It has been a fortnight since the last of the entrees on the experiments of Numbers Fifteen through Number Eighteen. Since being officially inducted into the Organization as a member, Number Eighteen has continued to improve in her work for us. But something is amiss…

When she arrived she lacked the memories that most have, making her an anomaly. I pondered the reasoning, as I was not present for her transformation to a Nobody. I could only assume that this had to do with the boy, but I do not yet have the answers. And now it is to my understanding that her memories have slowly begun to return. This may work against us.

Perhaps if I find the time, I will search for the answers. Not knowing her origins could make her potentially detrimental to our goals, much like Number Seventeen and his mysterious gifts. Unlike Numbers Fifteen and Sixteen, he is a variable I have no control over, as his power is still beyond my understanding. I must ensure that Number Eighteen's history is not a blind spot. We can not risk more setbacks like what we ended in Castle Oblivion. They must remain in line.

As what seemed to be morning broke for the residents of the Castle That Never Was, most of the residents had continued to remain in their slumber. Unlike the rest, Xeros was heading to the Grey Area to see if he could catch Saïx before the rest of the members could begin their mission briefings. Xeros had the unfortunate habit of never getting a full night's sleep, and so he was often up before anyone else. Though he never saw a problem with it, as this was something that he had grown accustomed to. And it proved advantageous in order to avoid unnecessary interactions, as well as prove his usefulness further by being ahead of the game.

Xeros entered the Grey Area, seeing that Saïx was standing, looking out at Kingdom Hearts through the window as he was prone to do. As Xeros came up behind him, Saïx heard Xeros's footsteps echoing to signal his approach. Saïx turned to Xeros, giving him a bit of a furrowed brow before engaging.

"Yes, Number Sixteen?" Saïx spoke in a low growl.

"I've come for the briefings for Varijex, Scyrux, Xaik and myself."

Xeros would normally take the briefings for the four of them. Since Varijex didn't like Saïx, Xeros had to be the buffer. With Scyrux, his mentorship made him assume responsibility for his junior's mission details, especially since Scyrux himself rarely took charge in doing so. And even with Xaik beginning to grow into her own, he thought it was most efficient to relay the information to her as well.

"Number Fifteen is to resume reconnaissance in Port Royal." Saïx inhaled sharply before continuing. "His previous report was sorely lacking, so we have no useful information on that world."

"Didn't he go again yesterday?"

"The only information he found would have proved useful, if it was not given to him by an unreliable source." Saïx snarled.

"Unreliable?" Xeros inquired.

"Yes." Saïx responded flatly.

"If I may, what is the information and its source?"

Saïx sighed through his nose, seemingly disappointed.

"He received information on a supposed cursed treasure from a pirate that was in prison, and more than likely was intoxicated."

"I see," Xeros pondered for a moment. "The report was undoubtedly vague given-"

"Number Fifteen's lack of diligence, yes."

Xeros gave a pensive "hm", before continuing on.

"And Scyrux?"

"Numbers Seventeen and Eighteen will be sent to continue surveying the potential region for the Organization. Send them to the Land of Dragons for reconnaissance." Saïx ordered.

"And what is my mission?"

"You will go to deal with an infestation of pureblood Heartless that has appeared in Twilight Town."

Saïx turned his head away for a moment, with something strange in his eyes. Xeros took note of it, but stood quiet while Saïx resumed speaking.

"Ensure that Number's Seventeen and Eighteen come back with useful information. I will not tolerate further impediments to our progress."

With those words, Xeros nodded and turned to leave. Saïx turned back to the window, going back to staring out at the moon.

As Xeros finished briefing with Saïx, he headed to wake the others. He decided he'd start with Scyrux, as he was the most difficult to get out of bed. As he passed by Varijex's room, he heard a loud yell followed by a CRASH. Xeros stopped at the door, turning to it and opening the door. As he expected, he saw Varijex sat up in bed, wearing his usual sleeping tank top, seemingly in a sweat and his alarm clock across the room, shattered on the floor after being flung by Varijex's magic.

Varijex turned to Xeros, as he glared through crusty eyes.

"WHAT?!" Varijex rasped, as his voice was still coming in.

"Nothing, just checking in." Xeros said as he tilted his head, raising eyebrows. "Shall I expect you soon for briefing, or do you need a minute to clean up?"

Varijex then tossed his pillow at Xeros, which Xeros caught. He then looked around the pillow as Varijex growled.

"Perhaps more than a minute." Xeros chuckled.

"GET OUT!" Varijex barked as Xeros dropped the pillow on the floor.

He turned and the door slammed shut, as Varijex used magic to close it behind Xeros. He knew it was an attempt to cause bodily harm to him using the door, as was expected of Varijex. Xeros knew he wasn't a morning person, which was often the perfect opportunity to play. He'd have fun with that later, of course.

Right now, he had to continue on to check on the others. He came to Scyrux's room, as he walked close to it, knocking. When he heard no response, he spoke up through the door.

"Scyrux, are you awake?" He spoke as he then opened the door.

He noticed that Scyrux was asleep. Xeros sighed as Scyrux was sprawled out, his left arm and leg were hanging off the bed. Apparently he was sleeping rather well. Xeros walked into the room, as he hovered over Scyrux.

"Scyrux," Xeros spoke a bit louder. "Wake up."

As there was still no response, Xeros took to putting his hand on Scyrux's back and shaking him a bit. Scyrux's eyes squinted as he then began to snore. Xeros raised an eyebrow and tilted his head.

"I know you're awake," Xeros assured. "You can't fool me that easily."

Scyrux opened an eye as he looked up at Xeros. He sighed as he then rolled onto his back, stretching his arms and legs.

"You know," Scyrux said as he sat up. "Just once I'd like for you to fall for it."

"And let you shirk your responsibilities? It's like you haven't learned anything from me." Xeros said in jest.

Scyrux gave Xeros a smile as Xeros nodded and began to walk out of the room. Xeros turned before exiting to make sure Scyrux was getting out of bed, to which Scyrux just shrugged and stood out of bed. He presented himself standing, as if to indicate he wouldn't just go back to bed. Xeros gave a smirk as he turned and walked out of the room.

Lastly, Xeros headed to Xaik's room. He arrived at the door, about to knock. He paused, getting a bit caught up in his head as usual. It had been a few weeks since Xaik confronted him, and things had become complicated for him. His relationship with Xaik had changed, as she had earned her number which made him wonder if he needed to continue to be responsible for her in the same way. And talking with her about things outside of work was… uncomfortable, to say the least.

But this was merely a work related action. It didn't need to be complicated, or at least, that was what he told himself. He then knocked on the door. He waited as he then heard something from the other side.

"Come in."

He opened the door to see Xaik sitting in bed, yawning. She had woken up just before Xeros had come to her room, as she rubbed her eyes. She looked to Xeros with her big, blue eyes. But she couldn't maintain the gaze for long, as she had also become rather nervous around Xeros since the conversation with him.

"Good morning, Xaik." Xeros greeted.

"Good morning…"

"We'll be having our briefing soon," Xeros turned to leave, looking a bit lost. "I just wanted to make sure you were up."

"Oh…" Xaik murmured. "Yes, I'll… be ready soon."

Xeros let out a "hm" as he then shut the door and left. Xaik got out of bed, going for her Organization uniform. She put on her clothes with a rhythm, as she had begun to apply herself much more since receiving her "promotion" to Number Eighteen.

Something that she was still trying to get used to, even though it had been a couple of weeks. Missions became a regular thing and her skills made marginal improvements. Things had been awkward between her and Xeros for a time, since Xaik shared her thoughts about him. But it did not stop them from continuing to complete missions together. Xeros did seem to approve of Xaik's abilities as she progressed, but found himself unable to express anything other than a professional pride.

Xaik left her room and made her way to the Nightmare's Reflection. There, the others were waiting. Scyrux waved as Xeros turned to see her enter. Varijex continued to look unenthused as he merely was facing off to the side with arms crossed. As Xaik fell into line, standing beside Scyrux, she looked to Xeros, who gave his briefing.

"Today's missions go as follows," Xeros began. "Varijex will go to Port Royal to resume-"

Varijex turned his head as he glared daggers at Xeros.

"DON'T you dare TELL me I need to go back there!" He complained.

"The Organization wants you to follow up on your investigation." Xeros replied.

"And by Organization, you MEAN Saïx!" Varijex accused.

Xeros gave a slight shoulder shrug.

"Whatever, keep WASTING my time, see if I CARE." Varijex said as he held out his hand to summon a portal.

He stormed out, as the portal disappeared. Xeros sighed as he then turned to the other two.

"You two are to go do further reconnaissance of the Land of Dragons." Xeros handed off a piece of paper with some information to Xaik. "Scyrux gathered some data for us last time, but the Organization needs more."

Right, I remember him mentioning that before. Xaik thought to herself. Scyrux never said if there were dragons there… I hope not. Even with all of her experience and improved abilities, Xaik still remained cautious. Scyrux, on the other hand, seemed unimpressed. Xaik noticed that he was not super invested in the briefing; but more so than that, as it wasn't like his usual, carefree demeanor.

"Yeah, okay," Scyrux spoke in a tone that seemed off, somehow. Not in any obvious way, but there was something a bit more fake about it. "No sweat."

As Xaik looked to her teammate, Xeros nodded his head and made his own portal appear.

"Good luck to the both of you."

He stepped through his portal as it disappeared and they were left alone. Scyrux stretched his arms behind his back and turned to Xaik.

"So, you ready to go?" He asked, somewhat rushed.

"Um… yes, but-"

"But what?" Scyrux retorted.

What is with him? Xaik wondered as Scyrux got that glimmer in his eyes and he pursed his lips.

"Sorry if I'm being, well, weird." Scyrux explained. "I just have somewhere to be, that's all."

Somewhere… to be? Xaik pondered. Where could Scyrux possibly want to go? It was an unusual idea for Xaik. Her days mostly consisted of missions and spending her downtime reading. She never really stopped to think about what the others did when they weren't on missions. Xeros spent most of his time in solitude, occasionally sparring with Varijex and ever so often staring off at Kingdom Hearts. Those were the only things she could note about him. And Varijex was someone she would avoid for the most part; he was usually training on lesser Nobodies if she ever did see him around the castle.

But Scyrux was more of a mystery. And only now did Xaik realize that she had no idea what he would do in his down time. He was often late for briefing and missions, and sometimes would disappear when they'd get done. It wasn't often enough to cause problems, but clearly something was going on. Xaik's curiosity got the better of her, but she knew that this would have to wait for later.

"Then," Xaik faced Scyrux. "We should go."

"Do you want to do the honors this time?"

Xaik lifted the paper that Xeros had given with instructions on how to get to their destination. She looked to her right hand, as she lifted it forward.

"Now remember, we're going to the Land of Dragons." Scyrux spoke as Xaik closed her eyes. "Focus, think about going there."

She concentrated, thinking hard about where she wanted to go. Soon enough she opened her eyes as she heard the sound of her own Corridor of Darkness appearing. Scyrux clapped as she blew air out her cheeks.

"Looks like you've gotten the hang of those Corridors, huh?" Scyrux affirmed.

He then gestured for her to enter, she nodded and walked in with Scyrux following. They exited the portal as they appeared in a strange new land. When they appeared, they were surrounded by a thicket of trees. But these trees were not like any Xaik had ever seen, as they were tall and thin, and green and yellow as opposed to brown. And unlike the Deep Jungle, the air was not as moist, giving Xaik the impression this wasn't like a rainforest.

As she was caught up observing her surroundings, Scyrux looked at her and chuckled at her. Xaik looked to Scyrux, confused as to why he was laughing like that.

"What?" Xaik noticed a slight flush in her cheeks.

"Nothing," Scyrux gave a nose exhale. "I'm just amazed at your reactions to each new world we visit, that's all."

Xaik shuffled a bit in her coat, awkwardly.

"Is it… really unusual for someone to take in the sights of a new world?"

"I guess not," Scyrux shrugged. "Maybe when you've been around a while, it just all stops being-"

Scyrux stopped mid sentence and then Xaik noticed the flash in his eyes again as he just shook his face and waved his hand in front of it.

"Oh, don't listen to me," He apologized. "It's still very new to you, I should understand that."

Xaik wanted to talk about Scyrux's thoughts more, but soon she heard a strange sound coming from beyond the thicket. CLOP, CLOP, creak, creak, Clank, Clank.Xaik turned her head toward the noise as she then looked at Scyrux, with a slight urgency.

"I hear something coming."

Scyrux then looked behind him as Xaik walked toward the thicket. Scyrux followed behind her as Xaik began to creep towards the trees. She crouched down as Scyrux knelt beside her. She put her arm in between some of the trees, pushing them aside slightly. Soon enough, they could both hear the sounds as they looked off to their right to see that what looked to be a convoy was heading their way.

Xaik noted the line of horses and caravans that were traveling down this dirt path. The many men that walked alongside of the convoy, as well as the ones on the horses, wore some sort of plate armor and were all carrying swords on their waists. Xaiks eyes widened as they came closer and she ducked back into the thicket, her expression concerning Scyrux.

"What is it?" He whispered.

"There's a large army of men coming this way."

Scyrux then moved in front of Xaik, as she stepped aside. He moved the trees back, but only a little as the men began to pass them by. The two watched as the various men headed onwards towards a nearby mountain range. They did not seem hostile, but it was better to not take the chance. After waiting a while, the army seemed to pass them by and began to disappear into the distance.

Scyrux and Xaik then turned to one another.

"That was quite the army, huh?" Scyrux joked.

"I wonder where they were headed." Xaik questioned.

"What do you think? Worthy enough to report back?"

Xaik noticed Scyrux seemed to be a bit impatient. Though an army of soldiers was something to note, it probably wasn't enough to satisfy the Organization.

"I think we'll need a bit more information. We don't know where they were going or what their purpose was."

"Let's be honest," Scyrux replied. "Do we really want to go investigate a huge army of dudes with swords? Who's to say they aren't like, a whole squadron of Varijex's?"

He has a point. Xaik considered. It wouldn't be the smartest thing to chase after dozens, if not hundreds of armed men. She then looked out of the thicket and looked toward where the army was coming from. Though the path was not necessarily in the same direction, she did see a town in the distance. Perhaps they came from there?

Xaik then looked back to Scyrux, who was playing with his braid.

"They might have come from that nearby town," Xaik pointed in the direction. "If they were there, maybe someone would have more information on their purpose."

Scyrux looked more unenthused than usual, somewhat defiant even. Xaik sighed through her nose, as she stood up.

"If we can find the reason for that army, then we can report that back to the Organization."

Scyrux flicked his braid a few times before slapping his knees and standing up.

"Alright, let's ask around the town, then."

They looked as they realized the town was quite a distance away. It would be quite the trek to go all that way on foot. Scyrux scratched his head, trying to think of what to do, as he didn't have time to walk all that way. That was when he looked back the way the army had gone and noticed a lone carriage was coming their way. An idea came to his head as he then grabbed Xaik by the arm, yanking her back into the trees.

She let out a little yelp as he then put a finger to his lips, gesturing with his head toward the carriage. Xaik wasn't sure what Scyrux was getting at, but as the carriage was heading past them, Xaik realized what he was thinking. He jumped out of the thicket and ran toward the carriage. He jumped onto the back, grabbing on and making sure he was not noticed by the man that was manning the reins. Xaik then also jumped out, but the carriage was moving a bit too fast and she'd not jumped out in time.

Quick in his thinking, Scyrux summoned his whip and cast it out at Xaik. Not again. It wrapped around her waist as he pulled her toward it. As Xaik flew through the air, she reached out as Scyrux held out his hand. They grabbed hold as she landed on the carriage. There was a slight thud from her landing, but the sound of the horses trotting and the wheels on the road drowned out the noise. The two held on as the carriage made its way to the town.

It wasn't long before the carriage had reached the town's edge. Relieved that they had made it without walking the whole way, the two looked at one another, now close enough they could continue on foot. Scyrux looked at Xaik, nodding as he jumped off the carriage. Xaik took a deep breath and followed Scyrux's lead. She jumped off, barely managing to land well. But she nodded to Scyrux as they then turned and headed into the town.

Unlike the path they took to get there, which was mostly barren, the town was bustling and filled with people. Many people walked the streets, some riding horses and others pulling carts. Realizing they stuck out like sore thumbs, the two pulled up their hoods and began to walk incognito. Many people around them were talking, but there was too much noise to really get anywhere. They stopped in front of a shop, where a few citizens were enjoying drinks at tables and playing board games.

The Nobodies looked around as they watched all the people continue about their way. Scyrux sighed in his hood as he turned to Xaik.

"This place is so loud and busy," Scyrux blew a raspberry. "It's gonna take forever to find what we need."

Xaik then looked around, thinking it was probably time to use her sound magic to pinpoint useful information.

"I'll see if I can hear anything."

She closed her eyes as she began to listen to all the sounds. She tried to see if she could hear anyone talking about an army or anything pertaining to them. But most of what she got was random chatter. Then suddenly, something got her attention in a different way.

"Grandma, no!"

Xaik opened her eyes as she heard, a little ways away, a cry of a woman. She looked and saw an old woman begin to cross the busy street, covering her eyes with her hand. What is she doing?! Acting fast, Xaik ran towards the old woman.

"Hey, where are you going?" Scyrux yelled out.

But Xaik had no time. She wanted to save the woman from getting hurt. As she came close to the woman, two men with carts were rushing towards her, seemingly unable to stop. They yelled as they were going to crash, the old woman surely would be crushed in between. Xaik leaped out, trying to push the woman out of the way, but ended up in the middle of the crash instead.

The carts crashed, knocking Xaik back onto the ground as her hood came flying off and dirt flew everywhere. When the dust settled, as Xaik was coughing and on the ground in pain, she saw the old woman had managed to escape the danger. Xaik was relieved that she was unharmed, as the old woman turned and yelled out.

"Yep, this cricket's a lucky one!"

As the old woman crossed the street again, the other woman who called out came over, noticing Xaik on the ground.

"Oh my," The woman spoke. Xaik looked at her, noting she was not as old as the woman she tried to save, but was definitely much older than Xaik. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm-" Xaik groaned, still somewhat hurt. "I'm okay."

"Thank you for trying to save Grandma," The woman looked Xaik up and down. "But now you're quite the mess!"

"Am I?" Xaik looked to herself as she noticed that she was in fact covered in dirt and debris. "That's okay, I should go-"

"Nonsense!" The woman commented, grabbing a hold of Xaik's arm to help her up. "A young woman like yourself must be on your way to the matchmaker. And you can't go to her looking like this!"

The woman then pushed Xaik along towards the building nearby. Xaik tried to resist, but the woman was surprisingly forceful.

"No, really," Xaik pleaded. "I have somewhere else to be-"

"You remind me of my daughter," The woman continued with a stern tone. "She may be late, but it doesn't mean you have to be."

Before being forced into the building, Xaik looked around to see if she could see Scyrux. With all of the chaos in the street, she didn't see him and now she would surely lose him.

Xaik was now guided by other women as they brought her to a room with what looked like a large tub of water. They urged her toward a standing curtain as one of the women was trying to help Xaik out of her coat. Xaik reeled as the woman was having a bit of trouble getting the coat off of Xaik, unfamiliar with the design.

"Um, pardon!" Xaik urged. "What are you doing?"

"You can't get cleaned up if you're clothed, dear!" The first woman called out.

"Come now," The woman who was trying to get Xaik undressed pressed. "Remove your clothes and get in the tub!"

Xaik noticed a flushing in her cheeks as she was unsure of what to do.

"Try to remain inconspicuous, the Organization doesn't need us drawing attention to ourselves."

Xaik remembered Xeros's words from a while ago. Operating in secrecy was something the Organization demanded from their members. In this situation, Xaik didn't want to do this, but if she did not comply, she risked outing herself as someone not from this world. As much as it was uncomfortable, Xaik could not compromise the missions.

…I guess there's no helping this. And so, Xaik walked behind the curtain to undress. She did so and then quickly got into the tub of luke-warm water. As she did, the first woman came over and began to pour soap on Xaik, washing her hair and face. Xaik closed her eyes to not get it into her eyes as the woman then poured water on her head to rinse Xaik.

"Now finish up and put on this robe, and we'll take you to the hairdressers next and seamstresses after." The second woman said as Xaik looked at her, confused.

"I thought I just needed to be cleaned…"

"You can't go to the matchmaker looking like that, dear!" The first woman retorted, matter-of-factly.

The women then left the room as they left Xaik to finish her impromptu bath. The sooner I get done, the sooner I can go find Scyrux. Xaik rushed, dried herself and put on the white robe that was left for her, as she then went to the room the women went into. Two new women, who Xaik assumed were the hairdressers, were waiting as they gestured for her to sit down. Xaik obliged as they then pulled out a few combs and ties. They grabbed at her hair, tugging it and began to style it.

It was somewhat painful to have her hair pulled as they combed it and then pulled it up to tie it into a bun. They showed Xaik a mirror to see, as her hair was done up, and it made her think of how Xeros had his hair up all the time. I hope Xeros doesn't have to deal with this everyday. After finishing her hair, the women both got up and helped Xaik up.

"Let us go now, we need to get you dressed!"

With those words, they took Xaik outside and led her to a new building. On the way, Xaik noticed there were other girls being worked on much like Xaik. Xaik took note of them as they all were getting their hair worked on, their outfits checked and being made up. Xaik turned to one of the women guiding her as she puzzled over her environment.

"All these girls…" Xaik spoke up. "Why are they all getting dressed up?"

"The same as you," One of the women cheered. "To meet the matchmaker! It's all of their duties to be good brides and bring honor to us all."

Brides?! Xaik thought of the implications of what she got roped into. She began to stutter as she looked around.

"I d-don't think… I'm quite ready for something like that!" Xaik fumbled.

"That's what we're here for, little one!"

Xaik moaned as she seemed unable to escape this unfortunate situation. They brought her to a new building where two new women were waiting for Xaik. As she was passed off to the seamstresses, they brought her in and stood her up on a stool. They looked at her, somewhat perplexed.

"My, she is quite..." The first seamstress began. "What do you make of this girl?"

Addressing the second seamstress, they both looked Xaik up and down, now noticing that she was clearly not from the area. But nonetheless, they were to prepare her for the matchmaker. The first seamstress looked and touched Xaik's hair.

"How unusual," She looked at Xaik. "What brings you to color your hair this way?"

"I… I don't…" Xaik responded. "I was born with it."

The seamstresses both seemed shocked at Xaik's words. Xaik did not find it strange at all, as she was surrounded by people with all colors of hair. But everyone here all seemed to have dark hair, so it was probably making her seem suspicious to these women. Xaik wished she had her coat in this instance, but there was nothing she could do now.

The second seamstress left for a moment, then came back with a dress and helped Xaik put it on. It was purple, to somewhat match her magenta hair, accented with pink. The lower half was blue, separated by a sort of corset. The seamstresses then took a pink sash, pulling it around Xaik as they then tugged. Xaik felt constricted as she found it a bit hard to breathe.

"Is this…" Xaik said through strained breaths. "...r-really necessary? It's too tight."

"Of course!" The first seamstress beamed. "Men appreciate a woman with a tiny waist!"

Xaik groaned, partially from the pain of having her lungs squeezed but also with all of this talk of being a good bride for a man. Xaik knew vaguely about the idea of marriage. Perhaps her comprehension of the concept was a bit biased, given she only knew about it from her books and she didn't have feelings to really consider ideas like love and companionship, but this was not what she had imagined.

But with that, the seamstresses finished their touches on the dress, now guiding Xaik to another place. Now leaving her in the care of a beauty artist, she sat Xaik down with brushes and paints.

"Hold still now." She spoke as she put the brush up to Xaiks face.

Xaik shut her eyes as the woman began to make up her face. Xaik could only feel the substances as they began to coat her face. Her face, her cheeks, her eyes, and her lips were all covered by all the makeup. Once the woman was done, Xaik opened her eyes as she noticed the lady was holding a mirror to her face.

"Well? What do you think?" The beauty artists asked.

Though it was a bit much, with her face painted mostly white, Xaik did notice that a sensation came over her seeing her reflection. This one was different, though, not uncomfortable like this whole experience; it was pleasant. Xaik saw herself and thought how she might be considered beautiful, something she had never thought of until this moment. Xaik nodded, unable to speak as she was too caught up in the image of herself. The beauty artist stood up, helping Xaik get up as well.

She then pulled out a necklace to put around Xaik's neck, as she then took an umbrella that was resting along a wall and handed it to Xaik.

"Now run along, the others will be on their way soon." The beauty artist urged.

Xaik walked out as she noticed a line forming with the girls who had all been prepared. Xaik followed the girls as they began to walk away. Okay, I've gotten this far… She thought to herself as she merely followed along, holding her umbrella down and mimicking the movements of the girls. Now, I just need to find an opportunity to leave. Xaik looked around to see if there was any way to escape, but there were so many people around. Someone would definitely notice and bring unwanted attention to her.

After a short while, she heard the sound of someone rushing behind her. She turned and noticed another girl, seemingly uneasy, catching up to them. Xaik turned forward and kept moving as they kept heading through the town. She could hear sighs behind her as she looked back and met eyes with the girl, who then stood straight and lifted her head up to stand properly like the rest. Xaik turned back forward as she saw where they were headed.

At the end of the area they walked was another building, which many people were gathered about. The girls all stood, lining up parallel to the building as Xaik merely wandered in the line, taking a close look at the building. The girls then all crouched down, opening their umbrellas toward the building. Not paying attention, Xaik saw that she was the only one still standing and scrambled to copy the rest.

Way to go, Xaik. She cursed herself as she looked to the girl who was behind her, giving her a strange look. Xaik was worried that the girl became suspicious, but that was not the expression the girl was looking at her with. It resembled more of a look of solidarity, as if the girl could relate to Xaik's mistake.

"Don't worry," The girl whispered to Xaik. "I'm trying not to make a fool of myself, either."

I think that's supposed to be comforting? "Uh, thank you… I guess."

Suddenly, a loud THWACK came from the building as the door opened. A large woman erupted from the door, looking at a clipboard. It was assumed this woman was the matchmaker.

"Fa Mulan!" She called out, harshly and in a rasp tone.

The girl next to Xaik stood up, as Xaik watched her raise her hand.

"Present!" She cheered.

The matchmaker began to take notes as she retreated back into the building.

"Speaking without permission…" The matchmaker noted.

"Oops." The girl said as she went inside.

Xaik watched as the girl followed the matchmaker, and the door shut behind them. Some time passed as the rest of the girls waited, still sitting behind their umbrellas. Xaik looked around to her surroundings, as she began to formulate a plan. How can I get out of here without people noticing me? Xaik considered getting away now that the matchmaker was preoccupied, but she still would need to slip by the other girls and all the other people in attendance.

"AAAAAAHHHHH!"

Everyone was startled as a loud yell came from inside. The girls all looked up past their umbrellas as Xaik also checked. The doors flew open as the matchmaker ran out from inside. The girl wasn't too far behind. She ran, but tripped as she tried to crawl away.

From inside, a creature began to come out of the doorway, with several more behind it. As it came into the light of day, the people began to scream at the sight of these monsters. They had blue skin, purple and magenta robes that were lined with yellow, and were floating and holding their arms out. The crowd began to scream as the girls ran, and a person yelled out.

"Jiangshi! They're jiangshi!"

As the monsters hopped in the air, they crept up to the girl as she turned to see them closing in on her. But before they got close, an umbrella flew in and struck one in the head. As the girl turned to see, Xaik held out her hand and summoned her hammer. Xaik wasn't sure what these "jiangshi" were, but she recognized a Heartless emblem when she saw one; each of their hats were adorned with them.

"Run! It's not safe here!" Xaik called out to the girl as she got up to run.

Xaik then took her stance, lugging her hammer, the newly named "Sonic Oscillation", over her shoulder. She rushed toward the Heartless as they closed the distance and began to attack. Xaik swung her hammer at one, destroying it instantly. Two that were behind her took swipes at her with their claws, but she blocked and dodged the hits. As she rolled out of the way of a hit, she threw her hammer at them and hit them both. With two more down, she looked and saw that two more remained.

The first one spun around, swooping down at Xaik. She deflected the hit with her hammer and smashed it into the ground. The second maintained distance, as Xaik watched it create fire and shot it at her. She rolled out of the way, as she charged up a sonic wave and swung her hammer. The blast obliterated the Heartless, leaving Xaik seemingly victorious.

The victory was short lived, however, as she heard the sounds of more Heartless appearing behind her. She turned and saw two huge, centaur-like Heartless appear behind her, each wielding a long spear with yellow blades. The first one tried to stab at her. She managed to dodge it, but it tore a bit of her sash off. As she moved away from the first, she got too close to the second one, putting her in range of attack. It spun its spear in a fan-like manner, almost getting Xaik, but she managed to jump back. Finally, both of them stood up on their hind legs, as they seemingly charged up a new attack.

Both slammed down, causing an explosion in front of them. Xaik raised her guard but the blast still knocked her back. As she flew into the air, something caught her as she looked and saw Scyrux and swooped in at the last second.

"Don't worry, miss, it'll be ooo-" Scyrux began as he then realized the person he caught was Xaik. "-ooooh my Kingdom Hearts, what happened to you?"

"Not now, Heartless!" Xaik pointed as the two Heartless approached.

"Right, right!" Scyrux then let Xaik go as he summoned his whip.

The two Heartless began to charge at the Nobodies. Scyrux cracked his whip at the closest one, hitting it in the front leg with the yellow energy in his whip. The Heartless lost control of its leg as it fell forward. But before Scyrux could turn his attention to the other one, it jumped and tried to land on him. As he rolled away, it attempted to stab at him. Distracted by Scyrux, Xaik ran and jumped up, pushing off of the rear end of the Heartless. The Heartless turned, only to see Xaik coming down with her hammer. She crushed its head, and it was vanquished.

With only one Heartless remaining, the two turned their attention as it shook its leg, recovering from Scyrux's paralysis. It then began to charge up, looking to make another explosive attack, but Scyrux wrapped his whip around its neck. He yanked it towards himself, as he ran up and did a flip kick, stunning it. He then landed and ran behind it, pulling it back and restraining it. The Heartless could only watch as Xaik jumped up, vibrating immensely as she swung her hammer, screaming another sonic wave that blew up the Heartless in a wave of purple energy.

Xaik landed on the ground, as Scyrux wiped his brow of sweat. Seemingly finished with the battle, the Nobodies caught their breath. The people that had all but abandoned the area, noticing the threat had passed, returned. They began to cheer as they realized the monsters were gone. A bunch ran toward Scyrux as they surrounded him.

"He slayed the monsters!"

"Thank you, brave warrior!"

"Uh, it was no problem," Scyrux chuckled as he noticed that all the people had flocked to him.

The people kept showing their gratitude, but did not seem to acknowledge Xaik. It was unusual, as she also fought off the Heartless, but they didn't seem to pay her any mind. Which was probably better since they were supposed to be incognito, but Xaik was still perplexed. She made her hammer disappear, as the crowd blocked Scyrux.

"What an amazing fighter!"

"You have brought great honor to your family!"

"Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"He doesn't look like a soldier to me."

"He must be a prodigy, he's so young!"

"Did the emperor's army send you?"

Scyrux, realizing his opportunity, decided to capitalize on the attention he was getting.

"Well, no," He posed confidently. "But I was looking to join. Can anyone tell me more about this army?"

As the crowd persisted around Scyrux, leaving Xaik to herself, she leaned against a wall with her hands behind her back. Scyrux seemed to handle himself well in the mass of people, far better than Xaik would have. It was probably better that she was not made the center of attention.

That was until she noticed someone approach her from the side. She looked as she saw the girl from before had returned, going directly towards Xaik. Xaik pushed off the wall, facing the girl. The girl gave a quick bow before speaking.

"I wanted to thank you for saving me," The girl expressed. "I've never seen a person fight like that. Let alone seen a girl fight."

"Oh," Xaik uttered. "Thank you, I guess…"

"May I ask your name so I can give proper gratitude?"

"My name?" I guess it can't hurt? "My name is Xaik."

The girl gave another bow as she spoke, her head still lowered.

"Thank you, Xaik." The girl raised her head. "It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Mulan."

Right, pleasantries. "It is… nice to meet you too, Mulan."

Xaik thought to mimic her gesture and bowed her head at Mulan. Mulan smiled as she turned to leave and Xaik thought how well that seemed to go. A sensation began to form within her, it was pleasant. Xaik noticed the crowd had begun to disperse as Scyrux approached her. He had a bit of an exhausted look on his face.

"How did that go for you?" Xaik asked, giving a slight giggle.

"You know, I see why the Organization works behind the scenes. Being the center of attention is nuts." Scyrux chuckled. "By the way, I did learn some stuff about that army while I was being hounded for autographs. I'd say this mission was a success in my book."

Scyrux then took another look at Xaik, taking in her strange attire and appearance. Xaik noticed Scyrux's strange gaze, and began to shuffle a bit in her dress.

"So, what's the deal with-'' Scyrux gestured to Xaik's body up and down. "-all that?"

"I can't honestly tell you," Xaik murmured. "I just… should be relieved I can't feel embarrassed. I'm sure I would if I could."

"What's there to be embarrassed about?" Scyrux said, putting a pensive finger on his chin. "I think you look pretty good, actually."

Xaik noticed the flushing in her cheeks again, threatening to show through the white on her face.

"In any case, let's RTC." Scyrux said as he held out his hand to create a portal.

"Wait," Xaik realized as she looked down at herself. "Shouldn't I try to find my clothes?"

"Nah, I wouldn't worry about it," Scyrux waved dismissively. "I'll lend you my spare coat and get you a new one."

"Won't I get in trouble for losing the coat?"

"I mean, I'm sure it'll be fine," Scyrux shrugged. "I don't think it'll put that much of a dent in the coat budget."

"We have a coat budget?" Xaik thought aloud.

Scyrux merely shrugged with a cheeky smile on his face and turned to walk into the portal. Xaik followed, still thinking about the idea of there being a budget for the Organization's coats. And that begged an even bigger question, where did the Organization get their resources from?

Reappearing in the Castle, the two came through the portal back in the hallway where their rooms were. They walked towards Scyrux's room so he could get Xaik a spare coat. On the way, they were about to pass Xeros's room when he suddenly came out of the room. He looked and saw Scyrux approaching. At first he perked up at the sight of his teammate, then looked confusedly at Xaik, whom he would not have recognized if not for the magenta hair.

"Hello, Scyrux. I was just-" Xeros paused, looking at Xaik for a moment before turning back to Scyrux. "-on my way to report to Saïx and-" Xeros seemed at a loss for words as he went back to staring at Xaik.

Xaik grew a bit uncomfortable with Xeros's analytical eyes, but there was something different to them this time. He was clearly taking in the details like he normally did, yet there was this mysterious flavor to his gaze.

"-what…?"

"Yeah, Xaik went native on the mission. I wouldn't worry about it." Scyrux waved as he continued walking. "I'll come back to report in a bit, just gotta lend Xaik a coat."

Before Xaik passed Xeros, she gave a quick nod and then sped past him. Xeros was still stuck processing.

"...I don't understand."

After reaching Scyrux's door, he opened it and walked into his room. Xaik did not enter, as she didn't know if it was appropriate. She did however look in to see that in his room, he had seemingly collected various knick-knacks and other souvenirs, presumably from worlds he'd been to. Xaik admired the vibrant atmosphere he created in his room.

Scyrux pulled a spare coat from his dresser and shut it. He turned and held it out to Xaik as he noticed she was looking around.

"Here you go," He said, getting Xaik's attention. "Don't lose this one, too." He joked.

"Thank you."

"Well, why don't you go get changed and I'll go report to Xeros?" He then moved by her, shutting his door.

He gave a pat on her shoulder, about to turn and leave.

"You deserve a rest after a mission like that. Enjoy the rest of your night!"

The rest of my night… Xaik then remembered that Scyrux mentioned something about going somewhere after the mission. Her curiosity reared its head once more, as she could only think about figuring out what he got up to in his spare time. I want to know where he's going. She then rushed to her room to change, because she only had a limited time before Scyrux would report and then leave.

After getting out of the dress, wiping her face and undoing her bun, she changed into new clothes and donned the spare coat. It was a bit big on her, but it would do for the moment. She then rushed back out, heading for the Grey Area. She snuck her way along the wall as she leaned in to see Xeros was talking with Scyrux and Saïx. After their exchange ended, Xeros and Scyrux turned to leave. Xaik put her hood up, quickly entering the Grey Area and standing along the wall. She hoped they would assume she was someone else as they were leaving.

Fortunately, since there were others around and her coat was of a different fit, her plan worked and Xeros and Scyrux exited the room, thinking nothing of Xaik as she appeared to be someone else. She then turned and looked as Xeros gave Scyrux a pat on the shoulder and headed right to go to his room. Scyrux, on the other hand, went left. Xaik then went out, looking out the hallway to see Xeros leaving and Scyrux heading like he was going to leave the Castle. Scyrux didn't seem to notice her as she began to follow him.

Xaik only became more curious as she followed Scyrux all the way out of the Castle and into the Dark City. What is he doing going out here…? She pondered. Scyrux was blissfully unaware he was being followed, as this was not something he ever needed to worry about. The rest of the Organization would stick to the confines of the Castle, so he didn't think to be cautious about being followed. Because of this, Xaik managed to stay under his radar.

As he arrived at Memory's Skyscraper, he held out his hand to open a portal. A Corridor…? He's leaving the world? He stepped in, as Xaik quickly ran into it as it closed. She followed him through the darkness as she appeared in a new world. One she had not yet been to, which surprised her.

Where she appeared was outside what looked to be like a circus along a railway. It was in the middle of being set up, it seemed, as people were unloading things off the train. They walked around, pitching tents, moving crates, and doing other tasks. There were animals that were being taken off the train as they used the animals to move large loads around. The men sang songs as they were working, which surprised Xaik.

She looked around to see that Scyrux was sitting nearby, a distance away from the workers. He merely stared off into the distance, watching them. Xaik approached quietly, as Scyrux was focused entirely on the circus. She came up behind him, as she tried to see what he was looking at. But from behind, it was hard to know exactly where he was looking.

With only one thing left to do, she came right to his side as he turned and jumped at the sight of her. Xaik pulled off her hood, as Scyrux gave her a wide-eyed stare.

"Geez, it's a good thing I don't have one, otherwise you would've given me a heart attack!" He stammered.

"I'm sorry." Xaik apologized.

"It's fine, I guess, but-" Scyrux then looked at Xaik with a face she'd never seen, one that was quite serious. "What are you doing here?"

"I…" Xaik then realized that her curiosity got the better of her, and she didn't think about what she was doing.

Maybe it was wrong to follow him? She considered, as Scyrux sighed.

"You wanted to know where I said I needed to go?" He answered his own question with another.

Xaik looked at Scyrux and nodded, as he pursed his lips, taking a deep breath.

"I should've guessed you would," Scyrux began. "You're the curious one of the bunch."

I am…? Xaik thought as Scyrux continued to look off into the distance.

"Normally, the others don't care about what I do." He started. "I mean, no one cares, really. It's just… do your job, so we can make Kingdom Hearts and get our hearts back, yadda yadda…"

Scyrux's words and demeanor were not like him at all. It was unusual to think about for Xaik, as he normally acted so cheerful - but that was just it. It was an act. Scyrux even told her this when they first met, that he chose to behave this way, presumably based on his own memories. But at the end of the day, he was a Nobody like her, without a heart. Without emotions.

"But honestly, it's just so hard to get behind that." Scyrux vented.

He then turned to her, as he gave her his own curious stare.

"Not you, though," He jested. "Even though you're a Nobody, you still manage to find a way to take interest in things."

Do I…? Xaik puzzled at Scyrux's assumption. It never occurred to Xaik that she was taking interest in things. It shouldn't be possible for her to, as she had no feelings to create such a thing as "interest". She always assumed her curiosity was practical - in service of making her more capable of understanding things and becoming more effective in reaching the end goal.

"Since you came all this way," Scyrux interrupted Xaik's thoughts. "I'm guessing you want me to tell you why I'm here?"

Xaik nodded her head.

"Yes."

Scyrux looked forward, pointing his finger in a particular direction. Xaik looked at where he was pointing, and focused her eyes as best she could to see. In the distance, she saw a group of three people, not as old as most of the workers. Two boys and one girl. They looked around Xaik's age, maybe a bit younger. They were sitting around, talking and laughing.

"It's because of them."

Xaik turned to Scyrux, confused.

"Who… are they?" Xaik asked.

"They're…" Scyrux sighed. "...my friends."

Friends? Xaik took a minute to think and realize what Scyrux was implying.

"You mean… from before you-"

"Lost my heart," Scyrux interjected. "Yeah."

Xaik looked as Scyrux pointed at the kids again.

"That one's Akka. The one next to him is Levi. And the girl…" Scyrux paused, somber. "...that's Blair."

"And is this place…?" Xaik started, but Scyrux shook his head.

"No, this isn't my home."

It's not your home? Xaik was confused.

"It's theirs," Scyrux turned to Xaik, beginning his explanation. "Our homes were destroyed by the Heartless a couple of years back. We were lucky and all ended up in a town together, somewhere between the Realms of Light and Dark."

Xaik thought about how terrifying it must have been, having your world taken by the Heartless. From her readings about the Heartless, she was aware of their tendency to not only consume the hearts of people, but to seek the hearts of the worlds. She was fortunate to not remember losing her heart and her exposure to Heartless was minimal. But Scyrux lost his whole world to the Heartless.

"We stuck together, you know?" He recounted. "We were all just kids who lost their homes, their families, their lives to the Heartless. We looked out for each other."

"But…" Xaik wondered. "You said this is their home."

"Well," Scyrux exhaled sharply through his nose. "Something happened. I'm not sure what, but the worlds came back. At least, mine did. I was able to go back home, but…"

Scyrux looked to his friends, his eyes almost melancholic, but they were truly empty.

"I should've been happy," He reasoned. "But I couldn't just live my life, not knowing what happened to them."

"Is that…" Xaik inquired. "...how you lost your heart?"

"What do you mean?"

"You were worried about your friends," Xaik deduced. "Did that create a darkness in your heart?"

Scyrux turned back to her, puzzling to himself.

"I guess that makes sense. In all of my worrying, I probably attracted the Heartless to me. They stole my heart."

Xaik was shocked to hear that Scyrux had gone through such tragedy. She couldn't feel bad for him or give any sort of sympathy, but somewhere in her mind, she knew it was horrible.

"Next thing you know, I'm waking up and getting picked up by Xeros." Scyrux gave a slight smile, like he was trying to think of it fondly. "He took me in, and I figured, why not? The Organization had access to knowledge of worlds and I thought to myself - maybe, just maybe, I could find my friends. I'd find them, get my heart back and everything would be okay."

Scyrux then gave a sarcastic chuckle to himself. Xaik looked at him, unsure of why he was laughing.

"It took a long time, but I found them. And when I found them, do you know what happened?"

Xaik shook her head as Scyrux looked at her, his face now completely blank. It was uncanny, looking at his face as unexpressive as it was in that moment.

"Nothing," Scyrux confessed. "Because I didn't feel anything. I wasn't happy to find them. I wasn't relieved that they were safe. I simply… didn't care."

Scyrux turned to his friends, watching them as they seemed happy to be together, wishing he could at least feel envious of them.

"It wasn't fair," He said, his voice lacking any energy. "I got what I wanted but it didn't change anything. Because I don't have a heart. And I still don't have a heart. I know that the Organization is working towards completing Kingdom Hearts, but… it doesn't matter."

That… "That's not true." Xaik argued.

"Isn't it?" Scyrux turned to Xaik, staring into her soul. "You don't care. I don't care. None of us care. All we're doing is living in denial. None of us should exist. We don't deserve to be as we are…" Scyrux looked away, now refusing to look at Xaik. "Broken. Robbed of true existence. And in turn, robbing those who cared about us by continuing to be."

"Then…" Xaik shook her head, trying to understand. "Why do you continue working for the Organization? Why do you keep trying?"

"Well," Scyrux said, looking at his hands and flexing his fingers. "I cheat."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Xaik asked, confused.

"I use magic," Scyrux held out his hand as it began to glow in waves of different colors. "The closest thing I can think of to call it is 'life'. I am attuned to all living things, I can see it. Sense the energy all around me. And with practice, I learned to manipulate it."

That explains how he can freeze things the way he does, how he healed my wounds… Xaik was never sure what Scyrux's magical abilities really were, but it still did not answer her question. As always, Scyrux seemed able to read her thoughts and continued.

"There are two types of 'feelings' that I can sense and change in people," Scyrux explained. "The emotional, which we lack. And the physical, which we still have. I can alter those feelings to trick the mind, make it believe it's feeling when it isn't."

It began to come together. All those times Xaik was around Scyrux and noticed this tranquil energy. All the times he seemingly was going down that place he is in now but would just push it away with a shimmer in his eyes. Xaik finally understood what was happening with Scyrux all this time.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Xaik questioned.

"It's not really ideal," Scyrux emphasized. "People don't like it when they know that someone knows too much about what they shouldn't. And I don't like messing with other people's lives, so I mainly just keep it to myself."

Xaik sighed, as Scyrux turned in her direction, but did not face her directly.

"There's your answer. I just trick myself into caring, even though I don't actually. It just makes things easier."

Scyrux then saw Xaik's feet as they stepped forward. They turned toward him as Xaik seemed to face him. He looked up to her face, as he saw something unusual in her eyes. She was clearly understanding what he was saying, there was no doubt about that. But there was more to it. There was this defiance behind her eyes, that he didn't understand where it was coming from. Was she just mimicking the face of spite? Or could there really be some determination in there?

"I know we don't care," Xaik agreed. "We don't feel, so the only explanation for why we do what we do must be practical. We are missing our hearts, so we get them back."

Xaik's expression turned softer as Scyrux could see the shifting of colors within Xaik's mind. The patterns trying to behave like a person with feelings, but missing the spark that came from the heart. What was she getting at?

"But you didn't answer my question."

"I did, you asked-"

"You answered how you're still able to work for the Organization." She interrupted. "But you didn't answer why you still come here."

Scyrux was stunned into silence as his eyes went wide. Xaik sighed and walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. It was unusual, her touch on him. He could sense her life force, pouring into his body from her arm. There was this twinge of something familiar in that touch. Something akin to… comfort. She then moved behind him, as she held out her hand to summon a portal.

Before walking through, she looked at Scyrux one last time.

"Enjoy the rest of your night, Scyrux."

With those words, she turned and walked through the portal. Alone, Scyrux turned as he watched the portal close

He looked back towards his friends. He saw that Akka and Levi were sitting together, and Blair was standing over them. He looked to her, remembering her own touch on him. He sighed, and without a flash in his eyes, he let out a chuckle to himself.

Enjoy the rest of my night. That's funny.