The Organization had Van.

Aqua didn't even think about the Dark Wind as she sprinted through the dark corridor. According to Lauriam, the evil force was trapped in the Realm of Sleep, but even if it hadn't been, she would have charged straight through it to save her boyfriend.

Of course, Isa's corridor didn't take her to Van. It took her home, where Lea, Kairi, and Roxas were crowded around Lea's living room table. They stared at her with grim expressions.

"Where is he?" she demanded before Isa caught up. She heard the portal close behind him.

"Remy? You got any idea?" Lea asked the rat that she hadn't noticed standing in the center of the table. His cue cards and a series of crude drawings were spread out as haphazardly as the lab reports she'd been studying.

The rat shook his head. He darted to a drawing of a figure with… yellow antennae? Remy hadn't drawn that himself, had he?

"Seems like it's Larxene who took him, but we don't know where," Lea said. "Remy can't tell us much. We were lucky Kairi could whip up sketches of the suspected Norts so he could pick her out of the lineup. Chances are she took him through a dark corridor, anyway—"

"I'm going to find him."

She unlooped her Wayfinder from her belt. Thank the light Van always kept his on him. She'd be able to track him down, no matter where in the universe the Organization had taken him.

She wouldn't lose him again. She wouldn't.

"Aqua—" Roxas tried to speak, but she wasn't listening. It took all of her effort to scrounge up enough light to power the Wayfinder.

"Isa. Corridor. Now."

"Where to?" he asked.

"Anywhere. The Wayfinder will do the rest."

He obeyed, and a portal spiraled into existence just in time to intercept the beam from her charm.

She could feel it. She could feel him. He wasn't gone yet.

"Aqua!" Roxas yelled, getting to his feet. "You're not seriously going after him alone!"

"Why shouldn't I?" she spat. "None of you protected him."

"He was at work! Besides, if anything, you should've been here—"

"Roxas, I don't think that's—" Lea tried to interrupt.

"No, don't." Roxas glared. "Vanitas is my friend too. I'm not letting her blame this on me."

"And I'm not letting you come. Isa, if you let him through after me, I know where you live."

The Wayfinder's light crackled erratically. It wouldn't last long, not with the rate her darkness was boiling inside her.

That was fine. In a few minutes, she'd have the perfect target to let that pressure loose.

She stalked through the portal without looking back.

XXX

The lady (well, monster now; she'd undergone some kind of transformation when they'd exited the corridor) locked the restraints over Vanitas's lap and arms. They let out a pneumatic hiss that was lost in the assorted mechanical noises surrounding the storage room.

Where were they? He'd never visited a world with this much machinery before. He wanted to jump at every little noise—but he couldn't, not when he could still barely move. The paralysis was just now starting to wear off of his fingers and toes.

Not fast enough. The monster-lady was flitting about the mechanism, the white hem of her patched coat swishing about her ankles. What was this machine supposed to do? From the way Aqua had described her experience, the Norts didn't need anything fancy to turn someone. Just regular old-fashioned dark magic.

"I knew the Babynort was useless, but how did he lose to you?" she scoffed from out of his line of sight.

Give me a minute, and I'll show you how, Vanitas wanted to snap. His mouth only managed a weak grunt.

"Seriously. You're as much of a pipsqueak as those other toys. And unlike them, it looks like you don't have anyone around to keep you from breaking."

The words were just meant to distract him from struggling. It didn't make them hurt any less.

"A…qua…" he managed to gasp out. She'd heard him through their Wayfinders once before. Maybe, if he was desperate enough, she would again.

She wouldn't abandon him. She'd… she'd come for him…

(If she wasn't too busy trying to help Ven. If she wasn't too busy, trying to save everyone except him.)

"Awww, how cute!" The woman stepped back in front of him, and what looked like a giant vacuum tube descended from the low ceiling. It peered over her shoulder like an eldritch pet. "Crying for your girlfriend to come save you? What a good boy. It's too bad she'll only get here in time to find your drained husk. If she even bothers to come for you at all."

"You… don't know her…" he grunted while trying to slip free of the metal cuffs holding his arms. His wrists weren't thin enough, no matter which way he twisted.

"I don't have to. It's soooo obvious. All your little hearts are the same—so easy to break. You talk up the power of love, all your connections and precious memories, just to forget as soon as they're out of sight. And she hasn't been keeping a very close eye on you, has she?" The lady stepped close, her expression all pouting lips and false sympathy. "Certainly not as close an eye as I've been keeping."

Vanitas clenched his eyes shut. This woman didn't know the first thing about Aqua. She'd never forget about her friends.

And Vanitas was her friend. He just had to hold on. She would come.

"I won't… let you…"

"Oooh, won't let me what?" A knife pressed against his throat, cold and sharp. "Please tell me how you're going to foil the Organization's plans, Vani. I'm dying to know!"

There it was again. That awful nickname, like acid in his ears. Why did she act like she knew him?

"Who… are you?" he asked instead of answering.

He didn't recognize her at all, but she'd taken two different forms already. Her monster persona had blue skin and tiny batlike wings, and her antennae-like hair had transformed into fuzzy plumes like a moth's. Maybe she could change her appearance even more if she wanted. Maybe she'd looked like any normal customer at the Bistrot. He would've had no way of knowing.

"The name's Larxene. Used to be Elrena. Ring any bells yet?"

Larxene… wait a second.

"You're Lauriam's friend," he remembered. "He's… looking for you. If you let… me go… we can kick Xehanort out of you—"

He cut off with a cry as the knife dug into his throat. Wet warmth seeped from the stinging wound.

"Nice as that sounds, it's not gonna happen. The old man won't even let me talk to Marluxia. You think he'll let me waltz out with you? Maybe I wasn't the golden child you are, but I'm way too useful now. In fact, his whole little operation hinges on me."

As she spoke, she summoned more knives that hung in the air. He flinched from their crackling energy.

"Pretty nifty, huh? The power of electricity… it's the same power that keeps your weak little heart beating."

One knife zipped to hover in front of his chest. A spark shot from it, making his heart skip a beat—literally. His body cried out at the stutter.

"That's… my physical heart… idiot. You won't get another Nort… if you break that," he snarled, refusing to cower for her.

He held in the panicked Floods that had finally started to stir. If he was going to release an Unversed, he needed to focus enough to make something she couldn't vaporize in a few hits.

Larxene's eyes widened. Then she laughed, throwing back her head, her fuzzy antennae quivering.

"You think the Organization wants you as a vessel? Please!"

He stared at her in confusion. If they didn't want to Nort him… then just what did Larxene have planned?

"Don't tell me. Babynort made you think you were cut out for the big leagues, didn't he? What an idiot." She snorted.

At least she was too distracted to send any more knives at him for the moment, though they still hovered frighteningly close. All he could imagine was one of them stabbing through his eye, his eyes, again and again and again. He resisted the urge to shut his eyes again. It would only leave him more vulnerable; thin eyelids would do nothing to stop sharpened metal.

"He didn't know what you are, but I do. A heart as dark as yours doesn't have room for the old man to squeeze in. You're just as useless to us as that Riku Ansem's always going on about. Besides, do you think I want more kids to babysit?" She rolled her eyes.

"I'm twenty-eight." He frowned. Isa had told him he looked at least twenty, and that was months ago now.

"I said what I said." She crossed her arms. "With that pathetic little pout, you hardly look fifteen."

She was just messing with him now. He could see her satisfied smirk; she was enjoying this.

Maybe that was a good thing. As long as he gave an entertaining reaction to her words, she might not resort to knives.

Of course, if she didn't want to Nort him, and she wasn't even in a hurry to torture him…

"If I'm… that useless… why capture me?" he rasped, even though he was afraid he knew the answer.

The Organization had already tried to turn Aqua once. Twice, maybe, if the time-traveling "Babynort's" words counted. If Vanitas was just bait…

Well, Larxene hadn't realized one thing, at least. Xemnas had only managed to almost Nort Aqua because she didn't want to potentially kill Terra. Larxene, on the other hand? Aqua would run a keyblade through her without thinking twice.

He didn't really want to see anyone killed just for being Xehanort's pawn, but he could make an exception in this case. If Larxene didn't want to die, she shouldn't have been stupid enough to target Aqua's partner.

"Ooh, now we're getting somewhere!" Larxene grinned. "Fine, you're not completely useless. I'll let you in on a little secret—you're still the one with the power here."

"Huh?" he grunted.

"Oh, don't act so dumb. Those freaks you can bring to life are made out of emotions. And while electricity may reign supreme elsewhere, it's emotions that run this world."

Her words jarred him almost as much as her lightning. The Unversed? What did she know about the Unversed? Did that mean she didn't care about baiting Aqua?

Before he could ask, the gaping tube shot forward, clamping itself over his mouth. He tried to scream, only for the device to swallow his voice whole.

More than his voice. He retched, fledgling unfinished Floods coming up like bile. This—this wasn't how they were supposed to be born. But none of the creatures could peel off from his skin, not when their essence was stolen directly through his raw throat.

"Seriously? I haven't even played with you yet. Ugh, you really are making this too easy for me."

He couldn't see her anymore. He could barely hear her over his own screams, over the ironic dings that rang out every few seconds, as if to taunt him into thinking his torture was done.

"Whatever. Looks like we'll have more than enough energy to go keep the husks alive, now. Maybe I'll keep you around."

Despite her words, she dug a knife into his shoulder, twisting it to tear the threads of muscle. He cried for help, but the only responses were the rapid-fire dings and Larxene's shrill laughter.

"It would be nice to make someone else be the Organization's on-call generator."

XXX

Aqua stumbled out of the corridor into a world of metal and monsters.

She was on a catwalk, looking down over a bleak warehouse. Freestanding wooden doors rotated through terminals, plucked from their places by metal claws. Other than the eerie red lights at the top of each door, the only spots of color were the spectrum of monsters themselves—purple, green, polka-dotted, striped—and, of all things, bundles of balloons.

No time to dwell on the decor now. Her Wayfinder was already flickering out. She smacked the heel of her palm against it, which did nothing. She simply didn't have enough light at the moment.

Whatever, she thought with a growl. She'd seen the direction the dim beam had been pointing, briefly. Down, away from this massive room, and out into the brightly-lit hall. Why hadn't Isa's corridor just taken her there in the first place?

Annoyed as she was, she was probably lucky that it hadn't. At least here, she wasn't exposed. She'd stick out like a sore thumb among the denizens of this world.

She could change that.

It was easy to call up her darkness. Too easy. It should've scared her, but right now all she felt was cold determination.

She grasped the magic in a chokehold and bent it to her will, weaving her dark suit over the top of her fairy-made clothes. The dark navy and magenta veins should look enough like monstrous skin to camouflage her. Then she cast a color spell over her face, turning her tan skin a gradient of the same shades. It would look like her half-skirt and boots were her only clothing, but most of the monsters below didn't appear to be wearing clothes, and modesty was hardly her highest priority at the moment.

Her stomach twisted. Van would think it was hilarious if he heard her say that. But he'd never hear anything again if she didn't find him.

She spent one more moment disheveling her hair, making it look like a scruffy mane, and was grateful she hadn't bothered to cut it yet. There was a sick sort of satisfaction in looking as vicious on the outside as she felt on the inside.

She took off in the direction she hoped she would find Van. She was in too much of a hurry to sneak, which ended up working in her favor—several passing monsters waved cheerfully, then shuffled past quickly when they saw the hardness of her eyes. No one seemed inclined to tell her that she didn't belong.

Unfortunately, the building was more convoluted than she'd first assumed. Hallways branched into classrooms, breakrooms, offices, a trash compactor. Without her Wayfinder's guidance, she was stuck poking her head in wherever she could until she found Van. Some of the doors were locked, but she used her keyblade to gain entrance when the halls were deserted, only to be met with empty offices and janitor closets.

"Too slow," she hissed under her breath. She'd never find him like this. Could she suppress her rage long enough to channel light again?

…No. She couldn't. Her Wayfinder was cold to the touch.

Maybe someone had seen him. She could risk suspicious questions if it got her to him faster.

The hallway she was currently in was abandoned, but she dashed around a few corners until she found—

A child?

A little girl in a pink shirt stood in the hallway, crouched beneath a water fountain. Aqua doubted the kid would be able to give any directions, even if she'd seen Van.

"Damn it, I don't have time for this," she muttered, despite the vague curiosity of why there was a human child hiding in a world full of monsters. No possibilities seemed particularly comforting, but she could only handle one crisis at a time.

"Shhh," the girl held a finger to her lips. It was then that Aqua realized the child wasn't cowering—she was fighting giggles, even as she pressed herself against the wall. At least she probably wasn't in danger, then.

Aqua dashed past her—and then stopped in her tracks as she felt a brilliant pulse of light.

"You," she gasped. "You're a Princess."

"Pincess!" the girl echoed with a laugh, and the overhead lights flickered. Luckily, Aqua was used to traveling through the dark.

"Can you help me? I need to find my partner," she said quickly. "Just, try touching this for me?"

She held out her Wayfinder.

"Petty!" The girl grasped at the charm—

Then grabbed the leather cord and took off running.

"Hey—get back here!" Aqua chased after her, but apparently she didn't have as much experience in the dark as she'd thought. Laughter rang out as the lights cut again, and she smacked directly into a wall. She cursed loudly.

"Dammit! Dammit!" The little girl echoed.

Ugh. At least as long as she was talking, Aqua could track her voice.

The brat wouldn't get away, Princess or not.

XXX

Vanitas felt like a wrung out rag: limp, empty, and still vaguely damp. Sweat leaked from his skin where Unversed couldn't. The salt stung his cuts, which latticed their way from his wrists up to his collarbones.

Larxene made sure to Cure him before he could bleed out enough to fall unconscious. Unconscious toys couldn't scream. Her healing magic didn't stop the blood from crusting under his torn sleeves.

"Hmph. This is getting boring again." Larxene twirled a knife between her fingers. Her others were still stuck in various places down his arms. "It's no fun when the toys can't talk back."

Tears clouded his vision. He wasn't sure he'd be able to talk, even if she released him from the "Scream Extractor." His throat felt as dry as the Keyblade Graveyard.

Aqua… where are you…?

"What did Xehanort see in you, anyway?" Larxene sneered. "There's no way a crybaby like you had a heart strong enough to survive the split."

She pricked his face with the tip of her knife, right below his eyes. Blood trailed down his cheeks, mingling with his tears. The salt made the incisions burn hotter and hotter.

"You didn't leave the guts with your other half, that's for sure. The kid was a stupid little zombie from the very beginning."

Ven…? How did she know him? That was right, Roxas had been in the Organization… but he hadn't had his memories as Ven back then. Had Larxene been spying on him recently too?

"I expected more from the X-Blade's chosen." She snorted, leaving for a moment to switch out the yellow canisters.

He understood what they were by now—each ding meant that one had filled with his Unversed. They were still leaking from his mouth, slowly, despite him being out of energy to scream.

"It must've been just dumb luck that you didn't end up a Nobody like—hey! I told you to get lost, kid!"

Vanitas blinked, trying to clear the saltwater and grit from his eyes. It hardly mattered, since whoever Larxene was shouting at was too far away for him to turn his head towards.

Then he caught a whiff of light, so sharp he retched into the machine again. Was there a Princess in a horrible place like this?

"Dammit! Dammit!" a younger voice replied. It was so jarring that Vanitas almost laughed instead it came out as another heaving cough.

"Who the hell's been teaching you to swear? And—what's this piece of junk?"

"That's mine, you freak."

Vanitas's heart sped up. That was a voice he'd recognize anywhere.

Aqua kicked through a row of canisters, and they split open as they toppled, piercing the room with unformed Unversed and screams. She looked like an omen of death, in her dark suit that seemed to cover her face and disembodied red eyes swirling about her.

He grinned beneath the horrid scream-tube.

It's your turn to play the toy now, Larxene.