A/N: So sorry this came out late, I was stumped by the Trinity chapter partner. Forgive me and my human limitations; or in a manner of speaking, I have had writer's block. The Trinity chapter was so damn depressing, so I've decided to lighten this one up. Hell, the Nobody's Perfect chapters are always lighter. That's why the genre's Humor. Also, bit o' fluffiness, for the Romance part.

Disclaimer: Do you have any idea on how much the property tax on Kingdom Hearts is? Me neither, but with only lint in my wallet right now, I have no way of affording it whatsoever. In short, I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

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VIII: Insight

"What is that?"

"What is what?"

Demyx frowned, scratching his chin as he stared at the black-cloaked (which could mean anyone from melodramatic Superior to the guy who actually makes the things, but he doesn't care) Nobody in front of him. "I've heard that tune before."

"Sanctuary."

"Yeah, that's it!" he said, grinning widely. A sudden thought struck him.

"Luxord, you can whistle?!"

Number Ten wheeled around to face him, his hands rapidly shuffling his cards (Deck no. 153, Luxord's third most private deck, and Demyx would rather not know what its design is, thank you very much) for the third time this minute. His brows furrowed in a very gentlemanlike way as he stared at him.

"Apparently, I can," he said condescendingly. Demyx wanted to slap himself; statement like that were usually taken in the most literal of ways, resulting in a lot of philosophical replies (besides, slapping himself would inevitably lead to a deluge of concerned water-forms, and he's really rather not get wet).

That was how Organization XIII worked; throw them a simple question, and they come up with impossibly complicated answers that required hours to explain (look at Xemnas and his long-winded meetings; he had managed to twist 'leftovers' to 'beings born from the breaking of heart, body, and soul, floating between the steps of Light and the abyss of Darkness'). He was grateful that some of his co-members still went straight to the point. Bless Roxas and his adolescent vocabulary. Well, for two of them, words weren't exactly needed, kunais and flying Chakrams-of Death spoke for themselves.

"Obviously. D'you think I'm that dense, Luxord?"

"Everyone else does..."

Demyx's fingers itched for his Sitar, but he had decided earlier that he'd practice not being so spontaneous (an idea gleaned from Saïx's beloved 'Anger Management: an Indestructible Manual for the Modern Berserker'), so he stared Luxord in the eye and spoke one word.

"Seniority."

He struggled not to laugh at the expression on the blonde man's face.

"Laughing, are you?" Number Ten arched an eyebrow, his hands shuffling his cards so fast they were only a blur. "Let's see if you'll last tonight," he said cryptically before portalling out. Demyx stared at the spot for a few seconds, puzzled, before shrugging it off and turning to walk in the opposite direction.

Whatever Luxord said; Demyx was still a digit higher than him. Seniority was another one of the Order's idiosyncrasies; whether he liked to admit it or not, they were fanatics of hierarchy. It was actually nice to know that whatever your fighting skills, you still stood above someone.

Well, for Roxas, it should've been hell, but no, he was the Key's Nobody, and Xemnas had taken a special interest in him.

That led to Larxene. But she was the only female member, and it was an unspoken rule never to cross her, unless you had a death wish (Axel seemed especially fond of death wishes, judging from the number of times he'd ambushed her). He shivered involuntarily; she had promised him the hardest sparring session he will ever experience once she got out of playing violin with the Royal Orchestra tonight. What? Her name only kind of...slipped out when the Superior started portalling and asking Nobodies randomly if they knew anyone who could play violin. She should be grateful; but then again, pain was the way Larxene showed her gratefulness.

That led to Marluxia, onetime Lord of that Castle Oblivion thing (he still didn't get how Naminé pulled of the whole 'memories changing with every floor' stint, that girl is dangerous, if you ask him) that was sadly laid in ruins by a very pissed off brunette Wielder. So much for taking over the Organization and everything. In Demyx's opinion, Marluxia was the lowest right now, and he certainly was living up to it, holing himself in his garden for a full week now (following the very violent scuffle in the Right Wing).

Footsteps pounded on the marble floors, and it wasn't his. He quickly ran to a random pillar (actually arranged 2.75 meters apart by a very precise Lexaeus, but Demyx always thought of things as random ones, so let's just leave him be) and stood still behind it. From the volume of the footsteps echoing off the walls, the owner was mad, and angry Nobodies were, simply put, bad for your health. Larxene and Axel was a prime example.

"How dare he do this! He'll pay for this, I swear---" Marluxia came into view, his brows drawn together, his hands clenched into fists. He shook his head vehemently (miraculously, his brunette hair managed to settle in place in perfect layered harmony) and he stomped down the hall, muttering something along the lines of murder as he went.

"Someone's happy today," Demyx murmured as he carefully summoned a portal, intending to get as far away from Marluxia as he could. Swirling-Pink-Blizzards-of-Agonizing-Death was something he most certainly could do without today.

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Xemnas tapped a black boot against the carpeted floor of Disney Castle, wondering how wall-to-wall carpeting would look like in the Castle That Never Was. He pondered on this for a few minutes, then decided against it. No matter how stylish a camel-colored plush carpet looked like; it would fare rather badly against the elemental spells that would inevitably ravage the floor.

Yes. That was why he chose marble as material in the first place; it was the sturdiest, and most magic spells hardly left a crack. However, the Thundagas and Firagas that were usually cast in the hallways didn't fall in the 'most magic spells' division. He poked a booted toe at a rip in the carpet, now wondering why he was wondering about carpeting, when he should be wondering where the King was.

He wasn't exactly spying. Heck, King Mickey actually expected him tonight. Xemnas couldn't believe the King would be that welcoming; the whole ruining-his-dearest-friends-dream-and-creating-mayhem-in-general thing was somehow thrown out the window. He had told Xemnas that any member would be welcome in Disney Castle, as long as they kept their cloak and violent tendencies under wraps.

And yes, this was the King who was on the second to Sora on their hitlist (actually a vivid pink Post-It that he had stuck on the fridge, so that there was no way a member would miss it) of Somebodies to kill. He shook his head slowly. The heart really is a strange thing. He found no point in amnesty, unless the giver had something to gain. (Castle Oblivion flashed again before his amber eyes---the memories are so unforgettable).

Speaking of Sora, he had been watching the boy from afar. He didn't trust (he didn't trust anyone, thank you very much) Larxene to keep an eye on the two; she was far too preoccupied muttering 'I hate you Xemnas and Demyx' to do so.

The two Wielders had brought a Princess of Heart with them; and Xemnas knew King Mickey would be very grateful he did.

Would the Plan (capitalized to differentiate it from all the other plans the King had in his filing cabinet) work? He doubted it; he had firsthand experience on what would happen if you pushed a heart too far.

Well, Wielders' hearts are an exception, but still...

The Castle Library doors burst open, and a very pale King Mickey sprinted out, a sword in his hand. Xemnas had no idea why he was sprinting, since a Court always waits for a King, and if he were in the King's (huge, yes, he supposed all Wielders do) shoes, he'd be taking as long as he could.

"You really are too old to be reminded never to run with pointed objects in your hand, King Mickey," he said aloud, watching the King skid to a stop using the sword he was holding.

His eyes narrowed at him as he pulled the sword out of the marble floor. "Do not interfere, this is for my kingdom's good."

Xemnas sighed; they had gone through this conversation so many times before he had already lost count.

The big Plan was simply to bind the two Wielders to the Light. That Xemnas had vehemently opposed. Binding to the Light meant draining the heart of darkness. You simply cannot do that; the heart was supposed to contain both light and darkness. But King Mickey, with the stubborness common to all the beings who go around with huge keys, simply refused to listen; he kept going on and on about the pros outweighing the cons.

All Xemnas knew is that if the Knighting succeeded, they'd end up with two dead Wielders. But being the 'Superior' he was, he had a reputation to protect (he had to create one, since Nobodies literally have nothing to start with, that was one of the downsides of being just a huge accident), so he thought of a fitting comment.

"Ahah, dear, dear King, always thinking of his beloved Kingdom's well-being," he said dramatically. The blade of the sword clutched in the King's hand glinted, drawing his gaze. He smirked. "That Keyblade... think of its...repercussions..."

That was another reason why Xemnas had so vehemently opposed the plan; it used forbidden magic. Specifically, the Keyblade used to create Roxas and Naminé. Forbidden because of the massive darkness that was used to create it--the twisted light from the hearts of six Princesses of heart. He had no idea how that Keyblade came to the King's hands, and he'd rather not know how the King could stand so much darkness in close proximity.

"Bind to the Light. It does what it must do."

He clucked his tongue. "Ah, there lies the problem...you do know that no-one has ever tested this particular...mechanism before...? All we certainly know is that it can release hearts, but bind them...? I don't think so..."

The King frowned. He had told Xemnas that he had found a vague description of said Keyblade in one of the Secret Ansem (word still left a bitter taste on his tongue, and he forced himself not to grimace) Reports, and that it described something about oaths and making them binding (accompanied by a stick figure illustrating what would happen if one broke the sworn oath; that was one of the most unsettling illustrations he had ever seen). And because of typical Wielder stubborness, King Mickey had gone all out in order to perform said binding.

"It binds someone to the Light. Not to me, but to the Light. Allegiance to the Light only. Do not interfere, Xemnas."

Xemnas came forward from the pillar he was leaning on, and stared at the King. The mouse stared back, as if daring him to contradict.

He sighed. Nobody stubborness he could handle; however, Somebody stubborness was another thing altogether.

"Go on, then...but let me remind you, King, that in the brightest of flames..."

The King had already spun around and continued his sprint down the Colonnade, but Xemnas knew that they were both thinking of the same thing.

"...there is the darkest of shadows..." he murmured before leaning back on his pillar, waiting for the news to come. His booted foot started poking the carpet again.

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Dinner at the Castle That Never Was was always an experience. You never know whether you will come out of the Dining Hall unscathed. One of the things about Organization XIII that Naminé would rather not know. Dinner with four members was chaotic enough (the salad was often punctuated by Marluxia giving a taking-over-the-Order speech), but dinner with all thirteen of them? She shivered.

"Feeling cold?" Roxas asked, his blue eyes peering at her, his brows furrowed together (which seemed to be doing a lot of furrowing lately).

"No." Naminé eyed the cloak draped across the back of his chair. "Just gaping. So that is what you guys wear under your cloaks."

He rolled his eyes. "Did you think we were naked underneath?" An evil grin spread across his face. "Did you actually want to see me--"

"Shut it, Roxie," she pouted at him, ignoring the heat creeping up her face. "You should get away from Axel more often, he's polluting your mind." She glanced down the table at Number Eight, who was now morosely picking at the Caesar salad in front of him. "What is up with Axel, anyway?"

"Eww, Roxas, chew," she said firmly, seeing that the boy was trying to answer her question with a mouthful of carbonara. (Carbonara? Caesar salad? It was Lexaeus' turn to do dinner today; and if there ever was a health buff, that would be him.) He struggled for a few moments before swallowing.

"Larxene's gone, and he hasn't had anyone to harass for hours..."

"There are twelve other people here, including me, to harass." She said, gesturing a pale hand around her. Roxas just shrugged and resumed attacking his carbonara. She twirled her fork and ate in small bites, being the Nobody of a demure girl that she was. She stole a glance at the blonde boy beside her. No matter how hard she tried to get it out of her system, he reminded her of Sora.

She cringed. Naminé, stupid, he IS Sora's shadow. Her nonexistent heart still fluttered (albeit very weakly, but when you have a nonexistent heart, you don't take little twinges like that for granted) everytime she caught sight of him or said his name. Kairi must've loved Sora very much for her to feel like that.

What I wouldn't give for my own heart...

She blinked; a tiny water form had just climbed out of her water goblet and climbed down onto the white (of course; Organization XIII had only three official colors: black, white, and a whole lot of grey) tablecloth, leaving tiny little watery footsteps in its wake as it made its way down to a snickering Demyx. Marluxia, who was sitting across her, froze at the sight.

"Demyx," he hissed across Luxord at the mohawk (which, in Naminé's opinion, was just Demyx's fancy term for a very bad haircut)- haired teenager, who was now laughing silently. "What the heck do you think you're doing?"

Demyx gave Marluxia one of his wide-eyed innocent looks (which eloquently informed the observer that yes, he was about to create mayhem) before turning back to the tiny water form running in circles around Zexion's table napkin. He pointed a discreet finger.

"Hell no." She heard Roxas mumble, mouth full of pasta. For once, she didn't mind, because right now, the water form was headed for a peacefully eating (white sauce-smeared) Saïx.

Saïx.

Naminé shut her eyes tightly and braced herself.

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Two more bars.

One more bar.

One more note.

Larxene fought the urge to whoop with relief. The piece the orchestra was playing was finally finished, and she now could actually tell Xemnas she had already played violin. He never said anything about playing for a specific piece, didn't he?

She stood up and got off the podium, knowing that she wasn't actually supposed to sit out this piece, but she had spotted a familiar face. And he had also spotted her, judging from the stunned amusement on his face. She found herself gripping the violin and bow so hard that the wood would inevitably splinter.

Relax, Larxene.

"L-Larx--"

She darted to him and covered his mouth with a bow-wielding hand just in time.

"I will kill anyone who recognizes who I am, Wielder," she hissed, satisfied with the wide-eyed look she was getting from Sora (but then again, Sora was always wide-eyed, so let's just say 'surprised look') ."So don't scream out my name, idiot."

"I recognized you, Larx," he pointed out innocently. She brought down the bow on his head and almost grinned in the resulting wince.

"Smart aleck," she said, snickering at him. Smart alecks, especially spiky-haired ones (can you say Roxas and Axel?), were definitely not in her book. "You are very lucky I am under orders, or you'd be long dead by now."

Now, the statement 'you'd be long dead by now' would automatically bring fear to the eyes of anyone normal, but Sora just stared at her unbelievingly. Not exactly the reaction she'd expected.

"You're under orders to play violin? Organization XIII must be planning something to make one of their members play violin," he said, his eyes so wide that if they went any wider they'd fall out of his head.

She choked. She was definitely not expecting that. "Yes--I mean, not actually--geez," she sighed, mentally berating herself.

Way to go, Larxene. Okay. Calm and collected. And savage. "It's a long story."

Sora cocked his head and stared at her from another angle. "Shoot. I have the whole night."

"I have a whole night to try and find the violinist I replaced, so I don't have time to tell you."

"Xemnas sent you to watch over us, right?"

"No, he made a deal with me so I can move out of Axel's room."

She choked back a gasp. From the stunned expression on Sora's face, she shouldnt've said that.

"You're rooming with Axel?"

Larxene rolled her eyes. It was a trait of all Nobodies; they naturally scoffed at questions whose answers were obvious (meaning there was actually no point exclaiming in front of a Nobody). "Why the hell would I be moving out in the first place? I didn't think you were that dumb, Sora."

I don't have time for this. The final is going to be played in less than thirty minutes, and I will absolutely not play again!

"Don't worry, I'll kill you some other time. Right now, I have to find that violinist."

"Why? You play great, you know. Way better than Demyx."

She felt her cheeks heat up, and reflexively shot back. "Shut it, Wielder, I'm not the one supposed to be playing--"

"You're scared of playing in front of people, huh?" He grinned, looking like someone who had just found out a huge secret that no-one was supposed to find out. However, said grin quickly faded, mainly because of the glare Larxene made sure was placed firmly on her face.

"Who're you looking for, anyway?" he said awkwardly.

"Some Ashe St. Ivalice. And now, if you'd stop laughing at me, I have to go." She really did, because all she knew was that this Ashe lived in Destiny Islands, and the Islands numbered close to a hundred, not counting the private ones.

Sora stared at her strangely before opening his mouth. "Ashe's down at Destiny Islands. South Port, Summoner's Square, third house on your left. In the Arcadias' home." he eyed her uneasily. "You're not going to kill her, are you?"

Relief (never mind that she was just remembering that) flooded her. Now she can find the head violinist in time. "Hell no, she's my ticket outta here."

"Good, because you won't stand a chance against a Paladin, much less two of them. Ashe and her, uhm, well, Vaan are both Paladins, you know."

What the hell? Paladins? She shrugged. "If I were you, I'd stay out of Nobody business."

"I'm just saying!" he said defensively.

Larxene smirked at him and crossed her arms, pointing the sharp end of the violin in his direction. "You know I can kill you with this, Sora."

"Is that how you greet everyone? With death threats?"

HIt the nail on the head with that She tossed the violin and bow to him, the urge to find this Ashe and drag her down here getting stronger by the second. The Superior may be good at analyzing, but he missed a few technicalities that way. "If you see the Superior, tell him I've done my part of the deal. See you around."

She grinned at the bewildered look on Sora's face before quick-Portalling away, (Everything Larxene did actually had a prefix 'quick'; courtesy of Demyx, because she was fast, obviously.)her mind set on finding this Ashe and make her come back to Disney Castle. Whatever it took. And when she gets back to Castle Oblivion, the first thing that she's going to do is to kill Demyx.

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So sorry, I'm kinda pressed for time here, so this chapter's short. I'm still kinda pissed off at myself. The Trinity chapter 14 was actually supposed to have this chapter partner...stupid writer's block. As a result, I'm one chapter late, so no Trinity one for a while. I'm so EVIL, I know that. If you didn't read the last two chapters of Trinity, I suggest you go read them now. Just...don't kill me. Please.

Replies to yer reviews, mateys!

Skitty 2004 I like the way you put it... Nice Hysterical Way...

hikari-aozora Yeah... but Trinity's a hell of a lot more depressed. This fic's almost happy, in my opinion.

Masked Felix Who the hell thought of those horrible Mary Sues in the first place...? So evil... Oh, I love it when you review... so delightfully long...XD

Teh Pwnful Kiwi Well, I do like thanking my reviewers, y'know, that's why I do review replies.. XD

Mayab Thank you for reviewing this fic o' mine. Gotta warn you though, the Trinity one's tragic.

Namine's Heart Actually that's what I'm planning to do... We have to make the Organization more...human or somethin'.

Chyio-Chan You'll have to read the next chappie to find out what Larxene's planning to do... I'm so evil. X3

I therefore conclude: Mary Sues and Gary Lous are EVIL! -shudder-

Anyways, just want to tell you guys that I reply to all reviews, even if they are from the previous or some other chapter. All new reviews will be replied to in the next chapter.

Read. Review. Flamers, go ahead.

Quote for chapter 9 is

"Y'know, you make me feel like I have a heart. I just don't know how to show it."

I know you're all thinking pyromaniac. May be him, may not be him. You know me well enough to expect the unexpected.

Also, I want to rub it in: NO TRINITY CHAPTER UNTIL NOBODY'S PERFECT CHAPTER 10 IS POSTED! It'll spoil the story if I do.

I'm so evil.