Saïx had never been more livid in his whole nonexistence.

"If you were going to elevate her to a higher status then you could have at least consulted us!" he snapped at Xemnas while standing in front of the desk that the Lord Superior was sitting behind.

Xemnas frowned sternly at him. "My decision has been made," he responded coolly.

"What has she done that has made her deserving of such a promotion?!"

"That is none of your concern."

Standing behind Saïx not too far away were Xigbar, Xaldin, Vexen, Lexaeus, Zexion, and Marluxia. Without uttering even so much a word, they rigidly watched the heated exchange between the Lord Superior and the Luna Diviner take place.

"I am your second in command officer, Lord Xemnas! Do not forget that! Anything that pertains to what happens in this castle should run by me just as it does with you!"

"That," said Xemnas with darkened emphasis, "is where you are mistaken, Saïx. You may be my second in command but under no circumstances am I required to consult you on every single decision I make in this castle."

"But –"

"That's enough, Saïx."

The blue haired man flashed a look of disbelief at Xaldin, who had interrupted him.

"Your Lordship," said Xaldin, "we beg you to explain why you have deemed the girl worthy of being your consort in the affairs of this castle, as her new title implies."

Xemnas ascended from his chair. "Very well. If an expalnation is what you demand, then let us just say that I have misjudged Aqua, and for that, it is necessary to rectify my mistake. And, perhaps I've had a … as the humans say, "change of heart" regarding her, even though a heart I have not."

A devilish grin grew on Xigbar's lips as he listened to the Lord Superior. "So," he began with an air of overconfidence mixed with amusement, "What you're telling us is that you're softening up to her!"

Xemnas stared darkly at Xigbar with narrowed slits for eyes.

"Oh come on, don't give us that look! Admit it!"

"You are going to want to refrain from saying such things, Xigbar," Xemnas warned.

Xigbar's eyebrows arched in perplexity as he flinched ever so slightly in response to Xemnas's reply.

"My friends," said Xemnas, "why are you so vexed by Lady Aqua's new status?"

"Because a former prisoner is undeserving of so high a title," Saïx answered as displeasure laced his voice. "Why should we be beneath her when she should be beneath us?"

"I concur," said Marluxia as he crossed his arms. "And besides, we've been spending all these years dutifully serving you. What has she done that we have not?"

Xemnas's eyes scanned the small throng of his subordinates in front of him. "Gentlemen," he said, "This has nothing to do with merit, but of practicality. Lady Aqua may not be a member of the Organization, but in the time she has spent with us, and through my interactions with her, my views of her have changed, and at the present, I have come to see her as less of our prisoner. Certainly, I never expected to have this new opinion of her, but now that I do, I had to bestow upon her a new status that befit her. Making her Lady of the Castle was only not only practical, but appropriate, especially considering her background prior to her coming here. And to clarify, she is only a Lady of the Castle in title, not in practice. The Organization's activities will not come under any authority of hers. Having said that, surely you will no longer have to worry about your own statuses in juxtaposition with hers?"

The Organization members looked at each other in curiosity.

"Well, when you put it that way …" began Vexen.

"I guess that sounds like an improvement," Xigbar said resignedly.

Marluxia harrumphed in scorn.

Saïx scoffed. "If you must insist on making her Lady of the Castle, it had better be only in title and not in practice," he said. "The last thing I want is to be under the yoke of some girl of pathetic Light."

Xemnas' face crumpled at Saïx's words. "Believe me Saïx, you won't have to be concerned about that."

"I hope so, my lord, for all of our sakes." Saïx turned towards the door. "Gentlemen, let's go. We are done here."

One by one, the Organization members trotted out of Xemnas' study.

A tiny noise outside in the hallway that evening made Aqua's hands freeze and drop the straps of the ribbon of her white silk dressing gown that she was about to tie together. Her entire body tensed, and she slowly looked at the door, keeping as quiet as a mouse to see if the noise was still there, but she heard nothing.

Sighing in relief, Aqua started for the door. "He's probably there now, waiting for me," she whispered to herself. As silently as she could, she turned the door open. She peeked through the tiny opening she had made and saw no one in the hallway outside.

"Now's my chance," she whispered.

Aqua took one tiny step out of her drawing room, placing her first foot out into the hallway. The other foot met the hallway floor shortly afterwards. She started to walk quietly, holding her breath with every step. In her mind, she was telling herself that with every step she took, she was one step closer to Xemnas. All she had to do was make it to the very last one, and then she'd be with him—in his arms, under the dark silhouette of Kingdom Hearts.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

Aqua gasped and jumped, startled by the loud, stern voice that boomed from behind her. Slowly, she turned around, and her blue eyes crossed paths with a pair of golden yellow ones.

"I'm – "

Saïx didn't even let her finish her explanation. "Mind you, but you're under a curfew now."

Aqua frowned. "No one ever told me that," she said, flummoxed.

"Well I'm making it known to you right now." Saïx pointed back to the door of her chambers. "Get back to your room."

"Oh, but I can't!" Aqua protested. "I—" she stopped, suddenly remembering the vow of silence she'd made to Xemnas earlier that day. "I … must … see Naminé in the Servants' Hall," she lied.

"Well you can do that in the morning. From now on, you're not to leave your room once midnight comes," said Saïx.

Aqua clenched her knuckles tightly. "You can't do this to me!"

"I most certainly can," Saïx replied rigidly. He started to walk towards Aqua. Once he reached her, he clapped his hand on her shoulder and led her back to her chambers.

"Hey!" Aqua exclaimed as Saïx gave her an unexpected rough push back into her drawing room.

"And don't let me catch you outside for a second time!" The door banged loudly as Saïx shut it closed.

Aqua let out a harsh sigh of exasperation. "How will I see him now? I promised I'd meet with him."

She fell back onto a chaise in her drawing room, and stared at the carpeted floor beneath her feet, unsure of what to do.

At the Altar of Naught, Xemnas gazed up at the faint, murky form of the Organization's developing Kingdom Hearts in the sky as he awaited Aqua's arrival.

"Kingdom Hearts …" he murmured. "How greatly I seek your power and make it my own."

In only a short matter of time, Kingdom Hearts would appear in its more developed form. And eventually, after some time, it would soon be complete.

But oh, if only he could expedite the process!

Xemnas' mind then wandered over to thoughts of Aqua. Recalling his plan to earn her trust as a means of getting her to open up about the truth of whether or not she could wield the Keyblade, he reflected on its status. He'd done more than just earn her trust – he earned her heart and her love. He'd succeeded far better than he could have ever imagined. But the question that now remained was, was it enough to get her to open up about it? True, things now were different between them. But still, if she possessed the power of the Keyblade, it was a power that he couldn't resist utilizing to realize his goals.

Surely she would consent to letting him make use of such a gift for his own ends – after all, she was on his side now. His aspirations ought to now be shared with her. He needed whatever power she was hiding – just as he needed her. He needed all the help he could get to complete Kingdom Hearts.

With this in mind, Xemnas maintained his resolve to continue to do what he could to draw that power out from her, if she really did possess it.

Later that evening, there was a knock on the door of the small study that Saïx had for himself that made the blue haired Nobody look up in interest. "Enter," he said.

The door opened, and through the opening slipped in Axel with a grim countenance.

"You should have retired for the night by now," Saïx said in a low voice.

"Sleep can wait," said Axel. "Besides, I'm far from sleepy at the moment."

"Hmm." Saïx's eyes fell back down on the document atop his desk that he was writing on his desk. "It's not every day I get visits from you in here, Axel," Saïx commented without looking at the Flurry of Dancing Flames.

"I need to talk with you about something," began Axel, "Something important."

Saïx looked back up and leaned back against his chair from behind his desk. "Very well. Go on."

Axel crossed his arms and looked at Saïx sternly in the eye. "I know what you did Saïx."

One of the Luna Diviner's blue brows arched upwards.

Axel continued. "I know it was you who sent the Heartless on Aqua."

Saïx remained perfectly still and impassive as he took in Axel's words. "Is this what you want to talk to me about?"

Axel slammed his hands against the surface of Saïx's desk. "Why?" he asked.

Saïx ignored Axel's question.

"What, no answer?" asked Axel. "Or are you too much of a coward that you're not willing to admit that you're a conniving bastard?"

"Watch your tongue, Axel," Saïx answered sternly. "Unless you want to have a round with the Dusks tonight."

"Like I care," Axel shot back. "What is your problem? Tell me, now."

Saïx sighed in harsh quietude. "She knows about Kingdom Hearts. Lord Xemnas told her."

Although Axel remained as still as a statue, he felt the blood slowly starting to rush into his head. His temples began to to beat, and he felt a sudden, increasingly growing urge to climb over the Organization's second in command officer's desk, knock him off his chair, and slam him against the wall. But, he willed his feet to remain planted where they stood on the floor, and for his his to remain at his sides. Axel scoffed in disbelief. "You went through all of this just because she was told about Kingdom Hearts?!"

Saïx didn't respond.

"You know, it's not like she's capable of stopping us!"

Saïx rose to his feet. "You don't know that, Axel." He said with a low, dark voice.

"And you think you do?"

"More than you."

"You son of a – Oof!"

Axel suddenly found himself pinned to the wall by the weapon of a Berserker Nobody. A look of disbelief clouded his eyes as he stared back with clenched teeth at the second in command.

"You want back that heart of yours as much as I want mine," Saïx began to say with a dark edge that Axel was taken aback by. "Or am I mistaken?"

"Of course I want my heart back," Axel retorted.

"Then you'd do whatever it takes to ensure that nothing stands in the way of that goal."

"Geez, Saïx, you think she wants to stop us? She wants our hearts back too!"

"Did she tell you that?"

Axel opened his mouth to retort back, but stopped himself before he could say anything.

Saïx ordered the Berserker to release its hold on Axel. "I didn't order the Heartless to end her," he said. "I only commanded them to teach her a lesson she'd never forget."

Axel straightened up. "That one Heartless nearly killed her."

"That was a regrettable occurrence of which was out of my control," Saïx explained. "That Heartless chose to end her on its own volition, not mine. Besides, she is our prisoner."

"Not anymore she's not."

"Status change or not, she will always be a prisoner in my eyes. And prisoners are meant to stay within their confines."

"So that's it, huh? You think that's what justifies your awful treatment of her?"

Saïx's golden eyes turned icy. "I'll treat her however I want, Axel, whether you like it or not."

Axel stared at him incredulously. "You're unbelievable."

Saïx threw him a questioning, dirty look.

"Why do you hate her so much?" asked Axel. "Why are you so cruel to her? What did she ever do to you to make you just not like her?"

Saïx didn't respond.

"Are you jealous of her?" Axel asked daringly. "Do you hate her because of what she has that you don't have?"

Once again, Saïx found himself incapable of a reply.

Axel scoffed angrily, realizing that Saïx's silence confirmed his question. "That's just sad, man. And that's pathetic and shallow too." He then started to walk away, casting one final disgusted glare at Saïx as he did.

"You've developed a soft spot for her, haven't you?"

Axel stopped in his tracks and stiffened. Now that was an answer he was not expecting.

Saïx laughed quietly to himself as he watched Axel's reaction. "I thought so. I've heard Xigbar's taunts but I suspected it long before those taunts began."

Axel turned back around and opened his mouth to retort back, but stopped himself before he could say anything.

Saïx laughed. "You've barely known her for a month and yet you've developed something special for her?"

Again, Axel didn't answer.

"A Nobody isn't supposed to fall in love," explained Saïx, "and especially not with a human. That may be the biggest affront to nature in this universe, and you know it. And yet … you're in love with her."

"Shut up," Axel snapped. "I'm not in love with her. We're just friends, and I simply just care about her greatly."

"You're not supposed to care for her. She's our enemy, and more than that, she's a human and you're a Nobody. You're not supposed to feel or have feelings for her."

"I'm not in love with her!"

"Believe me, I can tell." Saïx laughed again. "A human prisoner and a Nobody of Organization XIII. Ha! I'd be howling with laughter right now if I had a heart."

From where he stood, Axel's hands tightened into fist and began to tremble with fury – genuine fury.

"You're deluding yourself Axel," Saïx continued, "I doubt she'd return your alleged feelings. Why would she anyway? After all, you haven't got a heart. Who'd ever want to love a Nobody – to love someone who does not exist?"

"I said, shut up," Axel growled.

"I highly advise you to snap out of your hopeless adoration and devotion for Aqua, Axel. Your duties to the Organization are more important than some pathetic love for a mere human girl who will not even return it." Saïx then returned to his chair. "We are done speaking. You are dismissed."

Glowering at Saïx, Axel turned to leave.

"Oh. And one more thing Axel."

He stopped.

"I highly suggest that you keep your mouth shut about our little secret regarding the Heartless attack. Unless you want another round with the Sorcerers again, hm?"

Axel didn't react to the threat, only scoffed and left Saïx's office with a huff. "I'm not in love with her," he muttered to himself once he was alone in the darkness that shrouded the hallways. But then, after walking for some time, he stopped and asked himself a question that was vexing his vacant chest. "Or am I?"


A/N: Saïx, you big jerk.

And Axel ... ooh, this is going to be interesting.

Will Aqua and Xemnas meet as arranged? Tune in to the next chapter to find out! (Lol, I sound like a TV announcer)

-gt²