Chapter Twenty Four: Control

Secret Report: Marluxia III

Power is the one constant in the universe. Those who possess it control. Those without it submit. It need not matter what form it takes, for a powerful mind can devise plans to reduce the greatest heroes to simpering pawns. In a way, control and dominion are one of its most potent forms. On this one point, do I concur with Xemnas.

Yet he fails to see what binds him and all those loyal to his ideals. The pull of memories binds them to an invisible master. Ordering them to chase past sensations when they could use the power we have amassed to do more. To bring the forces of light and dark to heel and shape the universe. To understand what we truly are as beings beyond all others.

Only when the keyblade is under my control, can I understand true freedom.

Zexion stepped out of the dark portal into the lab that Vexen had set up. Initially used to work on the Replica program, it seemed that work shut off for the time being. Computers and machinery were rebuilt for detection that both Lexaeus and Vexen were hastily monitoring. Zexion had to admit their adaptation was impressive, yet it remained to be seen if there was any success. "I wanted to see if you had more information regarding Ansem."

At Zexion's question, Vexen sighed as he stood up from the computer in the corner of the room. "He appeared on the floor with the princess of heart and your group. Other than that, we know little about his movement or his agenda." Turning to the center he walked to the crystal ball, conjuring an image of Castle Oblivion shrouded in shadow. "Especially since pinning down his location has been difficult as of late."

Lexaeus continued his monitoring from his station as he explained, "As you see, Ansem has been spreading darkness as he moves through each floor. I have been keeping our areas secure, but he has done enough to effectively hide from us indefinitely."

Zexion clicked his tongue as he crossed his arms and began to pace. The dark seeker was setting up free reign over the majority of the castle, and yet he made no move to silence neither the organization or any of the keybearers for good. He stopped by the crystal ball and gave it a tap. "Anything else of note?"

Vexen furrowed his brow and gestured to the crystal ball again, and the image zoomed inside the castle, coming to a stop at an empty corridor in the basement covered in darkness. From which, dark creatures began to emerge. Pointing to the crystal ball, Vexen warned, "As darkness accumulates, more natural heartless are starting to appear in the other floors."

Zexion nodded as the grim reality set in. He had no fear that the creatures would die just the same as the ones in the memory worlds, they did not have the safeguard of Naminé's control. Zexion shuddered at the idea of facing a menace like Kurt Zisa or the Phantom without some kind of insurance.

And yet that was not the darkness that weighed on him the most, it was the one that should by all rights be impossible

"While I have your attention, there is another question I have regarding darkness. How can a nobody channel it as one with a heart could?"

The question caused Vexen to turn back with an eyebrow raised, and Lexaeus to turn away from the computers. Vexen moved to Zexion's side as he asked with interest, "You speak as if someone managed to tap into that power."

Zexion looked between his two compatriots and revealed, "Roxas tapped into it once he was tasked with facing the princess of heart."

"That was him?" Lexaeus bewilderedly realized as he took a step back. "I saw the spike of darkness near her, but had assumed the heartless were trying to attack her."

Vexen nodded before moving back to the computers on his side of the room. "We'll keep an eye on him. If this is true, then it could upend what we know about the existence of Nobodies. Not to mention, Ansem might take an interest." As he reached the console, he paused and glanced back to Zexion. "Though is that the only reason you're asking about this?"

Zexion blinked before tilting his head. "Meaning?"

Vexen shrugged as he began to explain. "You usually balk at field work, especially with those less intellectually inclined. Yet lately, you seem to be rather interested in working with Roxas and Axel."

Zexion couldn't hide a slight smile of amusement at the observation. Yes, he had a fair rapport with Axel up to now, and Roxas showed some potential in his training mission. But as he had worked with them these past five days, he had come to appreciate them. "They can be surprisingly insightful," he remarked as he turned to the door and reminded the two, "That and we have far more pressing concerns. Which reminds me." He looked over his shoulder to Vexen and asked, "Could I go pickup some supplies?"

With a sigh he waved his hand towards Zexion, "Yes, I suppose you would need them in the current circumstances. Cold Storage down the hall, you know the spot. But be careful, I don't have more to spare."

A small sigh of relief escaped Zexion. "Thank you." And with that he briskly made his way down the hall. If there was one thing Zexion was absolutely thankful for, it was the simple comforts of days gone by. More than that, he was thankful that Vexen was still willing to supply him during this extended mission. Granted, he was moving through his stock a bit faster than usual.

But he had to admit, it was almost fun to share ice cream with friends.

Axel stretched his arms into the air before bringing them to a rest behind his head as he walked down the hall. With Zexion off talking to the Organization members watching Ansem, and Roxas pouring over Sora's memories with Naminé, he was at loose ends. Too awake to go to bed, but too tired to blow off steam by fighting stray heartless. The only other option was to try his luck and see if Marluxia had anything more to talk about besides plans, or…

"Axel! How are things?"

Or Larxene could just sneak up behind him. She quickly moved around him, a finger trailing on his shoulder as she almost whined, "We just don't get to see each other much ever since you decided to help the kid."

Of course the whining, like most of what Larxene did, was an act. Just one more game she played to get a rise out of anyone around. Axel had come to know that well as he worked with her. Both on and off their 'plot'. He simply shrugged and asked, "Well, if you miss me that much, why not join us?"

"Pass." She dropped her mask of unhappiness as soon as she answered. She crossed her arms as she looked Axel in the eye. "I've had enough babysitting with Naminé, thank you very much. Besides, there are more important things to worry about."

There were several important things, and right now Axel's mission and life depended on which one Larxene cared about. He simply sighed and put his hands on his hips as he watched her. "Things like?"

"What comes after our assignment here? It'll definitely be a day to remember," Larxene giggled and immediately Axel was set at ease. If she was this confident, it meant she and Marluxia didn't suspect any plot against them.

"I think Roxas should be a part of it."

And there was the kicker. Axel was curious about how the two envisioned Roxas fitting into their takeover plot. It might even had been why they brought him to Castle Oblivion to begin with. Still, there might be a way to turn this to his advantage. He just needed to confirm his suspicion as to why she was here. He smirked and crossed his arms, "Why don't you ask him about it?"

Larxene met his amusement with a flat look. "Did you miss the part where I said I don't like babysitting?"

Axel shook his head. "You want me to sell it to him. Not in the mood to try and play nice?"

He was answered by a poke to his chest. "Axel, I never play nice. So yes, that's what I'm asking." She raised her finger to his lips as she began to grin. "One last thing. Keep Zexion out of it. We don't want him to spoil the surprise now, do we?"

Right. The other wrinkle to his plans. And unfortunately, one he had some reservations about axing outright now. Still, for now he could keep quiet about it. "If you say so."

"I do say so." Larxene spun on her heel and began to walk down the hall with a wave of her hand. "See you tomorrow~!"

Axel managed a half hearted wave back to her as his thoughts began to race. This was an opportunity for him if he could pitch the conspiracy to Roxas just right. Yet there was the stark reminder that he was still going to need to keep Zexion in the dark for long enough. Either that or get him on board with what he and Saïx were cooking up, but he was in no hurry to open that can of worms. And even thinking about Naminé as a keyblade wielder the Organization could use was solidly filed under 'questions for later'.

Still, he'd had messes of assignments before, and came out on top then. He'd come out on top this time too. Just as long as he played his cards right.

The Darkness in Zero was at more of a loss as time passed by. At first, he considered the appearance of the Organization's keybearer an anomaly to take note. That note had been soon overshadowed by the appearance of the princess, and the return of the dark seeker.

He couldn't help a scowl. It was bad enough the imposter continued to use and tarnish his name, but now he had re-captured a vital piece to DiZ's plans. Without someone willing to listen to reason instead of naive ideals, attaining a tool of vengeance would be far more difficult.

Of course, the Nobodies were as vexed as he was. Trying to maintain their plans even as darkness began to encroach on the castle. Haste led to mistakes, mistakes DiZ could capitalize on. He just needed to find the right opportunity, the right angle. All avenues needed consideration.

For a moment he turned his attention to Roxas and Naminé. The two keybearers did seem to chafe more and more under the Organization's rule. And the way they interacted indicated a fondness that was more than proximal attraction. Could they…?

He shook his head. Absurd. Their mannerisms did not indicate true emotion. He could not afford to get attached. Still, they may be useful if nudged in the right direction. He just needed to wait for that opportunity.

The sound of knocking at his door roused Roxas from his sleep. Once again he watched Sora's memories from his dream. Memories that had been bent ever so slightly with Naminé's inclusion. That was the one thing that made his lack of control bearable. Even as Sora held the reins and played more with Kairi and Riku, Roxas could still see Naminé in the distance. A crayon in her hand as she sketched in silence, turning down most offers to play and insisting she was fine.

But she was far from fine, wasn't she? She was being forced to make a lie to control a boy she had no interest in. Trying to fight for her life just for a chance to be free and to help him. Yet she had the strength to try, and kept some hope alive in herself that there might be a better future. And Roxas had to admit, seeing her made him want to fight for a future as well.

Would she want to wish for a future with him?

The insistent knocking roused him again from his rumination, and Roxas made his way to the door with grumble. No doubt Marluxia was here again to spout off more of his philosophy. Yet as he opened the door, his eyes widened as he saw someone else. "Axel? You're up pretty early."

"Well, this is kind of important," Axel admitted as he briskly walked into his room. He closed the door behind him and hurriedly locked it before looking at Roxas and asking, "What do you think of Marluxia and Larxene? Honestly."

Perhaps it was because it was so early. Maybe it was because he was alone with Axel, one of the few people he trusted in the Organization. Or maybe he had been sitting on this for days and he just had to say it to someone who might listen.

Either way there was only one thing Roxas could think to say.

"I think I hate them."

Axel was wide eyed at the quiet confession, before he chuckled and shrugged. "Roxas, we're nobodies. We can't—."

"I know! I know I shouldn't! That we aren't meant to feel that!" Roxas couldn't help but shout in objection. There was something inside him that wanted to cry and scream that was growing day by day. Growing to a point he couldn't ignore anymore. "I can't stand that they're in charge, or how they run things here. How they keep on giving orders and making demands without doing anything themselves! And the way they keep treating Naminé, I just—!"

"Okay! I get it." Axel held up his hands, before sighing and shaking his head. "That's probably as close as we can get to hate."

Roxas head was hazy from finally letting out the frustration that had been building since he had come to the castle. But even then he realized that what he had said could not leave this room. He swallowed the lump in his throat and asked Axel, "You're not going to tell them?"

Smiling, Axel put a hand to Roxas shoulder and shook his head. "Not a chance. We're friends after all. We look after each other." But as Roxas was about to relax at the reassurance, Axel's face turned stern and he held up a finger. "But I am going to give you a warning. The two of them have something big planned, and they want you to be a part of it."

Roxas scoffed and looked over to the side, "Well too bad for them. I don't care."

Axel sighed and put his other hand on Roxas' shoulder. "If you say no, they're going to get nasty. They won't take no for an answer."

Roxas grabbed Axel's hands and tried to push them away as he snapped, "So I'm just stuck with them?!"

Axel shook his head and held firm to Roxas' shoulder. "Not forever. Not if I have anything to say about it. If they ask you to join in, just go along for the moment." He let go and placed a hand to his chest as he stood up. "I'll help get you out of trouble when the time is right. I promise."

Roxas furrowed his brow. It was nice to have some kind of heads up, though the details were still frustratingly vague. Moreover, there were two people conspicuously absent in Axel's plan. "What about Zexion?"

Axel sighed as he crossed his arms and confessed, "They want to keep him in the dark for now. Just keep this between us."

Not the best answer, but maybe they just needed to wait for the right opportunity to let Zexion in. Then that left only one person. The one Roxas had come to care about more than anyone. "Will you be able to save Naminé too?"

Axel paused, his hand over the door handle before he looked back to Roxas with a slight smile and asked, "If she really matters to you, then isn't that sort of thing something you should do for her yourself?"

As Axel opened the door to head down the hall to Naminé's room, Roxas found it hard to disagree.

Naminé had hoped that gaining a keyblade might have changed things. That it might warrant enough respect for her to at least get a proper bed. Yet as she roused herself and set aside the blanket she used for warmth, she was forced to concede this morning was like any other for her so far. And if Marluxia and Larxene's reactions were anything to go off, she wasn't even sure if actually succeeding in their mission would improve her life.

Though she had to admit, her time with Roxas made that effort worth it. The time they had shared these past few days started off simple. Nights after each mission spent talking and opening up to each other was liberating. Giving her a chance to finally talk openly and honestly, giving her the courage to try and do something more. Naminé had to admit that Roxas had come to occupy a large part of her wish for a life beyond the castle.

Would he want to wish for a future with her too?

Her thoughts came to a halt, and she stood at attention with the sound of a dark portal. A sound she still dreaded, even with everything that had changed. A dread that intensified when she saw who walked out. "Marluxia."

Walking up to the crystal ball, he glanced down at her. "I trust progress is proceeding smoothly with Sora's memories." It was not a question, he was stating a fact that he would see no argument on.

Naminé did her best to try and meet his eyes as she reported. "He believes I was there when he was growing up. Though he can't recall my name."

Slowly, he looked to her, eyes narrowing as he coldly asked, "How close is he to this point?"

Naminé couldn't help a tremble in her voice as she protested, "Close! He just needs a push to remember it."

Closing his eyes with a sigh, Marluxia shook his head. "We will test this ourselves later." Turning towards her, Marluxia sneered as he crossed his arms, "Remember, even with the keyblade, we must be ready to pursue any avenue to gain power."

Power. That was always the word on Marluxia's lips when it came to his plans. Naminé had experienced how far he had taken his pursuit first hand. Yet even so, she couldn't help but wonder aloud, "What would you do with that power?" She couldn't help flinching after asking it, she knew that Marluxia hated any question to his order. How far would he go when one asked about his motive?

Yet despite this, Marluxia smiled and held out one hand. "As you have a keyblade now, I think you have earned enough right to know this. For it is a lesson you must understand." Naminé had to admit seeing him pleased was almost more chilling than seeing his anger. Slowly Marluxia balled his hand into a fist as he declared, "Power controls everything. It is the one universal truth of the universe. For without power, how can you protect yourself, let alone what is important to you?"

Naminé couldn't help a sense of unease at his words. What was important? Why would he mention that to her specifically? Was he beginning to suspect what was going on between her and Roxas?

Inside, she prayed that she was wrong. She could hardly bear if Marluxia would try to take one of the few good things in her life.

Her pondering was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Roxas stood there with Axel and Zexion, calling out. "Naminé, are you…?" Yet his words seemed to fall from his mouth as he saw Marluxia.

Marluxia just smiled and turned to the three of them. "Let's discuss today's mission, shall we?"

Somehow, Naminé knew it would be far from pleasant.