"Fired by a creep… embarrassing!" Gintoki said as he lay on the couch of Odd Jobs Gin back in Amanto Edo. "It's not my fault he's got a creepy face when he's angry. That, and the tire mark he probably still has."

"Well, you didn't stay to explain yourself about whatever it was he was so angry about," Rinoa said, drinking a cup of tea.

"And your motorscooter's history, too. I don't think Sadaharu can take more than me and Rinoa-chan," Kagura said with her mouth full of a rice ball.

"We can just dump the jobs that involve chasing things, then," Gintoki said, putting his legs up on the table. "Besides, we still have the up-front payment along with the day-to-day payment, so I think we'll be set for a while."

Right when he finished saying that, the front door was kicked in. "Shinsengumi!" a voice shouted.

Odd Jobs Gin turned and/or moved to look and see that Hijikata had burst in and was now a one-man search party for something, moving through the area with his sword out. "Hey, hey. Careful with some of those rooms. You might step on someone's PSP or something," Gintoki called out.

After some time of searching, Hijikata came out of one of the rooms and sighed. "Damn, she's not here."

"Who's not here?" Kagura asked, biting into her rice ball when she did.

"The Shinsengumi are looking for a potentially dangerous criminal. We suspect that she's Amanto, but like your friend there, you can't really tell them apart from humans," he said, pointing to Kagura. He added, "If a building or something large goes up in flames, contact us immediately."

He sheathed his sword and put his hands in his pockets as he walked out the doorway, as he had kicked the door in. "Count on us, Mayora," Gintoki said after him.

"It's not Mayora, it's Katsura," a voice said from the doorway.

"Oh, good afternoon, Katsura," Rinoa said.

"A fire Amanto? Well, that may not be entirely accurate," Katsura said as his usual partner, Elizabeth, a strange penguin thing, came up behind him. "Yes, she's not of this world, but not in the sense of planets in this galaxy."

"Look, Zura. We've already had this talk with our last client, some creepy androgynous person. That's a load of BS. Humans are humans," Gintoki said, laying back on the couch.

"It's not Zura, it's Katsura. Was he wearing black robes?"

Sadaharu barked in confirmation. "That can't be good," Katsura said, tipping his straw hat down.

"Why's that?" Rinoa asked.

"He may have been one of the S.P.O.W. (Special Provisions for Other Worlds), a group investigating other planes of existence. The reason why this is bad is because most other worlds shouldn't be aware of the true existence of others. For all they know, other universes exist only in things such as Jump."

"So the Spow is bad?" Kagura asked.

"It's not Spow, it's S.P.O.W. Anyway, if you see those black robes again, try to keep the knowledge of other worlds to a minimum. It could cause more trouble for the origin world of S.P.O.W. And if you can, deal with them. I can help when I can, but not if I don't know they're here."

"We'll be sure to keep tabs on them. Goodbye, Katsura," Rinoa said, picking up the fallen door.

"Thank you, and good day," Katsura said as he and Elizabeth passed Rinoa and left the area.

"It's not Katsura, it's Zura," Gintoki said as he got up to get himself some food from the kitchen.

"Why…?"

A cold feeling. That was the first thing she felt. A cold feeling. She didn't know how she knew that, but she just knew. She then went on to have a floating feeling along with being curled up. She didn't open her eyes, though. She was still asleep, to an extent. There was something coming into her body through her mouth… wait. [Is that my mouth?] she thought.

She then felt herself sinking. She couldn't see, still, but she knew that she was going down. Then, she stopped at something solid. She went from being curled up to leaning on her side against something. She was in sitting position, she somehow figured, and leaning against something on her left. The material coming into her body was soon replaced by something far lighter. She expand her chest a little more, but she still remained asleep. The girl stirred a little when she heard a dull noise, but continued to sleep.

"There you are. Number sixteen," she heard.

[Six…teen?] she thought. [What is sixteen…?]

"What is… sixteen?" she repeated aloud and softly.

"Could you care to repeat that?"

[Re…peat?]

This time, her eyes fluttered, but remained shut. "That's it. I realize that this may be a shock, but I promise that you will gain more comfortable accommodations soon."

[What are those things I'm hearing? What IS hearing?]

Her eyes slowly opened at last, revealing her magenta eyes. She saw a vast area with blinking lights and steady lights. She sat upright and away from whatever she was leaning against to look around a bit better, in spite of her lethargy. She felt her eyelids being heavy after setting her gaze on a man in front of a block of material. "No, no, no, don't fall back asleep!" the voice said.

Another dull noise. This time, she felt something going up against her cheek, and hearing a squeaking noise practically next to her. "Well, okay, you can go back to sleep. However, I strongly advise that you stay off of the—"

A quick falling sensation, followed by pain. Getting herself back up, she opened her eyes again slowly and rubbed the side of her face where she had felt the pain. "—glass," the voice finished, softer but clearer.

The man approached her slowly, as if she could be easily scared away. However, she was too focused on making the pain go away to notice him. She looked up slowly and saw his face, which scared her a little, but didn't prompt her to stand and run or just stand. "Do not fear. My presence and significance to you will come with time. However, there is something that must be done. First, your attire and mobility, or rather, the other way around."

She didn't understand much of that, but she did figure that it was time for her to stand. It was a little awkward at first, and she fell down. Her second attempt was more fluid, and she kept herself up. She then tried to walk past the man, who seemed to be merely observing for something. To her, walking was so… familiar already. [Why does this seem so familiar? And what is this voice in my head? What is a voice?] So many questions circled through her head.

"Hm, mobility familiarity already, I see. Very well, if you would follow me," the man said as he walked to a part of the wall. It seemed to open up from the middle and disappear to the sides.

She followed him to one of the strange patterns on the walls to her left and right. The room itself was lighter than the one they were just in, but smaller. She looked around and saw another strange panel on the wall on the far end of the room. The pattern in front of her lost the strange cross on it and moved in. When she looked in, there were what looked like fabrics hanging from poles on both side walls and the back wall had something else… something odd. "Choose an outfit and report back in the laboratory when you are finished. You are allowed only one for the time being," the man said.

The girl tilted her head at the fabrics. "Outfits?" she asked softly.

But the man was gone already. He was moving towards the golden paneling on the wall. Curious, she walked into the room with the fabrics and first moved towards the odd object at the back wall. When she first looked at it, she saw a girl. What she saw was rather fuzzy, as in transparent lines going over what she was seeing…

Cassidy Hopewell looked at herself in the mirror she always kept on her door. As always she looked absolutely darling in her usual Lapin Angelique attire, which was a popular brand in Metro. One of thirteen, actually. However, having just woken up, she was only in her M'sieur Lapin pajamas that she cherished so dearly.

The girl blinked and the fuzzy image was gone. She now saw a blonde girl whose hair was almost as long as her. Her magenta eyes stared intently back at her. For some reason, she recognized this girl. This was herself. Paying more attention, she noticed that she was half-naked. She gasped and covered herself as best as she could with her arms, but it didn't seem to be enough. "W-What the?" she said.

With little warning, her hair moved to cover herself. She didn't know how it happened, it just did. And she was okay with this. She blinked again.

Cassidy picked her usual standby piece, a goth doll dress she modified herself to not be as frilly as they usually are. Unlike most Angelique Freaques, she wasn't much for the amount of frill and such.

The girl held a black fabric to herself. She didn't really know how this came to be, it just did.

She put on the dress with little trouble, another handy homemade modification. Lapin Angelique garments always tended to be a little troublesome to put on.

The girl was surprised to find herself in the black fabric. There was nothing to cover her arms, save for a tube of the fabric she decided to slip on at the moment. She only managed to cover her right arm, and it was everything from her hand to her shoulder and armpit. The fabrics on her legs stretched comfortably from her feet to somewhat above half her upper leg. She didn't know how she ended up like this, though she was relieved that she was no longer half naked. [Why did I feel the way I did, though?]

Following what the man had said, she walked over to the golden lined panel he was going towards earlier. To her surprise, it slid from the middle into the walls. She stepped into the dark room where there was a swirling oval of darkness to her right. There was something on the block to its left. Something white. She went over and looked at it. She somehow knew it meant, "Do not fear the dark portal. Step through and keep walking until you reach the end."

She did so without hesitation. It wasn't as dark as it initially appeared. She could still see her hands and body clearly. When she saw something in the darkness, she ran towards and into it.

"So you really expect him to get in from here?" Axel asked.

The quaint little walkway and area known as Nothing's Call was the "main" way in and out of the Castle That Never Was. It was also the only lower section of the castle members publically accessed and knew about. If members wished to go into the city, they would have to leave from here instead of by dark corridor. That is what they're told, though. "He is under the usual impression," Saix said.

"He's smart enough to come up with clever plans, so don't expect him to just go up that light bridge in here."

"He is to go through here so that we have proof of his success."

"Ah, his last day to find the girl, right?'

Saix silently nodded and looked down the light bridge. Nothing yet. "Now, about Castle Oblivion, in detail."

"I told you already," Axel said, "some imposters doing recon of the universe."

"That will not do," Saix said. "Where did they originate from, and when?"

"Don't know. They seemed awfully interested in Sora, though. Loxleom even went so far to call him the absent founder. Although, how they even got into CO, I dunno."

Saix looked at him with his gazing eyes. "Have you heard of the Hidden Leaf Villiage?" he asked.

Axel chucked a little. "Ninja world, that one. Yeah, they've got some good stuff on them, but they're never clear about their technology. Wait, you're not thinking…"

"The old man you presumed to be the leader of them? What did he look like?"

"Hard to say. He had the robes on, so there wasn't much to see. Besides, Sora took care of him, so there's no way to double-check."

Saix closed his eyes and looked down. He opened his eyes again and looked down the light bridge. There was something coming up. A black object. "That him?" Axel asked.

The object drew closer. "He is alone," Saix noted.

When Vexen got to the foot of the bridge, Saix gave him a cold stare like he gave every other member of the Organization. Vexen only smiled and chuckled. "And here you are, doubting me," he said.

"Where is the girl?" Saix demanded.

"As I said at the last meeting, she is a new Nobody. Let her take in the sights," Vexen said, moving aside and presenting a girl lagging behind, looking all around.

She finally reached the foot of the light bridge and saw Axel and Saix. Axel was not a very imposing figure to her, especially when he reached out his hand. "Hey there, girl. So, you're going to be the new kid in the castle? Well, if you must know some people already, I'm Axel. That over there with the cold gaze is Saix."

Seeing Saix, the girl backed away a little. "And you probably already know a bit about Vexen over here. Got it all memorized?" Axel said.

"Mem…orized," she said in a trance-like state. Her way of saying it reminded Axel of Roxas' first days in the Organization.

"You liar, she IS a zombie," Axel joked.

Vexen only grunted. "When the boys return, another gathering is at hand. Saix, tell the superior of this."

With that, Vexen walked up the walkway with the girl behind him. "Well, what do you know? He pulled it off. He isn't Xigbar, but—" Axel started.

"When you have a chance, eliminate him," Saix said, cutting Axel off.

After saying that, Saix walked away as well. "What do you mean by that?" Axel asked after him.

"He failed to complete a task of utmost importance. That is all you need to know."

Turning around, though not all the way, Saix added, "And on a more mundane note, he lost a bet."

The Room of Gathering. Again. [Damn my fear of extreme heights…] Roman thought as he sat in his throne, crosslegged to avoid falling off easily. Everyone else was present on their own thrones, save for Vexen. [Heh, dude finally get smacked?]

"Brothers and sisters. Vexen… has succeeded," Xemnas said to all.

A collective "what" was thought by the three youngest Nobodies. Another came from Saix.

Roman pushed himself as far back in his throne as he could and looked down. He saw Vexen and a hooded figure. The girl he was looking for over the past ten days or so. [Hell if I can remember time easily,] Roman thought.

"As you may all know, ten or more days is a stretch to find any missing persons, existing or not," Vexen said. "But possibility still lies in wait for those willing to search for it. My case is the best example for this statement, for I have, against many odds, found the sixteenth!"

Xemnas materialized letters of a name which floated down to the girl. Roman couldn't see the letters because they were so small from where he was. He counted seven of them. It seems that Xemnas was unaware of the name as well, as he squinted his eyebrows a little at the sight of the name he formed. They floated down to the girl and the re-naming sequence initiated. The swirling letters, the X, it was all there. However, as with his own name, the X shook, though more violently, causing Vexen to step back and to the side. The X shattered, but other letters followed. Xemnas raised himself up, a look of angered confusion on his face. The girl didn't budge.

The fragments rose up from the ground, forming three letters this time. None of the original letters seemed to rise up. When they formed in front of her, Vexen read the result from in front of her. Copies of her name began to appear in bursts of light in front of every member present, with Roman being the last to see the result. "Eve?' both Roman and Vexen asked aloud.

[Another lack of X…] Roxas thought as the name faded.

"So… that is what she is to be deemed. Number Sixteen. Eve. Her title will be pending until she completes a certain amount of missions. We must see to what it is she can accomplish in combat against the Heartless," Xemnas said.

Throughout the Room of Gathering, thoughts were going around. [So… this is her.] Roman thought.

Roxas thought, [So she's the girl that was lost in the city… so what about the one I messed up?]

Xion thought, [She has her hood up. Why do I think of myself when I see that?]

Luxord thought, [My, my. In figure, she is an exquisite specimen. But what of when the hood comes off?]

Demyx thought, [THAT'S the lost girl? She's gotta be a keeper!]

Axel thought, [So wait… this isn't the city girl? Then who the hell is she?]

"Zexion. You will be in charge of detailing the system to Number Sixteen," Xemnas said.

At this, Vexen said nothing, but his face was a frown. This was indecernable from his usual expression to the untrained eye, however, so no one suspected anything from it.

[Journal Entry]

So she's here. Not much to say, because there wasn't much to see. Also, what happened with her name? It started out as seven letters, but then went to three. What's up with that? Also, Shadow Glob mission in Youkai Academy earlier today, albeit before we were introduced to the new girl. Not too bad, but I wish I got a video of Roxas running around and possibly screaming like a little girl. Wait, don't you need a heart for girly screams? Dammit. I want that video!

On a side note, there was some adding on to my recurring dream, but is it good or bad? There were three gunshots, one causing the scream, another cutting off the sentence

Roman stopped. For some reason, he couldn't bring himself to finish the entry. Thinking of the sentence cut off by the second gunshot made him tense. It also prompted his eyes to leak, which he managed to get before they came into contact with any writing. [Just what is this dream?] he thought. [Is it a memory, or do I need to lay off of something before bed? And who are those people in the dream I keep hearing, and why can't I understand them at all? I need answers, but I dunno what to do. Can't run off, so that's out of the question.]

Roman closed his journal and turned the desk lamp off. He climbed into bed in only a white tanktop and boxer shorts and pulled the covers over himself to let sleep take him in.

He recognized the area as the castle library, an expansive room inhabited usually by Vexen or Zexion, with other members seldom entering for any reason. It held a grand selection of all sorts of books ranging from old almanacs, dictionaries, fiction and, most importantly to Roman, manga. Why the Organization would keep manga in their library was beyond Roman completely.

He walked around the tables and bookcases to find that he was the only one there. "Okay… this is creepy," he said to himself.

Scratching his head as he began to do a walking double check of the library, he noticed books taken from various parts of various bookcases missing. When he went back to the reading tables, he noticed a small circular wall of them surrounding one chair. He walked over to it and started to take books from the top to see who was in there. Taking apart one column, he saw a girl with her head in her arms on the table. She wore clothing Roman identified as gothic Lolita, though in moderation in comparison to others he had seen wearing the stuff. "Hey," he called. "Wake up."

No response. He figured that if he could get the other books out of the way, he could get to her easier. [So how do I get these other ones out of here quicker?]

His answer was a left jab, sending the books flying in a cone away from him. "Hey, wake up!" he called to the girl again.

Still no response. He reached over to push her. "How'd you even get in here—"

He stopped and looked at his gloved hand. Blood. He wiped it off on a part of his robes and looked back at the girl. His eyes went wide with horror as he now saw the girl's arms and head in a pool of blood, though her eyes were still closed like she were asleep. "Are you okay?" Roman asked as he reached over to push her over again.

She fell out of her chair and hit the ground. There was a wound in her chest that was bleeding, and she wasn't moving afterwards. Roman couldn't move as he looked at the sight. He was absolutely frozen. The girl wasn't moving, and she continued to bleed all over the floor, making a blood pool that continued to expand. Soon, half of her total body was in it, and her hair was all spread out and in the blood.

Roman couldn't even bring himself to make any sort of noise. How he could find this horrifying, he didn't know. He blinked once, and the next thing he saw was that the girl now had different garments on, and her hair was longer, reaching nearly the ends of the blood pool. The girl kept changing as her entire body seemed to turn to static between the first and the second outfits and hair lengths. Roman gripped his head in pain, as a newfound strain found itself on his mind. He groaned and fell to his knees, getting them in the blood. Static overtook his vison as it went into third person, giving him a full view of himself writhing at the pain in his head. Static kept coming and going as he fell on his side to the ground, continuing to grip his head, wishing the pain would stop. The static faded in slowly, overtaking his vision completely, drowning out any other noise. Without warning, a monitor switched off.

God… it hurts…

So we're back in the original dream, now. What the hell was all that back there, though?

There's the talking, the same voices—hold on. The male voice seems eerily close. It's like… practically coming from my own mouth! The girl sounds to be in front of my vision.

...

There's gunshot A. Somewhat above me. Movement, now. The object in the distance. I swear, that's a door.

"And whatever you do, don't look ba—"

Gunshot B! Dammit! Why is that one the one with the most impact—

Gunshot C! Okay, so it didn't get me, but now what?

Footsteps fading. So I've stopped moving? I can only guess so…

[Authors Notes]

- Holy sweet Jesus, my longest chapter ever!

- Writing for a newborn bioweapon is NOT an easy task. Having to re-imagine things is a pain. Also, the outfit described is based on her in-game sprite in Jump Ultimate Stars.

- I think I have to change the rating given the dream sequence up there. I'm not intentionally going for gory, but I'm not taming the action for shit.