Author's Note: (magik): oh goodness, rar and I can BOTH attest to this taking forever! I mean, I'm not complaining, or pointing jabs at rar-who wrote pretty much the whole darn thing. It's just... this took FOREVER! I'm very glad that rar took this on, for there was no way I was going to be able to do it with everything else that's on my plate at the moment. So... yeah...

I didn't want to start posting any part of this sequence until the whole thing was written, given how long it was taking to be written in the first place. So, we've got several chapters for you that I'll try to post a couple days apart. (I say try purely because I have days where I'm actually hardly on my computer because I'm in class all day, or I'm at work actually WORKING and not just sitting there. Or I'm on a bus... etc, etc.)

I don't think rar had anything in particular she wanted to say about THIS chapter. /shifty glance.

So, enough of me babbling, here's the chapter!

"Are you alright, Joseph?" Vexen asked, looking over at the boy. Joseph sat on the other end of the couch, swinging his legs slightly, looking rather—

"Bored," Joseph said. "Just bored."

Vexen couldn't help but worry slightly. He'd learned over the past few months that Joseph and bored were never a good combination. He wondered briefly where 29 was, before realizing that there was someone else who wasn't with Joseph but should've been. "Where's Toby?"

"Taking a nap," Joseph replied. "He said he was tired. Guess I don't blame him."

"Maybe you should take a nap, too."

Joseph looked up at him then, the look on his face clearly showing his defiance. "I'm not tired!"

Vexen smiled. He glanced at what he was doing – reorganizing his research notes for the third time that day – and then said: "You want to go get ice cream?"

Joseph made a face. "Alright," he agreed reluctantly.

Vexen raised his eyebrows. "Well, if you don't want to go." He turned away from Joseph and returned to reorganizing his research. "I have other things I could be doing." Like finding somewhere better than my pockets to keep my notes. Like checking the surveillance footage to see if Riku missed deleting anything from yesterday.

"No, no!" Joseph was on his feet now. "We can go!"

Vexen chuckled and pocketed his notes, doing his best not to crumple them as he did so. He gestured for Joseph to go ahead and open the dark corridor and pushed himself to his feet.

xxx

It wasn't a long time before they both had their ice cream and were standing in Twilight Town as they ate it. Well, Vexen was standing. Joseph had run off. Vexen didn't think too much of it – Joseph did this every time they came – and merely resigned himself to his thoughts.

Part of him wondered what he was even doing here; spending time babysitting Joseph rather than doing other things. He quickly countered those thoughts with rational ones: What was there to do, really?

Yes, he wanted to find a better place to keep his notes. Yes, he wanted to check the surveillance footage. But those were just little things to do; minor things to keep himself occupied. He didn't have much else. He'd only come to this universe to see his Riku Replica, and besides that… there wasn't much purpose he had here.

In times past, he'd spend his time doing research or conducting experiments. But, here, there was little research for him to do, and there was no time or room for him to do any experiments – even if there was, what would he do experiments on? What would he even be looking for? What little research he did nowadays focused on Riku – his Riku Replica – but that was really only because it was the only thing that particularly interested him. There were so many things, so many changes, about his Riku that he'd wanted to study, but… since Riku avoided him…

To put it at best, the research was going absolutely nowhere.

Besides Riku, there was nothing else for him to research – even if he was interested in it. He'd collected all the data he deemed useful and possible to collect from Namine, with the only exception being data on her meltdowns. However, it wasn't just his research on Namine's meltdowns that had come to a standstill. Part of him wanted to keep pressing for research anyway – it would pride him to know he'd been the first to figure it all out – but the rest of him knew that it wasn't going to get him anywhere. Riku wouldn't let him anywhere near Namine, and even if Riku did (and Riku'd have to be desperate to do so), there was simply nothing else to study, no more clues to be found.

That left him where he was now. A researcher with nothing to research.

Joseph suddenly shot by on a skateboard. Vexen watched him go, a bit confused, until his brain finally processed what he had just seen.

"Joseph!" he called, quickly running after the boy.

Joseph brought the skateboard to a stop and turned to Vexen. "Yeah?"

"Where'd you get the skateboard from?"

"Some kids here let me borrow it! It was really nice of them, but they apparently don't use the skateboard all that often, which is, y'know, why they let me borrow it, so they don't mind. Sometimes they watch me skateboard, but-"

"Didn't 29 tell you not to borrow a skateboard from these kids?" Vexen asked, interrupting Joseph's rambling.

Joseph made a face. "Well, yeah, but-"

Vexen frowned. Joseph sighed.

"I'll go return the skateboard," he muttered, starting off. It wasn't long before he was on the skateboard again, though. Vexen only hoped that he was merely skating it back to where it belonged – though knowing Joseph, even if he was, there'd be plenty detours along the way.

Vexen sighed and moved so that he was standing somewhere a bit less conspicuous. He was just trying to figure out where he had left his thoughts when it struck him.

He could research Joseph and the other Experiments.

Even if Joseph and Toby were the only two left, there were certainly more of them at one point. What were they created for? They'd been labeled as "Experiments", but what had the Vexen here been experimenting? What kids were like? How different data worked when combined into a single Replica? What certain members of the Organization might have acted like at a younger age?

He pulled out his notebook to write down his thoughts, though in his hurry to get to a blank page he sent one of the extra pieces of paper he had stuck between the pages to the ground. Frowning, he bent to pick it up, thinking as he did so that he really needed to find a better way to organize all this. Things had been simpler when he had access to a computer on a regular basis…

Maybe he could convince someone here to—what was he thinking? Alpha didn't let him anywhere near the computers; he doubted telling Alpha he merely wanted it for research purposes would change anything. He could certainly try, though…

But, perhaps, maybe it would be best to wait until this whole "rebellion" thing was over. It shouldn't be too much longer, right?

He took a second to think about that, and then almost laughed. There was never anything "quick" about Rebellion, unless the rebels were killed shortly after rebelling.

He frowned, then, realizing something. The Organization had never taken kindly to defiance – at least they hadn't in his universe. Why was it that the rebellion hadn't all been killed yet? Certainly, if Xehan—Xemnas wished them all dead, it wouldn't take him much effort to come kill them all. Why were they still alive? Did he just not think it worth his time? Was there some other purpose the Replicas had originally been built for, and thus killing them would—

His thoughts were interrupted by a scream. A boy's scream, though it sounded more shocked than scared or pained. It was also… familiar…

Vexen was about to go investigate when Joseph came running in his direction, chased by a Heartless of the Soldier variety. Of course, it must've been Joseph who screamed. He'd been silly to think it had been—

Someone screamed. He knew that scream. Dread filling him, he took off at a dead run, hoping to reach the source in time. He had only just turned the corner when he saw them:

A boy, with hair the color of steel that fell to cover half his face, glancing at the creatures that surrounded him not with fear, but alarm. Typical.

Still, that didn't stop the terror from rising in his chest.

"Ienzo!"

Not even thinking about it, Vexen grabbed Joseph by the arm and pulled him out of harm's way, putting himself between the Heartless and the boy. It wasn't until he'd dropped his notebook and summoned his shield that he realized the Heartless they were facing was awfully weak and not much of a threat. Well… not much of a threat to him. It was still a decent threat to Joseph.

Vexen stared at the Heartless a moment more, and then bashed it over the head. It died instantly.

"What was that?" Joseph asked.

Not entirely sure how to respond to that question, as he wasn't quite sure what that was himself, Vexen asked: "Are you alright, I- ah, Joseph?"

Joseph. Joseph, not Ienzo!

What is going on?

One memory. One measly little memory. Why was it suddenly so hard to keep the two boys straight in his head?

"Yeah, I'm alright," Joseph said, then laughed. "You alright? You look like you nearly had a heart attack!"

Vexen turned to him, a bit confused. Joseph laughed again.

"That's what 29 tells me every time I scare him," he explained.

"Ah…" Vexen said, slowly. "I'm… fine."

I just had my life flash before my eyes, but…

"I'm fine," he repeated.

Joseph didn't look convinced. After a second, he bent down and picked up Vexen's notebook. "You dropped this," he said, handing it to Vexen. Vexen took it, and stared at it for a moment, his mind not registering what he needed to do with it right away.

Focus, Vexen! he scolded, returning the notebook to his pocket.

There are more important things at hand than reminiscing about Ienzo.

"Why was there a Heartless chasing you?" he asked, frowning slightly at Joseph.

Joseph shrugged. "Well, every now and then," he said. "There are a couple of Heartless around here – just here and there, not a lot of them. If you get far enough away from them, they'll usually leave you alone, but this one decided he wanted to follow me." He shifted slightly. "Sorry for scaring you. I just wasn't sure what to do. I mean, did you see that thing? It was like, twice my size!"

Vexen chuckled at that. The Heartless had not been that large.

"You never did answer my question," Joseph said after a moment. "What was all that about?"

"What was what about?" Vexen asked.

"I don't know. Throwing yourself in front of me and all that."

"Oh…" Vexen was silent for a while. He didn't know what to say. Putting himself between the Heartless and Joseph like he had had just been… instinct. He hadn't even thought about it. He just… did it. Which was odd, knowing him. He usually spent time weighing the consequences, the outcomes, before he acted.

But what to tell Joseph?

"I… ah… You were in danger," Vexen said, finally. "You cannot defend yourself. It was the logical thing to do; get you out of harm's way."

To his surprise, Joseph burst out laughing at this.

"'Logical?' Are you kidding, Vexen!" He could hardly get the words out he was laughing so hard. "There was nothing logical about what you just did! Oh, man…" He sighed. "I mean, seriously, the logical thing to do would've been to shoot an icicle at the Heartless to either freeze or kill it before it could do me any harm. And I know that, because that's what everyone else does when I'm in danger. What you did…" Joseph paused here, as if unsure what to say. "Only 29 has ever done that."

Vexen stared, not quite knowing how to respond to this. Yes, he realized that there really hadn't been anything logical about putting himself in front of Joseph like that. But the fact that Joseph recognized it?

Well, Joseph only recognized it because he knew what the logical thing was based on everyone else's – or at least the rest of the Vexen Replicas' – actions. Even so, that was very perceptive of him.

Like Ienzo.

He frowned.

Now you're just picking up similarities where there probably aren't any. So what? The boy shares a few traits with Ienzo. Does that mean anything? No. Just coinci—

Wait a minute.

Joseph is an Experiment; crafted from the data of multiple Organization members.

Could he have some of Ien—Zexion's data in him?

Vexen didn't see why not.

"Vexen?" Joseph asked.

"Hmm?"

"You zoned out for a second there."

"Sorry," Vexen said. "I was thinking."

Joseph nodded, understanding. After a second, he asked, quietly: "I remind you of Ienzo, don't I?"

Vexen frowned. "How did you…?"

Joseph shifted uncomfortably, and when he spoke, he did not meet Vexen's gaze. "You, sort of, kind of, screamed his name before you threw yourself in front of me," he muttered. He scratched his nose then, almost nervously.

"Oh…" I screamed Ienzo's name before—how embarrassing… "Right."

"I guess it makes sense though," Joseph shrugged, and then looked up at Vexen, smiling slightly. "I've got Zexion's data in me, and he and Ienzo are the same person, are they not?" He pushed his hair out of his face as he said this, and Vexen noticed that his hair only fell to cover the right side of his face.

Vexen was suddenly positive that if Joseph let his hair grow out, it'd look exactly like Ienzo's – minus the fact it was darker, of course.

"But," Joseph said then, a bit suddenly. "I'm confused. What's Ienzo got to do with anything?"

"I… looked after him, when he was a child," Vexen explained.

"Oh." Joseph nodded; this obviously made perfect sense to him somehow. He surprisingly didn't ask any further questions on the subject. Vexen wondered that if, because he had some of Zexion's data, there was a subconscious part of his brain that already understood Ienzo's life. Something else he'd have to explore when he eventually got to researching the Experiments farther. Then again, this could just be complete bogus…

"You miss Ienzo?" Joseph asked.

Vexen frowned. What had he done or said to give Joseph that indication? Or was Joseph just asking? Joseph could just be asking…

"You got that faraway look that Riku used to get when he was missing Namine," Joseph explained.

Vexen almost laughed. He'd been thinking about research, not Ienzo. But, now that Joseph brought it up, he admitted that he did… miss Ienzo. Or, Zexion. Or… whatever he was going by now that he was a Somebody again.

"Y'know, you could always go to the other universe and see him, couldn't you?"

"I could," Vexen agreed. There was always an option to go back to the other universe; it was really only a dark corridor away. Maybe he would now. Or, well, he'd go after he made sure Joseph was back in Castle Oblivion and not going to follow him.

But why did he have this nagging feeling that there was a reason he shouldn't go to the other universe?

Oh right.

"Actually, I might not be able to," he said, slowly. "If Xehanort's still around, he'll kill me in a heartbeat. I'm not sure if it's safe…"

"He hate you that much?" Joseph asked. He didn't sound very surprised, though. They'd discussed the matter of Xehanort before.

Hadn't they?

"I betrayed him," Vexen sighed. "He doesn't take kindly to traitors. He'd kill me in a heartbeat if I set foot in-" The words caught in his throat as an all-too-familiar terror gripped his chest. Zexion – Ienzo – had betrayed Xehanort, too. He was undoubtedly dead. There was no likely way he managed to avoid Xehanort's wrath.

"Set foot in what? The other universe?" Joseph said. Then he noticed the look on Vexen's face. "What's wrong?"

"He's dead," Vexen whispered, not wanting to say the words, as if it would avoid making them true. "Ienzo – Zexion – is dead. Xehanort killed him."

Joseph frowned, concerned. "You sure?"

"He betrayed Xehanort just as I did. There is no doubt he's dead."

"I don't know," Joseph said. "If your Zexion's anything like ours, he likely put up a decent fight. He could've gotten away."

"But you don't know Xehanort," Vexen replied. "He's… he isn't someone you want to upset." He sighed, not sure how to put this in terms that Joseph would understand. "Would you ever want to anger Xemnas?"

Joseph's eyes widened in horror, and he quickly shook his head. "He'd kill me! He'd kill anyone who angered him!"

"Xehanort is like that," Vexen said. "But stronger."

Joseph let out a long breath. "Sheesh."

"See why I believe Ienzo is dead?"

Joseph made a face. "But you don't know for certain that he's dead, do you?"

"There's not a likely chance he's alive, Joseph," Vexen said, sadly. "I only escaped Xehanort because I came here, where Xehanort would never think to look. Ienzo…" He rubbed his head. "I feel awful. Did I think once about Ienzo before I left? No. I only wanted to save my own skin."

Joseph laid a hand on his arm, trying to be comforting. "Hey, don't be so hard on yourself. Xehanort probably would've killed you too, if you had stayed, right?"

"That doesn't change anything. I still feel awful. I feel like I should've tried anyway."

Joseph sighed. "You want another ice cream?" he asked. "Ice cream always makes me feel better when I'm upset."

Vexen shook his head. "No, but thank you anyway, Joseph."

"I still think you should go to the other universe," Joseph said after a moment.

Vexen turned to him, not sure if he was upset or just plain exasperated that Joseph had suggested that again. "We already said that Ienzo is most likely dead, did we not?"

"Well, yeah, most likely," Joseph said, smiling. "But he could've gotten lucky. People get lucky sometimes. He could've gotten away! He might still be alive! And you won't know until you go find out, will you?"

"But Xehanort-"

"Time passes quicker in your universe, right? It's been…" Joseph took a second to count. "Like, three months since you got here. Three months is plenty of time for someone to stop Xehanort, right? You mentioned Sora was kind of a hero in your universe. He's had plenty of time to stop Xehanort!"

True. Sora and his friends had most likely taken care of Xehanort in that amount of time.

But that didn't mean Ienzo was alive…

"Do you want me to go find out for you?" Joseph asked. "I can!"

"No," Vexen said, firmly. That was not an option. "29 would kill me if he found out I gave you permission to go to another universe. He panics enough when you go to a different World!"

Joseph grimaced.

"But you aren't going to go?" he asked, crossing his arms over his chest. He suddenly sounded very grumpy.

Vexen shrugged, almost helplessly.

"So what are you going to do!?" Joseph demanded. "Are you just going to sit here and mope, then?" He didn't give Vexen the chance to reply. "'Cause if you are, then I'm going back to Castle Oblivion. You're bumming me out."

When Vexen didn't answer, Joseph formed a dark corridor around himself and was gone.