* = Author's Note – please see bottom of chapter for explanation.
=13=
"I assure you, the castle is much more appealing in terms of light on the upper floors, (Name). It is much darker down here than it is up there- however, Marluxia is in charge of this domain, and as such, we are left to tend to the castle's basement floors."
"Quiet, Zexion. We have other matters to attend to. I must return to my laboratory here within the castle… otherwise, how am I to make progress with our Program?"
You watched as the blonde-haired man turned on his heel, is coat fluttering behind him as he wandered off down the stairs to the basement floor below. Though you hadn't seen much of the castle for yourself thanks to Marluxia, you assumed that it was similar to the basement floors in design. Your (color) eyes wandered the dark room, seeing several pedestals lining the walls- naught much else was to be seen, but this was mostly due to how the castle functioned. Zexion had spoken about how the castle was used as a place of examining and studying how memories worked when he had openly admitted everything to you the day before, and that the castle was, somehow, attuned to said memories.
You heard a deep hum come from your right, and you glanced over at the large, ginger-haired man that had accompanied you and the others in your coming to Castle Oblivion. He had his arms folded across his chest, his eyes closed as he seemed to be deep within his own thoughts. You stood within the quiet that had enveloped the three of you, not speaking, until he finally opened his eyes and broke his silence.
"Zexion- I take it that you sense the unease within this place as well?"
Hearing the Stalwart's deep voice was something that you certainly weren't accustomed to. Throughout all the time that you had already spent within the Organization, you could count on one hand how many times you had actually heard him speak. However, his choice of words intrigued you- did he truly sense something amiss within the castle? And, was Zexion aware of such a thing as well?
"Yes, Lexaeus. I sense a constant feeling of unease here. I don't dare to begin throwing around accusations, but I believe this feeling to be coming from a certain duo running the upper floors. And then there's Axel…"
*"Yes- who knows what that one is thinking."
As much as you wished to think that both Lexaeus and Zexion were simply unnerved due to being away from the base, you couldn't help but notice that there was a certain air within this place that concerned you. Surely it was just your nerves, seeing as how this was the first time you had been sent away from the base for more than a day, but what if it happened to be something more than that? No- you couldn't start making yourself more uneasy than you already were. That would only bring trouble, especially if something were to happen.
"Zexion, what are we to do whilst we're here? Surely Lord Xemnas didn't expect us to sit here and twiddle our thumbs, did he?"
The Schemer looked down at you, and then hummed softly in response. In all honesty, Vexen would most likely take care of the work from here, especially since it was more his area of expertise to begin with. Not to mention the Academic was certainly not the type to have helpers within his laboratory unless absolutely necessary, so Zexion saw no point in even attempting to help him in his endeavors. However, these thoughts were quickly changed when Vexen came wandering back into the room, a rather perturbed look upon his face.
"(Name), come to the laboratory with me. I'm in need of your assistance, as much as I dislike admitting such a thing."
You were rather confused as to why he would need your help, but you gave a nod of your head before striding over beside him and earning a very forced smile from him. You mentally rolled your eyes, especially since you were being rather kind in helping him in the first place- you could have just as easily said no and stayed by Zexion's side. Both the Schemer and Stalwart watched as the two of you walked off into the darkness of the basement, and then the ginger-haired man gave a deep sigh.
"I'll repeat myself, Zexion. You are wading into dangerous waters."
"I have no idea what you're talking abo-"
"You told her that you love her."
The Schemer nearly choked on his words- how had Lexaeus come to know about something like that? He had been absolutely certain that no one knew about *their more intimate meetings on the islands, nor the one time they went to The Legacy. His blue eyes stared up at the Stalwart, and yet again, the ginger gave a heavy sigh before reaching into the breast pocket of his cloak. From within, he pulled out Zexion's small journal that he typically kept within his coat.
"I found this in the hallway back at the base yesterday evening. I had no intention of reading it since it was your personal journal, however, I happened to skim the page it was opened to when I picked it up. You're quite lucky that I was the one who happened upon this, and not someone like Xigbar or Lord Xemnas himself."
Zexion closed his eyes, a soft sigh leaving his lips as he did so. There was no use in hiding it now- not that Lexaeus had found out about it. Besides, he was right in his words- Zexion trusted the Stalwart more than he trusted any other member within the Organization. Taking a deep breath, the Schemer gave a slow nod of his head before beginning to speak.
"I believe that I know what I'm doing, Lexaeus. I understand that you're concerned about my actions, but-"
"I'm happy for you."
Once more, the Nobody was stopped in his tracks. He looked up at the ginger in confusion, and saw the faintest of smiles run hastily across his lips before they returned to their normal look of solemnness. This was something that he himself had only seen once before, and that in and of itself said something to him. Lexaeus placed the notebook into Zexion's pocket, then cleared his throat.
"You might not understand why, but you are my friend, Zexion. Though we are Nobodies, and though I cannot feel what you can, I always figured it would be you that pulled through and unlocked the secrets of Nobodies. While Vexen might be smart, your mind is more intellectually sound- not to mention you aren't fueled by a large ego."
Zexion hummed softly in response to the words of the fellow Organization member, but now that Lexaeus had spoken his thoughts on the relationship that he and (Name) had, there was something even darker that seemed to loom over the room. It wasn't emitting from Lexaeus, but rather coming from somewhere else within the castle- the stench of darkness reeked within these walls, and it was growing more and more noticeable as time passed. There was something much larger going on here, and Zexion was now hellbent on figuring out exactly what it was.
=13=
You were now standing in front of a large computer monitor, your (color) eyes wandering across it to see several bars that were constantly fluctuating in size- these were accompanied by several numbers that changed every so often as well. The room that Vexen had brought you to was somewhere that was seemingly inaccessible by any who entered without prior knowledge of this laboratory, so you weren't worried about anyone coming in when they shouldn't- this would keep prying eyes away from whatever it was you were looking over, and whatever else happened to be within this lab of Vexen's.
"I need you to make sure that those numbers stay within this range, (Name). If they grow larger, or smaller, alert me immediately."
You watched as Vexen scribbled some numbers down onto a small notepad that was upon the desk that housed the computer monitor, and then turn on his heel and hastily make his way across the room to a large container. You turned your attention away from the blonde, however, and placed it upon the machine in front of you- now that you looked once again, you saw that there was a small image of what looked to be someone's body displayed on the left side of all the data. However, the image was rather small, so you couldn't quite make out whoever it was supposed to be.
"Vexen, what is all this data for, anyway?"
"Must you ask needless questions, (Name)? I understand that my work can be captivating, but I simply must focus on finalizing this. I have a feeling we shall be needing it sooner than later."
You huffed quietly, pursing your lower lip as you furrowed your brows slightly. For once, you wished that Vexen could just answer your question rather than give some form of snarky reply like the one you just received. You turned your eyes back to the data on the screen, watching the numbers slowly change about every forty-five to fifty seconds or so. You pulled up a chair from the side of the desk, giving a quiet yawn as you sat down upon it- no use in not taking advantage of it since it was in the room. After all, standing for long periods of time could be rather tiring, especially when you were doing nothing more than watching numbers upon a screen change every now and again.
You could hear Vexen messing with something behind you, but when you glanced over your shoulder, his back was turned and you were unable to see what exactly he was messing with. You gave a quiet sigh, and then leaned back against the chair as you attempted to get into a more comfortable position.
"Ugh… I need more data than what I have. This is most unfortunate."
Vexen's mumbling caught your attention, and you cocked your eyebrow as you turned the chair to face him. Though you were supposed to be watching the numbers upon the screen, they were relatively normal, and you decided you could take a few moments away from them.
"Vexen, just give me a straight answer for once. What exactly is going on here?"
You saw the scientist's shoulders rise as he took a deep breath, and then fall as he let out a long, overly-exaggerated sigh.
"I know that Zexion told you most everything you needed to know, however, there are a few things that need to be examined further. This castle is a place where he and I have been examining the power of memories, and as you surely know by now, this is no ordinary castle. The rooms are all the same on every floor, except for when you have one of these."
You saw him turn around, your eyes falling upon a bright blue card within his gloved fingers. You cocked your head a bit, seeing that the card had a picture plastered upon the front of it.
"These are cards that were created using Sora's memories. Sora, as you know, is a great asset that the Organization is in desperate need of. However, as I was saying earlier, these cards grant access to the worlds and various places that he has been within his memories. We won't be using them, however. These are purely for Sora's use alone… and I unfortunately had to give the full set of Sora's memories over to Marluxia upon entering the castle."
Vexen's last words were nearly spit through his lips. You knew that he had a large disliking for Marluxia, but they were all in the Organization, so they had to somehow get along. After all, the Organization is what brought them together in the first place. He leaned his head back slightly, strands of his blonde hair falling behind his shoulders as he did so, and then gave a low sigh before folding his arms across his chest.
"Tell me, (Name), for I am most curious- do you believe that the Organization's overall goal is what it is made out to be? In other words, do you believe Lord Xemnas's words when he says we shall regain our hearts once Kingdom Hearts in completed?"
This was a rather odd question to hear, especially coming from someone like Vexen. He had always been working towards the Organization's goal of completing Kingdom Hearts without wavering, so hearing what sounded like doubt coming from his lips was rather… unnerving, if you were honest. You cleared your throat, glancing back at the numbers on the screen behind you before beginning to answer his question.
"I believe that Lord Xemnas has our best interests in mind, yes."
"That wasn't what I asked, (Name)."
You sighed deeply- what were you supposed to say to him at this point? You hadn't told a soul about what you and Zexion had discovered, and you definitely hadn't told anyone about the emotions that you felt between the two of you. You knew that you could trust Vexen, but what you didn't know was how he would react if you told him about everything that you and Zexion knew about Nobodies and their ability to seemingly regain their hearts. You finally decided to part your lips to reply to him, but you were stopped when a voice spoke from the entrance to the room.
"The Superior is wrong about Kingdom Hearts, Vexen."
Both you and Vexen turned your attention to the doorway, where a certain blue-haired member was currently leaning against the doorframe. He said nothing after this as he walked into the room- you noticed that Lexaeus entered the room almost immediately after, and you wondered what exactly was about to happen. Zexion took his place by your side, placing his hand on your shoulder and giving a reassuring look in your direction.
"He and the other members of the Organization believe that completing Kingdom Hearts will return our hearts and make us whole again. However, judging by your question that you asked to (Name), you and I both know that this theory is incorrect. It has been almost a year since our Organization was founded, and nearly the same time that (Name) and I have been partners. Throughout that time, she and I discovered that our hearts are, in fact, capable of being regained."
The Schemer glanced over at Vexen, who was currently cocking his eyebrow as his mind attempted to process all that Zexion had just said.
"And just how have you managed to figure this out, Zexion?"
"You doubt my words, yes? It wouldn't be you if you didn't doubt me, Vexen. However, as (Name) and I spent more and more time together, we began to feel things again- at least, that's the conclusion we came to since we only had our memories of our former selves to rely on. We remembered what it was like to 'feel' things in our past lives, and those emotions began to manifest themselves through us, even though we supposedly have no hearts. (Name) was actually the first to notice this, so I don't dare take all the credit for this discovery. We would find the urge to laugh, or we would smile without having to force it as we normally did before her arrival to the Organization. This, as you know, is unnatural for beings who are supposedly incapable of feeling anything."
As Zexion stopped speaking, the room was entirely silent. Vexen was still attempting to piece together everything that Zexion was saying- not the mention that he was growing rather irritated that such a large discovery was made by someone other than himself. But, the more he thought about it, Zexion's theory did make sense- it didn't help that his growing anger and envy were large pieces of evidence that his words were true.
"If this is true, Zexion, the Superior must know about-"
"No. You absolutely cannot tell the Superior, or any of the other members. Do you understand? Lord Xemnas must have no knowledge that we know about this… I fear that he might believe us to be revolting against the Organization's interests and take action against us. For now, this information stays between the four of us, and the four of us alone. Do I make myself clear, Vexen?"
Vexen was rather surprised by the sternness of Zexion's words. Typically, he was very quiet and reserved- hearing such a direct command come from him meant that this was something that wasn't meant to be taken lightly.
"…as you wish, Zexion. However, this brings about another question. How do the rest of the Nobodies regain their hearts, hmm? For example, how would one such as myself begin to regain my heart?"
"That is something that I have yet to figure out. I'm assuming that it has something to do with the connections we form throughout our lives- both our former lives, and the ones we are currently living. However, I don't truly believe that we are born entirely emotionless. Vexen, and I mean this with the greatest possible respect, you have been egotistical since the day the original six founded Organization XIII. You are quick to anger, and have a rather short fuse- this is especially true whenever it comes to your lab work. Now, tell me, how could this be if you were born into this world without a heart? It makes no sense if you think about it logically."
Vexen huffed quietly, but he knew Zexion's words to be true. Since he himself was a logical thinker, it didn't make sense that he was so quick to anger if he was truly without a heart. And, on top of that, his emotion wasn't feigned whenever he got upset- it was something that just happened. However, before Vexen could reply to him, the Schemer began to speak one more time.
*"I also come with a new update. Marluxia has successfully lured Sora into Castle Oblivion."
This information made Vexen rather interested, and he turned around to face the large container that was in front of him. He ran his hand along the glass, ridding it of the frost that had formed there since the liquid contained within was rather cold, and hummed softly to himself. You were still unable to see what was inside the tank, but you knew that it must have been something of importance- and that it was most likely related to the data you had been in charge of watching over when Vexen first brought you into the laboratory.
"Wonderful… now the fun can truly begin."
=13=
Author's Note (1): If you've played RE: Chain of Memories, you'll notice that this choice of words from Lexaeus was nearly the same as in the cutscene with him and Zexion. These will be scattered throughout the next few chapters, since I am, again, attempting to keep this as close to canon as I possibly can. I'm not trying to alter the whole timeline, here. (Though it already feels like that, at this point).
Author's Note (2): The "intimate" meetings on the islands were the ones that were kept secret from the other Organization members. This does not include when (Name) and Zexion came back drenched from the islands, nor the time that Xigbar followed them to see what was going on between them earlier on in the story. Specifically, the "intimate" meetings he himself is speaking of are the ones where they acted upon their emotions more, such as when he read to (Name) from his Lexicon, or the night before they left for Castle Oblivion and he shared a kiss with her.
Author's Note (3): Again, this is a slightly altered timeline. In the original CoM timeline, Vexen is the one who informs Zexion and Lexaeus about Sora entering the castle. In my version, I altered this to where Zexion senses Sora's scent upon his entry to the castle (Zexion is keen on scents; this is canon) and tells Vexen and the others about it. This is intentional.
Author's Note (4): Some might be wondering how Zexion knew about Destiny Islands before CoM, (since this is where he took (Name) all the time) since it was shown in one of the cutscenes that he obtains the card of Destiny Islands from Axel. This is because the cards in Castle Oblivion are made of data obtained from memories- memories from Sora and Riku, to be precise. This means that he could have known about the world long before CoM, since the representation of Destiny Islands within the Castle is only a reconstruction of memories obtained from the two heroes. It's a personal idea of mine that the members of Organization XIII (as shown in 358 ½ Days) know about the many existing worlds, and most likely know of more than what has been shown to us in the games.