burgeoning replacements

6 - priorities

"Hyah!"

Steel sliced through the cold air wafting in from the waterway. The young man bearing the gunblade withdrew, displeased with his posture, but it would never show on his face. Taking a deep breath, he nodded, recomposing and bracing himself. Adjusting his stance, he raised—

"Leon!"

His thoughts stumbled—as did his grip—at the sound of footsteps hurtling down the stairs. He almost thought the boy on his way down to him had fallen until he realized there were two more descending in haste after him.

"Time to eat," said Sora, wearing a smug grin only a fourteen-year old Keyblade Master could get away with.

"Sora!" A duck appeared, looking frazzled as was his wont. A ninja landed on her feet behind them not long after.

"Hey!" Yuffie growled, arms akimbo in an attempt to look imposing. "You need to rest. Keyblade master or not, you're still recovering from that last skirmish!"

"Yeah," Donald frowned. "Aerith spent a lot of energy healing you and Goofy. Are you going to let that go to waste?"

Sora reared his head with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Maybe you could heal us next time, Donald."

Red overcame the duck's features at that. "I said healing wasn't my specialty!"

"Either way," Yuffie insisted, "he's right. Get back up there, Sora!"

Leon glanced between his three new companions before turning to the Keyblade's chosen. The guilt had begun to settle into a pout on the boy's normally exuberant features. "I'll be right up," he promised. "Thanks, Sora."

His smile returned in full force. "No problem," he beamed, and glanced over at Donald before darting toward the stairs. "Race ya!"

"Hey! No fair!"

Yuffie laughed at the sight of Donald sputtering after Sora, and then winked back at Leon. "Not even a sigh? They are starting to grow on you."

"…Hm."

"Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me."

Leon glanced away. He wouldn't acknowledge it, least of all to Yuffie—she would badger him to no end and tell Aerith and Cid, even if he was certain Sora, Donald, and Goofy had similarly found a place in their routines, too.

Yuffie rolled her eyes, but looked amused as ever. "Well, I'm off for that meal. Make sure you come up before Cid comes storming down here."

"…Did he and Merlin make cookies again?"

Pursed lips. For all her teasing, Yuffie was the worst sport of them all. "I was not hallucinating about that girl!"

"Mmhmm."

The ninja disappeared with a glare and a huff. Leon had to admit it was pretty impressive, though it wasn't really his style. Sighing, he sheathed his gunblade and looked over at their makeshift training ground. Merlin's area was a better spot, but Sora's arrival had crowded it, and he didn't appreciate eyes on him while he tried to focus. Cid and the others had taken to hanging around there to watch Sora's progress, but when the kid wasn't around, they ended up commenting on everything Leon already knew was wrong with his technique instead.

Still, he was considering returning there. Lately, it almost felt like someone was … watching him.

He'd checked, of course. Figured it was another Heartless searching for the Keyblade, but there was nothing there. Just shadows and water playing with his imagination. Nerves, he guessed. Even he could admit that after nearly a decade, the memory of home still made his fists shake.

Another glance around the area. Nobody was there.

He turned and headed for the stairs.

Leon?

Why did they call him that? He wasn't a Nobody—Axel could tell. Must have been a personal thing. He hadn't even realized Squall had escaped. He'd been so concerned with staying hidden on his recon mission here that he forgot to pay attention to the locals...

A sigh from the girl before him reminded Axel exactly why that had changed.

"Why don't you just talk to the kid if you're so obsessed with him?"

The water splashed as Ixta whirled in shock—and Vanished.

"Oh no, you don't." Axel reached out and grabbed what felt like her shoulder. "Come on. Really? Undo the spell, Ixta."

The brunette reappeared. Even in the dim light of the cavern, he could see the blue eyes refusing to meet his gaze.

Her mentor regarded her for a split second. "Guilty as charged, huh? Follow me."

She said nothing and obeyed, trailing after him to the back alleys where his chakram made quick work of any Heartless that might get in their way. After that, the place fit right in with their own world. A little too much color compared to their usual palette, but bright and empty all the same.

Ixta, meanwhile, almost looked like he just kicked her puppy. Her eyes were downcast and her hands remained at her side. At least she wasn't making it worse by coming up with excuses. "You don't actually feel bad about getting caught, do you?"

She raised her head to him.

"Okay." He scratched the back of his head and approached the tables surrounding the back of the hotel, motioning for her to pull up a chair as he did. When she settled in across him, he shook his head. "Drop the strong, silent type act, Ixta. Answer the question."

"No."

Axel sighed. It dawned on him that the act had been getting on his nerves lately. Or it would have, anyway. "So why did you hide it?"

Ixta's eyes fell back to the gates leading to the waterway. "I had direct orders to desist from watching Sora. I didn't want to be punished."

"Who says you will be?" Axel shrugged. "This secret will be between the two of us—just like all our other secrets. You get that, right?"

She met his gaze again, measuring him, apparently—what went on in that head of hers was still a mystery to him. "Okay."

He clapped his hands together. "Great. So why the sewers? He your type? Long hair like Marluxia, huh?"

"No," she said, after thoughtful silence. "Or…I can't say for certain. My Other almost cried about a boy once, but I don't know what he looked like. At any rate, Sora cares for them."

Axel filed that away for future use. The interests of a girl he'd never met meant nothing to him, but years in the Organization had taught him that every detail mattered. "And…? As big sister's Nobody, you just happened to like watching them, too?"

"No."

"Then enlighten me, Ixta. The entire process, because I can't follow your logic," he pressed impatiently. It was more the necessity of this than anything else that almost irked him. Her face contorted—it was slight, but clear enough to him—into what seemed like discomfort at his prompt. "Something wrong?"

Her face reverted back to its neutral state as she shook her head. "Despite my orders not to see Sora, I decided to head for Traverse Town. My Other would have wanted it, and I knew well enough not to let him catch me. But one of the locals did—she said I reminded her of him and was taking me to see him."

"Ixta—"

"She didn't," she reassured Axel, knowing the alarm in his affected tone. "I Vanished as soon as she announced me—though she didn't know my name, so she couldn't have announced anyone. She then described me to Sora."

Axel groaned before she could say more, but found himself wanting her to. "And?"

"And he said nothing," was her disappointing answer.

"What?"

Ixta punctuated it with a shrug. "He asked for Kairi and Riku—as if…" She fell silent, lips pursed. Before the whole silent-treatment habit she'd picked up, Axel usually had to distract her as soon as he saw that pout; otherwise, if he wasn't quick enough, he had to brace himself for another stupid question.

"When an Other's heart is taken and a Nobody is formed, are memories of the Other belonging to their family and friends completely wiped away?"

Axel sat back in his seat at that. "Ah… No," he said, and realized that if he cared, he might have been sorry to say it. "I don't think so. Kairi and Riku," he repeated before she could react. Discomfort wasn't something he felt, not for a long time, but it still stirred where his heart should have been, and just knowing that made things unpleasant enough for him. "Those are his friends, right?"

"Yes. They were like younger siblings to my Other. Nothing like Sora, but—she knew them well. Though their whereabouts now aren't my concern."

"Oh," he remarked, suddenly recalling their conversation more than a week ago. Was that what she'd—? "Harsh."

"It's not harsh at all." As if reading his mind, she said, "You helped me understand why, Axel. It's because Sora's priorities are his friends, Kairi and Riku. And now he has new friends: Donald and Goofy, his companions from the restaurant that first day. Leon, Yuffie, and—Aerith, inhabitants of this town, and Cid and Merlin, two old men they frequently mention in conversation. They all know how to make Sora prioritize them."

"And you thought you would copy one of them to make Sora prioritize you."

"My Other," she corrected, in that same dead tone she'd spoken in for the last week and a half. "Yes. Leon seemed the easiest to imitate. He doesn't say much and we both have brown hair."

Axel thought it would be appropriate to bury his face in his hands. "No. I can see why—" he couldn't help letting out a suppressed sigh. "I can see why you thought about doing that, but do you even understand how weird that is? You're going back to being a zombie!"

"Why?" Ixta's voice didn't rise to meet his exasperation. She sat still in her chair, watching him with the expressionless visage of her first week as Number XIII. "I see no other way, Axel. Sora's priorities lie with his friends. If I want to bring him into the fold one day, I should act like one of his friends. Not Kairi or Riku. They're…irreplaceable," she nodded when she found the proper word. "But these new ones—"

"Look," Axel shook his head. Her calm demeanor should have settled him down, but he couldn't agree with her assessment. "There's gotta be a reason why your brother didn't react. We've got Dusks hiding all over the worlds still left, catching some of his progress. He's been through a lot for a kid—his sister slipping his mind once doesn't mean she isn't on his list of priorities. Maybe he doesn't trust his new friends and didn't want to ask about her."

"But he asked about Kairi and Riku."

Axel found she had a point.

Ixta thought that her superior's barrage of questions and arguments had finally ceased. It was wrong to even assail her logic—she had turned it over in her head more times than she could count, and this was the best course of action. "So you see—"

"Look at you," said Axel, suddenly wearing a grin. Ixta threw a glance over her shoulder—he had never shown anything more than acceptance of her decisions on pretending a heart—but nobody else was there. If he noticed, he didn't mention it. "Making progress."

"Progress?"

"The Ixta I knew a week ago wouldn't think about things this hard. Yeah, your process is a bit off—imitating someone else completely is just too far into creepy territory to be normal—but we can fix that. For now, you get a reward."

Ixta sat up straight. "What kind of reward?"

Axel grinned, cracking his fingers. "Oh, now you're paying attention?"

"Rewards are good," she nodded. "Well, unless the rewardee gets too spoiled."

"How often do you want a reward, then?"

"Would you trust a biased answer?"

Axel burst into laughter, sliding backward with his chair and heaving himself up against the table. "You're such a zombie it hurts. You gotta let go a little. Unclench that fist, huh?"

Following his actions, Ixta held her arm out to him and opened her palm. Axel lifted both brows at the sight, then shook his head and pressed down on her wrist until she lowered it back to her side. He jerked his head at a Corridor that unfolded itself to them. "Little too excited there, Ixta," he snorted. "Reward's this way."

The new world teemed with orange brick buildings that burned even brighter than their world's neon lights, or maybe it was the town's sun overhead to which she was no longer accustomed. One of its short structures cast a shadow over them, but Ixta still squinted as soon as she emerged from the darkness. To her odd surprise, the light didn't carry with it the scent of the ocean, or the sound of seagulls overhead, or the breath of the waves over the shore. Not the way it did from her Other's window at dusk.

"Ixta?"

Instead it was Axel she heard, and the bustle of a crowd buzzed not far from their wide alley. "I thought of my Other's home for a moment," she explained at once. "It was sunny there, too, but not this orange. Not until sunset."

"Makes sense—seeing as this is called Twilight Town," Axel nodded, proudly surveying the alley as though he were overlooking a kingdom. "You lived by a beach, right? I hear they have one here, too. Not the main attraction, though, if you ask me. That's through the town square."

Axel beckoned, heading for the exit toward the main street, until Ixta called out to him. "Wait. Vexen said we aren't supposed to reveal ourselves to locals."

"You telling me to do as you say, not as you do?" asked the redhead, but his amused features blunted his harsh scoff as he turned around, removing his gloves. "You're right, I guess—but that mostly applies to the coats. What do you think we're supposed to wear underneath these things?" Without much ceremony, Axel unzipped his jacket to reveal a simple, white v-neck shirt over his black pants and boots. Opening his arms in an expectant pose, he asked as if he already knew the answer, "What do you think? Not my color?"

Ixta gave him a once-over. "You're much more – filled-out than I imagined," she answered. "You look handsome."

Axel paused. She wouldn't have noticed it if she hadn't been watching him since the day she came into non-existence. And then he winked, erasing all uncertainty that he'd been flattered. Pretend flattered. "Don't go falling in love with me, now."

"I'll try."

Now the redhead visibly gawked. "Did you just make a joke?"

"…I did," she murmured, fingers to her mouth as if she didn't remember saying it.

Axel combed bare fingers through his thick hair. This was as pleased as he had ever looked—even more than when he'd called himself a genius. "What is Saïx talking about? I'm a great teacher."

If Ixta could attribute her sudden mood for frivolity to anything, it would be to her clandestine visits to Sora, not Axel. Seeing him brought more and more memories to her, and it seemed like she was getting a better grasp of her Other's self thanks to them.

But as she opened her mouth, she saw clearly the glee on her babysitter-mentor's face. It was a feigned one, but she could hardly tell—and he had told her not to rain on people's parades all the time. Rule 5. She supposed he was a good enough example of pretending at his Other. So she said, "Yes. You are."

He gave her a curious glance, but his mirth didn't fade. "Now that that's settled, I'll go into town and get you a shirt if you want to come along to the marketplace… Probably best that you don't, though. I guess I should take you to the clocktower first—"

"No need," Ixta shook her head and promptly unzipped her own cloak to reveal her green crop top. Ixta had considered wearing the top she had worn upon her creation, but it seemed wrong. So she continued to wear this one. "It's similar to what my Other used to wear."

Axel paused, watching her with pursed lips. After a beat, he nodded his approval. "Nice job! All right, why don't you meet me at the Clocktower? Go ask for directions in town. You can manage that without attracting too much attention, right?"

It was a jab, but Ixta had thick skin. "Are you going to buy me cake?"

"…Cake? How do you figure?"

"You seem to be in a celebratory mood. On the islands, we had cakes to celebrate."

Her mentor chuckled at that. "Naw. But I guess you can call it your icing on the cake."

"Because there's cake under the icing?"

"Under the—no, no," he sighed, quickly exasperated. Or quick to feign it. "Go to the clocktower, Ixta."

He disappeared into the dark after that, and Ixta clutched her cloak in her arms as she looked for someone to ask directions from. Hopefully nobody here had met her brother yet. It was a quick walk compared to the combing the Organization had her do for reconnaissance and mapping missions, but there was something about Twilight Town that felt different.

Ixta dwelt on the matter to the point that she found herself standing before a large crevice in the wall surrounding most of the marketplace. No one else seemed to notice it; or they were so accustomed to it that it meant nothing to them. That suited her just fine as she drew closer to the hole. It was dark, but sthe familiar smell of foliage greeted her as she peered. A forest.

Closer now, she felt it. A presence, but not the kind she could sense in the Organization's second castle. It wasn't hidden, but it was hiding. It made no sense to her and would have unsettled her, perhaps, if she were more than a Nobody. Beneath them – buried underground, perhaps? Like a Secret Place.

She was bigger since her last visit, and the tunnel that used to hold all her hopes was now a mere crawlway. Parting the vines that barred her passage, she emerged into a cavern that never changed – save the vandalism on its walls and stones and floors. Two of the perpetrators were present, too. In fact, she was there to babysit them. The last but eldest of their trio she normally trusted enough to keep them safe, but he was sick.

Eventually, as they always did, her eyes traveled to the door and lingered. That was something that never changed, either, and opened for no one. Not even very persistent knocking, or perhaps carving – not that anyone cared to try the latter. Somehow, any child or adult who came upon the door knew well enough not to touch it. Her body shivered in response at the very sight.

Getting to her feet, a little redhead dusted her knees and marched closer to it.

"Kairi."

The girl didn't stop, finding the space next to the door. Didn't anyone else feel it? She wanted to pick Kairi up and set her down by the mouth of the tunnel instead, but the girl's smile distracted her. "Hmm?"

"Over here." Her worry fell away to return the affection, and her hands tapped a small rock on her end of the cavern across the door. "This rock is getting lonely. No drawings on its face at all."

"Oh, no…" Kairi pursed her lips and marched determinedly to the rock, eagerly starting on it with the pebble on her hand. "Come on, Sora! Let's draw here."

To her surprise, her brother was already looking their way. Her way, to be precise. Big, true blue eyes looked up at her, wondering, but she doubted he understood what she felt. He was the most unflappable of their trio, after all, and she was happy for it. Worries were not for Sora.

"Is something wrong, Tai?" he asked, even as he followed Kairi to his sister.

"Nothing," she laughed, keeping her mirror gaze on him. She had lingered on the door long enough. "Now let me get a pebble and help you two out…"

No. Not a Secret Place. That was much more sacred, infinitely more powerful than the presence that lay beyond the forest. Their only similarity was that they were hidden. Still…

"I knew I couldn't leave you alone. I've got half a mind not to give you this."

Ixta whirled in surprise for how close Axel's voice was. She felt nothing at his sudden arrival, but she had the sense to fall silent and look chastised. As chastised as a nonchalant stare might look, at least. "I was only curious. And distracted."

Axel only sighed, and then his exasperation whiplashed into a grin as he held up two crinkly ice cream plastics. "You know what these are, right? And oh yeah, about the forest – Larxene was the one who mapped this out. Said there was nothing but a ratty old mansion there, but feel free to check it out again on your own time. You know Saïx loves extra credit. Larxene might not appreciate her work getting reviewed, though. Your call."

"Right," was all Ixta said of his long explanation. She didn't know why she didn't think to tell him of the presence. Hadn't they just said they would share one another's secrets? But she doubted this was related to Sora or their goals. Whatever lay beyond the forest was its own business. Not to mention he was right about Larxene. She'd rather not come up against the woman if she didn't have to. "And that is ice cream."

"That's right – and this is yours," he grinned, letting her snatch the wrapped popsicle from his hand. "Now let's get to the clocktower before these melt."

The clocktower. They had one of those on the island, but it was in the town hall rather than the train station. That and neither Ixta nor her Other had ever sat on the ledge of one. Nor would she ever have let Sora climb such a height.

It was dusk – or maybe dawn? Her body clock said early afternoon, given the time Axel had come to take her to Castle Oblivion. A fresh breeze made their coats billow slightly over their boots, but it didn't wake her. She still felt nothing.

"Next time," Axel declared, snapping her out of her reverie, "when this isn't a reward, you're paying for your own ice cream."

Ixta shrugged. "Of course. On the island where my Other comes from, one buying another ice cream is a method of courtship."

Axel blinked. He blinked, and then his same-old smirk happily settled on his face. "Right. Let's not get confused about how us Nobodies feel about each other."

Ixta was silent. It was a joke, but she could think of nothing to respond with. Her mind was on the oddity that was Twilight Town.

Her companion didn't care, either. "What do you think?" he asked, taking a big bite off his popsicle. "Better than the ones from your island?" Based on what Larxene would call the dumb look on Ixta's face, Axel knew she was trying to remember in order to give him a proper answer. Ignoring her hesitation, the man pressed on. "Anyway, this is my favorite."

"I don't remember what ice cream tastes like," Ixta answered belatedly. "But this isn't bad. Salty and sweet. Not bad."

Axel shook his head, murmuring, "That is sad."

"Do you often visit Twilight Town, Axel?"

Suddenly, Ixta was staring straight at him, contemplation replaced by that dogged curiosity. "Huh? Oh, yeah. This is where I take a break after all those grueling missions."

She considered it with a pause. "Is that why you always come home late and were never around to answer my questions about how I was supposed to act around the others, even if you promised to try to come home early? …I see," she asked and answered her own question in one breath without so much as a peep from Axel. "These were your priorities."

Axel froze, realizing his blunder, and turned to her slowly – but there was no judgment in her eyes. Only a question. "Guilty as charged," he chuckled, shoulders relaxing as his legs dangled over the edge.

"I would be upset if I had a heart," Ixta tried.

A laugh from him this time. "Hey, hey, fine. I promise not to stand you up again. Besides, now that you know about my secret place, I can't hide from you when you need something from me. I can trust you to keep this a secret, right?"

Ixta nodded. "We'll keep each other from getting Dusked."

"Right."

Neither of them was aware of how much time passed until Ixta realized that she was already gnawing on the popsicle stick in her fingers. Axel had long finished his, she saw – the stick was already tucked in the wrapper, ready for throwing. When her gaze lifted, his was ready to meet it.

"For what it's worth," he said, glancing to the perpetual sunset ahead, "I prefer you as your Other's Nobody. Not as Squall's. I mean, Leon's." Axel feigned a shudder and laughed at the very idea. "What would that be like, anyway?"

"…Noxel. Nexol? Lexon? Ha…"

The two glanced at one another at that.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said, facing ahead, though he watched her from the corner of his eye. "Forgot you knew how to smile like that. Fits you better than the brooding, you know."

Ixta touched her face and realized that she was smiling. A residual reaction from her Other; one that she was finally getting in touch with to the point that it came naturally to her. Odd, since she only now realized that this situation would have greatly amused her Other. "Don't go falling in love with me, now."

This time, Axel responded with shock. "That's my line," he muttered, only to wink. "Well, I'll try. But first you need to come up with your own jokes."

Ixta's smile widened. She was pleased with her success. "But my delivery was good, right?"

Axel shoved her shoulder and laughed. "Yeah, yeah. Don't get cocky."

It seemed Ixta had lost her inquisitive streak in favor of mutual secret-keeping; not that Axel minded. He still went to Twilight Town, and Ixta didn't necessarily follow – she still went to see Sora, he guessed, but at least she wasn't trying to copy Squall anymore – but that wasn't supposed to matter, right? As long as he corrected the little errors in her personality… whatever that was supposed to be. He would deal with that when it came.

For now, Axel was waiting in the Grey Area. Waiting to be alone.

Really, that was all he wanted, but these two wouldn't even give him that. Larxene was at least ignoring him, book in hand, but next to her, Marluxia was staring at him from across the room.

Eventually, Axel put on a grin and met the man's gaze. Marluxia's expression didn't change – it was one of disdain, and Axel had no idea why. All he knew was that he wasn't going to let it slide, even if it meant taking a page out of Demyx's book.

"So," he started, loud enough to make Larxene quirk a brow in annoyance. "You two have been spending an awful lot of time together."

Marluxia gave a snort that didn't quite fit his elegant aura, as Ixta put it, and said nothing. Larxene, on the other hand, shot back a smirk, shutting her book and crossing her legs comfortably.

"Jealous? Why, Axel, I never knew you felt that way."

It was Axel's turn for incredulity. He wondered if he wished hard enough, a Corridor would eat these two right up. But that was impossible, and he looked to the window instead. A light was growing in the sky lately, past the city lights and the clouds. Kingdom Hearts?

"Are you just going to sit there looking like an idiot?" Larxene gave such a venomous giggle that it might've made his teeth clench if he cared. "Or maybe you're the one taking lessons from Ixta instead of the other way around."

"Now, Larxene," Marluxia reprimanded, with just enough levity to show that it was all jest. "I think you're interested in the wrong subject. It's Sora we should be discussing. He must be incredibly special if he remains the principal goal of someone without a heart."

The blonde's smirk didn't fade. "There's nothing special about that brat. Ixta's just deluding herself."

Marluxia's thoughts had run through his mind, too, but Axel didn't care to say so. He was happy to be edged out of the conversation he regretted starting.

"Axel."

Marluxia's voice was suddenly svelte, mellifluous, the kind he tried to use on Ixta. And it probably worked, given her opinion of the man. Well. No reason not to see what he wanted.

"Hmm?"

"Does the Superior know why Ixta is the way she is? He seemed to know that she was meant to emulate her Other long before we discovered the Keyblade's chosen and his identity. Didn't that strike you as odd?"

Axel's first instinct was to frown, but his Other had been nothing if not glib. Now in a more literal sense. "I never figured you for a gossip, Marluxia."

The man only tilted his head, leaving the question there. It didn't help that Axel had wondered the same thing, only for Saïx to brush him off.

Axel's helpless shrug gave him all the flippancy he needed. "Maybe the Superior has a sense for this kind of thing. He is the first among us, after all." The words tasted bitter on his mouth, but he didn't spit them out. After all, he didn't really care.

"I didn't figure you for fawning sycophant either, Axel," said Larxene.

The redhead managed a smile despite the obvious way he stiffened. "If you want answers, why don't you talk to Lord Xemnas himself? I'm sure a Dusk can always find him for you."

"We wouldn't want to disrupt his busy schedule," Marluxia swiftly answered. "But if you're ever curious, I'm certain we'd have an interesting discussion. I have a sense you're not quite the lackey you pretend to be."

Larxene made a little half-guffaw, half-titter in amusement. Axel just shook his head, ignoring the way his teeth gritted. "Yeah. Sure. I'll leave it to you two for now not to lick the Superior's boots, right?"

Silence.

Axel relished in their shock before he decided the sky wasn't worth this, and headed out of the Grey Area.

It wasn't long after when someone tumbled out of thin air and right into him. Demyx.

"Whoa!" Even the guy's pain was lazily expressed. "Oh, hey, Axel. Don't tell Ixta you saw me if she comes looking." It was more a plea than a favor he knew he could ask, which was just about right by Axel's standards. "Why did you have to turn her into the Organization bloodhound?"

"It's not really my fault she can sense you," he chuckled. As irritating as she'd gotten getting him into trouble, her getting everyone else into it too was always funny. "Blame her attribute."

It didn't seem like Saïx even needed Ixta's help finding IX. He swept into the hallway with his usual stern expression and directed it at Demyx. "I wouldn't worry about that, IX. Ixta took another mission immediately after reporting her last one. What have you to say for your activities today?"

Demyx muttered something under his breath before turning around. "I did a recon mission earlier this morning, boss. I just don't have Ixta's willpower. Something I'll just have to live with, I guess," he said, and pretending to be sheepish at that. "Bye!"

With that, and another annoyed look shot at Axel when he turned around, IX disappeared into another Corridor. Demyx was surprisingly honest with him about Saïx.

Axel raised a brow. "Ixta went on another mission?"

Saïx nodded, hardly reacting to Demyx's escape. "Gathering materials for Vexen. She has her uses."

Uses, right, Axel thought. As good as she was at playing bloodhound, Ixta was only using missions that came easily to her as an excuse to stalk Sora in Traverse Town. "…Yeah."

Saïx noted his delayed response. "Hesitation. You aren't pleased with your progress with XIII?"

Axel wondered if this was the part where he felt guilty. It didn't happen. With a shake of his head, he asked, "Wanna take care of some Heartless outside? Place must be teeming with 'em."

"Nonsense," said Saïx. "Should the Dusks fail, even the Dancers would be able to handle them. Or have the Dusks spoken of a new presence? They made no such report to me."

Axel wanted to groan, and didn't at the same time. "We just need to do a sweep. It'll be fun, y'know?"

Saïx watched him for a long time, furrowed brows measuring, and then he nodded. "Very well. As soon as I finish paperwork."

Axel watched him go with a sigh before deciding he'd had enough of walking around hallways. How Ixta had ever been able to stand not being able to use Corridors and bumping into every member of the Organization was beyond him. It was too late to make it to Twilight Town, but at least he had the kitchen. Stress eating was universal to all creatures, after all. Even if the stress part was pretend.

Ixta had learned her lesson. No more attempts to become another, however tempting, so she had diverted her attention from Leon and back to Sora in the week or so that followed her first trip to Twilight Town. Sora traveled the worlds far more often now, requiring more Devouts dedicated to following him. Traverse Town and a Coliseum were his only constant destinations.

He was participating in some sort of tournament in the latter world, and Ixta knew at once that her Other would not have approved. But she had just come from watching one of his matches today, and he certainly fought well enough. It was surprising with her Other's memories, but not to Ixta. The Keyblade's Chosen was naturally powerful, wasn't he?

At any rate, Ixta liked watching Sora, and she'd found a workaround to all her required missions so she could at least watch the tournament. Lately she'd learned to make good use of her ability to analyze not just living creatures, but materials, too. Outside Vexen's scanning machines, their components were known only to her. So she took Vexen's collection missions – several of them, in fact – and found a world teeming with Heartless. Despite the shadows that abounded there, it was a veritable gold mine for ingredients Vexen needed.

In that world stood two castles. One of them, elegant and exactly what her Other might imagine, watched over the abandoned city that surrounded it, and the other, consisting of several patchwork towers, lay across a valley filled with old debris.

"My liege."

A Devout shimmered before Ixta, crouched among today's collection of materials. She rose to meet its nonexistent gaze. "Yes?"

Ixta was in the world again that morning, as was her new custom – but there was something different today.

She raised a hand to the Nobody. "Wait."

It wasn't rare when she sensed powerful creatures all throughout this world. It made sense – it seemed home to the Heartless, and there were some that could match the more intelligent Nobodies blow for blow. That wasn't usually a problem for her because she had no heart, so the Heartless ignored her even when she wandered about them for as long as she didn't summon Gorgoneion.

But this sense was much more powerful than an ordinary Heartless. More powerful than even some in the Organization.

Instinct told her to run, but she held her ground. That sudden strength – two of them, surrounded by several others – came from the castle within the city. She never ventured there for the same reason she was going to it now: that was where the stronger signatures often came from. Elegant as it was, after all, the Heartless emblem was emblazoned on its face.

And this time, the signatures were too strong to ignore. As much as her survival instinct clawed at her insides, the thought that there might be a strength to equal Sora's and the Superior's unnerved her. She would at least make a reconnaissance report out of this.

Ignoring the Heartless crawling out of the walls, Ixta picked up the pace through the hallway. She was close, but a few of the creatures surrounding the signatures had already disappeared. That left only the two most powerful signatures that had given her pause, and one other.

She caught up with them close to the top of one of the castle tower. An open doorway led to a room where two silhouettes stood in the dim light.

"Silly boy," said a woman's voice, and Ixta slowed, cloaking herself with Vanish once more. "You're like a son to me. I only want you to be happy."

She took the lightest steps inside and stood close to the doorway. These weren't Heartless. This was…

"I seriously doubt that."

Riku.

His bright eyes were stark against the little light creeping into the room. A man in red with long, dark curls and a hook stood off to the side – he was so weak compared to the other two up close that Ixta had overlooked him – and next to the boy from the islands was the woman. She was a tall, elegant creature clad in a black robe, a long staff bearing a green jewel in hand.

"Believe what you wish," she shrugged, beautiful with green skin and the black horns she wore. "But lest we forget, I kept my end of the bargain."

Riku stared at her, unblinking, and approached the waiting man next to Ixta. Together, they disappeared into an open Corridor.

Ixta stared at the spot where the Corridor stood long after they left. Why did these people have access to Corridors? Were they Nobodies? Was Riku a Nobody? He was one of the two powerful signatures she had sensed. Her Other had never seen this in him, but then Tai didn't have the abilities she did. It was impossible for Xemnas not to have picked up on him somehow.

Did Sora know?

Before Ixta could dwell on it, she found herself leaping to the side, dodging a surge of lightning that made part of the wall crumble. The static of it stung her legs, and she winced, hands reaching down to heal them.

"Reveal yourself," the woman demanded coolly. She reminded her of Xemnas, all menacing silence and the cool ease of destruction. Well, Ixta had never seen their Superior in battle, but what she could sense was threat enough.

Ixta's Vanish fell, though she remained hooded as she rose to her feet. The woman's staff rested under her palm as if she had never used it.

"How have you come here?" the woman continued. "How did you avoid the Heartless roaming the castle?"

"Do you belong to an Organization of sorts? Of you, that man, the boy—?" As always, Ixta pursued her own train of thought. It was natural that the Nobodies had a sort of structured leadership, but she hadn't expected the Heartless to. "Do you control Heartless? That must be why they don't attack you, either. But I was taught they acted on instinct…"

"Who taught you?" the woman's eyes narrowed. It appeared that neither of them was willing to answer questions.

"How did you come to know Riku?"

"The boy? A useful tool," the woman thought aloud. "Do you care for him, girl?"

"No," said Ixta. "What are your plans?"

The woman exhaled impatiently. "I will suffer no more of a trespasser's needless questions."

Ixta paused, eyeing the woman and her staff, and the small, domed room in which they stood. The castle below had taken some time to navigate. This was the woman's domain, and it wouldn't do to fight her and be captured or destroyed. "My mistake," she said then, nodding her head. "Your business is your own."

A pause of the woman's own, and then she laughed. "Now, now. Even the rabble deserves a warm welcome."

Ixta's brows furrowed at that, and they were right to. With a raise of the woman's free hand, several types of Heartless surrounded the Nobody. She recognized them from their Organization files – Neoshadows, a Wizard, Bookmasters, and little cone-shaped ones that flitted about like hornets and fired the most irritating elemental attacks.

"Make it quick," ordered the woman. "We're expecting a new princess."

Ixta heard the sound of a Corridor opening, but the squealing swarm of pouncing Heartless drowned them both. Gorgoneion appeared in her grip at once, but it was only enough to stave off the endless Neoshadows. The elementals nipped at her heels, elbows, hair, as they were wont when she allowed them to get past the sphere she was trained to create for herself using her staff.

The Neoshadows always worked together – one distracted while the others pounced, and Ixta knew well enough not to fall for it. She dodged an incoming neoshadow and rolled to the side, past the Wizard, which disappeared as soon as she came close. Her staff's three-pronged end met another Neoshadow that hurled past.

"That's it, then," she murmured. Using Bad Breath was always her last resort, because she avoided using too much of her magic. Little status effects usually did the trick, but that was when she was able to choose small groups of Heartless she could handle and strategize for. Then again, Vexen said her magic stores had increased considerably since her recruitment.

The deep breath, the long exhale – it came naturally to her now.

Having a book or four thrown at her, however, she'd never get used to.

Winded and bent over, Ixta glanced up at her opponents. The Neoshadows and the cone-shaped ones had stopped attacking, paralyzed and poisoned. The files had said Wizards and Bookmasters were immune to magic, but she had hoped that meant the solely elemental kind. She was wrong. Instead the Bookmasters doubled down on their attacks, and soon she saw lightning, fire, ice headed her way.

Ixta raised her free hand, bracing herself in case this didn't work. But it did, and the glowing green shield before Ixta dissipated as soon as their magic found her. A sigh of relief escaped her. She hadn't used that since her first encounter with Saïx.

The fire, spikes and jolts had reflected off her shield and found their way to their casters, ricocheting to the other Heartless. All except one – the Wizard, who stood far away with its winged sceptre raised.

She discovered why when she felt the dark looming over her. Gravity. She scrambled to her feet, summoning fallen Gorgeoneion, but it was too quick. The sphere bore down on her, pressing her to the ground at first and then crushing her.

She grunted as she tried to crawl out to no avail. Ixta could feel every bit of her body breaking under the spell. She needed to escape to somewhere safe.

With a pained cry, the Nobody called out to a Corridor and fell inside.

Tai!

The Grey Area was silent, just the way Lexaeus liked it. Xaldin, too.

They had just begun to enjoy it when a Corridor of Darkness hissed open before them. Axel emerged, looking more frantic than his hair by their standards. XIII was unconscious in his arms.

Lexaeus rose to his feet. "What happened?"

"I was in…and then she…" Axel stumbled over his words, a first that made even Xaldin finally look. When they made eye contact, he finally came up with the lie. "She was outnumbered. I was somewhere else in the world scouting."

Lexaeus exhaled. "Take her to Vexen at once."

Suddenly next to him, Xigbar laughed. None of them had noticed his arrival. "You know, when there's bait around, you're supposed to make sure it doesn't go to waste when the fish bite."

"Ha ha," Axel dryly replied, and hopped into another Corridor.

His first portal had remained open; it was something Saïx always scolded him for. Waving it closed, Xaldin spat. "Pathetic."

Ixta didn't take long to wake up. And when she did, it was to excruciating pain. When she tried to rest her palm over her back, legs, body to ease the pain, Vexen smacked her hand away. In her state, he said, she was only going to hurt herself more. That had always been his policy, even before when she still trained with her fellow members.

"Vexen, what—"

"The same goes for speaking," the scientist snapped. "I keep you in the lab to ensure your survival, but that doesn't mean I'll tolerate any more of your questions."

Ixta's lips pressed together as she reluctantly swallowed her words. She supposed he was right. Talking only made her feel her wounds more sharply. She hadn't felt fear, but the white, sterile walls of the castle and its empty halls comforted her in a way. She was safe in this castle. Not like the castle in that other world. It was beautiful, and close to the top the light mist over it gave it an otherworldly glow, but she had almost been erased from nonexistence there.

By the Heartless and that woman. And Riku…

"…"

Her mouth opened again. She needed to tell them of that world. Ixta had never mentioned it to Vexen, because if he knew of the world's potential, he would ask her to gather as many materials as she could for his experiments. That would dry out her resources, requiring her to take more missions, and significantly reducing her free time to watch over Sora.

But Riku was involved. Little as Ixta cared for him, Sora was fighting Heartless, and a surprisingly powerful Riku was working with a woman who held sway over them. Something had to be done.

"Vexen—"

"What did I say?"

"I need to speak with Lord Xemnas."

Her oddly determined tone drew Vexen away from his desk, and he turned to her with a suspicious curl of his upper lip. "Why?"

"He should know about the woman who controls the Heartless. Her magic was incredibly powerful."

Vexen approached her and loomed, peering at her. "You're certain?"

"She summoned the Heartless against me, and was working with others. I think there may be another Organization."

"Where? Axel failed to mention what exactly your mission was."

"Axel?" Ixta asked aloud.

"Yes. What mission had you two taken?"

"…I…found a new world not in our files," Ixta deflected, clearing her throat as she came up with more to say. "But it was filled with Heartless, so I asked him to join me."

"And yet this was your mission's outcome."

Ixta stared up at Vexen without remorse. She knew her Other would have been ashamed, but there was no time to act it out. "I need to speak with Lord Xemnas."

With a little growl, Vexen snapped a Dusk into his laboratory. It slithered about Vexen as he gave it the order to find their Superior, then winked out of the room.

Vexen returned to his desk, and Ixta's gaze returned to the ceiling. There was something she was forgetting. It wasn't the woman, or the man with the hook, or Riku… It seemed as though there had been someone else there, but she couldn't remember.

A Corridor opened, and Xemnas appeared, followed by Saïx and Axel, oddly enough. Vexen stood, but only Axel's brows lifted in greeting when his gaze met hers. The rest were silent until they converged upon her.

"Ixta." Xemnas stared at her expectantly.

"Lord Xemnas," she said, groaning as she tried to sit up. Axel reached over and patted her shoulder twice, and she lay back down. "The world I… The world Axel and I visited. I'd never seen it before, and so I invited him. But…"

"The point, Ixta," Saïx interjected, but Xemnas raised his hand.

"Go on," he said, gravelly voice austere as always. Not kind like his words might sound. "Describe the place."

"It was an abandoned city filled with light and water – fountains, a lot of them – but only Heartless lived there. The castle within the city bore the Heartless emblem, where I sensed a strong presence or two.

Saïx's eyes narrowed, and Axel turned to look at him at once. "And you say Axel accompanied you there?" asked the former.

"Yes," she answered easily. Axel pursed his lips, a sign of disapproval, but she didn't understand why. She was only supporting the lie he had apparently told Vexen.

"Continue," said Xemnas.

"I ventured alone, up the castle, without Axel's knowledge. Most of the signatures left before I could see them, but there was a woman. She was powerful – tried to strike me with lightning, but even then I sensed her capability for a much wider range of magic. She answered none of my questions and summoned several formidable Heartless to destroy me before leaving through a Corridor. I couldn't tell if she was a Nobody."

The room was silent. Axel's eyes were trained to the wall, while Xemnas, Saïx, and Vexen all exchanged glances.

"That castle is known to me," Xemnas finally spoke. "Think on it no longer."

"But Lord Xemnas—"

"No longer," he repeated. "The witch is insignificant. Focus on your missions that we might sooner attain Kingdom Hearts."

He stared at her after that, a question of whether she had any more to say. Ixta only inclined her head.

When he disappeared, Vexen left for his desk again.

Saïx shook his head at Ixta. His expression was perpetually irked, but his sigh stressed his displeasure.

"How disappointing," he said, and turned to the redhead next to him. "She is well enough not to require Vexen's aid. Return her to her room, Axel, and resume her training tomorrow."

"Training?" Axel repeated. "She finished that months ago. She's fine."

"Evidently not. Too many reconnaissance and collection missions have dulled her abilities. Training, tomorrow. Bring Lexaeus if you wish."

"I'd rather not," Axel muttered, but Saïx was already gone. VIII turned to Ixta with some exasperation.

"Axel—"

"If there's nothing else," Vexen called over from his desk, too busy writing to even look. "Goodbye."

Axel shot the man a dirty look behind his back, but scooped up Ixta nonetheless. "Goodbye," he mocked, and let a Corridor swallow them into Ixta's room.

He laid her on her bed, a little gentler for her wounds. It wouldn't have made a difference to Ixta, who was accustomed to Axel simply letting her roll off his arms months ago.

"What happened?" she asked, when she was supine on her covers again.

Axel had a hand to his hip. "You really don't remember?"

A stare from her said she wouldn't be asking if she did. "I only remember opening the Corridor. And…Sora," she realized, eyes widening slightly. "Yes. I heard his voice call my name."

"…That must have been me."

"No, he said my Other's name. It was—"

"Sora wasn't there. Saïx had the Dusks check as soon as we arrived, and he was in Olympus Coliseum."

Ixta supposed that made sense, but she didn't have to pretend to be pleased. "Then what happened?"

Axel peered at her for a beat before shrugging. "There I was, minding my own business in Twilight Town, when you fell injured from the sky. Weirdest Corridor placement I've seen, but not the point. You passed out pretty soon after, and I took you to Vexen."

Ixta considered his words with a hum – a new feature to a less zombie-like Nobody that Axel had noticed. "Everything I told the Superior was true, except your involvement. I don't understand why he would turn this information away. That woman's – witch's – presence wasn't a joke."

Axel held his breath for a moment, thinking. When his eyes fell on her again, it was with a shake of his head. "Don't bother with that world anymore. You'll only get yourself hurt."

"Isn't that why you're going to train me?" she asked, a tinge of pretend humor in her voice.

"I'm serious."

"So am I," she answered, paying no mind to the shift in his tone. She knew he didn't care, but it was odd that he seemed to mean it. "You really don't think this world is relevant to the Organization?"

His arms were crossed now, and it felt to Ixta like he was looming over her. Like he'd suddenly grown very big. "Look. The Superior said don't bother investigating that world again. Do you want to get Dusked?"

"He also told me not to watch Sora, but you didn't seem to mind disobeying that order. What am I missing?"

If Axel weren't himself, her slow, calm tone even when she rebelled – the one thing he'd wanted out of her all this time – would have unnerved him.

"Just trust me on this, all right? If the Superior says don't go back to the castle, don't."

If Ixta bought it, it didn't show. She only lay back down. "Training tomorrow, then?" Her eyes were to the window.

Axel could tell neither of them was going to budge on this. "Right."

He turned and left her room.

We're sorry this took so long! We've all just been busy and lots of us had our situations change.

We know Ixta's moods (or lack thereof) seem to whiplash in this episode - she's deadpan then humorous then deadpan then determined. It's there on purpose, however annoying it might be. Please bear with us and Ixta! She's getting there.

To the reviews!

Torch Phoenix: Thank you! The Ixta and Axel POVs will start switching around from now on but we hope you still like the Axel POVs as well! c:

dmc87: ! That review! THANK YOU for all the details! We love hearing what you guys think of specific scenes. Sora not reacting to Yuffie's question definitely affected Ixta as you see here. Spot on about Xemnas! He's wary about Ixta too because she has such a strong motivation. On Marluxia and Larxene, yes exactly! We figured it makes sense to have them develop their plans over the course of KH1. As for Axel... Hmm, at this point she's still mainly a chore he's taking care of for Saïx, but yes he is genuinely curious about her and feels (or pretends to?) responsible for what happens to her because she's such a zombie and seems so slow compared to the other Organization members. Of course he finds out here that she's actually more perceptive than she appears, it's just Sora is really her focus at this point because being around him gives her access to more memories. Can't say how he really 'feels' about her since neither Ixta nor Axel has really begun to 'grow' a heart at this point (especially since Axel still has to go pyro on Vexen in CoM), but the curiosity is definitely a new thing.

Nit loved writing Traverse Town, so it's really great that you liked it! And yes, even the belts part! Haha. We're iffy about mentioning FF characters because who knows when they'll suddenly appear in KH, but we can easily change them if they do anyway.

The White Mushroom will be making more appearances in the future!

As for your Leon theory, you were half-right! She knows Sora hangs around Leon but mostly watched him to try to copy him to become Sora's priority.

And Ventus - yep! That's exactly it. Ventus's heart isn't there so Zexion can't sense any darkness there, while Ixta can sense that there is someone alive there, she just can't find him because of what Aqua did.

We're actually not sure of Saïx's Nort status in KH since they never showed when he was Norted. For the purposes of this story, he already has the Nort eyes by the time KH1 begins. Whether or not he's still attached to Axel is up for debate, though.

Thank you again for your long review!

onesceneship: Thank you for all the per-chapter reviews! *o* Those are always appreciated! So much. We're so glad you like her as Sora's sister! Her not fitting in Sora's and KH's world is always our worry. AND YES Axel saying "We've got a long way to go" was absolutely a callback to Li Shang! Good eye! And agreed on her development. She's starting to come into her own as a Nobody (sort of), and learning from all her experiences.

Water Solace: Thank you so much! We're a little rusty on KH and its characters but excited to jump back into the world! And yes, Axel is definitely being forced to change his usual flippant attitude to deal with Ixta like Saïx wants him to. And yeah, Ixta actually does a lot of things according to what Tai would have done, more than even she realizes! hehe. And her weapon name was fun to research about, so we're glad you liked that little tidbit!

sailorsenshi13: Yes! Thank you for reading. :)

And again, thank you to everyone who's added burgeoning replacements to your favorite and alert lists! We'd love to hear from you. c: