Disclaimer: Characters, names, locations and the 13th Order are still all property of Square and/or Disney.

The Discovered Key

Chapter Four
Presentiment

Roxas shifted in his seat adjusting his position, trying to make himself more comfortable as he waited for the others to arrive and for the meeting to begin. With him still unsure of his way around the castle, Lexaeus had been sent to locate and take him to the room where it would be held. He hadn't minded arriving early; he wanted to make a good impression for his first gathering, and it wouldn't have been ideal to be late, but as it became more apparent that the others appeared free to show up as they pleased, his initial excitement quickly vanished.

While the Elders, with the exception of the Superior himself, were all present, a majority of the Neophytes seemed to be taking their sweet time in arriving. After receiving a few irritated scowls as he drummed his fingers against the table, he realized why they were all turning up later than they were supposed to; sitting in a room with the likes of a serious Xaldin and Zexion was enough to drive anyone insane.

Sighing, Roxas leaned forward, resting his arms on the solid marble surface in front of him.

"It appears Number Thirteen is eager to get this meeting started."

Recognizing the voice as Larxene's, Roxas glanced up to see her taking a seat opposite him. She summoned a single Kunai into her hand, balancing it between her fingers and running a thumb along the edge as she stared at him. Roxas had no doubts that she was probably imagining sending that across the table and straight into his throat.

"I'm not eager, I'm just bored of waiting," He replied, defensively.

"Oh? Perhaps we should inform the Superior that you find his meetings boring then."

"I never said that!"

"Don't provoke the boy, Larxene."

Upon hearing Xigbar's warning from further along the table, she flashed Roxas a cruel smile and settled back into her seat. Turning away, Roxas was relieved to see the rest of the members filing in and taking their places. Finally, they could get started.

Once they were all seated, a Dark Corridor opened at the head of the table, where Xemnas, accompanied by Saix, emerged from.

There was an instant change in the atmosphere that rippled throughout the room; every member appeared to sit up straighter and divert their full attention to their Superior. Roxas followed their lead.

Xemnas appeared to survey each of them before speaking. They all already knew why they were there, but he began with the basics. Roxas assumed it was for the sake of formality. "We're ready to move our research into its next stage. We will be splitting into two separate groups to continue."

Saix took over for him. "Each will focus on a different area of research. One group shall remain here, the other will move to another location. This group will be taking the girl's Nobody with them to assist."

"What exactly, will her role be?" Zexion enquired.

"Her ability to manipulate memories is a unique one. The group will focus their research on this area with her help."

The new information intrigued Roxas; this was what he had been hoping for. If, whoever this girl was, specialized in memories, then the research she would be assisting with could prove valuable to him. He immediately knew what group he wanted to be a part of.

"And what area will this group be moving to?"

"A place found at the end of the In-Between world; Castle Oblivion."

"What of the second group that remains here?" Luxord asked.

Xemnas resumed answering. "They will be continuing with the research we have already started."

"Have the groups been decided?"

"We will be placing Marluxia in charge of the Castle Oblivion group..."

Xemnas was interrupted by a sharp cough from further along the table. Every face in the room turned to look at a hacking Demyx.

"Is there a problem, Number Nine?"

"No…" He fell silent, carefully looking away. "Just got something stuck in my throat, that's all…"

It was obvious what the cause of his reaction had been, and Roxas agreed; putting Marluxia in charge of one of the groups seemed unusual. He had expected Xemnas to take one, and Saix or even Xigbar to be left to deal with the other.

"The Castle Oblivion group will be leaving within a few days. If there are no more questions, we will announce the groups now and they can begin with their preparations."

No one appeared to have anything further to add and while he was full of questions himself, Roxas remained quiet. He didn't think they'd really appreciate him asking what exactly a 'Castle Oblivion' was supposed to be.

As the list of names that would form the Castle Oblivion group were reeled off, Roxas felt disappointment flare up inside of him. His name wasn't read out, and that could only mean that he was part of the other group. The one that was staying behind…

He barely suppressed an exasperated groan.

The others seemed satisfied. He was vaguely aware of them going over some minor details, but he found his interest fading. As they were dismissed, and the rest of the members took their leave, Roxas stayed put.

Once he was certain that all but himself and the Superior had left, he approached Xemnas.

"Is there something that you need clarification on, Number Thirteen?"

Roxas was certain that Xemnas already knew what he was about to ask. "I want to request getting transferred to the other group."

"And why is it, that you'd like to go with them?"

"I want to help them with their research." Roxas met his eyes with a determined expression. "If what they're going to be doing there could help me remember…"

"No."

The blunt reply cut him off. He narrowed his eyes, his frustration growing. "Why can't I go with them?" Roxas demanded. He knew he was speaking out of turn and that he was probably pushing his luck, but Xemnas appeared more amused than angered.

"You're far too valuable to allow to go with them."

"I'd be more use there!" He insisted.

"You're not ready to take part in an assignment as unstable as that one will prove to be."

The comment silenced Roxas' protests. He frowned, confused. He was almost making it sound like the research the other group would be doing was going to be dangerous. What exactly did he mean by 'unstable'? Coupled with the odd choice of selecting someone who was still fairly new themselves to be in charge of what appeared to be such an important task, made the entire situation seem odder than he had first realized.

But who was he to question his Superior's orders? Relenting, he nodded and turned to leave without another word. He could feel Xemnas' gaze following him out of the room.

A majority of the others were still milling about in the hallway outside. Seeking out Axel and Demyx, he wandered over to join them.

"You don't look too happy…" Axel noted as he approached. "Not liking your group?"

"Would you? Look at the people I'm stuck with!"

"I'm going to assume that doesn't include me." Demyx huffed.

"At least you're not going to have to put up with taking orders from Marluxia."

Roxas titled his head thoughtfully. "Why did they put him in charge anyway?"

Demyx shrugged, muttering, "I don't see me getting my own castle, and I've been here longer."

He was spared a response from either of them as Zexion interrupted. "Axel, the Superior wishes to speak with you. He has a personal assignment for you."

Heaving a sigh, Axel nodded and retreated from the conversation. Demyx took the moment to leave himself, making his own excuses and slipping away. As Roxas watched them and the rest of the Order members disperse, he wondered just how long it was going to be before he was trusted enough with some personal assignments of his own.

With the Castle Oblivion group busy making their own preparations before leaving, and nothing better to do himself, Roxas was unwillingly dragged into helping Vexen gather what he would be needing to take with him from the lab area. In an attempt to make conversation, and to satisfy his ever-curious mind, Roxas questioned what each and every item was and what they were going to be used for, but he only appeared to irritate Vexen further. By the time they were finished, he instructed Roxas to keep away from the labs while he was gone unless he was supervised, telling him that should he return to find anything out of place, he'd go straight to the Superior about it. He needn't have worried; Roxas had no interest in his precious experiments. He was relived to get out of there once he was dismissed.

With no other tasks set for him, he roamed the halls of the castle, enjoying the chance to explore them alone for a change as he began tracking down the others and checking on how things were going. He found no sign of Axel, but a passing Luxord informed him he was still speaking to the Superior. Whatever assignment he'd been given, they were apparently going over it in a lot of detail.

He located Demyx with ease; he seemed to be enjoying not having anyone chasing him down for a change, seeing the commotion as a perfect opportunity to sit back and relax while everyone else continued with their own preparations. Roxas declined his offer to join him.

He briefly encountered Marluxia, but Roxas didn't stick around long to offer his assistance there. Since Xemnas had announced he would be in charge of the Castle Oblivion project, he appeared even more smug than usual and Roxas didn't want to be on the receiving end of that.

With no further success in tracking down anyone of interest, he took to the training area to work on his skills some more. He was starting to feel more relaxed using the Keyblades, and while none of the answers to his questions concerning them were in sight, he was still determined to perfect his proficiency in wielding them.

He was disturbed by Larxene's presence. Recalling her previous comments, and not feeling comfortable continuing while she watched, Roxas dismissed his weapons. He faced her, not bothering to hide his annoyance. "Is there a problem?"

"They're the only reason anyone is interested in you, you know. If it weren't for the Keyblades, you wouldn't even be a member."

He narrowed his eyes, regarding her carefully before responding. "Don't you have anything better to do?"

"I just thought I should tell you that before we left." She smirked at him, satisfied. "No one else would come out and say it."

Roxas watched, confused as she turned to leave. He knew that it wasn't worth paying attention to anything that she had to say, Larxene only appeared happy when she was insulting or annoying someone else, and he was perfectly aware that he was nothing more than her latest victim to toy with and test her latest twisted games out on. But that didn't change that fact that her words had a resounding impact on him, sticking firmly in his mind.

Perhaps there was more truth in what she had said than he would have liked to believe.

As the time for the Castle Oblivion group to leave drew closer, Roxas found himself growing more weary of the idea of the split. Something didn't feel right, and he suspected that there was more going on with the other group than just mere 'research'. He may have been new, but he was smarter than some of them were giving him credit for. When he'd finally managed to catch up to Axel and attempted to ask him just what 'assignment' he'd been given, he hadn't succeeded in getting anything out of him other than that he couldn't say.

The entire project was starting to seem less and less like a good idea. What good could possibly come from dividing the group and putting one half of them under the leadership of someone like Marluxia? When he shared his concerns with Axel, he simply grinned at Roxas telling him that he would be better worrying about his own side of things.

Once he caught word that they were ready to leave, Roxas joined them on the lower floors of the castle where they had gathered. He had expected the others who were staying to be there to see them off, but it appeared no one else was interested. Only Xemnas and Saix were present, both speaking to Marluxia; Roxas imagined that they were giving him some final instructions.

While the others stood around waiting, Roxas wandered over to join a bored-looking Axel. Acknowledging his presence, the older member gave him a light smirk. "Don't tell me you're going to miss us all that much."

Roxas frowned. Slowly realizing that Axel seemed to be referring to his sullen mood, he shook his head. "No, that's not it." He paused before replying, considering if it was worth bringing anything up. "Larxene said the only reason I'm here is because I can use the Keyblades…"

"And you listened to her?"

"But she's right, isn't she?"

Axel didn't respond immediately. "No. I'm sure that Xemnas knew that you'd be a worthwhile addition to the Order and that's why you're here."

Though his voice was kept perfectly steady when he answered, seeing that Axel refused to look at him as he did only made Roxas more suspicious. The seeds had already been planted in his mind and that wasn't enough to remove them. Carefully pushing that line of thoughts aside, he gave an empty smile. "Right." He eyed the others, before switching the subject. "Maybe next time they try something like this, I'll be the one put in charge."

"You'd do a better job than Marluxia will."

Roxas grinned, his mood lifting slightly. "Demyx would do a better job than him."

"Now that I'd like to see. And speaking of Demyx, don't go picking up any of his bad habits while we're gone."

"I'll behave." He turned around, looking towards where Marluxia was gathered with Saix and Xemnas. "Somehow, I don't think I'd get the chance to be lazy even if I wanted to."

Axel followed the direction of his stare. "Just make sure you don't get on Saix's bad side..."

"You don't like him?" Roxas asked.

Axel scoffed at the question. "Don't trust him either."

The statement interested him; so far, he hadn't noticed any real bitter feelings between any of the members. There was the odd comment, and he was aware of the divide between the newer members and the Elders, but that was to be expected in a large group.

"I'll be careful." Saix wasn't exactly the kind of person that Roxas wanted to see mad anyway. He filed away Axel's dislike for future reference.

As Marluxia finally broke away from his conversation, the others from the Castle Oblivion group moved to join him. A Dark Corridor was opened, and without so much as a backwards glance they began to leave by it. Axel muttered a string of complaints to himself that Roxas didn't catch, before heading off after them, calling back over his shoulder, "Have fun."

As they slowly disappeared through the vortex, Roxas turned to look towards the waiting Superior behind him. The smug look and slight smirk on Xemnas' face did not go unnoticed, and as Roxas watched the last of the others be swallowed by the dark swirls of colour, he realized this may be the last time he saw some of them.

Not all of them were going to be returning from that place.

Notes: This got harder to write towards the end. For some reason, I kept typing "28th March" in every sentence. Odd that… I wonder what it means? ;)

I'd have liked to use the CoM members a bit more, but I suppose they weren't around long when Roxas got there. From what I can gather, the second group just seemed to stay behind. (I'm sure the Ultimania will come out and go into detail on this proving me totally wrong though, but oh well. I'm going off what's available at the moment!)
I wanted to make a little more of a point of the Axel and Saix thing as well – they seem to have a bit of a dislike for each other, but the game only touches on it briefly.

Think that was it for this chapter, next one should see Roxas getting stuck into some research of his own!