Note from forevermagik13: So, I'm not sure who EXACTLY had the idea for this one, rarmaster wanted to do SOMETHING at CO while Riku and Namine were at Hollow Bastion. Plus, we have the lovely tangent plots of Tulip, Larxene L and 37, 19 and 23... Yeah, pretty much. Oh, and Joseph, never forget Joseph. Anyway, so I wrote the conversation between Vexen and Alpha at the beginning. Rarmaster finished the chapter and has another chapter lined up for you guys. I'm the one to blame this time, I should have had this up... erm... two nights ago. Yeah. *facepalm* I need to stop getting distracted by things... Oh! Look! Shiny!

I must also facepalm myself in the fact that I didn't ask rarmaster for an author's note. Meh. And now she's at school... so... snargleforgle. I'm sure if she has anything important to say, I can add it into the next chapter when I remember to post that.

College, man, it kills your time.

Enjoy!

"Shouldn't someone go to Hollow Bastion to observe if she has a meltdown or not? Weren't we all wondering if it was Castle Oblivion triggering them?"

Alpha looked at Vexen over his very large book.

"Since when do you care so much?" he asked. "Unless this is just some weird relation to the fact that you feel protective over Riku because you were the one to create him."

"You care too when she's having one and he's at everyone's throats," Vexen replied, sounding slightly hurt.

Alpha sighed and looked over his glasses at Vexen. "You have a valid point. However, we really can't spare anyone. Riku's arguably our best fighter. And all of our good researchers also happen to be good fighters.

"What about sending Joseph?" Vexen mused. "I could probably teach him how to take good notes."

"Don't let him hear you say that," 29 cautioned, walking past.

"He'd just get into more trouble there," Alpha said. "And I doubt he'd take good notes, even if you did take the time to teach him."

Vexen shrugged. "I was just considering all the people that we don't necessarily want here during a raid."

Alpha decided that he didn't want to be a part of this conversation anymore, so he returned to his book.

"They're not going to be there long," Vexen continued. "We should jump on this opportunity."

Alpha sighed.

"Perhaps I should just go…"

"Your decision, I suppose," Alpha said, now just trying to get Vexen to be quiet. "But if we have a raid and you're not here, I'll kill you myself."

"I'm going to take that as a compliment to my fighting ability."

Alpha was going to pointedly ignore that comment, but he was distracted by a dark corridor. He slowly lowered his book and took off his glasses. It wasn't a raid—raids started with several dark corridors at once, or someone charging through the front doors.

"Tulip, is that you?" Thistle asked.

The Marluxia Replica who walked out of the dark corridor was indeed, Tulip. However, something had changed about him…

…because he had just pulled out his scythe on Thistle and wasn't making any apologies about messed-up data.

And then the rest of the raid arrived.

"Guess I'll stay here then," Vexen muttered.

Alpha swore under his breath. They were about to find out just how much Riku was helping them. And based on his calculations, Riku did quite a lot.

xx

"Tulip, what have they turned you into?" 23 muttered, watching the fight take place from the sidelines. He shook his head, slightly disgusted, but only slightly.

"I didn't realize they would rewrite you entirely," he continued, voice even quieter than it had been before.

He winced slightly, as someone in the fight he was watching took a rather nasty blow. And that someone hadn't been Tulip. 23 gasped slightly as the Vexen Replica stumbled back to his feet. It was 19.

"Tulip!" 19 said, his voice desperate. "Would you just listen to me! This isn't you! This isn't-"

23 looked away.

"I am sorry," he whispered.

And then he walked off, paying no attention to the fight, and not drawing his weapon to aid in any way, either.

xx

"You are right," Tulip, who was not really Tulip, said plainly, hefting his scythe to strike again. "I am not Tulip, not anymore. I am much stronger."

"And you're working for Saix!" 19 shouted, dodging out of the way of the scythe. "You said you hated him! He never liked you, because you were-"

"Defective," the New Tulip finished, and then laughed. "But I am defective no longer!" And again, he slashed with his scythe, missing 19 only narrowly.

"I won't fight you!" 19 gasped, his voice desperate.

"Chose so at your own wish," the New Tulip laughed. "But be warned, you are bringing your own demise upon you!"

He struck yet again, and actually hit 19 this time. The scythe scraped him across the cheek and he stumbled back, clutching the newly formed and bleeding wound. The New Tulip grinned a wicked grin, and prepared to deal the final blow while 19 was off guard.

"Tulip, I am very disappointed in you," came a small voice.

He glanced down, surprised to find Joseph guarding 19. The look on Joseph's face was an odd one. It was mix of disgust, and anger, and yet… pity.

"I can't believe I wasted perfectly good WINNER sticks on you," Joseph muttered. Then he turned away. He grabbed 19 by the hand and formed a dark corridor around them both.

The New Tulip made a face, but then quickly located his next victim.

xx

Things are going better than usual, Larxene L laughed to herself, watching as Tulip took incapacitated yet another Replica. Yet again, though, said Replica formed a dark corridor around themselves before Tulip could deliver the final blow.

Larxene L groaned. "What's the point of a Killer if he doesn't kill anyone!" she muttered, and then turned and kicked an advancing Vexen Replica in the gut. He was sent flying and skidded across the floor. She walked over to him, and placed a foot on his chest before he could get back up.

"Maybe I should take you in for a Rewrite, too," she sneered.

"Vexen Replicas… don't make good fighters!" he stuttered. "How would you make any use of me?"

"Good point," she sighed, and then whistled. Immediately, Tulip turned around.

"Over here!" she called in a sing-song voice.

And very quickly, she moved out of the way. Tulip brought his scythe swinging down-

Larxene L looked away. She didn't need to watch the Vexen Replica die. His cries of anguish were enough.

That's the first we've managed to kill, isn't it? she thought, and then grinned. Things really ARE going well this time!

But… isn't there something missing?

She glanced around. Sure enough, she was having trouble locating a certain someone. A certain someone who would have killed her by this point, except— he wasn't anywhere in sight. She frowned.

Before she could get anywhere on figuring out just where Riku was, a Marluxia Replica attacked her. She dodged out of the way.

These guys are SOO annoying, she groaned, as she punched him. How much longer is 37 going to take? He should have been done by now!