Day 224

The girl in white peered up at the huge, rosebud-shaped pod, worry on her face. A man with red bandages covering his face approached her silently.

"You seem to be struggling."

Naminé glanced back at him, but nodded. "A Nobody is interfering, I think."

Hatred flashed across DiZ's eyes - or at least the one golden eye that was visible. "A Nobody?"

"I keep trying to piece his memory back together, but what if some of the pieces got lost? There would be no way for me to finish." She placed a hand on the smooth glass of the memory pod. Through the translucent white class, a boy was faintly visible, floating in stasis. His silver hair seemed to be growing by the day; it was beginning to obscure his eyes, closed in sleep though they were.

"If that happened, and the memories found their way into someone else..." Naminé shook her head fearfully. "He'd never get them back."

DiZ shrugged, inspecting the complex machinery keeping the memory pod stable. "Oh, I think he can do without a memory or two."

"But what... what if he needs those memories in order to wake up? What if they're the key?"

The man was silent for a moment. Finally he stopped what he was doing and turned to the girl.

"Naminé... you are a witch who has power over Riku's memories and those connected to him. Are you seeing something I cannot?"

Tears welled up in Naminé's eyes. "If his memories become her memories... she will never survive it."

DiZ's eyes narrowed. "She?"

"Hey, Xion," Roxas said, smiling at the girl as he rounded the corner on the clock tower. He sat down next to her and offered her an ice cream. "Get here early?"

"Yeah. I breezed right through my mission." She took the ice cream gratefully and bit off a piece. "So, how'd your day go?"

"Ugh, you'll never believe what Xigbar did..."

"Heh hey," Axel said, approaching. Xurik was behind him. "Oh, Xion, what are you doing here?"

The girl smirked at Axel. "What, do you want me to leave? Sheesh."

The man rolled his eyes, plopping down next to Roxas. "C'mon, that's not what I meant."

"Mission go okay today?" Xurik asked, smiling at Xion. She nodded.

"Yep. Just Heartless duty in Wonderland... nothing special."

The four sat quietly for a moment, simply enjoying each others' company. Finally Xion turned to Axel.

"Hey, Axel? You've been to Castle Oblivion, right? What's it like?"

Axel shrugged. "The Organization uses it as a research facility."

Roxas shook his head. "Seems like people are getting sent there all the time. Especially you."

"But they never send me, Xurik, or Roxas."

Axel looked uneasy. Finally he chuckled, although it sounded fake. "Well... they probably just don't need you there, that's all."

Xion lowered her head. "Maybe..."

Xurik wasn't about to be distracted. "What kind of research?"

Axel shifted in his seat. "Oh, you know... this and that. Nothing special."

"If it's nothing special, then why is it classified?"

The man frowned. "What, am I being interrogated or something? What's with all the questions all of a sudden?"

"I'm just curious, that's all," Xurik said innocently. Axel looked at him closely, then shrugged.

"It's just research on hearts and things like that. I mean, that's what we usually focus on anyway, isn't it? Things like emotions, or memories."

"Memories?" Roxas frowned. "Is that why we're never sent there? Because we're the only ones with no memories?"

"Probably. I wouldn't worry too much about it."

Xion shook her head. Suddenly she stood up.

"I gotta go."

"What?" Xurik said, looking up at her in surprise. Xion took a step forward, when a sudden surge of nostalgia flashed before her eyes. She winced, then teetered.

"Xion!" Xurik shouted as the girl slowly toppled off the side of the clock tower. His arm shot out; he just barely managed to grab her wrist, saving her from plummeting to her death. Roxas and Axel quickly rushed to help as he pulled her back onto the ledge.

"Are you feeling all right?" Roxas said, eyes filled with worry. "Maybe you need to rest."

Xion shook her head. "No, it's nothing like that." She clutched her head - what had happened? It wasn't just a feeling of vague deja vu like she usually got; there were actual images, like scenes from a movie playing within her mind. It was like memories were surging into her head. Memories that weren't hers.

The four sat there wordlessly, but it wasn't the peaceful quiet of a lazy afternoon that they usually felt - it was an awkward silence in which none of them had any idea of what to say. Finally Axel clapped his hands together.

"I've got it!"

"What?" Xurik frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Let's go to the beach next time we get a day off."

Xion looked surprised. "The beach? Where did that come from?"

Axel shrugged. "What, don't you want to go somewhere different for a change?"

"So..." Roxas grinned. "It would just be the four of us?"

"Yeah, exactly."

Xion looked unsure. "...I'll join you... if I can."

Xurik patted her on the shoulder gently, concern on his face. What was wrong with his best friend? She wasn't herself. "Of course you can come, Xion... it wouldn't be the same without you."

Axel nodded. "You'll have a blast, trust me."

Xion hesitated, then nodded. "Well... all right, sure. Let's do it."

Xurik frowned - he glanced at Axel, and the two boys shared a brief look of unease. Something was wrong with Xion... both of them could sense it. Was that why Axel had suggested the beach? To make her feel better?

"Where is she?" Maleficent hissed. Pete shrugged, looking at the sorceress warily.

"Maybe... maybe she isn't here. Or maybe she's somewhere else in this here maze..."

The woman scowled. Why were they even bothering to navigate this hedge maze? She lifted her hands; the square wall of bushes before them burst into green and black flames. As soon as the fire cleared, a huge charred hole remained. The two walked through.

"Alice was originally from another world," Maleficent said finally. She gave her surroundings a dark glare. "Perhaps she managed to find her way out of Wonderland. We'll never find the Princesses at this rate."

"Aww, cheer up, Maleficent," Pete said, grinning at her in an attempt to aleviate her fury. "There's still some mores. There's... Snow White, and Aurora, and Cinderella, and... uh... Kairi!"

"But they're useless unless we have all seven!" she hissed. "What's the use of looking for them at all if we've already failed to capture the others?"

Pete's face lit up. "Ooh! Instead of tryin' ta capture 'em like this, we could work on makin some more powerful Heartless! Then no Princess would be able to get away!"

Maleficent paused for a moment, then grinned wickedly.

"Pete, you may have actually spawned a decent idea for the first time in your miserable life."

Day 225

Xurik sat alone on the clock tower. None of the others were here - until a few minutes later when Xion rounded the corner. He smiled up at her; she said nothing, simply staring off into the sunset. He frowned.

"Xion? Don't you want some ice cream?" When she said nothing in response, he tugged on her cloak. "Xion?"

Xion looked down at him, startled. "Oh... sorry. I guess I'm just tired."

Xurik attempted to smile. "Well, have a seat."

"No, I'm gonna go." She glanced at him and gave a weak smile, but seemed to have difficulty maintaining eye contact. "See you later."

"Oh... alright," Xurik said quietly, as Xion vanished from sight once more. He signed. What was her deal lately? Was there something going on with her that she wasn't telling him about? They weren't supposed to keep any secrets from each other... so why was she?

"Hey Xurik," Roxas said, coming around the corner, Axel close behind.

"What, all by your lonesome?"

Roxas plopped down next to him; Axel sat down on the other side. Xurik offered them the ice-cream bars that Xion had refused.

"Hey. Missions go okay?"

"Yep. Where's Xion?"

Xurik shook his head. "She already left."

"Oh." Roxas frowned. "She's been acting kind of weird lately, don't you think? Maybe she's not feeling well."

Axel shrugged. "She'll be okay. Don't stress it."

"I can't help it," Xurik said quietly. "She keeps fainting, and she's been distant...I just worry that something's wrong."

Roxas nodded. "Hope we get some more vacation soon. We could all use that trip to the beach."

Axel gave a small smile. "Right..."

"No, no..."

Data scrolled across the silver computer monitor before her as Xion typed on the keyboard as quickly as she could. Speed was necessary here; one needed express permission from one of the higher-ups in the Organization in order to access the castle's computer database, and she certainly didn't have that. If they knew what she was trying to find out...

"Where is it?" She scanned through the files, trying to find something that might help. Something suddenly caught her eye; at the very bottom of the screen was a small folder labeled simply, "No. i". She gave it a tentative click; the emblem of the Organization and the Nobodies suddenly appeared on the screen.

"Got it!"

Day 255

"I sent Axel to Castle Oblivion last night on short notice, to help expedite the matter we spoke of. I also instructed him to clear out our facilities there. He should RTC soon."

A meeting had converged in the Round Room - though only Xemnas, Xigbar, and Saix were present. Xemnas nodded silently, taking in what Saix was saying.

"And Naminé?"

Saix lowered his head slightly. "Still missing, sir."

"Missing indeed." Xigbar gave a short, barking laugh. "Wherever could she be?"

The blue-haired man frowned at him. "Why, Xigbar... it almost sounds as thought you know." Xigbar shot him a glare.

"What else?" Xemnas said, ignoring the petty squabble.

Saix turned his attention back to Xemnas. "Somebody accessed our main computer without authorization."

Xigbar rolled his eyes. "'Somebody'? Are we all gonna pretend we don't know who? Little Poppet is turning into a problem - and I think you catch my meaning."

Saix shook his head. "Nonsense. I see no problem whatsoever."

At that, Xigbar chuckled. "Well no, apparently you don't!"

"Something you find amusing?"

The second-in-command shrugged, folding his arms. "If people see with their hearts, Saix, then you're even blinder than the rest of us."

Xemnas held his hands up for silence. "Our plans remain unchanged. Axel, Xurik, Roxas, and Xion will play the roles Kingdom Hearts has chosen for them."

For the first time at the meeting, Saix looked taken aback. "But sir, Xion... if we don't take steps-"

"Take steps?" Xemnas fixed his golden stare on Saix; a smile slowly spread across his lips. "How can you not see how perfect this is? Xion is marching right into the arms of destiny. The only steps we need take are two: watch... and wait."

The heavy wooden door slowly creaked open as Xion peered within. She had never been to Castle Oblivion before - entry was strictly forbidden without Xemnas's direct permission. A faint spasm of fear shook her - how could she feel fear without a heart? - but she ignored it. She had already broken into the Organization's computer system, hadn't she? She was as good as dead anyway; there was no reason to turn back.

It was worth it anyway. She looked down at her gloved hands. Xurik was right - they were 'special' Nobodies. But however special her best friend might have been... something was even more different with her. Day by day, she began to remember more of her past life. At first it has just been vague feelings of nostalgia, but now the memories were coming more strongly than ever. Her dreams were filled with images of Heartless, worlds both strange and familiar, and visions of a silver-haired boy...

What was his name in her dreams? Riku? And yet he was a boy... how was that possible? Surely she couldn't be his Nobody, could she? But if not, why did she have his memories?

Here, at least, she would find answers. The computer files had revealed Castle Oblivion to be her place of birth; if nothing else, she might find some clues here.

She began to walk across the polished white floor, when pain suddenly seared through her brain. She winced, clutching her head.

"Nngh... my head..."

A small hooded girl stood beside a blue-haired man... Saix. They were both standing within the pristine white hallways of Castle Oblivion, facing the doorway to the outside world. Her face was completely hidden in the shadows of the hood; he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"This is the last you'll ever see of these walls, Xion."

Xion wavered, then fell to her knees, panting. A doorway before her suddenly opened; Axel emerged. He didn't look surprised to see her - his expression was serious and calculating.

"Axel..." Xion looked up at him from her place on the floor. "What are you... doing here?"

"Orders. Nothing to do with you." He grinned - Xion could tell that it was fake. "I'm not sure what you thought you'd find in an empty place like this."

"Don't lie to me!" Xion cried out desperately. She placed a hand on her chest. "I know this is where I come from! The answers are here."

Axel shook his head. "Weren't you given some other mission?" When Xion said nothing, he gave a deep sigh. "You can't just throw orders to the wind, Xion."

She shot him a bitter smile. "Or else what? They'll turn me into a Dusk?"

"Not even a Dusk. They'll skip right past that and destroy you outright."

"Because I'm useless?"

Axel sighed. "No, I didn't say that."

Xion cautiously got to her feet; she wavered slightly, but managed to stand.

"Turn around and go home, Xion."

She looked up at him with pleading eyes. "Axel, I'm remembering things... about who I was."

Axel looked at her darkly. "Well, stop remembering. Nothing good will come of it."

She shook her head - how could he even say that? She wanted nothing more than to know the truth. She couldn't even begin to make sense of the things she saw, but somehow she knew that they had to be true. Some even took place within Castle Oblivion - one particularly strong dream consisted of Riku, the brown-haired boy, Marluxia, and... the man standing before her.

"I have dreams every night. You're in them, Axel!"

"Then they sure ain't memories." Axel smirked. "How could I be part of your past? Use your head, Xion."

She shook her head furiously; she wasn't about to be deterred by his fake show of friendliness. "You can't fool me. We've met before, Axel, right here in this castle!"

"Have not. Go home, Xion. Don't keep Xurik and Roxas waiting."

"Please, Axel," she said, now practically begging him. "Just... help me! I need to know who I am."

Axel said nothing. A pained expression flashed across her face - then without another word, she turned and ran for the golden doorway leading deeper into the castle.

"Hey - stop!" Axel shouted, a look of horror suddenly passing over his face. "Xion, stay out of there!"

It was too late; she was too far ahead. He could have gone after her... but then he would have to bring her in. Whether she was breaking orders or not, she was still his friend. He couldn't betray her... what was he supposed to do?

Xion... why won't you just leave well enough alone?

"...Agrabah again? Didn't you just go there yesterday?" Xurik shook his head. "I went to Wonderland. Nothing really interesting, just Heartless duty."

"I wish I could," Roxas said with a sigh. "Maybe Saix will pair us up again soon. I keep getting stuck with Demyx, meaning I get to do all the work."

"Fun," Xurik said, smirking. "At least you can be serenaded while you do recon."

"Yeah, playing music is definitely the way to go unnoticed by the locals," Roxas said. The two laughed as Axel came around the corner.

"Hey lovebirds," Axel said with a smirk. He still had Xion on his mind - but he could put on a show of casual ease whenever he needed to. "You're early."

"No, you're just late," Roxas said, flashing a grin. Axel waved a hand through the air, dismissing his suggestion. Xurik passed him an ice cream bar. The three ate silently for a moment before Roxas broke the silence.

"Today makes 255." Roxas said quietly.

"What's that about?" Axel asked.

"It's been that many days since me and Xurik first joined the Organization," Roxas said. Xurik peered at him, surprised.

"Has it really? Why do you know that?"

"He's got the number memorized, apparently," Axel said with a smirk.

"Hey, shut it," Roxas grinned. "I have to hang onto something, right? It's not like I have memories from before the Organization. Don't you remember? We acted like zombies."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Xurik said. "Heh. I barely remember."

"I do. That first week the two of you could barely form a sentence," Axel said thoughtfully. He gave Roxas a forceful pat on the back. "But come on, you're both still kind of zombies!"

"Oh, thanks!"

"So, boys," Axel said brightly, trying to distract himself. He pointed a thin finger at the setting sun. "Bet you don't know why the sun sets red." He waved his hand through the air, sweeping his arm across the horizon. "You see, light is made up of lots of colors. And out of all those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest."

"Like we asked!" Roxas jabbed Axel in the side with his elbow. "Know-it-all."

"That sounds kind of familiar," Xurik said quietly. Axel rolled his eyes, laying down on his back with his arms folded behind his head.

"Sure, pretty-boy. Stop trying to take credit for my genius!"

"Your what?" Xurik said incredulously, and Roxas laughed. The three fell silent once more. Finally Xurik turned his head, peering at the entrance to the clock tower ledge. He felt at home with Roxas and Axel, but... something just wasn't right. Xion had continued to act distant for the past couple of weeks... some days simply not showing up at all. It hurt him to think that she didn't want to see them.

"Man. What's taking her so long?"

From where he lay, Axel's expression turned stony and serious. They still had no idea, did they? How much more time did they have like this? They might not sense it, but he did... their days were numbered, and there was nothing they could do to stop the wheel of fate. Xion had already sealed hers by defying the Organization... would nothing stop her from trying to find out the truth? Even Axel didn't know where Xion came from, but... sometimes it was just better to live in ignorant bliss. At least you had the bliss.

With a sigh, Axel sat up again. "Xurik... I'm not sure she's gonna show today."

"Why?" Xurik looked at Axel, eyes wide with worry. "Is everything okay? She didn't pass out again, did she?"

"She..."

Axel shook his head. Xion was determined to find out the truth - but Axel knew more than anyone that truth could be dangerous. Sometimes it was only by telling white lies that happiness could be preserved. If Xurik or Roxas knew who they really were... they would never be able to have these happy, lazy afternoons together. Axel would do whatever he could to preserve them... even if that meant lying to the people he cared most about.

"...What, didn't you hear? She got sent on a really important mission. Pretty cool, huh?"

"Oh," Roxas said, frowning. "So when's she coming back?"

"Well, I guess that depends on how well she does her job, right?"

Roxas smirked. "Heh, fair enough."

Axel nodded, then caught Xurik's eye. He winced. The boy was staring at him piercingly. He might have been able to fool Roxas... but could Xurik sense that Axel wasn't telling the whole story? Axel just grinned at Xurik casually, and after a moment the boy gave up, going back to his ice cream. Axel sighed.

Please Xurik... for your own sake, learn that some things need to stay in the dark.

Sunlight streamed through the windows into the white room at the top of Castle Oblivion. It didn't seem to be inhabited; there was a white birdcage containing a small blond doll, as well as a single white chair, but both were gathering dust.

Xion stared down at the crystal ball, feeling increasingly upset. She had to put a hand out to steady herself as a wave of nausea swept over her.

"No... then... I'm not..." She shook her head, tears coming to her eyes. "The person I was before... wasn't me."

Within the crystal ball was an image of a hooded figure lying on a table. A man - Vexen? - was busying himself over it.

Beneath the hood, the creature's face was completely blank.

Day 256

Xurik shifted in his seat nervously, glancing at Roxas. It had been months since Xemnas had called the entire Organization to a meeting - what was so important that they were convening now? The only one absent was Xion; an icy feeling began to spread through Xurik's stomach as he entertained the possibility that Xion was the cause for the meeting. The first words out of Xemnas's mouth confirmed his worst fears.

"Xion is gone," the man said quietly. Immediately, everyone in the room began to talk at once. Everyone seemed to have a different reaction; Xurik and Roxas were clearly the most upset. Why didn't Axel look surprised?

"What?" Demyx shouted. "Whoa whoa, time out... you mean she, like, flew the coop?"

Xaldin snorted. "Preposterous. What would drive her to choose her own demise?"

Xemnas held up his hands, bringing the chattering to silence. "On the contrary. No one is to go looking for Xion without my express permission."

"What?" Xurik shouted, unable to restrain himself. Worry changed over into fury. "Why the hell not?"

"Your 'friend' will be left alone," Saix said coldly. "Or would you rather we find some punishment?"

"You have to get her to return!"

"And why would we do that?" Saix said, a faint smug smirk on his face. Xurik had to bite his tongue to prevent from saying several things he would have regretted.

"All will be revealed when the time comes," Xemnas said simply, by way of explanation.

"Which means..." Axel said quietly, so faintly that Xurik could barely hear him, "if the time doesn't come, things can stay as they are..."

So Axel did know something, or at least he suspected it. Was that why he was keeping him and Roxas in the dark? So that things could 'stay as they are'?

What, with Xion so miserable that she ran away from the Organization? With one of my best friends keeping secrets from us? What an excellent way for things to be, thought Xurik bitterly.

"Lord Xemnas has spoken," Saix said darkly. "Obey, or face your end."

"I'm glad you came to visit," Naminé said with a smile.

Sora grinned back, sitting at the far end of the white table. "Of course. We're friends, aren't we? Besides," he added, smirking. "I have to make sure that you're keeping your promise."

She nodded. "To look after Riku. I remember." She lowered her head. "I'm sorry... I'm not sure I've kept that promise very well."

Sora frowned. "What do you mean? Isn't everything going according to plan?"

Naminé shook her head. "Some of Riku's memories are missing. They're escaping through Riku's Nobody into a third person... and now they're starting to become a part of her."

Her... could she mean the black-haired girl, the one who looked so much like Kairi? Sora nodded slowly. "And... can you not get them back out? Isn't that what your powers are all about?"

"If the memories are still separate... then yes, I think so." She stood up and walked over to the drawing she had drawn before, showing the four cloaked figures. "But if they join with her memories, things get a lot more complicated. I would need to untangle her memory before I could finish Riku's... what was supposed to take months might take years. DiZ would be furious."

Sora winced. All of this was so difficult to understand... the human heart was complicated enough without all this business of memories and Nobodies complicating things. Ironic that Riku's memory was able to be completely destroyed over the course of a day or two, while putting it back was taking an entire year. What would happen if Riku's memories did get trapped inside the Nobody girl? By the time Riku woke up, they might be adults...

"What can we do, then?" Sora asked, pain on his face.

"If I try to just jump in and rearrange her memory... then I risk Riku waking up to find out that nobody remembers him anymore. I can't do that to him." Naminé shook her head. "It's too late either way. His awakening will have to be delayed. I never imagined Riku's Nobody and the other two would fight so hard to be their own people. Unfortunately, the only real solution... is for all three of them to go away."

"Wait, all three?" Sora's eyes narrowed. "There's Riku's Nobody, and the girl you're talking about... who's the third? Do you mean Axel?"

Namine gave a small smile. "Oh... have you not figured it out? Well... maybe it's best not to. For the time being, I don't think the third one will cause too many problems, at least as long as he stays away."

Sora was silent, staring at the picture Naminé had drawn. There was the grey-haired boy... that had to be Riku's Nobody. And the black-haired girl, and Axel...

Who was the other one? The blond boy? What made him special?

"Did you know her face was blank at first?" Naminé said, changing the subject. She gave a sad smile. "Only now can you see someone. That proves some of Riku's memories are inside her. Some inside her, some inside Riku... others inside Riku's Nobody. I can't sort it out anymore. All I can do is pick up the pieces once what has to be done, is done."

Sora nodded. "Then... I'll do what I can."

He looked up at the picture. What would happen in the end? He didn't want to hurt these innocents... even if they were only Nobodies. No matter what DiZ might say, Sora knew just from looking at Naminé that even Nobodies had a right to exist, at least somewhat. But if Riku's Nobody and Kairi's twin were keeping his best friend from waking up...

How far could he go to bring Riku back to life?