Jordan: …Finally…almost…done…last chapter…haaaaaack…nothing…to say…gah…

Jacob: Well, we still have to do 'the Grim Reaper's' request chapter in…

Jordan: GAH! MY LIFE AS I KNOW IT FLASHES BY MY EYES!

Jacob: Sorry guys… we just started college in late August, so we're strapped for work time.

No.i

Xion

SLAM! SLAM! SLAM!

Every door that crossed Kavma's path was turned to dust. You'd think he'd have the patience to OPEN the door, but he was not in the mood.

As he approached the end of the corridor, he saw Saix waiting outside one of the rooms. He didn't wait for pleasantries. "Where is she?"

Saix indicated the door behind him. "In there. But—"

Kavma shoved him brutally aside as he slammed the door open.

Xion lied upon her bed, facing the wall. She made absolutely no indication that she had heard Kavma enter. "Xion…" No response. Kavma conjured up a chair and sat beside her. "Xion, I need you to tell me what happened at Beast's Castle today." Still nothing. "Xion, please…talk to me."

Xion was still silent. Finally, she made a sound like she was suppressing a sob. "It's nothing."
"It was absolutely not nothing! Kalvire told me that you were nearly dead when he found you. Please, tell me what happened. Maybe I can help."

Xion sniffed. "I…" She turned over so she could look at Kavma. "…You remember my mission, right?"
Kavma nodded. "Xemnas wished that you would find the imposter in black." 'Riku did this?'He thought.

"I…I thought that he wouldn't be any trouble," Xion explained. "But…" She shook her head. "He was…"
"Too powerful," Kavma finished softly. "Too powerful even for you. Is…that why you're upset?"
"N…no." Xion tried to suppress a sob. "He…"
"What is it? Was it something he said?"

Xion fell silent. "Xion?"
She mumbled something indistinct. "What was that?"

"…a sham…"

"What?"

"…'m not a sham…"

Kavma's eyes widened. What did he say to her?

"Xion, what—"

"I'M NOT A SHAM!" she screamed. All of her frustration was put into that single sentence as she embraced Kavma and began to sob, gripping his clothes like she would a lifeline.

Kavma had to admit that this caught him completely by surprise. After a moment, however, he embraced her in kind. "There, there, Xion…let it all out…I'm here for you."

As Xion continued to cry into his shirt, Kavma looked outside the window, his gaze lingering on the heart shaped moon in the sky.

…Why?

I began to work with Xemnas to reach one of my goals—one which I strove to achieve from the very beginning.

And yet…Now I know that I have done wrong. Xion…You did not deserve this pain. Never have, never will. But it's my fault you've had to endure…I knew from the beginning that I would have to commit unspeakable acts to succeed, but when someone like you is concerned…

This has to end.

A year and a half later…

"Ugh, this is ****ing unbelievable. Could some mother****er remind me WHY we have to come to this ****ty ***hole AGAIN?"

"First, Princess, we're here for Vexen's experiments and 'improve' them, as well as anything else this building may have to offer. Secondly, this castle is NOT a ****ty ***hole."

"Says YOU, Queen ***ch!"

"That's Superior Summer to you, Princess."

"**** you too."

"That's ENOUGH!" Autumn shouted. "Ugh…At least Winter had the good sense to stay behind this time."

"Now now," Kavma chided over his shoulder. "Let's all behave ourselves, kiddies."

Princess mumbled something indistinct in response, but judging from the fact that Kalvire backed away from her, it wasn't anything pleasant.

The small group came to a stop in the middle of the entrance hall. "Alright, everyone," Kavma began, turning to face the others, "Let's split up. Autumn, Summer, you two go to Vexen's lab. You'll know what to do."

"Yessir!"

"Princess, you go thataway."

"What-****in'-ever."

"Kalvire, come with me."

"Okay, Dad."

As they went off in different directions, Kalvire asked Kavma, "Where does the hallway Princess took go to, anyway?"
"A dead end," Kavma said calmly.

Sure enough, mere moments afterward, there was an indignant (not to mention loud) shriek of "WHAT THE **** IS THIS? KAVMA!"

"I win," said Kavma.

KAVMA: 100,000,001

PRINCESS: -100

Kavma had to admit that he never considered that he would have to come back to this place again. Even so, it was necessary to get ready for the tourna—

(Spoiler-bomb goes off in a stunning display of awesome destruction

Jordan: DARN ITTT!)

Erm, ANYWAY…As the two of them entered the Round Room, Kalvire could not help but gasp sharply. I mean, come on, those chairs are HUGE.

"How'd they even get up there?" He asked.

"Teleportation," Kavma said offhandedly. As Kalvire continued to look around, he noticed something odd.

"There's only thirteen chairs," he observed. "Where's Xion's?"

Silence.

"Dad?"

It felt as if time had stopped for Kavma. True enough, not a day had passed since he hadn't thought of her name. Without turning to look at Kalvire, he wordlessly gestured toward the thrones.

What happened next took Kalvire completely by surprise, as Xemnas appeared on the tallest throne. "Wha—"

"Stay calm," said Kavma, "it's only a recording."

"Xion has vanished again," said the 'recording' of Xemnas.

"Do we know where she is?" Kalvire turned sharply to see Xaldin upon another throne.

"'It', not 'she'. Xion is just a Replica…a puppet."

Luxord appeared on another one of the thrones. "Puppet? Someone made her?" He said sharply.

"Puppets generally don't make themselves," Saix said sarcastically as he materialized out of nowhere.

Xigbar appeared on Xemnas's right. "The Replica Program was one of our little pet projects."

Demyx appeared looking confused as all heck. "Replica whatza?"

Xaldin looked dubious. "Perhaps you'd care to enlighten us on this 'pet project'."

Xemnas nodded. "The goal was to duplicate the Keyblade wielder's memories, and through them, his powers—thus making them our own. Vexen oversaw the project at Castle Oblivion, at Kavma's request. However, our efforts were severely derailed by his unexpected demise. And this particular Replica—the one we called Xion—came to form an identity of her own."

"That caught us off guard," continued Saix. "If anything liked that happened before, no one at Castle Oblivion ever reported it." He glared at one of the empty thrones. "Didn't they, Axel?"

And lo and behold, Axel appeared in the throne in question, though he said nothing.

Luxord spoke up. "One thing I am curious about—you said that even Kavma had a hand in this?"
Xigbar snorted. "Kavma? He's the one who came up with the idea in the first place!"

Kalvire heard a sharp gasp from his right. Turning, he saw Roxas sitting on the shortest throne, looking at Xigbar with a stunned look on his face. No one paid him any attention, however.

"Kavma and Vexen worked together to produce the first sixteen replica models," said Saix. "However, only five of them were compatible with the Program. Xion was one of those five. Vexen took another with him to Castle Oblivion, while Kavma preformed further testing on the other three. The rest were placed in storage."
Xigbar took it from there. "Kavma was pretty stoked when we started the Program, especially when Xion got up and running. Funny thing was, as time went on, he began to show less zeal for the Program."

Xemnas continued, "As the months passed, Kavma began to spend time with Xion, and, it would appear, he started to become…attached to it. When it ran off the first time, it became clear to us that he could no longer tolerate using her for the Program. He has abandoned the project."

He shook his head. "But at any rate, neither Kavma nor the puppet have no means of dashing our plans now, even if Xion has learned to pull her own strings. Still, she knows our secrets. We need to shorten her leash…and perhaps tighten it."

Roxas gasped. "You don't mean—"

Xemnas ignored him. "Axel." The redhead looked up. "Seeing as how she escaped on your watch, the onus is on you to capture her and return her here. I am willing to overlook any nicks or scratches. Just ensure she still functions on arrival."

Xaldin shook his head in disgust. "Why you would allow a deserter back under our roof…she should be eradicated!"

Saix gave him a stern look. "'Deserter' is hardly the term for a broken specimen who wandered out from under the microscope." The way that he could casually say that sentence sickened Kalvire.

"Axel, you have your orders," said Xemnas. "Dismissed." And with that, he vanished.

"Bring her back?" growled Xaldin. "It's sheer madness…" Vanished.

Demyx shook his head. "All this time, I've been talking to a puppet…intense." Vanished.

Xigbar rolled his eye. "So now we just sweep it all up? Heh…as if." Vanished.

Luxord looked thoughtful. "If only the whispers at the top of the ladder carried to the bottom rung…" Vanished.

"Axel." He looked up. "Those orders were absolute," said Saix. Axel stayed silent as he left. With that done, Saix turned to the only other person left. "Still here, Roxas? Proceed with your mission."

Roxas stayed silent for a second, then he shook his head. "Kavma created Xion…didn't he? Why did he become so friendly with her?"
Saix snorted. "Who knows? He is burdened with his emotions, unlike us. That makes him weak. Now go, Roxas."

Roxas looked Saix in the eye. "…I don't care what anyone says. Xion is one of us."

Saix scoffed. "A puppet, one of us? Don't be absurd. Count the seats." He gestured toward the room at large.

"When have we ever been more than thirteen?"

As the illusions vanished, Kavma turned to face Kalvire. "Does that answer your question? Xemnas and his ilk never saw Xion any more than an object…and look where that led them. They paid the price…and now they are no longer among us."

Kalvire looked taken aback. "Wow…um…but—but what happened to Xion, in the end?"

Kavma sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Well, that is a question to be answered for another day."

"But now that I think about it…I think I know what it means to see things from thirteen points of view."

Jordan: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand…DONE!

Jacob: Actually, we still have to do 'Da Grim Reaper's' special request chapter. See you there, Nexis!