stare.

"Yeah, excuse me if I don't take your word for it."

I stood, pushing the box of blackmail against the wall with my foot. "You know… a party isn't such a bad idea," I said after thinking for a moment. "That will get him to come to us. It's the perfect trap."

"See? I told you flexible thinking was a great idea." He grinned back, like he'd had that planned the whole time. "So what's your plan, roll the prank reel during the party? I still don't see how you're going to actually prank him."

"I've been kind of stalling on that part," I admitted, staring down at the cardboard box. It would be easy enough to have Axel set it on fire during the party, but it wasn't enough. We needed something crazier… something like…

My gaze strayed to the giant computer monitor, which was paused on the footage of our sugar-induced antics at C.O.

"Cake!" I suddenly burst out.

"What?" Demyx and Axel asked in unison, staring at me like I was crazy. I pulled Demyx out of the spinney chair with one arm.

"Axel, you know how do computer stuff, right?"

He raised an eyebrow. "I wouldn't say I'm great, but I'm better than your average Dusk."

"Great! Can you finish up that video while I borrow Demyx?" I didn't wait for his reply. "Great thanks bye!"

As I dragged Demyx through a corridor, Axel looked at the screen and mutterd, "Man, we looked this stupid…?"

XXX

Thirty minutes, a pound of sugar, and one Fire spell later, Demyx and I were staring at a delicious-looking red velvet cake. Looking being the key word.

"You think this will work like the last one?" I asked. We'd tried to basically recreate our horrible failure from last time, but I didn't entirely trust my memory.

"We dumped in a ton of sugar and killed it with Fire." He shrugged, brushing white powdered sugar debris from his coat. "What could go wrong?"

The better question was what could go right. The more wrong it went, the better.

I carried the cake as we went to Axel's room – it had been Axel's idea to throw this party in the first place. We couldn't use Xigbar's room because of the traps, and I sure wasn't going to have my room become collateral damage (especially not with Cobalt hidden in there). Plus, unlike Demyx's room, Axel's was actually clean.

"Sooo… now what?" I asked after shooing off the Assassins and setting the dangerous cake on Axel's dresser.

"What do you mean, now what?" Demyx asked like it was obvious. "We get to decorate!"

"Decorate?" I blinked. I'd expect that kind of enthusiasm from R-2, but not Demyx.

"Yeah! You can't have a party without decorations!" He grinned, opening the biggest dark corridor I'd ever seen. Honeslty, I hadn't known the portals could come in different sizes. Face scrunched with effort, he tried to push Axel's bed towards it, barely shifting it an inch.

I raised my eyebrows. "Uh… Demyx? What in the name of Kingdom Hearts are you doing?"

"Moving—Axel's—bed." He grunted, panting and slouching against its side. "Man, I should've put the corridor closer…"

Bracing my boots in the corner by the wall, I pushed it the remaining few feet into the corridor. "So… where did we just put that?"

He grinned. "The Hall of Empty Melodies. Don't worry, I bet the Dusks won't have enough time to break it." I raised my eyebrows, but he just laughed. "It's just like the last time we had a party. Good times…"

"When was that?"

"Before you got here. It was for my birthday, actually – well, it wasn't really my birthday, but everyone needed a party to stop being such boring workaholics, so I pretended it was so we could have a party." He smiled at the memory, but it turned into a slight pout. "Axel moved my bed, and his Assassins were mean and ripped holes in my Power Rangers sheets. Those were limited edition, too…"

…I wasn't even going to ask.

"So what do we decorate with?" I tried to get him focused again.

"Hmm… I think Axel got everything from the Basement last time." His shoulders slumped. "Man, we've gotta go back to that smelly place… and it's dark down there…"

"We went through it once. We can do it again," I assured him. Of course, last time, we'd only found what we were looking for because of Cobalt. If only we had some sort of party decoration for her to track… "Hey, do you still have any decorations left in your room? From your birthday?"

"Huh? Well, I think I kept some balloons, in case I ever wanted to fill them with water for a prank…"

"Perfect." I grinned. "You grab those, and I'll handle the rest."

XXX

It had taken a few tries, but I finally got Cobalt to stop pawing at the uninflated balloon and sniff it. Her superpowered nose led her through the twisting Basement aisles to a box labeled PARTY SUPPLIES.

"Good girl," I cooed, scratching her behind the ears. She let out a rumbling purr, rubbing against my legs. "Aww, I can see why Saïx disobeyed Xemnas's orders… even a guy as heartless as him couldn't get rid of you~"

As much as I wanted to stay and play with my new pet, I needed to get back and help Demyx. Dropping Cobalt off back at my room, I returned with the box of party supplies.

"-CHICKETY CHINA, THE CHINESE CHICKEN, YA HAVE A DRUMSTICK AND YOUR BRAIN STOPS TICKIN'—"

"Demyx!" I covered my ears, calling out over the blasting 'music.' "Turn that down! Do you want Xigbar to find us!?"

He cranked down the volume until it was barely a whisper, but his own voice was still obnoxiously loud. "WHAT WAS THAT?"

I dropped the box near his feet. "You didn't make yourself deaf, did you?"

He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Just making sure all my amps still work…"

"Well, I'm pretty sure they do." I massaged my forehead, trying to rub the headache away. That music had been like a blow to the skull. "Anyway, what do I do with all this?" I sat down next to the box, rifling through it with my left hand. Pointy paper hats, a bunch of tiny lightbulbs on a string, more of those "balloon" things… were parties on this world a place to throw away useless junk?

"Now you can leave that to me." He grinned, taking out some small, weird tank and attaching it to the open end of a balloon. When he turned a knob, the limp plastic inflated, rising into the air.

"Whoa!" I couldn't help grabbing it out of Demyx's hands, but as soon as it was disconnected, all the air rushed out in a loud whoosh – and the balloon went flying around the room until it flopped pitifully on top of my head.

Demyx let out a loud cackle, rolling back on the floor.

"What?" I asked defensively. "Did I mess up the magic?"

That only made him laugh louder. "Magic? It's just helium. Like, a floaty gas or something sciency like that." He sat up. "Have you never—? Wait, do they not have balloons on your world?"

I sighed. "Lived under a rock, remember?" I thought I was done with incidents like this by now… but I guess I'd never know everything about these crazy foreign worlds.

"Man," he shook his head in disappointment, "you guys are so uncultured…"

He proceeded to show me how to blow up balloons, string party lights, and strap a cone-shaped hat to my head. It all seemed pretty ridiculous. Were parties supposed to have this much useless stuff, or was it just part of the prank? Either way, with a "disco ball" hanging from Axel's ceiling and throwing shards of light across the floor, we were definitely getting the over-the-top atmosphere we were going for.

"Too bad R-2's not here," Demyx commented as we wrote "WELCOME HOME XIGBAR " in bold sharpie across a white paper banner. "I bet he'd appreciate party decorations."

"Well, he'd at least make the banner a little more colorful." And probably spell it entirely wrong… or write Scary Eyepatch Man instead of Xigbar. "Axel said he was still with Roxas… I wonder when he'll come home?"

Demyx shrugged, adding "+Luxord" in tiny print at the bottom right corner of the banner. "When he feels like it, I guess. He's a big kid, I'm sure he's fine."

I sighed. "I know… it's just that Xigbar's out there…"

"Axel took care of him, remember?" He capped the sharpie. "You worry too much. We're going to prank him, and everything's going to be fine."

His grin showed no sign of doubt. Where did all his confidence come from? Our plan seemed good – certainly not foolproof, but not bad by our standards – but I still couldn't help the uneasiness in the pit of my stomach…

Naturally, I jumped when Axel appeared out of a dark corridor.

"You've got to stop doing that," I muttered, dismissing my mace again.

"Stop what, walking into my own room?" He rolled his eyes. "I see you've got the place all– wait, where's my bed?"

"You'll never guess~" Demyx sing-songed. Judging by Axel's flat expression, he wasn't in the mood.

"Hall of Empty Melodies."

"Aww, come on!" He pouted.

Axel pinched the bridge of his nose with a deep sigh, before suddenly looking surprised. "Sheesh, you're making me act like Saï now. This prank better start soon, before I lose all my dignity."

"What dignity?" I asked, blinking innocently, and he chuckled.

"Heh, at least you guys are trying to lighten the mood… Maybe I should actually sit this one out." He leaned against his windowsill, staring at the heart-shaped moon over his shoulder.

"Why?" Demyx asked. "Don't you want to prank Xiggy?"

"See, that's just it." He lurched upright and began pacing around the room. "To be honest, I don't think I can be in the same room with him again and not take out his other eye."

For someone who supposedly wasn't supposed to have feelings, Axel practically had anger visibly rolling off of him. Xigbar had, in a roundabout way, taken his two best friends from him. Plus there was whatever happened to him in the Void.

"He's got a point," I agreed. My own memories of the Void were still too fuzzy to make out… but I did remember when I first saw R-2's missing leg. The thought still made me feel as hot as Axel. "For this to work, we have to fake that we don't completely hate his guts."

I frowned – I knew I couldn't do that. Sometimes I wished I could be a better Nobody.

"Axel, you're good at lying," Demyx said while leaning against the wall. "And Xenan, you'll do anything to get back at him for R-2, right?"

"Well… yeah," Axel and I said at the same time, him a little sheepishly.

"Then you'll be able to do it." He smiled confidently. "Just think about how silly he'll look when eats that cake. Then you can laugh instead of… well, instead of taking his eye out."

I raised my eyebrows. "How are you so sure this is going to work?"

He caught Axel mid-pace and dragged him towards me, throwing his arms around both of our shoulders in an uncomfortable group hug. "Because I believe in us!"

His cheesy grin made Axel actually burst out laughing, and I couldn't help joining in.

"That's the most ridiculous heart-crap I've ever heard," Axel told him. He pouted, letting us go to cross his arms.

"I bet if any of the kids said it, you'd think it was the cutest thing you've ever heard," he countered. "Besides, I needed to practice my lying too."

"Hey!" I flicked him lightly upside the head. Of course, he jumped back like I'd tried to hit him with my mace.

"Come on, it was a joke! You guys are no fun anymore." He shook his head in disappointment. "What's the point of doing a prank if it's no fun? That's why I'm so confident – 'cause worrying only makes sucks out all the fun. So stop fun-sucking."

I was about to argue, but I actually took a moment to think about it. As ridiculous as he sounded, he (sort of) had a point. Worrying wasn't going to make our plan any more likely to work. And this could be our last prank – it could even be our best prank, if everything went according to plan. As much as I hated Xigbar, I could still find a way to enjoy this.

"Maybe I really am turning into Saïx. Thinking about going berserk and everything. Next thing you know, I'll be stripping naked and hunting rabbits with my bare hands." Axel shook his head with a half-smile. "I've got the prank reel put together in the computer room. You think you can get Xigbar there after he has some cake?"

"No problem," I tried to borrow some of Demyx's confidence. After the sugar high ran off, everyone went unconscious anyway. We might have to wait it out, but I was pretty sure we could get Xigbar where he needed to be.

"Yeah! There we go!" Demyx held his hand up for a high-five, which I slapped. "Operation The Cake Is a Lie is ready!"

"Sheesh, way to pick something subtle…" Axel shook his head with a laugh. "I'm going to see if R-2 or Xigbar have made it back yet. And probably move my bed somewhere safer than the Hall of Empty Melodies."

That made me feel a little better; I still wasn't comfortable with the fact that R-2 was out there by himself… well, by himself with Roxas and Riku and Naminé… maybe I was just overprotective.

I took a deep breath, fidgeting with my panel arrangement while Demyx fiddled with the light arrangements. It was almost time. All our pranks had finally led to this, the one prank that would either mark us as legends, or send us down in flames.

No, don't think about that. Try to be like Demyx. Everything's going to be fine…

XXX

This time, I actually expected Axel at the door. Naturally, I was completely wrong.

"Hello, Girlie! Surprised? Or just too smitten with my stunning figure for words?" Xigbar laughed, flipping his ponytail melodramatically as he strolled into the room. My jaw dropped in disbelief, which only made him laugh.

Now, if it was just Xigbar, maybe I wouldn't be so surprised. Honestly, I should have expected that much. What I didn't expect was the entire rest of the Organization trailing behind him into Axel's room.

"Wh-what's everyone doing here?" I asked, staring as Xemnas of all Nobodies floated past me without sparing a second glance.

"More players make a game more interesting, wouldn't you say?" Luxord asked while shuffling his cards in one hand, the other holding a folded Twister mat.

"Uh…" Demyx gulped. We shared a panicked glance.

"Xigbar rather rudely demanded our presence," Saïx bothered to tell me. "I would have declined, but I do recall the last time I left a certain fire-wielder unsupervised at a social gathering."

"Heh…" Axel ruffled his hair sheepishly, avoiding my eye contact.

"There's a reason we don't have a third floor," Demyx whispered to me. But Axel burning down the castle was the least of my worries now. How were we supposed to prank Xigbar with the entire Organization watching? Well, the entire Organization minus the kids – R-2, Roxas, and Xion were still nowhere to be found. Hopefully that was a good thing.

I backed towards the wall, trying to avoid notice. That didn't stop Xaldin from staring at me with a smug expression as he leaned against the windowsill, sharpening one of his spears.

I took it back. I didn't want things to go this wrong.

Xemnas shooed Xaldin aside with a wave of his hand, taking his rightful place in the light of Kingdom Hearts.

"Good tidings, friends," he announced in his deep voice, which echoed a little in the small room. "Today is a momentous day. The second member among our ranks has returned." He held out at arm, gesturing to Xigbar, who took an elaborate bow. As ridiculous as our Superior sounded, I didn't dare make a sound during his speech. "Oh, and the tenth as well."

Luxord stood up a little straighter upon being mentioned.

"Their errors may have been foolish, but I trust that they have had time to reflect and learn from their mistakes, and I hope that we will all welcome them home as comrades under Kingdom Hearts' great light." Xemnas smiled at Xigbar and Luxord, who gave nervous half-smiles back. Wait, Xigbar was nervous? Well, the Superior could seem completely insane sometimes, but he did have the power to take away our abilities… and banish us to the Void… and turn us into Dusks…

I swallowed, glancing at the cake. If Xemnas ate a piece… we might very well be doomed. For the first time, I took Riku's suggestion to get the heck out of the Organization seriously.

"I would also like to extend my appreciation to members VIII, IX, and XV," Xemnas startled me by calling us out. A shard of light from the disco ball seemed to beam down on each of us. "They have shown great friendship and forgiveness in hosting this gathering for our returning members. Let us learn from them in our goal to regain our hearts and become one with the greatest heart of all."

The three of us shared a relieved glance, but we weren't out of the fire yet.

"Now, our number II has requested that I turn the time over to him for a few remarks before our gathering commences." Xemnas floated aside, leaving room for Xigbar to be silhouetted in front of the window.

"Thank you, honorable Superior." Too bad Xemnas couldn't comprehend the sarcasm in Xigbar's voice. "Y'know, all that stuff you said about working together to get our hearts back – it really hit me. Right here," he put his hand over the left half of his chest, "in that empty void where my heart used to be."

"I am pleased to hear that you are in touch with your inner Void," Xemnas replied seriously.

"Yep. Can't do without that Void," Xigbar mimicked the Superior's serious tone, turning his yellow eye on me, Demyx, and Axel. "Isn't that right, kiddos?"

"Uh… right?" Demyx gulped.

"Look, are we going to stand here and listen to you ramble all night, or are we going to party?" Axel asked, unintimidated. Though I could see his fist clenching and unclenching, he remained calmer than I expected. No flames flickered around his fingers.

"Rambling? As if." Xigbar tossed his head, making his ponytail swish. "I just thought now might be a good time to tell our beloved Superior how you three got—"

"Such awesome baking skills, right?" Demyx interrupted in the nick of time, running to cut the cake on Axel's dresser. "I mean, look at this cake! You said red velvet's your favorite, right?"

Luxord ambled over, frowning slightly. "German chocolate is my favorite flavor, but no one bothers to ask those of us at the bottom rungs…"

"Red velvet?" Xigbar perked up in spite of himself. "Heh, you kiddos really do pay attention. I'm so flattered."

"That's my line…" Axel muttered under his breath. Meanwhile, I just tried to keep my mouth shut, hoping Xigbar would fall for the distraction…

"Hmm. Pie would be preferable, but cake will suffice," Xemnas ruled for everyone. "We will celebrate the return of two members to our ranks, and pray that Kingdom Hearts' light will lead our other comrades safely home."

With that, Xemnas abandoned the window "spotlight" and floated over to get cake.

"…He doesn't walk?" I asked Axel, watching Demyx grin nervously as he served the Superior a slice of red velvet insanity.

Axel shrugged. "Probably just wants to feel closer to his Beloved or something. The more important question is how we're going to keep everyone distracted until that cake kicks in."

"What was that?" Saïx asked, appearing silently behind me. Thankfully, by now I'd been startled enough that my mace didn't jump to my hand.

"Uh—" I turned around – only to see that he held a plate of cake in his hands as well.

"I thought you were more of a boring white cake type of guy," Axel commented, staring at Saïx's cake like it was a time bomb. Which wasn't far from the truth, actually.

"I do prefer vanilla cake," he replied, taking a dainty bite, "but if I must attend unwarranted social gatherings, I may as well take part in dessert. And I am truly impressed, Xenan," he turned to me, "your cooking and baking skills have improved greatly. If you had a heart, I suppose you would be quite proud of your accomplishment."

"Uh, well… you were a better teacher than Zexion," I tried to keep my voice natural. Saïx raised his eyebrows.

"Did Zexion attempt to teach you to cook at C.O.?"

I laughed shakily. "Yeah. It ended badly." Just like tonight was about to. In about seventy-four seconds, if this cake worked as well as our last one. "Well, uh, I think Luxord was supposed to teach me how to play chess. Thanks, Saïx."

I darted off as quickly as I could. I'd hate to be close to the berserker when the insanity hit…

As I glanced around the room, dread filled my stomach. Xemnas, Xaldin, and Saïx had all begun to eat slices of cake, and Xigbar was now cutting his second piece, unsatisfied with the helping Demyx had served him. Besides myself, Axel, and Demyx, Luxord was the only one who hadn't gotten a slice.

"You didn't want any cake?" I asked him casually.

"I mean no offense to your baking, but red velvet isn't a particularly enjoyable flavor," he replied, shuffling his cards idly. "It was quite civil of you to throw us a party after the pain we caused you… I would like to extend my formal apologies for that. Even a good game can be taken too far."

Somehow I tended to forget that Luxord was Xigbar's accomplice, probably because I tended to forget about Luxord in general ever since he stopped signing at the bottom of Xigbar's letters. I hadn't thought about that shift much before, but could it have been because he'd stopped supporting Xigbar's blackmail plans?

For a Nobody, his apology sounded pretty sincere... it was easier than I expected to be sincere in return. "Um… thanks, Luxord."

He dipped his head respectfully. "Good luck on your next round. I believe the deck is stacked in your favor, Xenan."

Before I could reply, he wandered towards Xaldin, who had finished his cake and was now in a loud discussion with Xigbar that I couldn't quite make out over the blaring of Demyx's music. Axel was still daring to talk with Saïx, and Xemnas had Demyx trapped in a monologue about why Kingdom Hearts was the fairest of them all. Seventy-four seconds were definitely up – so why hadn't the insanity kicked in yet? Had we somehow messed up at messing up?

"Behold how her fair light rests upon our dark city… is it not glorious?" Xemnas sighed as he stared out the window, while Demyx tried to discreetly back away. "How could Numbers XIII and XIV abandon her noble purposes?"

"Um, excuse me," I interrupted Xemnas as politely as I possibly could. "I need to borrow Demyx. To, uh, show him just how awesome Kingdom Hearts is."

"Very well." He nodded. "If only more appreciated her as I do…"

I pulled Demyx away quickly, over to the corner by the cake. Other members must have brought food when I wasn't paying attention, because there was a plate of burritos, a bowl of punch, and a platter of crumpets squished together with the cake on the dresser. "What are we going to do?" I whispered, panic building. "The cake isn't working! Xigbar's going to rat us out any time now. And if the cake does start working, who knows what they'll all do – Xemnas might start throwing people in the Void and not even know it—!"

"Come on, Xenan, calm down." Demyx put his hands on my shoulders. "I handled you and the other members at C.O. when you went insane. They couldn't remember how to use their weapons or powers. And when they woke up, they didn't have any memories of what happened. They'll just think Xigbar spiked the punch or something."

From how casually he said it, I got the feeling it had happened before. "Not if Luxord's still conscious to tell everyone what happened," I pointed out. "He hasn't eaten any cake."

Demyx was silent for a while, looking around the room. Xigbar and Xaldin's conversation grew more heated; did I hear one of them shout "burritos"?

"Well?" I asked. "You have anything optimistic to say now?"

"Sheesh, you can't expect me to think of everything!" He complained. "Besides, maybe no one will go crazy—"

He grimaced at the sound of one of his amps being shoved over, followed by a terrifyingly low-pitched giggle. So much for that theory.

Axel ran over to me and Demyx, still staring over his shoulder at Saïx's eerie grin as the berserker spread out the Twister mat Luxord had brought. "I know I watched what we did on video, but I'm not sure I'm prepared for this."

"Join the club," I replied, watching Xaldin swing from the hanging party lights, then yelp when he crashed down on another one of Demyx's amps.

"Haha, look at Xemnas!" Demyx pointed to where the Superior was floating in the air, levitating the burritos to form the shape of a heart. Sure, the cake was intended for Xigbar, but maybe pranking the other members wouldn't be so bad after all—

"That cake was tampered with, wasn't it?" Luxord asked calmly, cutting my good mood short.

"It was just a joke!" Demyx said, immediately dropping to his knees and begging. "Please don't tell them! Please!"

Luxord smirked. "Never let it be said that I interrupted a good game. I suppose I can vow that much, after the damage I helped cause you."

"Phew! Thank you!" Demyx practically glomped him, as Xigbar glomped Saïx onto the Twister mat.

"Really?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "You're just going to let us get away with pranking them?"

"I enjoy betting on the underdog. No one has ever pranked the Freeshooter before. It will be a most entertaining game to watch."

Axel shrugged. "It's not like we can do anything if he's lying, anyway. Might as well take his word."

More crashes followed by silence signaled Xaldin toppling the rest of Demyx's amps.

"Aww, man!" He ran to try and catch one, but was way too late. "There goes, like, two years of munny…"

"Forget your amps, look what they're doing to my room!" Axel yelled, narrowly dodging Xaldin's next Tarzan impression as he swung and fell from the disco ball.

We'd only been prepared to deal with a crazy Xigbar; not half the Organization. The space was too small for the four affected members' spastic antics.

Saïx reached to put his right hand on green, struggling under the weight of Xigbar sitting on his back, until the Freeshooter leapt up with the excitement of a new game idea.

"Yarr harr! I'm a space pirate!" He yelled, pulling out Axel's sock drawer and trying to sit in it. Even though it was only about a foot wide, he managed to balance in it and make it levitate with his space powers. "All your burritos will be mine! Mwahaha~!"

"Nooooo!" Xemnas called dramatically, throwing himself in front of his floating burrito-heart. "Kingdom Hearts shall not fall to a mere space pirate!"

"As if!" Xigbar's "pirate ship" rammed Xemnas in the stomach, throwing him backwards through his heart of burritos and scattering them across the floor, along with most of Axel's socks.

"Man, my feet are going to smell like burritos for days…" Axel muttered. "How long does this cake stuff last?"

"…About five hours," I answered sheepishly.

"Five hours!? Why didn't you tell me that before you stole my room for the party!?"

"Because then you wouldn't let us use it?" Demyx forced a grin. Axel looked about ready to set him on fire.

"Hey, it's okay!" I stepped between them. "We'll just move them somewhere else! There's four of them and four of us, right?" I looked to Luxord, who nodded.

"I would be pleased to even up our deck," he volunteered.

"Great," Axel said in relief, then saw Saïx dump out his underwear drawer on his head. "Hey! C'mon, I've already had too many people going through my underwear—"

Demyx let out a loud cackle. "Hold that thought,, I've gotta grab the camera for this!"

He opened a corridor to go find it – but of course, Xigbar took that moment to sail his sock drawer into the darkness.

"I bet there be treasure in these waters! Yarr harr!"

"No, wait—!" Demyx rushed in after him. Where did that corridor lead to? We last left the camera in—

Oh. The computer room.

"Come on!" I called to Axel. "We can't let Xigbar erase our prank videos!"

The redhead ducked as Xaldin went flying over his head, roaring and pretending to shoot fire like a dragon as Xemnas rode on his back. "Then who's going to make sure these guys don't burn down my room?"

I guessed Demyx and I would have to handle Xigbar; Axel and Luxord definitely had their hands full here. Saïx, wearing a pair of boxers like a hat, bit through the string of party lights and hissed like a frightened cat when it electrocuted him.

"Looks like you will." I sighed. "Good luck."

"May the odds be in your favor as well," Luxord replied as I opened a new corridor.

Axel rolled his eyes. "Sheesh, someone's been reading too much Hunger Games…"

XXX

"I'm a—" Xigbar spluttered as Demyx shot him in the face with a jet of water, "—space pirate! There's no water in space!"

"Xenan!" Demyx called to me. "Do I really have to put up with this for five hours!? I can't even go on missions for that long!"

I stood in front of the main computer, guarding it with my body as Xigbar laughed and pelted socks at me. "It was a different cake this time, and it didn't kick in as quickly—will you quit it!" I yelled at Xigbar, swatting a sock away from my face.

"Not until you go to Davy Jones' locker! Or Uranus! Yarr harr harr!"

"Ugh, and I thought he was annoying before…" I had only survived last time because I'd been insane too. How could I keep Xigbar from destroying everything for five hours?

Demyx opened a dark corridor, crouching and calling to Xigbar like he was a puppy. "Hey, who wants to go explore the space-ocean now~? Doesn't it look fun~?"

"As if! You're trying to steal my treasure!" He suddenly crashed his sock drawer-slash-pirate ship into the blinking lights on the side of the computer. "This be my booty! Yarr harr harr!"

The monitor fizzled with static, distorting the frozen image of Xion's graffitied face, our last prank. I lunged towards the eyepatched man in desperation, but he flew away in the sock drawer and started pelting me with cotton projectiles as I rammed full-force into the computer tower.

"Uh-oh." I winced, but surprisingly, it seemed fine.

That was, until Xigbar slid his "pirate ship" over the keyboard, slamming down on half the buttons at once.

"Xiggy! Bad space pirate!" Demyx yelled as pop-ups filled the screen.

"Yarr harr! I will sink your ship!" Xigbar cackled, jumping from his sock drawer onto the keyboard with enough force to snap it in half. Surprisingly, that didn't completely delete all our work – it was the punch straight through the monitor that did that.

"No!" I yelled uselessly. All our hard work, all the pranks we'd recorded—

"Don't worry!" Demyx called from across the room, waving the camera. "We've still got all the original footage right—!"

Xigbar swiped it out of his hands, cackling and leaping back into his sock drawer.

"—here…"

I leapt into the air, trying to reach the eyepatched man, but he flew out of reach. This stupid castle and its stupid tall ceilings…

"Yarr harr! I've got ye treasure! I'll bury it where ye won't ever find it!"

"Oh no, you won't!" I summoned my mace, lobbing it towards his "ship." Unfortunately, my aim was as bad as ever, and it just came crashing back down, almost on top of Demyx's head.

"Eep!" He squeaked. "Would you stop trying to throw?"

As if I couldn't fail any harder, my mace landed in the box with Xigbar's blackmail. Maybe that wouldn't have been so bad if it hadn't gotten his attention. He swept down and scooped up the cardboard box in the arm that wasn't holding our camera.

"Sorry, but I don't see you having any better ideas!" I snapped back, trying to hit him with a Blizzaga spell as he retreated back into the air with our "treasure."

"How about this?" Demyx opened a dark corridor in front of Xigbar, and he went flying in, sock drawer, camera, blackmail, and all.

"Huh. That really was a better idea," I said, slightly surprised. I needed to stop doubting him all the time. "Now, where did that corridor go?"

"The place I go to hide when I really want to get out of work." He grinned proudly. "Atlantica!"

I slapped my forehead – okay, I did need to doubt him. It still took him about five seconds to realize his failure.

"…Oops."

"Oops is right! Out of all the Worlds, you just had to pick Atlantica!? Our camera's going to be ruined!" I yelled, opening a corridor at ground level. Of course, since we were going to Atlantica, we fell into the ocean from the air as soon as we reached the other side.

Oh Kingdom Hearts no not this again why can't breathe can't BREATHE—

Demyx quickly encased us a floating air bubble, and I gasped to refill my lungs.

"Thanks," I said quickly, my relief making me forget that I was mad at him. "Now, where's Xigbar?"

"Uh…" He looked down, where pieces of sock drawer debris and soggy photos were rising towards the surface. A few black socks floated in the briny water… and down below, a black-coated figure sank deeper and deeper by the second…

We don't have to save him. I'm not proud to admit it, but the thought crossed my mind. Then the memory of Larxene's fading hit me. It was that Sora kid, the one they were trying to wake up – he killed her, without a second of remorse. Did I want to be like that? Yeah, Xigbar was a terrible person, but he was still a person… And if I did have any piece of a heart inside of me, I couldn't let him die like this. No one deserved to drown to death.

Demyx didn't have to think as long as me – he was already sending our little bubble downwards, towards Xigbar's limp body. Since he was focused on keeping the ocean from caving in, I did him the favor of scooping the Freeshooter out of the water.

"Nngh, for someone living in exile, I don't think he's lost any weight…" It was a good thing Demyx could magically make us float, or Xigbar would have dragged me down with him.

Demyx rocketed us back up to the surface, finding a rock outcropping to form a dark corridor on. I stumbled onshore and through it into the Grey Area, dragging Xigbar like a sack of potatoes. We left a long stream of saltwater on the floor, but as it turned out, that was the least of the damage.

"Thou shalt not disrespect my Beloved!" Xemnas cried out, flipping a table as Xaldin threw burritos at him. Saïx's underwear-hat had slipped down over his eyes, and he ran around frantically and slammed himself into the glass walls.

"Don't diss my cooking, bro!" Xaldin hurled another burrito, managing to hit the Superior right in the face. I had to admit, his aim was impressive.

Axel panted, probably exhausted from chasing Saïx and trying to get back his underwear. "Whoa, what happened to you three?"

"Atlantica happened." I dropped Xigbar with a thud. He was still unconscious, so he probably didn't feel it anyway. Not that I would mind if he did.

Axel shook his head. "Not even gonna ask. Glad you showed up though, I think Xaldin and Xemnas might be about to start a boss battle."

Luxord strode towards us, not even flinching as a burrito flew right in front of his face. "At least they seem to be too preoccupied with their own games to challenge another player."

I sighed, wringing saltwater out of my hair. "Luxord, I'm going to be honest, I didn't understand a word of that."

"He means at least they're fighting each other and not us," Demyx translated while using his magic to extract the water inside of Xigbar. Thank Kingdom Hearts none of us had to do mouth-to-mouth.

"Oh. Yeah, that's better than when everyone ganged up on me and Demyx at C.O."

Luxord raised an eyebrow. "You have played this game before?"

"It was an accident that time," I replied, and Demyx laughed.

"Yeah, she thought she could bake our cake faster with magic, and it was a pretty awesome cake, only it made all of them go insane. I have it all on video, too!" He grinned, only to remember that that video was on the camera clenched in Xigbar's soggy hand. "Well, I did…"

"Xigbar broke the computer," I broke the news to Axel, who just sighed and shook his head.

"You know what, I'm not even surprised. At least he's out now." He nudged the unconscious Nobody with his boot. "Was it the water, or did you find some way to knock all these crazy people out?"

"The water," I answered. "The insanity takes about five hours to wear off, if this is like the last cake we made."

Luxord smiled knowingly. "If time is the only element you lack, I may be your ace in the hole."

"Wait, you mean we can time travel!?" Demyx jumped up in excitement.

"For a short distance, yes." He nodded. "Normally only enough for a quick re-roll of the dice or to choose a new card, but I may have enough magic in me for this."

"I knew it!" Demyx burst out, turning to Axel. "He does cheat! I told you I should've won Crazy Eights that time I bet half my candy stash!"

Axel rolled his eyes. "Sure, Demyx."

"Cheating ruins the fun of an honest game. However, a Nobody's supposedly emotionless reaction to losing can be more amusing than the game itself." Luxord smirked.

From across the Grey Area, Xemnas rose into the air, beginning to glow with an eerie light. "Kingdom Hearts, lend me your power! I will crush this pathetic fool who refuses to bow before you!"

"Uh, can we argue about games later?" I asked, hiding behind Axel. "Let's get to the part where we time-travel now."

"Alright, I suppose we've had too many formalities already. Stay close now." Luxord held out his arms, and the four of us huddled together like some sort of awkward group hug.

I wasn't sure what I expected time travel to feel like. Whatever I'd expected, though, this wasn't it. The grey walls brightened and blurred, stretching out into thin lines spinning around us, like we'd been flung into the castle's washing machine. It was more nausea-inducing than being tossed by waves in the ocean. Thankfully I hadn't eaten anything since our Pizza Planning Party, or I might've ruined Luxord's coat.

Was time travel supposed to take time? It felt like at least three minutes passed before the room stopped spinning, leaving me with spots dancing in my eyes.

"Nngh…" I stumbled, almost tripping over Xigbar's stirring form.

"That was quite the gamble…" Luxord winced, rubbing his forehead. "I think I'll take a time-out…"

As he collapsed on one of the couches, I tried to get my bearings. The Grey Area was a mess of splattered burritos and laser burns, and the far right couch was still on fire, but Xemnas, Xaldin, and Saïx were all unconscious. Hopefully they would stay that way.

"I thought time travel would be more fun," Demyx said, sitting down next to me, and Axel joined us as well.

"Got the job done, at least," he said, ruffling his hair. "Man, Luxord's got the right idea. I think I could sleep for a week…"

Unfortunately, we wouldn't even have time for a catnap. Xigbar was groaning and trying to roll over – and I still needed to cut his ponytail.

My brain still hadn't caught up from the time-jump, but I forced my body to obey me. Crouching next to Xigbar, I summoned my mace, forming it into a stubby axe with a flat, thin blade.

I'd pictured this moment before. Finally getting my revenge on Xigbar, bragging about my glorious victory. His face, stunned that someone had finally beaten him at his own game.

Instead, I just felt tired, and a little disappointed. He wasn't even conscious enough to realize what I was doing yet. Maybe cutting his hair wasn't good enough revenge…

Still, I followed through with my plan. Just as the Xigbar's yellow eye began to open, I made a clean slice just above his ponytail holder.

He woke up fast enough after that – fast enough to jerk up and grab my mace arm. "No one sneaks up on me, Girlie. I sleep with one eye open."

I grinned, holding up his severed hair. "You sure about that?"

"What the—!?" That was more like it. His eye widened as he grasped at his hair, feeling for the black-and-grey bundle of hair he wouldn't find. "You—as if you could—"

Demyx slid down off the couch, sitting next to me. "We did it, Xiggy. We did your challenge."

"Pranked every member in the Organization. Including you." I corridored away the ponytail for safekeeping and took the waterlogged camera from his hand. "The evidence was right here, but you kind of took it to Atlantica and almost drowned."

"You took your blackmail too," Demyx added. "Xenan has the only picture left in her pocket."

"My blackmail?" He laughed. "As if."

Thankfully, the Organization coats' magically-deep pockets were also magically waterproof. I pulled out the photo of Axel and Saïx in their blanket fort. "Does this look familiar?"

He took it from my hands, laughing slightly. "Man, this was ages ago. Back when old X-Face used to throw Flamsilocks there a bone every once in a while." That got Axel's attention, but the redhead was too tired from the time-lag to get up and look at the picture himself. "How did you find this? I didn't leave it lying around where any old dude could find it."

"We're smarter than we look," Demyx bragged, puffing out his chest proudly.

"We're lucky," I admitted at the same time.

"So you're telling me my blackmail's swimming with the fishes now, huh?" Xigbar's expression stayed unreadable as he stared down at his soaked coat, then scanned the room. For all I knew, he was checking to see how many witnesses there'd be if he killed us right now. Instead he just asked in a slightly bemused tone, "What did you do, drug me?"

"Pretty much," Demyx admitted sheepishly. "It was a magic cake…"

Even though he'd gotten rid of most of the water already, Xigbar coughed up a little bit of brine. "Heh. Don't know if I'll take your word about pranking the rest of the Org, but you sure got me. Color me impressed."

"Did someone say color?" An excited voice called from the doorway. I looked up and saw R-2 skipping towards us, followed by Roxas and a graffiti-free Xion.

"R-2! You're alright!" I held my arms out wide for him to plow into me. For once, I didn't mind my lungs being crushed.

Axel perked up again at the sight of his best friends. "Roxas! You came back?"

The blond approached more slowly than R-2, his head hung low. "…Hey, Axel."

"Roxas… Xion…" Was that real water in Axel's eyes? He stood, meeting his friends in the center of the room. "I'm sorry. Really, I am. I wanted to tell you everything, but I knew… I knew if I did, you'd never be happy here." He shook his head. "And I thought Riku would force you to go back to Sora, and I… I just couldn't bear to lose either of you…"

Xion suddenly ran up, hugging Axel around his middle. "I know, Axel. I forgive you."

"You do?" He looked down at her in surprise. "But I – Xion, I just fought you, I kidnapped you for Kingdom Hearts' sake – you're going to forgive me just like that?"

She smiled, looking between him and Roxas. "You're my best friend, Axel. I know you were doing what you thought was best, and you've said you're sorry. I could stay mad at you, but it wouldn't help anyone."

Wow. Technically she was only about a year old, right? She still sounded ten times more mature than I think I could ever be, if I were in her place.

Roxas sighed and stepped forwards. "She's right. Plus I heard you talk to Xigbar at Castle Oblivion… you could've let him take me back, but you didn't. You protected me long enough for Naminé to take Sora's memories out of me. Thanks, Axel."

The redhead grinned in relief. I smiled myself, relieved that I hadn't ruined their friendship forever.

"Heh, so you kiddos pulled the wool over my eyes again. You know what they say – fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me." Xigbar chuckled, running one hand through his shortened hair. "But you've gotta give me a little credit. It was my letter that told you the truth."

Axel and I shared a glance. He was right… the letters were the only reason I knew how Xion and Roxas were connected to Sora, and the only way they found out was because I told them… which led them to run away and find more answers… which allowed Naminé and Riku to fix their memories and basically save their lives. It was a pretty big stretch, but in a way, Xigbar had saved their lives.

"What do you mean?" Xion asked, gaze directed at Axel, who had pieced together about the same conclusion I had.

"…Xigbar gave Xenan the idea to tell you about who you really are," he summarized in simpler terms. "If she hadn't done it, you might not still be alive now. Or at least not the same."

R-2's coat turned a confused shade of periwinkle. "You mean Scary Eyepatch Man helped Xion and Rox? He's not bad and mean?"

"I'm sure he didn't mean to help them." I mean, how could he have possibly known how everything would turn out? I wouldn't let one good accident make up for the all the pain he put us through.

"You don't know what I meant, Girlie." Xigbar grinned, though with more sincerity than I expected. "So basically, you kiddos owe me. You know what I want, Flamsilocks."

Axel sighed heavily, crossing his arms as the rest of us turned our eyes to him. "And you know I can't tell you. I don't know if we even have hearts."

Demyx laughed. "Of course we have hearts! Don't be mad."

"Is this another case of you just trying to be optimistic?" I asked. "Because I know we can feel things, but whole hearts? Are you sure?"

"Dem-Dem's right," R-2 said definitely, burning a warm sunset orange. "We do too have hearts. How else could I love you guys?"

Well, I couldn't argue with that in good conscious. But still, how could we have gotten our hearts back? We hadn't completed Kingdom Hearts. I'd never seen a pink light float back into my body, like the one the Heartless had eaten.

"Um…" Xion spoke up softly. "I don't know if I should say, but…"

Axel talked over her like he hadn't heard. "Why do you want to know how we can feel, anyway?"

Xigbar laughed. "You really don't get it, do you! Why do you think?"

"Uh…" Roxas's face scrunched in confusion, "because you don't know?"

Rolling his eye, Xigbar replied, "Well, you're not wrong, Kiddo. Honestly, I thought you kiddos would have to be brighter than this." He shook his head. "I'm a Nobody too, y'know. Did it ever occur to you that maybe I'd like a heart too?"

The rest of us shared a look of surprise. This whole mess… because Xigbar just wanted a heart too? It didn't make any sense.

"Well… no," I finally answered for everyone. "It didn't."

"Sheesh, then why didn't you just say so?" Axel asked, throwing his arms wide in exasperation. "Why'd you blackmail us and make us prank each other for it?"

Xigbar actually grinned at that. "Think about it. How fun is it to prank someone who actually acts heartless? Pranks are only fun when people really throw themselves into it. Watching you kiddos get riled up – that was the most fun I've had in years." He sighed nostalgically. "Until me and Pokerface stepped a little over the line…"

I looked at R-2's prosthetic leg, and anger gripped me again. Maybe Xigbar had saved Roxas and Xion, but he'd cost my friend a part of himself that he could never give back. "Maybe you should have thought about that before you made a whole pocket dimension," I snapped coldly.

"Things were getting too boring again." He shrugged. "We'd never actually done a test-run of the Void before. We thought it would just kick you back into the real world when our powers ran out. How were we supposed to know the whole thing would collapse in on itself?"

"Well, you could think it might be just a little dangerous to play games with the space-time continuum." I wasn't letting him off the hook that easily.

"Hey, I get it. We went too far." He shook his head. "But it wasn't until then I knew you had hearts. When you cried over your little Arty – when Flamsilocks had to watch his kiddos fight to the death – when our Waterboy… heh…" Demyx shot him a surprisingly fiery glare, but the Freeshooter kept talking after a glance at the younger kids. "His nightmare was, let's just say, forcing himself on you. With your little kid watching."

Thankfully he was keeping his language clean for the kids, but was he implying what I thought he was? I looked to Demyx, who was on the verge of tears.

"It was a nightmare, okay, I promise I would never, ever do anything like that! I felt guilty from when I kissed you the second time, in front of Saïx… I think that's why, I didn't really have to do that, and it's haunted me ever since then…" Demyx rambled.

"Hey Dem-Dem, I didn't know you could change colors too!" R-2 bounced excitedly, poking Demyx's face. "You're all red! When did you learn how to do that?"

I couldn't help laughing, even though I felt a little guilty. "Demyx, really, don't worry about that. I know you didn't pick your nightmare."

"See what I mean?" Xigbar laughed. "This is why people with hearts are so interesting!"

I finally processed something he'd said earlier, about me. My nightmare had to do with an… Arty? R-T? Almost sounded like R-2… When I tried to remember, the pain in my head came back. I'd ask about that later, when I didn't have so much else to worry about. "You said you didn't know we had hearts until the Void incident. So you asked in the letters…but we didn't want to talk to you after that…"

"So rude." He shook his head, tsk tsking.

"You didn't have to blackmail us over it, though." Demyx frowned. "We're friends. I'm sure we would've told you if you asked nicely."

Xigbar let out another laugh, more hollow this time. "Friends? As if. You heard the Girlie; I threw you all into a pocket-Void. Showed you your worst nightmares. Would everything really be better if I just 'asked nicely'?"

"Well… it wouldn't have made it worse," he pointed out, staring at the floor. "What happened, Xiggy? We used to prank together; you really were our friend. Wasn't that fun enough for you?"

That was the first question that finally seemed to get under Xigbar's skin. "Maybe it was. Maybe it wasn't. It's too late now, Waterboy."

For the first time, I felt a twinge of sympathy for the Freeshooter. Soaked to the skin, shoulders slumped, hair no longer kept neatly back… He looked pretty pathetic. Why couldn't I just enjoy it? This was the guy who hurt me and friends, who could've gotten us all turned into Dusks if he'd talked to the right people. I shouldn't feel sorry for him…

But he really was alone now. Even Luxord had deserted him. The rest of us had each other, but Xigbar had no one… how was he supposed to get his heart back like that?

That's when it clicked.

"I know how we got our hearts back," I blurted out.

"You do?" Axel asked, all eyes turning to me. Suddenly I felt ridiculous; my answer sounded like something R-2 would say. Only I wasn't cute enough to say sappy crap and not get laughed at for it.

"…It's our friendship," I tried to sound confident in spite of Axel and Xigbar's disbelieving stares. "Think about it. Xigbar, you didn't know for sure we had hearts until after the Void. Because that's when we proved how much we care about our friends."

I stared around our circle – Demyx next to me, then R-2, Roxas, Xion, Axel. Smiles grew on each of their faces, some more quickly than others. I smiled back, my own faith in my words steadily growing as well.

"We're afraid of losing each other – but even more than that, we know that it's only with them that we feel like we have hearts." I put an arm around Demyx, who in turn threw an arm around R-2. He pulled Roxas close for a hug, and pretty soon there all six of us were, linked together in a semicircle around the lonely eyepatched Nobody. "I think that's how it works, Xigbar. We are each other's hearts."

His face was blank for the longest time, I couldn't tell if he believed me, or if he thought I was the biggest idiot in the Worlds. I guess it didn't matter, did it? I knew I was right. I could feel it, right in the heart I knew I had.

Then Xigbar finally cracked a grin. "As if it's really that simple…"

"It is!" Demyx insisted, holding out a hand. "Come on, Xiggy. Let us show you. Be our friend again."

Could I really forgive Xigbar that quickly? My instincts told me it was impossible. Then I thought of Xion, who forgave Axel in a heartbeat… She forgave him because they were friends. At most, Xigbar had only ever been my acquaintance. Still, if what I said about having a heart was right, wasn't it my responsibility to try and share that with him? Maybe if he had a heart, he wouldn't feel like he had to start crazy prank wars to have a fulfilling non-existence. That would certainly help all of us.

"Heh… you kiddos really are something special…"

"Indeed they are."

I jumped at the deep voice behind me, adrenaline shooting through my veins. How had I not noticed that Saïx regained consciousness? And not just him – Xaldin and Xemnas himself had gotten to their feet as well.

Roxas and Xion huddled closer to Axel; R-2 started to hold his breath. But turning invisible wouldn't save us now.

"It would take something truly special to cause this much destruction over the course of one night." Saïx loomed over us, his golden eyes burning dangerously. "Who will step forwards to explain why a whole room is in tatters, three of you are soaking wet, and four of us were unconscious?"

Thankfully, Xigbar wasn't intimidated as easily as the rest of us. "We decided to go for a swim. Looks to me like you and the Superior had a little too much fun sleepwalking."

Saïx scowled, but it was Xaldin who spoke up this time. "Cease your games, Xigbar. This is another case of collateral damage in your infantile prank war."

"Prank war? With who?" He asked 'innocently,' throwing an arm loosely over my shoulder. I tried not to flinch away at the contact. "These kiddos are my friends."

Xaldin snorted, wiping burrito remnants from his coat. "The last thing I remember is your party. If that is a coincidence, I'll eat my spears."

"Heh, I look forward to seeing that."

Saïx went for a different tactic. "Axel, I trust you can give me a more accurate explanation?"

The redhead spared a glance at the rest of us before his flexible thinking kicked in. "Alright, fine. I admit it."

"What!?" That was the last thing I expected to come out of Axel's mouth. "Do you want us to get turned into—!?"

"Xigbar spiked the punch again," he finished, smirking slightly at me. "Man, if only those idiots hadn't ruined the camera when they went swimming. We had the best blackmail on you three. Well, and Luxord, but he's still out cold."

…Okay, so that was a little better. At least Demyx and I weren't directly implicated…

"So soon after his return?" Saïx raised his eyebrows, obviously not trusting that story. "I expected our Number II would be more cautious than that."

"What, and miss making a grand comeback?" Xigbar grinned, clapping Roxas and Xion on the shoulders. "Besides, what are you gonna do, exile me again? Even after I brought back our little keybladers?"

"Huh?" Roxas frowned, but Axel thumped his leg, and he stayed quiet.

Apparently Saïx had been so distracted by the destruction, he hadn't even noticed Roxas and Xion. Xemnas floated towards them after finally combing all of the burrito debris out of his silky hair.

"The keyblade's chosen have returned." He smiled down at them. "Kingdom Hearts has answered our pleas. May her light shine ever brighter for it."

"Xemnas—" Saïx interrupted, "You do realize that at least one of them is responsible for this mess—?"

"It is of no importance." With a wave of his hand, he put out the fire that had still been burning on one of the couches. "The cause of Kingdom Hearts carries on. No plots of foolish unbelievers will hinder us." He snapped his fingers, and a group of about ten Dusks appeared with mops and rags already in their hands. They hissed as they spread out around the room, attacking the scorch marks and food debris with Windex and soapy water.

Saïx sighed, shaking his head. "There's certainly something special about how you can all get out of trouble so easily…"

"I'll take that as a compliment," Axel replied with a teasing grin, but Saïx stayed stoic.

"I have warned you on several occasions that your petty prank wars will not be tolerated. The Superior may be pacified for now, but your luck cannot hold forever," he warned.

"Don't worry," I assured him. "It's over. No more pranks for a long, long time."

Maybe that wasn't the best wording. His glare focused in on me. "'A long, long time' had best mean 'forever.' Now if you will excuse me, it's three o'clock in the morning. I plan to salvage what sleep I still can, and I suggest you do the same."

Spinning around, he strode out of the Grey Area. Xaldin followed, but not before casting a threatening glance back at us. Finally Xemnas floated out as well.

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Finally. No more pranks…"

"Hey, speak for yourself." Xigbar laughed. "I'm just getting started! If you don't want me stealing your food, I've gotta get my kicks somewhere."

As much as I dreaded the thought of getting on Saïx's bad side yet again, I caught some good news in that. "Wait, you mean you're really going to stop stealing our food?"

"You pranked me, fair and square. You've earned the right to eat." He punched me lightly. "And I gave my Sniper's Honor. Nothing's more important to a Sniper than his honor, you know."

"I didn't know, actually." I rubbed my arm, still kind of confused at Xigbar actually acting like a decent human being towards me. I supposed I could get used to that. "But I do know I'm going to sleep like a rock tonight. Pranking you was exhausting."

"Heh, I'd be disappointed if it wasn't." He winked (or maybe blinked). "Well, I'm gonna enjoy sleeping in my own bed. See you kiddos at breakfast."

And with that, my enemy-turned-sort-of-friend pushed himself to his feet, opened a dark corridor, and walked away.

I realized that in spite of how tired and hungry I was, I still had a smile on my face. "Hey, Demyx, guess what?"

"What?" He asked curiously.

"We did it!" I held up my hand for a high five, which R-2 intercepted.

"Yay! We did it! …What did we do?" His face scrunched in confusion.

"We pranked everyone in the Organization," Axel said, ruffling the kid's hair. "We'll be pranking legends now."

"Or we would be… if we still had the videos," I said in disappointment.

"I might still be able to get them off of the computer." Demyx didn't lose hope. "Xigbar just broke the monitor and keyboard. If we get new ones, I bet I can find them again."

"Sounds like a plan." Axel smiled and opened a corridor. "But a plan for later. Right now, I'm with Xigbar. 'Night, guys."

"Goodnight, Axel," Roxas and Xion said before leaving as well.

"…I wonder if he ever got his bed back?" Demyx asked.

"Ha, I don't know…" I looked around the room. The Dusks were cleaning vigorously, one even vacuuming the couch around Luxord, who was completely out. That time travel must have really drained him. "…Guess I better get some sleep too. I just can't believe we're finally done… I feel like we should be celebrating or something…"

"We will." Demyx smiled. "We'll have a party. With regular cake, not insanity cake."

R-2 shuddered, eyes widening in fear. "You made cake again?"

"Oh yeah, you missed it. That was how we pranked Xigbar. Where were you for all that, anyway?"

"Well, first I was with Rox and Naminé and Riku, and then I came back and sat with Xion until she woke up, so she wouldn't be all alone."

"Oh." I guess he wouldn't know it was weird to watch a girl sleep. He just thought he was being a good friend. I didn't have the energy to give him a Life Lesson about it this late at night. "Well, I'm glad all of you guys are safe. Did you get to see Sora wake up?"

He shook his head. "Rox said he and Xion are going back tomorrow. Naminé still has to put all the memories back together inside him." He yawned loudly. "Can I go to sleep now, Xen-Xen?"

"Yeah, R-2." I ruffled his hair. "You can go to sleep."

"Yay." He yawned again, smiling sleepily. "I'm happy, Xen-Xen. Skinny Flaming Pyro Man has his friends again, and Scary Eyepatch Man has friends, and I have my friends too."

He put his arms around both of us, pulling us into a tight group hug, and I felt his happiness. It physically washed over me, the warm pinks and oranges from his coat blending into Demyx's and mine, like we were part of them same sunset. At that moment, I felt such a strong but soft peace, I could have fallen asleep right there on the burrito-littered Grey Area floor.

I had my friends—but they were more than that. They were my family, and my heart.

And if I had to, I would prank every day of the week to keep it that way.

A/N: Guys, I can't tell you how happy I am. This story is a journey I started over four years ago, and it's finally coming to an end. Clocking in at over 150,000 words, I really feel like I've written a novel. A novel I could never publish or sell, but whatever. *smile/sweatdrop*

Thanks to every one of you who read this story all the way to the end. I know if I saw this summary on FFN, I would've thought, "Oh, another stupid Org member OC fic? Just stop now." So thanks for giving Xenan a chance, and R-2 too. This has been my first time creating OCs who (I hope) aren't completely terrible Mary Sues.

Special thanks to everyone who's left reviews! I read and appreciate all of them! On that note, even though this story's over, I'm still doing the 200 review special. Based on the poll, I've decided to write the Roxas, Axel, Demyx, and R-2 playing Rock Band idea. I'll post it separately from this story, so look for it as "WPFF: Rock Band." Such an original name, I know :P

Now, for a sort of "credits list" on this chapter – I made quite a few references that might seem really random if you haven't read some of my one-shots. Xemnas having an affinity for pie came from my old crackfic "Talent Show." Axel and Saïx building a blanket fort was in "Life's Work," which could technically take place in this same universe, I guess. The references to Demyx's birthday party were from, literally, "Demyx's Birthday Party." In that fic Demyx found a cat named Mr./Mrs. Fluffykins, which was also an experiment of Vexen's; however, that cat is not the same as Cobalt, and Demyx wasn't allergic to cats in that story, so they're not technically in the same universe.

I'm pretty sure I referenced Raberba girl's "Christmas at the Castle" at some point, and possibly more than once. ^^;; The song Demyx had blasting was "One Week" by Bare Naked Ladies (which isn't at all what it sounds like).

Fun fact for anyone who's bothered to read to the end of this ridiculously long author's note – I originally had two very different ideas for how this story would end. The one you just read is one of them, the other actually had Xenan, Demyx, and R-2 leave the Organization. Xemnas would have had to be much darker and actually invoke his Dusk-ing abilities, and Xigbar wouldn't have had any chance at redemption. In all, I thought it was a little too dark and didn't fit the mood of the rest of the story very well, so I chose this ending instead, which I feel like stayed truer to the idea I had planned near the beginning. I've decided I won't be adding an epilogue, so this is it. Other than the bonus story, anyway. Stay tuned, and thank you again for reading!