Author's Note: What's this? A quick update? Hehe, yup. I wrote this chapter right after the last one, and I was going to leave it for a bit but… ya know. Anyway, thanks for your comments guys, I appreciate that you're enjoying the story. To be honest I don't like Xion that much, but an author shouldn't be restricted to write just about the characters that we enjoy :) Oh, and to the anonymous review called eeew, who 'reviewed', I have one thing to say: lol.


III.

The month passed like a year.

Xion fiddled helplessly with her hands, looking at her feet, feeling utterly alone. She was being spoken to, but dared not to speak in return to neither Roxas or Demyx, who were sitting by her cage, playing a game of cards. They had taken the spare deck from Luxord when he wasn't looking, and had even dealt a hand of 'snap' for her, slipping it in the cage. But as always, she remained in the back corner, keeping to herself.

Why did they bother?

"SNAP!"

"Dammit!"

Demyx grinned, taking the cards out from underneath his hands. He re-shuffled them into his hand and started the whole process over again. He leant back and chuckled, "You're so bad at this game Roxas, honestly. I think you should get Luxord to give you a lesson in the art of winning. Because, you know, you're going to lose pretty damn soon."

Number XIII growled under his breath, placing another card on top of it, his foe following the action after, "Shut up shut up shut up!" Stressed, he changed his sitting position again. Instead of sitting on his knees, he shifted into a cross-legged stance, though still remained hunched over, observing the piling cards angrily, "Xion, would you please come and help me kick this guy's butt?" No response, as always, "…This isn't fair!"

"Face it, no one but Luxord can kick my butt," the Melodious Nocturne chimed.

He suddenly jumped and yelped, dropping his cards everywhere, and scattering the pile between the two of them. Both of his hands shot to his rear, pressing against the stinging sensation. He whimpered in frustration and pain, and Roxas burst out laughing, putting his cards down. Tears of mirth soon began to leak from his eyes.

"Hey, guess what? I'm not Luxord, and I just kicked your butt."

The victim hurriedly looked behind him, his aqua eyes settling on a taller Nobody, who walked by them thereafter, going to lean against the wall nearby. Demyx unhappily pouted at the passing person, throwing a fist up and shaking it venomously, "Axel! That hurt! And I meant in card games, not as in seriously launching their boot into my ass!"

"I'm sure," he replied with cynical sarcasm, hands now resting behind his head. His jade eyes moved past the two blondes and over towards their prisoner. He squinted, noticing that she was covering her mouth and giggling a little. He smirked slightly, "Well well well, look at that. Xion has an expression aside from 'blank'. Nice to know you have a sense of humour, sweetheart."

Her eyes widened slightly. She looked down to her feet once more, hiding the colour that was coming to her pale face. Her fingers drumming on the end of the boots in the hope of distracting herself from the embarrassment, "Well… it was amusing. Demyx's face was completely… priceless. And it was a clever way to humiliate him."

"Thanks," the victim murmured angrily and acerbically, also starting to blush due to his mortification.

The Key Of Destiny smiled and spoke gently, "Xion, are you sure you don't want to play? We're going to deal a new hand, seeing as idiot here…" he gestured to Axel, "decided to screw up our current game by spooking this whack job," and to accompany 'whack job', he pointed at Number IX, who again growled under his breath and frowned.

Why do the three of you continue to bother? She thought to herself, looking up at them. Her cobalt eyes travelled over them, observing their features individually. Roxas had a nice, soft smile on his face, indicating that he was being sincere and serious. Demyx, aside from being frustrated at his demise in both the card game and in being physically attacked, was also grinning goofily. Axel was slightly smirking, though she couldn't tell if was a good one or not.

It was always these three that tried to become her friend. Upon her 'arrival' in The World That Never Was, Roxas had been there from the start, trying to become her friend. He considered her a friend, though she did not consider him one in the slightest. 'Acquaintance', perhaps, or 'if-everyone's-about-to-kill-me-and-I-need-an-ally-then-that-ally-shall-be-Roxas'… but as a true friend, no. From these three – scrap that. Out of everyone in the Organisation, alive or dead, she trusted him the most.

Demyx was originally distant when it came to her, though as time went on, he started to talk to her (or at least try to). He had been brought to her cell by Roxas after a long time of being convinced, and soon enough, he was as comfortable around her as he was around his own friends. This fact was absurd to her – why should he 'feel' such a thing?

Axel was the one who always caught her when she tried to escape, so there was always that underlying dislike for him, though he was not the one who originally found her (that person being Lexaeus, who had been long destroyed in Castle Oblivion. She was thrilled when she heard the news). He would speak to her occasionally, trying to find out some stuff about her, and in turn, giving her a piece of information about himself. He wasn't trying very hard, but he was slowly attempting to become her friend too.

There was something unsettling, yet eager and welcoming, about the look in his eyes.

She bit her bottom lip harshly, crawling across to the bars, and nodded slightly, "Alright, but just this once."

The Melodious Nocturne whooped in joyous victory and gave a 'thumbs up' gesture to Roxas, "Way to go, Roxy!"

"Please don't call me that…" he nicely growled, shuffling the deck.

He grinned cheekily, then turned to Number VIII, who was still leaning against the wall, "You gonna play or what?"

"I learnt my lesson last time, so I'm sitting this one out," Axel stated, shuffling against the wall to get into a better position, "And anyway, you need someone on look out. What's going to happen if someone Xaldin bursts in and sees us entertaining our friend here? The result won't exactly be pretty. Both of you might end up borrowing some of Xigbar's eye patches."

"He's gonna poke our eyes out with his spears?!" Demyx cried, "Why!?"

Axel twitched and raised his voice a little, "He might, Demyx! Might! There's a difference!"

Silence took hold for a good ten minutes, aside from 'snap' and 'dammit' or 'hmm' where necessary. Xion looked amongst them all and studied their faces once again. Demyx appeared to be quite happy, though slightly frustrated due to being treated like a child (curtesy of Axel). Roxas was drumming his fingers on his deck and was biting his lip. The Flurry Of Dancing Flames was merely watching them all, and occasionally looking from side to side in case someone unwanted entered.

Two voices soon began to climb up through the hallway. Jade eyes quickly fixed on her, silently notifying her that these two would definitely mind what was going on. Moving quickly, Number XIV gave her remaining hand to Demyx (ignoring the annoyed, bewildered look on Roxas' face) and crawled back into the corner, back her former position.

"SNAP!"

"For crying out loud, Dem!"

The other two Organisation Members finally came in sight. Xigbar stopped in his tracks and looked around the place, tilting his head back slightly, hands in his pockets. Saix also stopped, fierce, yellow eyes glaring at them all. He hissed calmly, "Number VIII, Number IX, Number XIII…" When the three of them looked at him and his accomplice, he spoke once more, "…Why did you decide to hold a game of cards in the dungeon?"

"Ummmm…" Roxas began, eventually clearing his throat and speaking, "Well Demyx and I are on duty to guard Xion… and then Axel came down with these cards… He suggested we take a break while he watches Number XIV, and play upstairs… B-but it's hot up there, so we stayed down here where it's nice and cool."

He looked to Xigbar, an eyebrow raised. His accomplice spoke before he had the chance to, "Whatever dudes. I'll never figure you three out. Anyway, the Heartless have attacked Twilight Town. Xemnas wants us to follow them, eliminate them, collect their hearts and bring them back. Y'know, standard procedures, the usual stuff."

Saix interjected smoothly, "He has assigned me to lead the unit. Those who must participate in the exercise include Numbers VIII, IX, X, XIII and XVI… Axel, Demyx, Luxord, Roxas and Xion," he noticed their eyes widening slightly in surprise, and the Melodious Nocturne even cast a small glance at her, "Axel has been assigned to guard her and ensure she does not escape. Numbers I, II and III will remain behind and guard the Castle. You are to all rally at the entrance in ten minutes."

Xigbar fished through his pocket and found a set of keys. As he and Saix walked by, he swiftly tossed them into Axel's hands, "Here's the key to her cell. Just leave it in the lock and I'll come by and pick it up later. Good luck, guys."

Once the two superior members had left the area, Demyx jumped up and clapped his hands together happily, "An excuse to get out of this stupid Castle! Come on guys, let's go and harvest more hearts. We'll be whole again in no time."

Roxas rolled his eyes as his friend speedily strolled out of the room. He gathered up all of the cards, stood and began to head in the same direction as him, mentally reminding himself to return this deck of cards to Luxord.

Xion watched as they left and slowly began to stand, her hands pressed against the cold wall firmly, using it as a guide. Her legs had pins and needles in them, and it was very uncomfortable. She looked up briefly to her fellow Organisation Member as he moved to unlock the door. Hm, well, considering she was on a mission, then maybe –

"Out you get," he remarked a tad friendlily.

She nodded slightly, now completely standing, her cobalt eyes gazing idly at the floor. She pushed herself off the wall, no longer requiring it, and began to walk towards the door in medium strides. Pins and needles still ran up and down her legs, the feeling not only being awkward but it also proved to be a hindrance.

The numbness had her legs give way from underneath her. With a surprised and startled cry, she reached for the closest thing to her, hoping to stabilise herself and stop her from completely falling over. Her hand found something, and she gripped it tightly, her feet finding themselves again, Damn blood circulation…

She looked up for a moment and then blinked rapidly, realising that what had stopped her fall was none other than Axel. Embarrassed by her display, she stood up straight and let go of his black clothing. She further found that there was a pain in her upper arm, and she looked to see that he had grabbed her before she fell entirely.

"Sorry," Xion muttered nervously.

"Just be more careful next time," he murmured, his grip letting up a little, pulling her down the corridor.

Under Saix's orders, they arrived in Twilight Town via a single dark portal. They had come out at the Tram Common area, in the very middle of the battle. The Nobodies that were here (seeing as this was practically the spawning ground for the lesser ones) were fighting a bloody battle, and it seemed that renewed hope had struck their very soul when they saw their masters arrive to aid them.

No one could say the same for the Heartless.

The six landed on the ground. Number VII smirked sinisterly and laughed bitterly, casting his free hand outward, ordering the other five to attack, "My minions, go! Do not let the Heartless past this point! They are nothing but weak creatures! They will not take over our territory, they will not progress any further, they will not win this war!"

They spread to the thickest parts of Heartless, hoping to break them up into smaller, easier-to-manage sections. Shadows, Darkballs, Wyverns – they were all there in different shapes, sizes, strengths and speeds. The black sea clashed against the white once more, swarming around them, trying to dispatch of them and take Twilight Town for themselves. More hearts to harvest.

A row of Blue Rhapsodies faded away under Axel's flaming chakram. He turned away, using the other to saw through a few Soldiers, lobbing off their top halves aimlessly in an effort to cover his back. He jumped into the air, catching the returning weapon, and lit them both alight again, hurling them into the centre of his little group.

They landed straight into the bodies of a Shadow and a Darkball, the two of them falling to the ground like aging statues. With a couple of quick hand gestures, the flames erupted more so, taking down more Heartless, like a bomb that had just gone off. Scores of his enemies, both pure and with an emblem, burned viciously. Shrieks and screams soared above the smoke.

He landed back on his feet, summoning both chakrams back into his hands. He span around in a small circle, the bottom of his clothing following after him, and removed the horde that had descended upon him. As always, they fell quickly, fading into oblivion. He smirked, the corner of his lip slightly raised, as he did what he did best.

Number VIII raised his head, seeing three more Soldiers coming down on him, as though they had leapt off a roof. With a quick slice, their heads were removed. The sky was an eerie orangey-pink colour, and the rising cherry-coloured, glowing hearts only added to the peculiar feeling. The scene was… haunting.

A claw swiped at him. Looking back down in disgust, he kicked away the nearby Shadow and span around in a few circles once more. Slouching forward and twirling one of his weapons idly in his hands, he looked to his left, seeing that Xion was seemingly having trouble with a larger Heartless named Defender. The keyblade that she wielded was having no effect on its large shield, and she was backed up into a corner.

He hurled the chakram in his left hand. It cut through the air and headed straight towards the back of the Defender, cutting into its skin like a circular saw. The beast reeled in agony. Axel kept his hand out, seemingly controlling his weapon, and failed to notice peeping cobalt eyes. With the flick of his wrist, the Heartless was surrounded by a brief pillar of fire, and, after a few moments of screaming, fell to the ground – limp, charred and lifeless.

With a gurgled cry, the Flurry Of Dancing Flames lurched forward, feeling something large slice up his back. He turned quickly, ducking underneath horizontal strike, and was marvelled to see an Invisible at the scene. Hadn't they died out yet? Last he heard, they had perished underneath the Keyblade Master's distinguishable weapon.

The second chakram appeared in his hand once again, just in time to block a third vertical strike. The Nobody shoved the sword back, the very weight of it almost taking all of his energy to move. He stepped to the side thereafter, slicing one of his weapons up the Invisible's side, and then leaving it in there. Thinking quickly, he moved further to the side, still holding onto the protruding item, and thrust the other chakram deep into the torso.

A little gleam from the metal edge confirmed that it had gone all the way through.

Taking no chances however, he lifted one chakram up, and the other sideways, effectively cutting his opponent into three parts. The remnants fell to a heap on the ground before his boots, and then vanished, the core element of the beast rising to join the countless others.

Looking around again, Axel realised that a majority of the Heartless were disappearing or retreating. The Nobodies he had come to rescue were now clearly winning the battle, pouring over the scene like white paint on black cardboard. Demyx's little group were handling well, though he was amused that he had dropped his sitar twice, consecutively, within the few moments he had been looking at him. Silly thing.

Roxas was doing the best out of everyone. His two keyblades had practically demolished the group he had chosen. Number XIII was lazily looking around as well, surveying the others. When his sea blue eyes locked with Axel's jade ones, he gave him a friendly and cheesy thumbs-up, before looking elsewhere, a content smile on his face.

Luxord was not doing so well. He had resorted to clobbering a couple of Heartless with his fists as opposed to turning them into dice and cards, like he normally would, because they were so close to him. His own group of Nobodies, though, appeared to be turning the tides quite easily, so it wouldn't be long before that area was deemed safe and Heartless-free.

As always, Saix was cleaving up his group like a mad man. The ferocious glare in his yellow eyes sent chills down Number VIII's spine, and he had to turn away as he wielded his weapon and brought it crashing down on a trio of Barrel Spiders. That didn't silence the explosion, though, nor the whimpers of other Heartless and the pleased cackle from the current leader of this operation.

Lastly, he looked towards where Xion was previously. The battle was more towards the Nobodies there, as the Heartless were easily being overwhelmed. However, he didn't see the girl anywhere. Squinting, he searched the area quickly for a trace of her black hair or her black clothing, but to no avail. She wasn't there at all.

She was gone.

…Shit.

Hastily, he made his chakrams disappear and ran off to the nearby exit, hoping that that was the path she had taken to escape. The call of his name by Roxas went unheard, for all he could hear was his own ragged breathing, his own mental yelling and cursing, and listing all of the possible Nobodies that he could be turned into.

Just keep going, just keep going.

Xion pressed through the woods, moving various branches and leaves out of the way. She had long left the battle behind, when no one was looking, and made the dash to freedom, at last. At long last, she was well clear of those bumbling idiots and sadistic fools. She could do whatever she damn well pleased.

A twig snapped underneath her foot, making her jump slightly. Furrowing her thin eyebrows, she continued pushing through the area aimlessly, still on the high of having escaped her captors at long last. The adrenalin was still rushing through her body, urging her onward. She knew that despite her escape, she would be sought out, but God, the feeling of freedom!

Her cobalt eyes landed on two large gates. One appeared to be slightly open, and beyond it was an old mansion. Too tired to argue, she pushed the gate open and closed it quietly behind her, trekking down the pathway. She came to the closed double doors and swallowed, placing her small hand on the doorknob. Giving it a little twist, she discovered it was open, and entered quietly with feather-light footsteps.

The creak in the floorboards made her jump once more, albeit not as much as the twig had earlier. Surveying the large, open area, she wondered where she was going to stay. This place was enormous, surely there would be a bedroom for her to remain in until the initial heat died down. After that, she could leave Twilight Town.

Going up the stairs, she had another quick look around, before she noticed a slightly ajar door. Number XIV crept towards it silently and gently placed a hand on the aging wood. With a light push, it opened a little more, enough to stick her head in and check out the area.

The room was entirely white, and there were drawings pinned up on the walls, littered on the floor, and on the white table. The childish scribbles almost always told a tale. Nearby, she spotted one of two boys that she had known for a while, albeit not in realistic detail – Roxas and Axel, standing side by side.

Her eyes widened slightly, What the…?

"Do you like them?"

Her head snapped towards a girl sitting in a white chair. She appeared to be engrossed in her sketch pad, though not enough to be completely unaware of the new presence. Xion said nothing and took a slight step back, ready to make a run for it. Of course someone would be living in this mansion. Twilight Town was large. Why didn't she think properly?

"Where are you going?" the girl asked, moving her blonde hair out of the way, flicking it over her shoulder. Her skin was milky white, just like her own, and she wore a white dress with white sandals. Her eyes, from what could be made out of them at the moment, appeared to be the colour of the sky, "Don't leave just yet."

Again, the Nobody said nothing, confused.

"If you leave now, Axel will find you," she remarked, looking up, tilting her head, "He's close by and is searching hard."

"How did you know about him?" she growled, blinking.

"I know a lot more than you think, Xion," she smiled, "I've been waiting for you."

"Who are you?" this girl was starting to creep her out.

"Naminé."