* = Author's Note – please see bottom of chapter for explanation.

=13=

"My Lord, you summoned me?"

The Diviner gazed around the empty, white room- each chair was void of any Nobody that would typically be sitting within them, aside from the silver-haired leader whom had summoned him within The Round Room. Once he had his fill of the scarcely-populated area, he turned his attention to Xemnas, who was seemingly deep in thought as he sat upon his throne.

"Indeed. I wish to know the status of the information you brought to me- the information involving Castle Oblivion's master, Marluxia."

"Yes, my Lord. *Marluxia is still planning a *coup d'etat with his partner, Larxene- they plan to use Naminé and her power over Sora's memory to manipulate him and dethrone you. The Dusks have continued providing the same information about them, so it seems naught has changed."

"And what of the replicas Vexen was tasked with creating? Has he had any form of luck in doing so?"

"Yes, my Lord. Vexen has successfully used the fragments of Sora's memory to create our fail-safe. Though he seemed displeased with your action of bringing another member into the Organization, it was nothing more than a simple show- he has completed his task of creating a Keyblade wielder, alongside replicating Sora's friend."

A deep hum left the leader's lips, and he seemed to relax slightly upon his throne. He had been rather distraught about the process and progress of the Replica Program, and knowing that his plan was now steadily moving forward was a welcomed relief. However, there was now another problem that stood in his path, and he was unsure of how to handle such a thing. All was silent for a few moments whilst the leader thought, and then the silence was finally broken.

"I am offering you the chance to aid me in a decision, Saïx. What do you propose should be done about the current issue at hand?"

"Well, my Lord, I believe that we could send the members we spoke of to Castle Oblivion sooner than we planned. Xigbar has been scouting the location and progress of Sora, and he is currently en route to Castle Oblivion, should he receive… guidance on how to reach it. I don't believe it would harm your goal to proceed with Sora's capture slightly ahead of schedule."

Yet another hum of thought passed Xemnas's lips, and he inhaled deeply before thinking the words his underling had spoken to him. He knew that Marluxia and Larxene must be eliminated- any who opposed his plans would meet such an end. And, now that his other half had been defeated by the Keyblade bearer, it would seem to be the perfect opportunity to put Naminé to good use. With these thoughts in mind, the silver-haired man finally came to a sound conclusion.

"I agree with your suggestion, Saïx. Inform the members we spoke of that they are to report to Castle Oblivion tomorrow morning. Do take care to inform Axel of his responsibility in dealing with Marluxia and Larxene."

"Yes- right away, my Lord."

Before the Diviner could leave The Round Room, however, he was stopped one final time by his leader.

"Also… be sure that (Name) goes as well."

=13=

"There is nothing more perplexing than this phenomenon we have discovered, (Name). It goes against all that we have been told as Nobodies- we simply cannot ever have hearts without the completion of Kingdom Hearts. However, this discovery is absolutely astounding. It seems to completely toss aside that assumption, and show that Nobodies can regain their hearts over time."

Your (color) eyes watched the Schemer as he hastily jotted down some notes within a small notebook he had upon his desk, (you had come to find that his room was seemingly one of the only ones that had more furniture than a simple bed) and then sighed heavily as he shut the cover once he had finished writing. He opened his coat, placing the notebook within a small pocket found near the breast, and then sat down upon his bed.

"It's simply baffling how such a simple action brought about such an amazing discovery. Perhaps if I experimented with this more, I could find out what exactly allows Nobodies to regain their hearts- is it something that happens the longer they remain in existence? Or perhaps there is certain criteria that must be met before a Nobody can begin to regain their heart. However, that brings about another question- is the criteria specific to each Nobody, or is it something that remains constant across all human-based Nobodies?"

"Zexion-"

The man stopped his constant theories for a moment, watching as you came to sit beside him upon his bed. You took a deep breath, and then gave him a small smile.

"First, it wasn't a 'simple' action… believe me. Second, take a break from trying to figure this out, alright? You've been going at it for two days now… ever since we left The Legacy."

Zexion stayed quiet for a moment, and then gave a small nod of his head. He knew that his words had been wrong- your action hadn't been easy, especially if you felt it as you had been feeling everything else whenever the two of you were together. The emotion was… embarrassment, right? He himself had felt such a thing when you did what you had done- and if he was honest, he wished that such a thing would happen once more. Then, a small idea happened to come to his mind.

"(Name)… would you mind if I did just one more experiment? All I ask is one more- it will take only a moment. Then, on my honor as an academic, I will cease my experiments and take leave from them."

You gave a soft sigh, and then nodded your head. What would one more small experiment hurt?

"Thank you. Now, I ask that you close your eyes for me- nothing more, and nothing less."

You cocked your eyebrow slightly, but heeded his command nonetheless. The Schemer waved his hand slightly in front of your eyes to make sure they were closed completely, and then braced himself for what he was about to do. He hesitantly began to close the space between the two of you, but immediately moved away upon hearing his door open. He hastily rose to his feet, and you turned your attention to the door- thankfully before the Diviner walked inside.

"Zexion, I have orders from- ah. (Name)."

His steely, yellow eyes stared endlessly at you- there was no emotion, not even feigned emotion, to be found within them. They were cold and unfeeling, just like the man they belonged to.

"Fortunate that I happened upon the two of you in the same room. Both of you are to report to Castle Oblivion in the morning- congratulations, Zexion… you and Vexen are about to put that Replica Program of yours to good use."

Without another word, the blue-haired Nobody swiftly exited the room and shut the door behind him. His words would have normally been just another order to you, however, the last bit caught your attention. You furrowed your brows slightly before rising to your feet, then turned your attention to the man still standing alongside you.

"Replica Program? What is the- wait a minute."

The file upon Vexen's computer labeled "RP" suddenly happened to flash within your mind, and you immediately knew what it represented.

"Zexion, you knew about the project all along, didn't you? You told me that you knew nothing about it when I asked in Vexen's lab... you lied to me."

"No, (Name). I beg that you listen to me. I simply didn't wish to involve you in the work that we were doing. This project is something that you don't want to be involved with, I assure you. It would cause you more harm than good, and-"

"Zexion, I don't care about what it would have done. I care about the fact that you lied to me about it- I care about the fact that I helped abuse Roxas and whatever data Vexen took from him. What is he planning on using Roxas's data for, hmm? Or has whatever it was already been done?"

The Schemer sighed heavily, his gaze dropping to the colorless floor beneath his feet. If he involved you in this, there would be unforeseen consequences to surely follow- the last thing he desired was you getting hurt or into trouble for his mistake, but he also knew that continuing to lie to you and withhold information was unwise.

"There is a great deal that you have not been told, (Name). Please… I ask that you allow me to atone for my mistake and tell you everything you need to know. I will hold no information from you, this I swear."

You were honestly unsure of whether to not you wanted to hear him out- you were upset that you were involved in using Roxas's data for this Program, and you were upset that Zexion had lied to you and kept something so important from you this entire time. However, there was also a part of you that wouldn't allow you to shove him off so easily, and that part eventually overtook you and brought you back upon the end of his bed.

"Fine… tell me."

=13=

"…and that's everything there is to tell you, (Name). It's quite a lot."

Naminé, Sora, Riku, and Castle Oblivion. You were attempting to comprehend all that he had told you- Naminé was in charge of Sora's memories, and had the ability to change and alter them to her will. Sora was a Keyblade wielder, whom Xemnas needed in order to complete Kingdom Hearts, much like Roxas. However, this boy also posed a large threat to the Organization and its goal at the same time. Riku was Sora's best friend, and Vexen and Zexion had re-created a version of him using the Replica Program. And that was only the beginning of all that he had told you- it was honestly rather disturbing just how much information had been kept from you not only by Zexion, but by the Organization in general.

You stayed silent, which made the Schemer sigh quietly. He knew that you were attempting to comprehend what he had told you, and that you were upset at him for keeping this information from you for so long.

"There's also something else I need to tell you. Vexen and I have growing suspicion of Saïx- as I said before, there are dark things going on within the Organization, (Name). I feel that he is planning something against the Organization's interests. Why we have this suspicion? We are honestly unsure. I suppose it's a form of intuition."

"I see."

You closed your eyes, taking a deep breath before looking over at your long-time partner.

"I apologize for getting upset. I also thank you for being sincere with me this time, Zexion. I know you kept this from me for my own interest, so thank you."

In an attempt to clear the mood, you forced a small smile and rose to your feet.

"Well… I suppose I should go and get ready for tomorrow then. Perhaps we could go back to the islands or The Legacy tonight. That would be nice, hmm? We could get one last visit in before we go on this mission. After all, we don't know how long we'll be there."

"A-ah, yes. I suppose we could do that later. Choose which one you'd like to go to the most, and we'll go there. I'll… see you later then, (Name)."

The Schemer watched as you walked out of his room, and you carefully shut his door behind you. Once you were gone, he gave a quiet sigh and laid back on his bed. This was a feeling that was unmistakable, and horrible at the same time- guilt.

=13=

"I have to say, I'm honestly rather surprised that you chose to come back to the islands, (Name). We've been here many times, and you've only seen The Legacy once."

"The Legacy has a beautiful view, but the islands mean more to me. I don't know when we'll be able to see them again, since we're going to Castle Oblivion and all, so I wanted to come back one last time."

The two of you were currently sitting on the docks, your bare feet dangling into the chilly water beneath you. The water was something that always relaxed you, and you would be without it for quite some time.

"The islands are special to you, are they? And why is that?"

"An intellectual like you should be able to realize that answer, Zexion. It's… where we always go together. All of my memories, the ones that are currently most important to me, were made here. You taught me how to manage my powers here, you spent nearly all your time with me here, and… it's just the place that means the most to me for that reason. I know my memories of who I used to be are supposed to be the most important thing, but they're not- everything that we've done together? Those memories are what matter most to me."

Your words honestly brought a sense of relief over the Schemer, and it was nice to know that the memories he had made with you were the most important thing to you. The rest of Organization XIII clung to their original memories without wavering, but you were different. You rarely spoke of your old self, or any memories you possessed of back then- everything you spoke of had to do with things the two of you had done, or things you knew would interest the academic. However, there was still a steadily-growing feeling that something was going to happen at Castle Oblivion, and the Schemer didn't like it.

"(Name)?"

"Hmm?"

You turned your head to give him your full attention, but were greeted instead by a pair of gloved hands coming to rest on your cheeks. You swallowed, unsure of what your long-time mentor was doing, but that question was soon answered- as you had done two days earlier, he tenderly pressed his lips against yours. He had only intended the action to be for a moment, but when he felt you lean into it ever-so-slightly, he made a subconscious choice to continue it for a while longer.

There it was, just as he had thought… the very faint, almost unnoticeable pulse within his chest. He was absolutely sure of it now- Nobodies could regain their hearts. He currently didn't care how or why; all that mattered was that it was because of you. He finally decided to move himself away from you, and you felt a heat arise in your cheeks as he continued to look at you. It grew unbearable, and you glanced away in a feeble attempt to hide yourself from him.

"I've been wanting to test it myself… to see if I was right. I've had these thoughts for such a long time, however, I was unsure if they were ready to be expressed or not. Now, I feel like I must express them to you, (Name). You mean more to me than all others within the Organization, and everything that you have taught shadows everything I thought I knew."

He brought his arms around you, pulling you against his body as he brought his chin to rest gently atop your head.

"I am absolutely certain of it now, (Name). Against all odds, against everything I ever thought to be possible… I have fallen in love with you."

=13=

Author's Note (1): I believe Xemnas to have known about Marluxia and Larxene's betrayal before sending them to Castle Oblivion. It is made out to be that he found out after they went, however, I truly believe he was aware of such acts before sending them off.

Author's Note (2): Coup d'etat – overthrowing a higher power; in this case, lower members planning to overthrow the Organization's leader.

Author's Note (3): The process of a Nobody regaining their heart is entirely my own head-canon. It has never been shown/stated what happens or the physical effects of a Nobody regaining their heart, so everything happening to (Name) and Zexion is entirely non-canon. The only thing that is canon is that Nobodies can regain their hearts- it's just unclear what happens to them when it occurs.