"Gentlemen. I have received numerous reports from concerned comrades regarding Roxas' condition. We have been diligently observing him, and today Vexen and Zexion are prepared to present their findings."

There was silence in the room as every man sat at the edge of their seat, eagerly awaiting the impending update. Ten of thirteen seats were occupied, and each Nobody stole the occasional glance at the lowest of the remaining empty ones. Xemnas turned to the two scientists seated at his right, gesturing for them to begin their presentation.

"Vexen. Zexion. Proceed."

Zexion volunteered to speak first, clearing his throat and consulting his electronic notepad.

"Roxas came to me a few days ago, appearing to be in pain and vomiting profusely. He admitted that he had experienced these bouts every morning for two weeks and had concealed them. Since his illness had some correlation to the timing of our experiment, I examined him thoroughly. What I found was… shocking."

He shot Vexen a brief look before scrolling through his notes and continuing his report. "I don't know how or why, but the vessel we put inside him is growing."

Gasps could be heard throughout the room. Axel felt a dropping sensation in his stomach, as if someone had knocked the wind out of him.

"Growing? How?"

"It has taken on some sort of physical form, situated in his lower abdominal region. And it has been increasing in size upon every subsequent examination."

Saïx, with an incredulous look, began grilling him for details, beginning a back-and-forth interrogation between himself and the scientists. "And you're certain it's the vessel that has caused this?"

"Unfortunately, I can't be certain. But I have ruled out everything else."

"Did this show up in any of your test simulations?"

Vexen spoke up in defense of his research. "Not at all. Nothing even close to this."

There was a pause in the conversation before other members felt comfortable to ask questions of their own. Luxord voiced his curiosity, breaking the ice on behalf of the lower rungs. "If it's growing, does that mean it's alive?"

"Yes, it does show signs of life, but only at the most basic level."

"What does it look like?" Demyx, having never been a scientist, had little patience for the technical speak and kept his questions simple. Zexion could only shrug in response, lacking an answer for him.

"I wish I could say. Every scan came up blank. All of my readings show me that the vessel is still there and functioning, but the data does not explain the physical manifestation."

"You can't even get a picture of it?"

"Like I said, empty. Large portions of the data is just a series of errors."

Saïx cut in again with a slightly accusatory tone. "Is your equipment faulty?"

Feeling threatened, Vexen practically jumped out of his seat in his haste to respond. "No. Not only is it highly unlikely that all of our equipment would break down at once, but I tested each device on myself and on Zexion, and there were no malfunctions."

There was a long beat where no one spoke, every man lost for words. Xemnas filled the silence with his calm but authoritative voice. "Please, continue with your report."

Vexen turned to Zexion and gave him a nod. Zexion scrolled through his notes again and continued the explanation.

"The vessel seems to be collecting memories, as it was designed to do. So we know that whatever it's doing, it still works. However, it seems to be physiologically draining for Roxas. There was never supposed to be any discomfort, but he has been sick and sleepless for weeks. His vitals are declining steadily and he is obviously fatigued. And that's just the symptoms he has shared with me."

Saïx, unmoved by the disturbing report, offered his opinion with his usual cold expression and bored-sounding tone. "Sounds like the answer's clear. Take the thing out."

"We don't know what will happen if we take it out now. It seems to have incorporated with Roxas' body. We don't know how deep that connection goes yet."

"My suggestion still stands."

"Okay is anyone else here putting the pieces together? It's alive, it's growing, it's draining his energy, it's making him sick, does any of this sound familiar to the rest of you?" Xigbar's first contribution to the conversation spread unease through the air as the members puzzled the evidence together in their heads. Saïx quickly shot down his far fetched theory, unwilling to even entertain such a preposterous idea.

"Don't be ridiculous. Nobodies do not have the ability to—"

"Actually…" Zexion, stroking his chin, interrupted with a tone of surprise. "That's a pretty adequate way to describe what's happening to him."

"You can't be serious. It's been a few years since I took a course on human anatomy, but I'm quite certain Roxas lacks a few key components necessary for such a condition."

Zexion dropped his notepad to his lap in exasperation, for the first time looking out at his fellow comrades' faces instead of burying his eyes in his notes. "It's a close approximation. Roxas is pregnant. Let's just get that out in the open so we can all start coming to terms with it."

"Pregnant?!"

"That's absurd."

"Mazel Tov!"

"Wait just a minute!" Axel halted the exclamations with what he considered to be the only voice of reason in the room. "How far do you plan to let this go? This isn't a game. You can't just play around with Roxas' insides to satisfy your curiosity!"

To his surprise, Saïx spoke up to defend his argument. "Axel's point is fair. Roxas and the vessel are connected, now. If we lose Roxas, we may lose the vessel as well."

Axel glared at him, about to call him out on his failure to consider Roxas' welfare over that of the vessel's. Xemnas raised a hand to silence his subordinates and offer his initial judgment on the matter.

"Settle down, gentlemen. All of the available evidence seems to suggest that although Roxas is unsettled, he is not in mortal danger. As long as this is so, it would appear that the safest option is to make Roxas comfortable and observe. Vexen, Zexion, what can be done to ease the symptoms?"

Zexion and Vexen shared a look, each racking their brains for solutions. Zexion offered the only idea he had, hoping Xemnas would be satisfied. "I can continue addressing the symptoms as they arise. My treatment for his nausea seems to work. But if he is going to keep hiding his symptoms from us, we won't be able to do much of anything, and they'll only get worse if ignored."

Xemnas, leaning over the arm of his seat, closed his eyes and pondered the information he had. He did not speak for nearly a minute, and every man present waited on bated breath for his instructions. At last, the Superior opened his eyes and addressed the room at large. "I would like everyone to keep a close watch on Roxas. If he isn't your friend, make him your friend. The more people he feels safe with, the more likely he is to be honest about his condition."

There was a general collection of nods throughout the attendees. Axel did not look up but he was certain he could feel Xemnas' eyes on him, the only person in the room who was open about his friendship with Roxas. "Vexen, Zexion, ensure that he is examined frequently. Saïx, I will leave it up to your best judgment whether or not Roxas will be sent on missions. He is not to be sent anywhere alone. Limit any strenuous activity."

"Yes, sir."

"Let us not allow ourselves to succumb to undue apprehension and make any rash decisions. Roxas has a strong will. I am confident that he will take this in stride with his usual determination, but he will need the support of his comrades. This is a delicate situation, and must be handled with great care."

There was a hush while everyone processed the enormity of the situation, no one willing to break the uneasy silence. When he was satisfied with the resolution, Xemnas concluded the meeting in his usual way.

"Dismissed."

One by one, Organization members vanished into their corridors of darkness, leaving Axel once again staring at the floor lost in thought. Although he could feel Saix's cold gaze upon him, he appreciated that the man was mercifully silent and did not take this opportunity to get under Axel's skin. It took awhile for Axel to decide where he would go from here. He would have to go to work sooner or later. Should he visit Roxas? Should he go back to bed? Not a one of his options appealed to him. Without even looking up to see who else hadn't left, Axel summoned up his own portal and faded into the darkness inside, content to just see where it would take him this time.

Axel wiped away the sweat pouring down his face as he trudged through the deep sand of the desert with Demyx trailing pretty far behind. The sun's rays beat down on the black leather of their coats, practically cooking them with the heat they generated. Squinting through the bright light and blowing sand, Axel kept an eye on the storm they were tracking. It was enormous, appearing as a giant dust cloud, so thick with wind and sand as to be completely opaque. It rolled ferociously through the bare desert at an alarmingly high velocity, and it was heading straight for Agrabah.

"Ugh, Axel, I'm going to die of heat stroke if we keep walking in the sun like this! Can't we go back to town?"

"The storm we're investigating isn't in town."

"But what if we get caught in it? I've already got sand in my eyes!"

"Just keep your hood up, we're going around the storm so we can see what's on the other side."

Demyx groaned as he dragged his feet along the ground, barely keeping up with Axel. Pitifully out of shape, he huffed and puffed the whole time, surely inhaling sand as he struggled to keep Axel's pace. "Man, why does Saïx send me on missions like this?"

"It's recon, I thought you were good at recon."

"Yeah but this is strenuous recon! I'm all sweaty and gross and my hair is all messed up and quite frankly—"

"Now what is that?"

Axel interrupted Demyx's complaining and stopped in his tracks, his eyes fixed on something far off in the distance. It resembled a powerful tornado made entirely of sand, drilling into the ground beneath it and leaving destruction in its wake. Upon closer inspection, Axel could just barely make out clouds of darkness surrounding it.

"It looks like a dust devil. But I've never seen one that big."

"I don't think we're looking at a natural phenomenon. I can see the darkness. We'd better take a closer look."

Demyx, wide-eyed, protested with an incredulous tone. "Are you nuts?! That looks like a death trap!"

"Oh come on, Demyx, I won't let you die to a pile of sand. Now let's go."

Reluctantly, Demyx followed a fair distance away as they made their way toward the spinning tempest. Axel pulled the hood of his coat tighter around his face as the blowing sand swept across his skin. The closer they got to the storm, the more violently the gusts raged. Demyx had resorted to hanging off of Axel's sleeve to keep up, fearing he'd be blown away if he let go.

As they approached the swirling cloud, numerous small shapes became visible, flying in circles through the squall. Axel thought they were birds, but as he examined their movements, it became clear what they were.

"I knew it. Heartless."

They had several sets of wings each, arranged more like an insect than a bird. Every creature had a mean-looking pair of pincers on the front of their faces. There must have been hundreds of them, appearing to be a swarm of giant locusts.

"Ew! They look like huge bugs!"

"Well, let's hope they're as easy to kill."

"What?! We're going in there?!"

"Of course we are, that's part of our orders."

"But you know I'm not—"

"Demyx, shut up and make yourself useful!"

Axel summoned his chakrams and took off at full speed. Demyx hesitated before running after him, knowing that if nothing else, Axel was his only protection from the monsters. As soon as they were spotted, the creatures began flying in for the attack. Axel made a calculated toss of his chakrams to take out multiple enemies at once. Demyx began to cast his water spells with the help of his magic-wielding sitar.

They went down easily, but they seemed to multiply by the second. As the two comrades tried to put a dent in their numbers, they continued to grow until they overwhelmed the men. Through the thickening cloud of sand and flying Heartless, Axel peered around trying to find the source from which they were spreading.

"There's too many of them! They just keep coming, no matter how many we kill!"

"But where are they coming from?"

"I don't know, man! Let's just get out of here!"

"No! We have to find where they're coming from! Cover me, I'm going in for a closer look!"

"Axel! You're gonna get yourself killed!"

Axel was already gone, sprinting toward the center of the storm surrounded by a protective wall of flames. He didn't have to penetrate too deeply before the answer reared its ugly head. Slowly rising from the sand was a massive round mouth, lined with razor sharp teeth. As it emerged, it began to spin with rapidly increasing speed, amplifying the gigantic twister with its powerful rotation.

Axel backed away, taken aback by the size of the creature. He was a capable fighter, but this beast was gargantuan. There was no way he'd be able to take this thing out, even if Demyx contributed to the battle. He raced back toward Demyx's location to regroup, finding him mostly cowering inside a shield of water.

"Axel! It's following us! We're gonna die!"

"We're not gonna die, come on!"

He grabbed Demyx by the wrist and dragged him along as they made their retreat. The flying creatures surrounded them, preventing their escape with their attacks. Both men retrieved their respective weapons and fought through the swarm in a futile effort to clear the way. The thunderous roar of the storm was getting louder as it approached them. Axel turned and gaped in horror as the colossal Heartless fully emerged from the sand, revealing its shape as an enormous centipede. It jumped in and out of the sand with ease as a dolphin would in the ocean. Before they could react, it began swiping at them with a it's gigantic pincers. Axel threw up his chakrams to shield him from the blows, but could only look on helplessly as Demyx made a rookie mistake and crossed his arms in front of his face. The creature sliced through his leather sleeves like butter, sending him flying several feet away where he tumbled on the ground a few times before skidding to a stop.

"Demyx!!"

Axel bolted toward his motionless comrade, shooting fire spells behind him to keep the giant Heartless at bay. When he reached Demyx's position, he found him barely conscious and spilling dark blood into the bright sand.

"Demyx! Can you hear me?"

Demyx opened his eyes, squinting with disorientation. He cast his gaze just behind Axel and croaked breathlessly. "What's… that?"

Axel, following his eyes, turned around and practically jumped out of his skin, startled by what he was seeing. He began to wonder if he'd been hit in the head or was suffering from heat stroke, but as he reached out to touch it, he found that it was indeed real. It was a floating rug, hovering beside them, as if it knew of their plight. The rug fluttered to the ground, seeming to beckon the two men. Preferring to ask no questions, Axel hesitantly rolled Demyx over onto it and squeezed himself beside him. The rug instantly took off toward Agrabah at a frightening speed, arriving in seconds. Finally in the safety of the shaded town's walls, Axel turned and addressed the carpet awkwardly.

"Uh… thanks. You saved our necks."

The rug seemed to wave at them with one of its corner tassels before flying away and out of sight. Speechless, Axel stared into the distance for several seconds, trying to process the strange encounter. His contemplation was soon interrupted by the sound of Demyx moaning, and he quickly knelt beside him as he began to stir.

"Unnnh… Axel, I'm dying…"

"You're not dying. Let me see it."

Axel carefully picked up his arm, inspecting the gashes from the creature's relentless attack. They were ugly, but superficial. He turned the arm about for good measure, confirming that the injury was only skin-deep.

Demyx winced and groaned at Axel's delicate handling. "See? I'm dying!"

"Demyx, it's a scratch."

"God damn, it hurts… if I don't die, I'll probably at least lose the arm… I'll never play the sitar again…"

"Get up, you big baby. We're going home."

Axel stood and tried to pull him to his feet, eliciting an unexpected squeal from him as he fell back to the ground, swatting Axel's hands away.

"What? What's wrong?"

"My leg! It must be broken! Aw man, I'm ruined…"

With a heavy sigh, Axel picked Demyx up off the ground and, slinging him over his shoulder, carried him through the nearby dark corridor he summoned. When he came through the other side and arrived in the Grey Area, he dropped Demyx onto the sofa and began to stretch out his sore joints.

"Good lord, what happened this time?" Saïx approached, peering at Demyx with a repulsed expression. Axel took a moment to respond, still catching his breath and shaking sand out of his hair.

"You were right… it's a Heartless causing the storms. It's monstrous…"

Demyx moaned and writhed pitifully with watering eyes, crying out to them in a panic. "You see what happens when you send me on combat missions?! I almost died!"

"He doesn't look badly hurt."

"Yeah, he isn't. He's just a drama queen."

"Oh, the pain…!"

"Calm down, Demyx. You're fine."

Thankfully, Zexion soon entered the room and quickly approached them, inspecting Demyx's injuries while Axel gave Saïx his report on the mission.

"Hold still, Demyx! You're just going to make it worse if you keep—"

"Zexion! Thank goodness you're here! Tell me I'm going to make it… I don't want to die, I'm too young to die!"

Zexion swiftly finished his examination and addressed Saïx and Axel with his usual clinical tone. "His injuries are superficial. He's going to live."

"Joyous tidings. Get him out of here before he bleeds on the furniture."

"Need a lift?"

Luxord, upon hearing the commotion, sauntered over and offered his superior strength, effortlessly lifting Demyx off the sofa and carrying him out of the room. Saïx sighed with exasperation, pressing his fingers to his forehead as they left.

"He really is useless."

"Hey, now… in his defense, that Heartless was massive."

"Another man down and now I have to figure out who to send to take care of it… I'll be up all night reworking the schedule…"

Saïx meandered away in thought as he muttered to himself. Axel, finally having a moment to mentally process the day's events, began to realize just how tired and sore he was. He would have loved to take a shower and go right to bed, but he'd waited all day to talk to Roxas and now was his chance. He felt his chest flutter with apprehension as he made his way out into the hall, dreading the conversation he knew was coming. A chill washed over his skin as he remembered the meeting from that morning, and he fought off the feeling of foreboding that permeated his mind. With a deep breath, collecting himself and setting aside his anxieties, he made his way toward the one place he knew Roxas would be.