It's been ages since I last posted... But I will be updating regularly from now on, if that matters to anyone! I know there's another Riku Replica fic now (aww, now mine isn't so special... ;) ) Still, the more the merrier! At the end, leave me a review if you wish to!

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts/ Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. Resemblance to any other fanfic is purely coincidental. So no one try to sue me or anything of the sort!

Day 9- Afternoon

It was mid-afternoon... "Where have you been!" That was how I was greeted as I emerged from the doors and ended up in the hall. Vexen came rushing up to meet me with an annoyed look on his face.

I glared at him. No one should speak to me that way. "Why should I tell you?" I countered. What did he want now?

Besides, the answer to his question was easy. It didn't take a genius to figure out that I had used some of the cards that I had in my possession to travel to the other worlds, gaining some experience from fighting the natives of those worlds. My arm was good as new, much sooner than I had expected, and I was eager to begin training again. It seemed that the only thing that had been truly damaged was my pride.

Vexen frowned sternly back at me. Clearly, he was displeased, but thought better of reprimanding me with a caustic remark. At long last, he must have realized that arguing with me would be pointless and so said, "You're wanted."

I folded my arms and asked impatiently. "For what?"

"Marluxia wants to meet you," Vexen said sourly.

"Who's he?" Shocking, I know.

Irritated at my ignorance, Vexen explained in a concise one-sentence answer, "He's the current keeper of Castle Oblivion." So the master of this place wanted to meet me? About time.

How honored I should have been. As it was, I wasn't too impressed or honored. Knowing their kind, all they wanted me to do was to serve as some minion. But, I was interested in finding out who this mystery guy was.

I let Vexen lead me to another room. This one had a door at the end of the walkway, which I assumed was the entrance to the Keeper's quarters. The antechamber... Taking a deep breath, I prepared myself to enter and face whoever I would meet inside. It would've been quite a dramatic moment.

Except, Vexen couldn't seem to find the right card that would open the door. Seconds passed.

"What's wrong now?" I asked impatiently, trying to peer over at the cards that he was shuffling through. "I'd like to get on with my life, if you don't mind. Unlike you, I actually have one."

Vexen quickly pulled them away from my grasp. "Hold your tongue, you! I'll gave you know that my experimentation is incremental to the Organization's development, " he chided harshly. Blah, blah, blah...

Five minutes passed... Still no luck opening the lock.

"You sure you know what you're doing?" I asked, tempted to snatch the cards out of his hands. Equally annoyed, Vexen was about to reply sharply when the door suddenly swung open, just missing hitting him in the face. I was sorry that it hadn't. A little amusement would be welcome.

But Vexen's reaction was entertainment enough. He gawked, "Axel! What are you doing in there!"

Sure enough, Axel casually strolled out, and the door shut behind him. Jerking a thumb at the entrance to what I presumed to be Marluxia's quarters, he offered some useful advice. "Too bad, you just missed him. You can fiddle with your cards as long as you want, but you're not getting in," Axel said grinning, and he told Vexen in a light tone, "I think he wasn't happy that you took so long."

"Who does he think he is?" Vexen grumbled, mostly to himself. For once, I agreed. It was rude of Marluxia to leave us waiting like that, but I guess when you're in charge you can do just about anything and get away with it. I felt that I could admire such a guy.

Suddenly, Vexen remembered that he couldn't let Axel off the hook yet. "Why were you in Marluxia's room, Axel? Not trying anything funny were you?" he questioned. "You know how he is about people poking in his quarters, and you're appearing rather suspicious."

Axel chuckled. "Oh no, I wouldn't dare." I rolled my eyes when I heard that. I, for one, thought that he would. "Marluxia's just out taking care of his very important business. As to why I was in there..." He winked at Vexen. "That's for me to know and you to find out."

"Enough of your nonsense, Axel!" Vexen commanded, drawing himself up. "Show some respect for your elders."

Taking it as a very funny joke, Axel only replied in a carefree voice, "Nyah, you wish."

Listening to their banter was getting boring. "Whatever," I said, dismissing myself. "Hey!" Axel had clapped a hand on my shoulder, and I was frustrated to find that his grip was hard enough to keep me from moving. "What gives?"

"Can't we have a chat, Riku?" Axel asked, pretending to be hurt. "I heard your arm's just seen a rough time. Zexion, right?" I didn't reply, keeping an angry silence. What had happened earlier that day was still a very sore topic.

Axel sighed on my behalf, saying, "Zexion's such a mean guy... He's so cold, don't you think? Makes you wonder what thoughts go through his head."

"He's no worse than you, Axel. At least he's direct," I said, stating exactly what I thought.

"Whatever could you be implying?" Axel asked innocently. I glared at him.

It was always fun to see Axel get on Vexen's nerves, but for him to try his tricks on me... I wouldn't tolerate them. Violently shaking his hand off, I marched off. Now I noticed that Vexen had already left, leaving me stuck with the pest. The one time where his presence was useful he abandoned me!

Axel caught up to me easily with the persistence of a pet dog. "C'mon, Riku. Don't you be stuck up too! Besides..." he added slyly. "Don't you think you already have too many enemies?" He started ticking them off on his fingers. "Larxene who hates your guts. Vexen who'll never help you even if you begged. Zexion who broke your arm without hesitation. Laxaeus you haven't even met. And I'm more than willing to bet that Marluxia isn't going to be your friend. You need me, Riku. We can be good friends, I'm sure of it."

All right, so maybe I did need an ally, just not him. I didn't trust him as far as I could throw him. Which is not far at all. I scoffed, "Thanks but no thanks. I work alone."

"Huh. Too bad then," Axel said, backing off, though he wasn't in the least disappointed. Instead, he had on a knowing expression. "I'm a very good person to know when it comes to getting information. All sorts. But... it's your choice. Just watch your back, 'kay? A rookie like you can get hurt really easily around here."

Axel left me alone after that, probably after recognizing the fact that I wasn't going to ask for his help for a long long time. I wondered later what his was motive in making me this 'offer'. Then, it occurred to me that maybe he did want– or need– me for some plan of his own.

Okay... But what was the plan?

Just how much do I know about him? I asked myself as I watched Axel's retreating back. He wasn't quite like the others... Snooping around like... A spy? I didn't know how close to the truth I had been.

Come to think of it, what was it that he did in Marluxia's quarters? Looking for evidence of traitorous behavior? Well, whatever it was, he must have been successful since when he came out, he was as pleased as punch.

---

Day 9- Night

Competition was what made the Organization run as smoothly as it did. Each agent did their best to complete their assignments and hoped to be promoted. As you can guess, this led to sabotage and other bad things along the same lines. Anything to gain favor with whomever was on top. Even within the same group, there was rivalry–unfriendly rivalry.

The Castle Oblivion agents had such cruel and downright ill intentions as they dealt with each other that it fascinated me. Back on the Destiny Islands, everyone was honest and welcoming. And here, I was constantly in close contact with darkness.

But I didn't understand Zexion and Laxaeus' 'friendship'. How was it possible for them to be as close as they were? Was it a common goal that they shared, or had they been simply assigned as partners? I never considered the possibility that they might've been friends before ever choosing this unforgiving path.

Friendship was pretty much a myth.

As for the others, I guess you could argue that they never openly fought or disputed, and for the most part (Larxene being the obvious exception), that was true. But apart from Vexen's open dislike for Marluxia, there were also many other hidden dislikes. Even though behind each other's back they spoke badly of each other, face to face conversations were cordial enough.

Seeing them act that way, pretending to feel what they don't, sickens me. But I suppose deception is what makes their world go round.

On that night, I was hanging out in the darkened hall for a bit of quiet time when I stumbled across two parties speaking to one another in even tones, the kind that I knew never betrayed the true feelings of the speaker. Before I knew what I was doing, I had already jumped into the shadows. Partially hidden, I listened.

In the quiet, the voices sounded clearer and precise, allowing me to hear every single word. I recognized Axel's voice quickly enough, and the other I soon identified as Zexion's. Well, this is interesting...

Ducking clear out of sight, I listened, hiding behind a pillar in the shadows. They didn't notice me. I had a feeling that if either one of them had caught me eavesdropping, what happened next wouldn't have been pretty.

Zexion was living up to his reputation of being the one of the most serious guys around. I caught sight of his poker face as I peeked out from behind the pillar. He threw Axel a gaze, eyes barely visible from beneath his long hair.

"You're ambitious, Axel." It was a statement that allowed no room for argument.

"Why, thank you," the red-haired man bowed mockingly. He stared at Zexion meaningfully, "They say it's a good thing to be ambitious. Otherwise, you don't achieve anything. What's your take on it?" There was a temporary silence.

Zexion's reply was smooth like silk. "I believe it when it suits me." Axel raised an eyebrow as though he was surprised. Zexion continued, "Do what you will, I won't interfere. Laxaeus and I will tactfully take ourselves out of the scene until you finish your business here. Just don't overstep your boundary."

Axel grinned, "That's awfully nice of you. But aren't you concerned about him?"

Was it me, or did Zexion's eyes narrow? "Leave him alone, Axel. This isn't one of your games."

Shrugging, Axel said. "Whatever you say, Zexy." Zexion didn't so much as blink after hearing Axel's strange pet name for him; I did though, nearly started laughing. It sounded so ridiculous! But apparently, I was the only one who was tickled. In quite a dramatic change, Axel's casual voice suddenly took on an underlying warning tone, "Just don't leak it out, or there'll be hell to pay. No one else must know."

There was a short pause. I felt the tension rising… Then Zexion nodded curtly, "Naturally. I understand." I was disappointed at how anti-climatic his answer had been. No threat at all.

Without a goodbye or anything, he turned and entered the doorway just ahead. It was so silent that I could hear his boots hitting the ground in firm but leisurely steps. Then, they stopped and I knew that he was gone.

I turned my mind to the conversation. Whatever the secret was, the two of them knew that it could not be leaked out to Marluxia and his followers at all costs. It was no wonder, especially because there had been a little rebellion going on in the Organization at that time, and no one knew who was to be trusted and who wasn't. It was a dangerous period where everyone was watching out for traitors and double agents.

The leader of the Organization would probably want to keep its agents in check, so it wouldn't be unlikely that a spy had been assigned here. Maybe it was Marluxia's arrogance in thinking that there were no traitors in his faction.

I started to believe my earlier hunch that Axel was that spy.

In any case, I was sure that Axel wasn't fond of Zexion. The feeling was mutual, obviously, judging from both Laxaeus and Zexion's distrust of him. Which brought me back to the question– Why? Were they fighting over a promotion?

But you know what's weird? It's the fact that neither one of them had said a mean word. Still, that didn't change the fact that there had been some particularly bad vibes hanging around in the air.

Deep in thought, I scarcely noticed that I wasn't alone. Axel stood for a moment by himself, watching the door that Zexion had exited through. I held my breath as I felt his gaze sweeping the room. He didn't give any sign that he noticed my presence.

But I had a feeling that Axel knew that I was there. That's how he was, always knowing more than he let on. Probably the only reason why I wasn't exposed was because it didn't matter that I had heard; Axel wasn't worried about me jeopardizing his plans.

Then again, I was wrong. The one thing Axel likes more than his secrets is showing off. His voice rang in the hall as he said, "You know what they say, curiosity killed the cat... Riku."

Damn. I froze behind my pillar.

Axel laughed once before leaving.