Day 25

"Good morning, Xion," Xurik said tentatively. He had yet to have a real conversation with the girl, but after she had spoken the day before he wondered if she might be more willing to speak.

She hesitated, then slowly turned to him. "Good... morning, Xurik."

"Hey," Roxas called out, coming up behind Xurik. He looked surprised when he saw him speaking to the hooded girl. "Oh, er... hello."

"We have another mission together," Xurik said plainly. They had to destroy a giant Heartless... but considering his role within the Organization as Keyblade weilder, Xurik really wasn't surprised that he was the one expected to take it out.

"Oh," Roxas said. "Good luck. I'm going with... Xaldin, I think. See you afterwards." He waved goodbye, then trotted off to report to Saix for his mission.

Xurik nodded, then summoned a dark portal. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad with Xion coming out of her silent shell.

"Here we are," Xurik said quietly, peering around the sunny streets of Twilight Town. No sign of the Heartless so far...

"Xurik," Xion said suddenly. The boy turned, and was surprised when she suddenly pulled back her hood.

She had pale, fair skin, with short, jet black hair framing her face. Two brilliant blue eyes -- a similar shade to Roxas's -- smiled at him.

"Good luck today."

"Er, th...thanks," Xurik stammered, taken aback by the sudden surprise. Was Number XV finally coming around? "Good luck to you too, Xion."

Without further delay, they started searching the city. It wasn't long before they made their way to the train station plaza; Xurik was beginning to get lost in thought about getting ice cream afterwards when a gasp from Xion brought him back to the present.

"Xurik!"

The boy looked up and was shocked to find the largest Heartless he had ever seen -- an enormous black humanoid with a heart-shaped hole in the center of its chest -- looming above them.

"Wh... what the hell is that?"

"Our target!" Xion said, eyes narrowed. They barely had time to assess the situation before the Heartless spotted them -- Xurik dove out of the way as an enormous dark fist came crashing down into the tiles of the plaza. He recovered quickly and began his assault, slashing away at the Darkside's hide with the Keyblade. It seemed to be damaging it some... but the progress was minimal.

Xion, still weapon-less, stood by the sidelines, firing dark orbs at the monster. Xurik's eyes widened in surprise; Xion could use the power of darkness too? Yesterday she had mostly just been using normal magic...

"Xurik, look out!"

He turned, gasping in shock as the Heartless sideswiped him, knocking him painfully to the ground. The Keyblade clattered noisily as it skidded across the tiles, coming to a rest at Xion's feet. The girl barely glanced at it before, in a flash of light, the Keyblade disappeared -- and reappeared in Xion's hands.

"What...?" he murmured, getting to his feet shakily. Xion looked slightly surprised -- then glared at the Heartless and dashed forward, swinging the Keyblade in an enormous arc as she slashed through its core. With a howl, the creature dissipated into darkness, an enormous heart drifting off into the dusky sky.

"Xion," Xurik stammered. "You can use the Keyblade? I never knew that!" He looked down at the weapon she was holding; it was identical to his own. Cautiously he held out his hand -- the Keyblade appeared in his hand as well. There were two Keyblades?

"Yeah... neither did I," she said quietly.

"Good job today," Xurik said, grinning. For some reason, he felt a slight sense of relief that Xion had the Keyblade -- as if he was no longer some kind of oddity in the world. "Really. You deserve something extra."

Xion tilted her head curiously. "Something extra?"

"Yeah," Xurik said. He struggled to remember the phrase Axel had used. "The... icing on the cake. Come on, Roxas is probably waiting for us."

"Oh, hi... Xion?" Roxas said, looking genuinely shocked to see the girl standing beside Xurik on the clock tower. There was a slight question to his statement, and Xurik realized that this was probably the first time Roxas had seen her hoodless. He glanced at Xurik questioningly, who nodded slightly -- yes, this raven-haired girl was definitely Number XV, Xion.

"Xion was a huge help today, so I thought I'd bring her by as a treat," Xurik explained. "She can use they Keyblade now!"

"Oh, really?" Roxas said, his smile faltering slightly as he felt left out. "That's... terrific. You can both use the Keyblade."

Xurik took no notice of the odd response, but instead held out three ice creams -- this cheered Roxas some, and he took one gratefully.

Xion peered at hers curiously as she took it, unsure what to make of it.

"Sea-salt ice cream," Roxas explained.

"Go ahead... try it," Xurik said. He took a bite to demonstrate, and Xion cautiously followed his example.

"It's sweet," she said with surprise. "But kinda salty, too."

"It's really good, right?" Roxas said, smiling. "Me, Xurik, and Axel always meet up here for ice cream after work." His face fell slightly. "Sea-salt is Axel's favorite."

Xion giggled, not catching the sad tone to Roxas's words. "Sounds like it's yours, too!"

"Yeah, mine too," Xurik said, smiling. "I don't really remember, but Axel said he took us here on our first day with the Organization -- do you remember that, Roxas? And then he bought me some ice cream again after my first real mission, and called it the 'icing on the cake.'"

"Something extra," Xion said, repeating what Xurik had called it earlier. She smiled. "You guys must be close."

Xurik nodded. "Axel and Roxas are my first friends."

"Your... friends?" Xion looked at Xurik and Roxas shyly. "Do you think I could be a friend?"

Roxas grinned. "When Axel gets back, let's ask him. Then all four of us can have ice cream together!"

Xurik nodded. "You'd like him a lot, Xion. Axel's a really great guy."

Vexen laughed madly. "The Organization? The Organization you think you serve is a sham, a fragment of the real thing! Marluxia has but one fate once our true master learns of his betrayal. He will be eliminated swiftly, and you will share that fate, Riku!" Vexen clutched his chest more tightly. "If you continue to aid the traitor Marluxia and the girl Naminé, the shackles will tighten. You'll lose your heart, and end up becoming Marluxia's pawn!"

Axel stepped forth from the shadows silently. That was enough of that. As much as he hated to destroy one of his comrades within the Organization, it was imperative that he gain Marluxia's trust. The traitor's guard would be up otherwise -- the only way to destroy Marluxia was to get close to him. That meant shutting up Vexen before he said too much to Riku.

Riku narrowed his eyes. "Your true master? Marluxia, a traitor? What are you--"

Axel swiftly tossed the dual chakrams at Vexen. Riku's words were cut off in mid-sentence as the pair of flaming disks pummelled into Vexen's chest, making him scream in pain and fall to the ground. Riku turned quickly to face him.

"Axel! What are you doing here?"

Axel grinned. Play it cool and the kid would be none the wiser. With Naminé changing around his memories, Riku really was becoming Marluxia's perfect little puppet -- one who was just dying to help his "best friend" and the Organization he was supposedly the leader of. Axel needed to play along if Marluxia was to trust him.

"Yo, Riku! Did I catch you at a bad time?"

Vexen, in worse shape than before, struggled to lift himself but failed. He was wheezing in excruciating pain. "Axel... why?"

Axel peered down at the man. Fortunately for him, Vexen was one of the least liked members of the Organization. He wasn't likely to be missed. Besides, without a heart, how could Axel feel remorse for what he was about to do?

"I came to stop you from talking too much... by eliminating your existance."

"No... don't do it...!"

Axel shook his head, a small smile on his lips. "We are just Nobodies who have no one to be, yet we still are." Axel grinned. "But now you can be nothing instead of just being a Nobody. You're off the hook."

"No... please don't!" Vexen shakily got to his feet, limbs flailing. "I don't want to--"

"Goodbye," Axel said simply, cutting him off and snapping his fingers, using his powers to ignite the air around the older man through sheer force of will.

Immediately, Vexen was engulfed in a pillar of flames, the fiery roar drowned only by Vexen's screams. Axel watched the pyre solemnly -- he wasn't a murderer, but he did do whatever it took to get the job done.

It was for the greater good, wasn't it? Both for the Organization... and for Lea and Isa.

Day 26

"...Then what in blazes did happen?" Xaldin demanded as Xurik entered the Grey Area the next morning.

Demyx shook his head, looking both excited and frightened. "Don't look at me, man! I just found out minutes ago."

Xurik frowned. He glanced at Xigbar, who was sitting at a couch nearby. "What happened? Is everything alright?"

"Alright?" Xigbar said, looking tense. "As if. Word has it at least one of the folks we sent to Castle Oblivion has been terminated."

"Terminated?" Xurik repeated, horrified. "But that means..."

"Xurik, your mission," Saix said, interrupting him as he approached. "Go with Xigbar to Agrabah."

"What happened at Castle Oblivion?" Xurik asked anxiously, ignoring Saix's statement.

"That's no concern of yours."

"But what about Axel?" he asked in frustration.

Saix lowered his gaze. "Who knows. Perhaps he is among the lost."

"But..."

"No buts," Xigbar said firmly, patting Xurik on the shoulder. "There's work to be done. Get yourself ready."

His superiors walked away, leaving Xurik feeling at once nauseous, worried and agitated. Why did no one ever give him a straight answer in this place? Xion and Roxas were the only ones who seemed to speak their minds with him... even Axel had secrets to hide.

"Morning, Xurik," Roxas said as he approached, then paused when he saw the look on his face. "Are... you okay?"

"Someone in Castle Oblivion got 'terminated,'" he said tensely. "But they don't know who, and no one's telling me anything."

"But... Axel's there," Roxas said, face turning pale. Xurik nodded.

"Maybe it wasn't him. He's a good fighter, maybe--"

"Xurik!" Xigbar called from across the room, standing next to a portal to the corridors of darkness. "Get a move on!"

Xurik sighed. Did no one care about what had happened to the other members of the Organization?

Despite his concerns about the lack of details on who was lost in Castle Oblivion, Xurik tried to force himself to be interested in the new world they were going to. He had only ever been to Twilight Town and the World That Never Was, so he had no idea what to expect from this "Agrabah" place. The first thing he noticed was the unbearable heat and the glaring sun.

"Ugh, I'm already frying out here," Xigbar muttered, tugging on the collar of his cloak. "C'mon, kiddo. Let's get this investigation over and done with." When Xurik said nothing, Xigbar glanced back at him. "What's wrong? Dazzled by the new scenery?"

Xurik scratched the back of his head. This should have been an exciting occasion -- but instead all he could think about was who would never be coming back to the Castle That Never Was.

"I just... do you think it's true? About someone being killed in Castle Oblivion?"

Xigbar chuckled. "Is that seriously what's eating you?"

Xurik nodded, taken aback by Xigbar's casual attitude. "Um, yeah... of course it is. Does it not bother you that someone, maybe multiple people, won't be coming back?"

"As if." When Xurik glared at him, Xigbar rolled his eyes. "Look, the faster we get this mission done, the sooner you can RTC and get your answers."

"Fine," Xurik muttered. He just wanted to get this over with and make sure that Axel was okay. What the hell was going on in Castle Oblivion, anyway?

"Ignorant fool!" Marluxia said, pointing his scythe at Riku's chest. "If Naminé destroys your memory, you'll be naught but a lifeless shell. Your heart will be unable to feel, to care! Just like that pathetic imitation of Sora."

"Or like you, Marluxia," Axel said quietly. Who was a Nobody to speak out against someone without a heart? He pointed his chakrams at Marluxia. "You bit off more than you could chew with this little endeavor. Larxene is gone -- it's just you against me, Riku, and Sora. Even if you manage to defeat all three of us, you'll have the rest of the Organization coming for you once they catch wind of your plans. Are you sure you want to go through with this, Number XI?"

Marluxia's confident stance faltered for a moment, but he quickly recovered. His grip on Naminé tightened painfully. "So long as I have the witch under my power, I'll be able to exert control over any being with a heart. I could build an army... but if I get my Keyblade Master, I won't have to." He smiled wickedly at Riku, then looked down at Naminé.

"You heard your hero, Naminé. He says to destroy his heart -- you had best do as he says."

"No," Naminé said, shaking her head more firmly. She looked braver than ever before. "Riku is willing to put his life on the line... all for someone he's never met. I won't hurt him, I refuse."

Marluxia scowled in frustration. His plans were falling to pieces before his eyes. He raised his scythe once more, fire in his eyes. "Then you will join him in oblivion--"

His words caught in his throat as Axel's flaming chakrams flew into his chest, caught off-guard in his distraction. Naminé quickly seized the opportunity, running forward and taking refuge behind her three protectors. Marluxia cursed loudly, clutching his chest.

"Damn all of you!" he shouted furiously. "You will all pay!" You cannot defeat me!"

He lifted a gloved hand in the air; the room began to shake as a thousand glowing rose petals swirled around them in a furious tempest.

Axel smirked, twirling his chakrams on his fingers as Sora and Riku prepared for battle. He was going to enjoy this.

After walking through the city for what seemed like hours, Xurik and Xigbar had managed to piece together a few things about the desert city. Or rather, Xigbar had -- Xurik still had Castle Oblivion on his mind.

"Okay, so we've got an entire city under a layer of sand. What do you make of it, Xurik?"

Xurik blinked in the bright sun, pulled out of his thoughts. "Huh? Me?"

"Yes, you. How do you think it ended up like this?"

Xurik sighed with frustration, but forced himself to think. "Well... we're in the middle of the desert, so I doubt all this sand isn't normal. But then again, there are all those tall walls... sand shouldn't be getting in. Maybe there's been a sandstorm or something, that would explain all the damage to the city."

"Attaboy, Xurik," Xigbar said with a grin. "You're not half bad at this... and you're right on the nose. This place got hit by a sandstorm. And not just once or twice, from the look of it. I guess the high walls around the city weren't high enough. Now, how 'bout the lumber and rope? Xurik, gimme a damage assessment for the city."

"Hmm. Well... obviously the city is in bad shape, probably from the sandstorm. As for the lumber and rope... maybe people have been rebuilding the city. The citizens I guess. I'd hate to have to live here... on top of the Heartless to deal with, their city keeps getting demolished by these sandstorms."

"Aha," Xigbar said, smirking. "You picked up on a juicy bit there, Xurik. The storm and the Heartless... it's possible they're not completely unrelated."

"Do you think so?" Xurik said curiously.

Xigbar nodded. "Anyway, I think we got what we came for. Let's RTC on outta here."

Xurik nodded enthusiastically. He was ready for this mission to be over already.

On the way out, however, they nearly ran into a couple of people talking. Xigbar quickly pulled Xurik to the side.

"Those must be the locals," Xigbar muttered. "It'll cause a big scene if we're spotted. Let's wait for them to leave."

On closer inspection Xurik noticed that the pair were a man and a woman. The woman, who was wearing airy silk clothing and had long, flowing black hair, was pleading with the man. "You should get some rest, Aladdin."

"I'll be okay," the man said with a weak smile. In contrast with the elegantly-clothed woman, this man seemed to be wearing not much else but rags. "Besides, the sandstorm's finally let up -- now's our chance to patch up the city."

"That's true, but still... you'll run yourself ragged at this rate."

Aladdin shook his head firmly. "Jasmine, you don't need to worry -- I'm fine. And since we don't know when the next storm will hit we need to get everything in running order again before it does."

Jasmine sighed. "If only Genie were around..."

Aladdin shrugged stubbornly. "I miss him too, but this isn't a job for magic. Agrabah's our city. We need to be the ones to fix it up. It already got destroyed once by the Heartless... I'm not going to let it happen again from some sandstorm."

Jasmine nodded. "Of course, you're right..."

"Now, I should get back to work," Aladdin said with a sigh, picking up a plank of wood and a bundle of rope.

"Wait, I'll help too," the girl said quickly, taking the rope from him with a smile. The two walked away into another area of the city.

"So, that guy must be spearheading the city repair efforts," Xigbar said quietly, now that they were alone. "The question is, why him? He doesn't look like royalty."

Xurik shrugged. "Does it matter if he is or isn't?"

"It's not easy getting people to follow you, especially when it involves work," Xigbar explained. "It's the kind of thing you'd expect somebody in the palace to be doing. They already call the shots, right? But he definitely wasn't royalty. The girl next to him... now she was royalty."

Xurik rolled his eyes. Why did any of this matter? "Awesome. Can we go home now? I thought you said were done."

"Why, Xurik?" Xigbar said with a smirk. "Did you leave the toaster plugged in?"

Xurik frowned, lowering his gaze. "You know why, Xigbar. I want to know what happened in Castle Oblivion."

"Good night, Riku," Naminé said sadly. "It may have started with a lie, but I'm really glad I met you."

"I am too. I was really happy whenever I remembered something new about you, and when I saw you... it felt amazing. Even if the memories were fake, the feelings weren't."

"Goodbye," Naminé said, her pain showing through her forced smile. Riku shook his head.

"No, not goodbye. This isn't the last time I'll see you, it can't be. I'll find you again, and we can be friends for real." Riku smiled. "Promise."

Naminé shook her head. "You'll only forget."

"No I won't," Riku said stubbornly. "It's just like you said... even if my memories of this place are taken apart, they'll still by lying dormant somewhere in my heart. The memory will be there."

"I guess you're right." Naminé's face brightened, and she held out her hand. Riku took it gently; her skin was as soft as he remembered.

"I'll see you again, Naminé. If anything, I have your picture. I'll cherish it forever. Even if I forget."

Riku bent down and quickly kissed her on the cheek. Then, taking a deep breath, Riku turned and climbed up into the waiting machine. He positioned himself in the center, then turned to face Naminé.

"Riku... the loose links will sink into the darkness in your heart," Naminé warned him as the panels in the machine began to move upwards, closing him in. "You won't be able to just reach in and pick the one you want. But there's another promise you made -- a promise to someone you could never replace. She's your light. The light within the darkness. If you can remember her... all the memories lost in the shadows of your heart will come into the light."

"No matter how deep the darkness, a light shines within," Riku mumbled, not knowing where the phrase came from. It felt familiar... had he just forgotten it?

The machine slowly began to close, and Riku began to be encased in darkness.

Xigbar blasted a floating Heartless out of the way with his Arrowgun as they made their way back through the city. Xurik watched the heart floating away with mild interest as he got a sudden idea.

"Hey, what happens to Heartless when we destroy them? Where do they go?" Xurik asked, trotting close behind Xigbar as they made their way to the dark portal.

"They don't go anywhere," Xigbar said simply. "They're gone. Only the hearts they held remain. But the hearts go somewhere: Kingdom Hearts."

"Oh," Xurik said. "So if the heart is the only part of Heartless left behind... what happens when someone without a heart gets destroyed? Does a part stay behind when a Nobody dies?"

Xigbar smirked. "As if. We're not even supposed to 'be' in the first place. What's there to leave behind?"

Xurik's face fell. "Then... the people who were at Castle Oblivion are--"

"Gone."

"Just... gone?" Xurik said quietly. "So I'll never see them again?"

Xigbar smiled slightly, turning to face the boy. "Nope."

"Oh..."

"You coming?"

Xurik took another step forward, but suddenly faltered. His legs felt weak beneath him; his head was throbbing with unimaginable pain.

"D...Damn... what's... happening?"

He fell to the ground but barely felt the impact of his knees in the sand; even Xigbar disappeared as everything around him grew white and his senses grew fuzzy. In his mind's eye he could see Axel, Roxas, Xion... and a blonde girl wearing a white dress.

"Who... are you?"

Day 27

Waves quietly lapped at the dark shore. Clouds blotted a dark sky -- the only light came from a silvery moon, sitting far across the black sea. There was no vegitation on this shore, only dark stone.

A hooded figure stepped forth from the shadows. He moved forward slowly across the sand, approaching a second figure sitting on one of the rocks. After a moment, the second figure spoke.

"I've been to see him. He looks a lot like you."

"Who are you?"

The sitting figure gazed off into the ocean solemnly. "I'm what's left. Or... maybe I'm all there ever was."

"I meant your name."

"My name is of no importance. What about you? Do you remember your true name?"

"My true name is..."

He paused. What was it? Did he even know?

"You have been with us for six days now," the older man said suddenly. He stood, removing his hood -- silver hair cascaded around his shoulders. He turned and began to walk past the boy. "The time has come..."

A hand pressed on his shoulder -- the older man's lips began to form a word, a name. What was it? If only he could remember...

"Naminé must have begun her work," Saix said quietly. He and Xemnas were standing over Xurik's bed, where the boy lay unconscious.

"Will he wake from this?"

Saix nodded slowly. "I am told he will -- provided she strips the hero of all his memories."

Xemnas straighted. "Then much hinges on Castle Oblivion."

Saix shook his head slightly. "We needn't stop collecting hearts. Number XV has gained power over the Keyblade, just as we intended. Xion can fill Xurik's shoes for the time being."

Xemnas's voice grew low. "And the chamber? Have you found it?"

Saix shook his head. "No, sir. I would say progress is slow... if we had actually made any."

The blue-haired man stood, bowing slightly as he excused himself from the room. Xemnas peered at Xurik, deep in thought.

"So, another has been taken by sleep..."

Day 49

Time continued to pass, and still Xurik slept.

"I went to a new world today," Xion said quietly, sitting at his bedside. She smiled shyly. "Xurik, you should've seen it. It was so beautiful." She slowly placed a seashell beside his pillow. Beside it were dozens of other seashells just like it.

"Come on, Xion," Roxas said softly. "He'll get them when he wakes up."

Xion nodded, standing. Roxas turned to the sleeping boy and sighed. It had been more than twenty days... he didn't know if he could stand to lose Axel and Xurik.

"We'll come visit you tomorrow, okay?" He glanced at Xion; she looked at him sadly. Both of them were thinking the same thing -- was their friend ever going to wake from sleep?

"Bye Xurik. Until tomorrow."