Day 118

"Vacation? What's that?"

The two boys stared up at the sign posted on the window - "OPERATIONS CLOSED FOR VACATION."

Xurik shrugged at Roxas. "I don't know. Where is everyone?"

The second boy had no answer - the Grey Area was deserted. With nowhere else to go, they began to walk through the Castle That Never Was, searching for someone who could tell them what was going on. After a while, they spotted Axel walking along Naught's Skyway, humming and twirling his chackrams.

"Oh, hey guys," the man said, grinning broadly. He seemed in a wonderful mood. "You hear about this vacation? About time we had a day off."

Roxas shook his head. "I've never had a vacation before."

"Is that right?"

Roxas nodded. "What's our job during vacation?"

"What's your-" Axel winced. "Roxas, you're really missing the point."

"Well, we've never had a vacation before," Xurik said, frowning. "What are we supposed to do?"

Axel shrugged. "Do what you like."

Roxas and Xurik fell silent. Do what they liked? There was no mission? What a bizarre concept... they always had something they were supposed to be doing.

"But I don't know what I like," Roxas complained. "What are you gonna do, Axel?"

"Me?" Axel thought for a moment, then smirked. "Sleep. And once I'm done with that, roll over and sleep some more."

Xurik frowned. Sleep? That was boring. Roxas just grinned.

"Don't you spend enough time in bed?"

"You kidding? I'd nap six times a day if they'd let me." Axel stretched, then waved as he turned and began walking away. "All right, snooze-land is calling. Enjoy your time off!"

"See ya." Xurik sighed and turned to Roxas. "Well, what are we supposed to do? I don't really want to sleep..."

"Yeah. I wonder where Xion is? Maybe she has a better idea."

They wandered about the Castle That Never Was for a while before finally finding her relaxing at Twilight's View. When she spotted them, she smiled brightly.

"Hey Roxas, Xurik... good morning."

Roxas waved. "Did you see the notice posted? What are we supposed to do with a day off?"

Xion thought for a moment. "Well... I was thinking I'd practice. I want to get really good at using the Keyblade." She smiled. "Why don't you guys join me?"

Xurik grimaced. "Eh. We get practice everyday during missions... I think I'll pass."

"Yeah, me too."

Xion shrugged. "Really? Okay then. Come find me if you change your mind."

The two boys nodded, then continued on their way. Finally Roxas sighed.

"What are we supposed to do?"

"Axel said to do whatever we want to do," Xurik said slowly. "What do we want to do?"

Roxas thought for a moment, then nodded. "Ice cream."

Xurik smirked. "But we do that every day."

"Well, yeah. But that's my favorite part of the day... I like doing it."

"I guess you're right," Xurik said finally. He grinned. "Okay. To Twilight Town then?"

"Augh! No more!" the boy moaned. He collapsed to the ground, panting, a small cloud of dust forming around him. "Whew... I'm done."

"That was amazing, Hayner!" the second boy said brightly. "A new record, for sure!"

Hayner shook his head. "Ugh, now I'm all tired."

"Those are the kids from that other day," Roxas said quietly to Xurik. Xurik paused, then nodded.

"Yeah, guess so. Come on."

"Hey, I know you guys," the boy known as Pence suddenly said, spotting them from across the Sandlot. "How's it going?"

"Hey," Roxas said, waving, and Xurik winced.

"Roxas... not again..."

"Oh, did you guys find your friend?" Pence said, approaching them.

"Oh, yeah," Roxas said, glancing uneasily from Pence to Xurik. Xurik shook his head in frustration.

"Okay, well I'm leaving," the Keyblade weilder said quietly, walking away. "Meet you at the clock tower later?"

Roxas looked uneasy, but nodded. With Pence and the other two humans here, he wasn't sure if he'd be able to get away...

"Friend of yours, Pence?" the brown-haired girl was saying kindly, her voice fading as Xurik walked away from Roxas and the other three children. Roxas wasn't exactly friendly, but for some reason he seemed unable to resist responding to people when they were being friendly to him. The older boy smirked. Did that make Xurik rude for blowing off the locals? Well... it wasn't as if they belonged with them. They were Nobodies, after all. Why bother? As Axel had said to them once, Nobodies could never become Somebodies.

Well, at least not without Kingdom Hearts. Maybe if Kingdom Hearts got finished, and they all got hearts... they could make friends with normal humans. In the meantime though, it seemed to Xurik that Roxas was wasting his time being friendly with Spence or Lance or whatever his name was.

The streets of Twilight Town were peaceful, even without Roxas keeping him company. It was a strange feeling having no mission, no responsibilities aside from... enjoying himself. He frowned. He enjoyed himself more when he was with his friends though... maybe he should have stayed with Roxas, even if it meant talking to the humans from the Sandlot.

"Hey, you," a voice suddenly said. Xurik turned, and saw with dismay that it was the blond boy from the day they had been searching for Xion. Beside him were the boy and girl that he could only assume were his friends - as well as strange short person wearing a wizard's hat. The boy was glaring at him. "I thought I told you to stay out of my town."

"Your town?" Xurik looked around, unable to restrain his sarcasm. "Funny - I don't see any signs saying so. This is an awfully big place for one person to own."

"Smartass," the boy said, frowning. "I'm head of the Twilight Disciplinary Committee. Someone's gotta keep order around here - losers like Hayner's gang aren't about to."

"Seifer's the strongest in town, y'know?" the tanned boy beside him said, grinning.

"Struggle Champion," the blue-haired girl said quietly.

"That's right. And I don't appreciate losers like you tromping around like you own the place."

"I wasn't," Xurik said quietly. He smirked, an idea sparking in his head. He was bored - and if Roxas could be social, why couldn't he? He held out his hand and summoned the Keyblade. "Still though - I find it hard to believe that someone like you is the strongest person in town. I'd have to see it myself."

Seifer frowned at him. "What - is that a challenge?"

Xurik shrugged, grinning; he held his Keyblade over his head, preparing for battle. Seifer hesitated for a moment, then smirked.

"You've got guts, man." He lifted his weapon, some kind of blue club, and pointed it at Xurik's chest. "Big mistake, though. No one messes with Seifer's gang."

Without warning, Seifer suddenly dashed forward with a shout, swinging his club at Xurik. He lifted the Keyblade just in time, blocking the attack and forcing it back. He countered as quickly as possible, but his blow was blocked in return by Seifer.

Within moments, the two were consumed in the heat of the battle; Seifer's three followers cheered him on from the sidelines as blow met blow, the two fighters clashing endlessly.

Xurik stepped back, panting from exertion; Seifer's status as champion seemed well-earned. Something in Xurik sparked, his competitive nature showing through - he couldn't let the boy win. Seifer ran towards him again, weapon raised high; Xurik quickly sidestepped the attack, then swung the Keyblade into his opponent's back. Seifer cried out in frustration as he stumbled forward, but quickly recovered, taking Xurik off-guard and knocking the Keyblade from his hand. It skittered noisily across the bricks of the street; Seifer pointed his club at Xurik.

"Game over, punk."

In a flash of light, the Keyblade was back in Xurik's hand; he leapt backward, out of Seifer's range. The boy's eyes narrowed.

"Hmph. Nice trick." He suddenly dashed forward, and Xurik followed suit - the two met in the middle, their weapons clashing as they pushed against each other. Xurik gritted his teeth, straining as hard as he could to push him back. Sweat began to bead on his forehead as Seifer began to gain the upper hand - but at the last second, Xurik managed to force him backward. The boy stumbled to regain his balance, and Xurik saw his chance - he swung his Keyblade in a mighty arc, smashing it into Seifer's side.

The blond boy cried out, falling to his knees - the bat fell to the ground. He panted, then held up his hands in surrender.

"N...no way!" the muscular boy shouted from the sidelines. The girl and the short creature just gaped.

"Okay, okay. You win," Seifer said with a sigh, wincing as he stood up. For a moment he glared at Xurik - then smirked. "Good fight."

He held out his hand; Xurik stared at it for a moment, then shook it, smiling reluctantly.

"The Struggle Tournament is in a few months, at the end of summer break," Seifer said. He shrugged. "You should try out. Don't expect to beat me again, though. It's the off-season - I'm rusty."

"If you say so," Xurik said, laughing. Seifer smirked, then turned to his friends.

"I'm Seifer, like you heard before. Muscle-head here is Rai, she's Fuu - and that's Vivi."

"I guess you're not too bad, y'know?" Rai said reluctantly, nodding at Xurik. "Not a lot of people can take down Seifer."

"Hello," Fuu said quietly. Vivi just waved goofily.

"Nice to meet you," Xurik said. He looked up as the clock tower suddenly chimed - was it the afternoon already?

Seifer followed his gaze to the clock. "Got somewhere to be?"

He nodded. "I'm... supposed to be meeting some friends later."

"That's cool. Just remember - don't cause any trouble," Seifer smirked, resting his club on his shoulder. "Otherwise all four of us will have to kick your ass."

"Deal," Xurik said, smiling despite himself.

From his perch on the clock tower, Roxas watched Hayner, Pence, and Olette running across the station plaza. He smiled, then glanced up as Xurik rounded the corner.

"Hey. Sorry for getting held up by those guys earlier."

Xurik shrugged. "Nah, it's cool. I ended up making some friends too. I beat that Seifer guy in a fight - that took him down a few pegs. What did you do?"

"I played some game where I had to keep a ball in the air... Grandstander, I think?" Roxas grinned. "It was kind of fun."

The two fell silent until Axel came around the corner. He smirked when he saw them. "Fancy meeting you here." He sighed, plopping down next to them. "Whew, I slept like a log."

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," Xurik said sarcastically, and Axel shrugged.

"Whatever. To each their own, right?" He yawned, then glanced down at the three kids playing in front of the train station. "What's going on down there? Are the kids here on summer vacation?" He thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Nah, can't be. It's too early."

Roxas frowned. "Summer vacation? What's that?"

"A dream come true, that's what - a whole month off."

"A month!" Roxas nearly shouted. "How do they hang on to their sanity? I can't even figure out how to fill a day."

"Well, they do get a little help," Axel said, grinning. "Their teachers dish out plenty of homework. Trust me, it's over before you can blink."

"I definitely wouldn't mind a month," Xurik said, taking another bite of his ice cream. "Someone told me today that there's a tournament or something during the summer here. You could spend the time practicing for that."

Roxas thought for a moment. "Hmm... I could deal with a week, maybe."

Axel shrugged. "Most kids spend summer vacation just goofing off with their friends. They save the homework till the end and then help each other finish it."

Xurik gave a small smile. "Yeah... that sounds like fun. As long as you had friends to spend it with."

"Yeah," Axel said. He smiled. "I hadn't really thought about it much since becoming a Nobody. So, how'd you two spend the day?"

Before Roxas could answer, Xion suddenly came around the corner. She smiled when she saw them.

"Hey, guys. How did I know you'd be here?"

She sat down next to Xurik; he beamed at her. "How did training go? Did you end up going anywhere?"

"No - why? Did you guys go somewhere without me?"

Roxas grinned. "Axel went somewhere. He went to sleep."

Xion giggled. "Really? What kind of vacation is that?"

Axel folded his arms in fake anger. "Hey, unlike you three lazybones, I work myself pretty hard!"

Xion poked him in the chest playfully. "Maybe you're just out of shape!"

All four of them laughed, then fell silent. Finally Axel sighed, tossing his wooden popsicle stick off of the tower.

"Tomorrow, it's back to work."

"Yeah..."

Xion smiled. "Hope we get another vacation soon."

Axel frowned. "Oh, before I forget... I might not see you guys again for a little while."

Roxas's face fell. "Huh? Why not?"

"They're sending me out on recon for a few days."

"Where?" Xion asked.

"Can't tell."

Xurik frowned. "Can't tell? What's that supposed to mean?"

The man shrugged. "It's classified."

Xion looked wounded. "But I thought we were friends."

Axel scratched the back of his head. "Hey, I'm not about to tell you all my dark secrets. Got it memorized? I bet you keep a thing or two from me."

Roxas shook his head firmly. "I don't have any dark secrets."

The red-head rolled his eyes. "Relax, would ya? I'm kidding. I just gotta keep my mouth shut about it, or else Saix will get on my case. You know how he gets."

Xurik frowned; he wasn't convinced. "We wouldn't say anything about it, Axel. We're your friends."

"I know. But still, mum's the word. I'll tell you when I get back. Anyway, try not to bungle everything while I'm gone."

Xion made a face. "Now, why would we do that?"

Axel smirked. "Well, considering your track record..."

"Hey!" Xion said, grinning and snatching at Axel, who scooted out of the way, laughing. "Don't make me come over there!"

Xurik shook his head silently. Whatever Axel said, there was no reason for him to hide things from them. Xurik didn't exactly have many secrets - the Organization didn't seem to trust him with top-secret information - but if he did, he would be honest with Roxas, Axel, and Xion. He trusted them.

Didn't Axel?

"Hmph. What took you?"

Axel turned; Saix had taken him off-guard. He shrugged. "It's my vacation. I can take all the time I want." He smirked. "Since when do I have to check in with you?"

Saix shook his head. "You're letting yourself get too attached to them."

"Yes sir, whatever you say," Axel said, rolling his eyes.

Saix turned and began to walk away. "You've changed."

Axel frowned as he watched Saix walk out of sight. That wasn't true. Sure he was getting close to Roxas, Xurik, and Xion... but they made him remember what it was like to just have fun and be a kid again. He wasn't very close to Saix anymore, no... but he just didn't feel like it anymore. For some reason he was content with just missing what was gone.

I'm not the one who changed. You did.

Day 119

"Hmph, still as dark and empty as ever," Xaldin said, glancing around the castle foyer with distaste. "It's practically a cave. A fitting home for a beast."

Xurik frowned - had Xaldin been here already? "You mean the master of the castle?"

"You've seen him haven't you? Every inch a monster."

Xurik wasn't sure if he would go that far. Yes, the Beast was, well, a beast... but he and Xion had determined on their missions that the Beast was probably fighting to protect his castle. That didn't seem like very monstrous behavior...

"I've done some investigating..." Xaldin continued, placing his hand on a claw-mark on the wall. "I suspect it was some kind of spell that left him in that state."

"A spell? What, like magic?"

"The data we've collected suggests he was human, originally. The exact sequence of events is unclear, but it was a spell that forced him to live as that... thing."

"That's awful," Xurik said quietly.

"We're here to analyze, not sympathize," Xaldin said, glancing back at Xurik. "Let's begin hunting for clues."

The two came to a door - it looked nearly identical to the Beast's chamber. "It's fancy... it looks like the beast's, but less destroyed."

Xaldin frowned. "Hmm, I sense someone may be inside. Whoever it is must be important enough to warrant accommodations as fine as the master's. Peer inside and see who it is, Xurik."

Xurik cautiously crept forward, peering through the crack in the door. He gasped - a beautiful girl with brown hair and a simple blue dress was sitting on a four-poster bed. She looked distraught, but the most striking feature was that alone out of everyone in the castle... she was human.

"I wonder if he's off chasing those horrid creatures again," she said quietly. "He's had to do that every day for weeks... I wish there were some way I could help." Her face suddenly brightened. "Perhaps I'll ask Cogsworth and the others. I'm sure that together we can figure something out."

"She's not enchanted," Xurik whispered. "She's... she's a human."

"Really?" Xaldin said, his eyes lighting up. "Just when I thought this castle was all freaks and furniture... then she must be Belle."

"You think so?"

Xaldin nodded. "All the servants speak highly of her. It's only fitting someone so well regarded would be given such fine lodgings."

"She was beautiful," Xurik said quietly. What was a girl like that doing living in a place like this?

"We've had a good look around," Xaldin said finally. "I'd say we've gotten to know our Beast rather well. You remember the way to his room, yes?"

"I sure wish we could just grab the Princess," Pete said with frustration. "She's too well protected though - the Beast is really strong."

"Yes... even I wouldn't want to face off against that monster, and you are certainly no match for him," Maleficent said quietly. "I've drastically increased the amount of Heartless attacking the castle, but to no avail. The Beast seems to be fighting the Heartless because he wants to protect Belle."

"We can't even be sneaky about it," Pete muttered sullenly. "Half the furniture is walkin' and talkin' - we can't go nowheres without getting spotted."

"The Princess of Heart is certainly well-protected." Maleficent scowled. "For the life of me I can't remember how we captured her last time. Did I send someone else to do it?"

"Maybe if we distracted the Beast. With, uh... a really big Heartless or somethin'. Then we could just go in and grab 'er! The furniture really can't do nothin' without the Beast."

Maleficent paused, then grinned wickedly.

"Why, I do believe you're beginning to redeem yourself, you dolt. Yes, that just might work. We'll need to prepare, of course - but I think I know just the Heartless to do so."

A statue lay in rubble on the floor before them. Xurik frowned.

"What happened here? This wasn't broken before."

"Use your eyes," Xaldin said in a bored tone. He pointed at some gashes in the stone of the statue. "These are claw marks. The Beast destroyed this himself. It was a victim to either a stray blow whilst he fought the Heartless, or else some other rage he felt compelled to vent." He smirked. "The Beast can't control his rage. It muddles the heart, poisons the mind..."

"I guess emotions aren't always a good thing," Xurik said quietly. Xaldin nodded, then pointed at the door before them.

"This is the Beast's room?"

Xurik nodded. He crept forward, peering inside - but saw no one.

"There's no one inside - I guess he left."

Xaldin strode past him, opening the door - Xurik's eyes grew wide.

"Hey, what are you doing? We're supposed to be sneaky!"

"He's not here, you said it yourself," Xaldin said. He paused before something at the far side of the room. "My, my..."

Xurik sighed, then followed Xaldin into the room. He was surprised to find that the man was standing before a bell jar, covering a single glowing rose.

"The rose... I sense a power in it," Xaldin said quietly. "The Beast must hold it quite dear."

"It's just a flower," Xurik said with a frown. Xaldin shook his head.

"That is no ordinary rose. Everything in the room is destroyed - but the rose is untouched. Obviously the Beast cares deeply about it. To him, at least, it seems to hold more value than anything else in the castle."

"Maybe that's why the Heartless are attacking," Xurik said, understanding dawning. "They're drawn to the power of the rose."

Xaldin nodded. "Precisely. Well, Xurik, our work here is done. The Beast's weakness is clear." He placed his hand gently on the glass of the bell jar. "To hold something dear is to let it hold you. His heart is in thrall to it, don't you see? And that, Xurik, is ample weakness."

"I don't understand," Xurik said quietly. Xaldin shook his head.

"Nor should you. You have no heart to love with. Come. We return."

"But shouldn't we-"

Xaldin shook his head. A grin spread over his face. "There are a few things I need to research once we return to the castle. The Beast obviously lets his emotions rule him - and I suspect that he has lost himself to them completely before. If that is truly the case - we may have our weapon more easily than we thought."

"What are you talking about?" Xurik said, growing frustrated. Why did every single person in the Organization find it necessary to speak in riddles?

"No time now. All things shall reveal themselves gradually." Without another word, Xaldin created a dark portal and vanished through it. Fuming, Xurik followed him. He was the Keyblade Master - they couldn't complete Kingdom Hearts without him and Xion. Why, then, was he never allowed to know what the Organization's plans were? What else were they hiding from him?

By the time he arrived on the Clock Tower, Xurik had calmed down somewhat - although he was still annoyed. He was surprised to find that Xion and Roxas were sitting there already.

"You're both early."

"Work was easy today," Xion said brightly. "We had a mission together."

"And Axel's still out on that classified mission," Roxas said with a sigh.

Xurik sat down beside them - his friends could always manage to cheer him up, even if Axel wasn't there with them. Xion handed him an ice cream.

"So where'd they send you, Xurik?"

"Xaldin and I went to the Beast's Castle," he said. He rolled his eyes, taking a bite. "By the end of it Xaldin had some plan or something, but of course he didn't tell me anything. No one ever does."

Xion smiled sympathetically, patting his knee. "I understand. I'm not sure that they ever tell us anything important."

"Even Axel keeps secrets from us," Roxas said sullenly. Xurik nodded slowly.

"Well... let's make a pact, okay? No secrets between us. Between friends."

"But what about Axel? He's not here," Xion said, eyes wide.

Xurik shrugged. "Axel wouldn't agree to it. He likes his secrets, apparently."

Roxas looked hesitant, then grinned.

"Alright." He held out his black-gloved hand - Xurik and Xion laid theirs on top.

"No secrets - all for one, and one for all."

Xion giggled. "What does that even mean?"

Roxas shrugged. "I dunno. It just came to me. I guess I just mean that... we've always gotta be there for each other. And it's like Axel said the other day... as long as we remember each other, we'll never be apart."

Xurik stretched and laid back on the ledge, warm from the setting sun. "Well, of course not. We're friends."

The blond boy beamed. "Right."