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

=13=

*Over the course of the next two weeks, you and your three partners on the lower levels of the castle watched what began to unfold upon the upper floors. According to Vexen, whom was carefully spying upon the younger members of the Organization, Marluxia was now working against the Organization's best interests and attempting to meddle with Sora's memories for his own personal gain; working alongside him was none other than Larxene, which honestly came as no surprise to you. They had, after all, been rather close before you all had left the base to come to the castle. However, as the four of you all knew, working against the Organization was a blatant death wish.

Currently, you were listening to Vexen brood over the fact that Naminé had re-written his precious experiment's memories- speaking of that experiment, that was something that you weren't sure how to feel about. Riku, a young boy that you knew to be Sora's best friend, had appeared within the castle basements only days earlier- Vexen took the time to obtain data from him, and using that data, he created a perfect replica of the young boy that he had since been using to do his dirty work. You sighed heavily and rose to your feet from your chair, bringing your hand to rest upon your hip as you stared at the blonde scientist.

"Vexen, listening to you brood for years truly is exciting, but there are other things we need to focus on right now, yes? After all, you were there when they suggested his memories be re-written… so you can't really complain when you did nothing to stop it."

Your words earned you a hard glare from the scientist, but you honestly didn't care. You knew your words to be true, and you were much more concerned with the fact that two of the Organization members were working against your leader- perhaps three, since you and the others were currently unaware of Axel's siding in all of this. You leaned against the wall now, bringing your arms up and folding them neatly across your chest. After doing so, you inhaled deeply and allowed your breath to seep slowly through your lips.

"Look… I understand that you need your replica. However, we need to stop Marluxia and Larxene. I highly suggest we don't confront them head-on, especially since you've been spying on them this entire time, Vexen. How do you think they would react if they found out?"

The scientist scoffed, moving a few stray strands of hair away from his face before taking a seat upon a chair within the laboratory. The lab had become a meeting place for the four of you, but Lexaeus was currently standing watch outside the door, so the current conversation was only being heard by Zexion. The Schemer cleared his throat, and then looked over at the blonde now relaxing upon his chair.

"Vexen, you never did say what exactly went on when you met with Larxene and Marluxia. You came back and have been speaking only about your replica ever since then. When I questioned you about what happened the next time you met with them, you never responded."

The blonde seemed to retreat slightly within his chair, a scowl forming upon his lips as he glanced down at the floor beneath him. He stayed quiet for a moment, which made you cock your eyebrow in curiosity- what exactly had happened between Vexen and the traitors that he was keeping to himself?

"My replica has been… going astray. He is no longer acting in anyone's interest other than his own. Ever since those two had Naminé re-write his memories, he has been out of my control. Hence why I have been speaking about it so much since my return. However, when I met with them once more, Marluxia gave me a rather interesting task. He wishes for me to prove myself by defeating Sora."

Vexen's answer caused both you and Zexion to give a slightly surprised look, but you hummed softly as you thought about his words. The Organization needed Sora, and it was clear that Marluxia and Larxene needed him just as much for their own goals. If Marluxia truly had challenged Vexen to defeat Sora, that would ultimately mean that he would be losing a vital asset to his agenda as well. So why, then, would he propose such an idea to Vexen in the first place? It simply didn't make sense within your mind.

"And what do you plan to do about this, Vexen?"

"I intend to allow Sora to see what he is currently overlooking. In order to combat Marluxia, I will confront Sora and allow him to see the other side of his heart."

"The other side of his heart?"

"I shan't explain such things right now, (Name). It would take far too long and I'm not in the mood to speak about it, currently. Perhaps when I return I shall explain what I mean."

You watched as he rose from his chair, and heard a soft sigh pass his lips. He made his way over to Zexion's side, placing his hand upon his shoulder before leaning beside his ear- his words were unintelligible to you, but the expression upon Zexion's face was more than enough to show you that whatever he said was rather important to the Schemer. You saw the scientist's green eyes glance over at you once he had finished speaking, and not too long after, he made his way in front of you.

"(Name), you have been a wonderful asset to our Organization. I know that my actions towards you have been rather uncalled for at times, but it truly has been a pleasurable experience working alongside you and Zexion."

You gave the man a rather confused look, seeing as how this was literally out of nowhere. All that he gave in return was a simple pat on the shoulder, before heading off towards the doorway that led out of the laboratory.

"I'm going to see our hero of light now. Zexion, heed my words."

With that, the blonde made his way outside the laboratory, and out of your sight. You quickly made your way over to Zexion, questioning him about what Vexen had spoken to him before coming to you. You were extremely confused as to why he had a sudden change of heart, so to speak, and it was something that made you feel rather uneasy.

"He asked me to finish his work for him, (Name). Unlike the two younger members upstairs, most of the Organization still believes that what we are working towards is something that is obtainable. It is without a doubt that many of us, if not all of us, will meet our ends because of Sora. I suppose it was his way of apologizing for his rude and often childish behavior towards you and I, in case something were to happen to him whilst he is away."

You let out a soft hum, your (color) eyes dropping to look down at the colorless floor beneath your feet. That was something that you hadn't really thought about before- what happened to Nobodies after they died? Did they simply vanish into a never-ending nothingness, or was there something awaiting them after they perished? Naturally, this was something that you would never know until you yourself met your end, which was something you honestly hoped wouldn't come to pass. In an attempt to rid your mind of any more thoughts about such things, you cleared your throat and began to walk towards the entrance to the laboratory.

"I'm going to go… wander around, I suppose."

"(Name), be careful. Should you happen upon Riku or his replica, do not engage him. Simply retreat and inform either Lexaeus or myself, alright? It's not that I don't trust in your abilities… I simply don't want you getting hurt."

You didn't take any offense to Zexion's words- it was honestly rather sweet that he cared about you so much. You gave him a small smile over your shoulder, brushing a bit of your (color) hair behind your ear before heading out of the laboratory.

=13=

"I've never seen the full extent of this castle, now that I think about it. How many floors does this place have?"

You spoke softly to yourself as you made your way up yet another set of stairs- since you had left the laboratory, you had counted at least five floors that you had ventured through. Given that you and the others had been on basement level six, according to Vexen, surely you must be close to the entrance of the castle by now, right? At least, that's what you thought.

Upon reaching the top of the flight of stairs you had previously been climbing, you stopped as you saw a portal of darkness materialize upon the opposite end of the room. You mentally readied yourself, in case it was something that you would need to take up arms against, but were both relieved and slightly upset to see none other than the Savage Nymph come from within the darkness. You stared at her, your (color) eyes fixated unyieldingly upon her own cyan ones.

"Ah, just who I hoped I'd find! How are you, (Name)?"

"You're not supposed to be here, Larxene. These basements are governed by the higher ranked members of the Organization, as under the word of Marluxia."

Your words, cold and unfeeling, made the woman across the room give a rather distinct frown. She began pacing towards you, her heels clicking against the floor with each stride- you continued to keep yourself at the ready, but were rather surprised to see the smile return to her lips once she was halfway across the room.

"Come on, (Name). I know we didn't talk much back at the base, but maybe we can change that! After all, you're very special."

"I'm not any more special than the next member, Larxene. My power is not greater than anyone else's, so don't speak as though it is."

By this time, the blonde was now in front of you. She seemed to completely ignore your words, and placed her hand upon your shoulder as she gave yet another grin- it made you rather uncomfortable, and the fact that she was so close to you heightened that feeling even more. You wanted nothing to do with traitors of the Organization, but you couldn't let it slip that you knew about such things. It would put Vexen and the others in danger, and that was something that you wouldn't allow.

"Oh come now, (Name). You and I both know that there's so much more for you out there than working under Xemnas. You have a wonderful power, after all. An endless army of Pureblood Heartless? Not to mention you can make people literally rot away…"

"No, I can't. I have never been able to use my power on people, Larxene. Where are you even going with this?"

The blonde began to run her fingers gently through your hair, and your entire body tensed up for a moment as she did so. You refused to move away, since you knew that was exactly what she thought you would do. You forced yourself to remain still, and she hummed softly as she twirled a small strand of your (color) hair around her gloved finger.

"You should come and meet Marluxia, (Name). I'm sure he'd love to speak to you… and I bet you'd be of great use to us."

"I'm not a toy, Larxene. I'm also not going to become some underling to Marluxia…"

"Oh, and why is that? Oh yes… perhaps it's that partner of yours, right? After all, you and him are together all the time."

You immediately looked up, shooting the now grinning blonde a glare. You finally decided to move away from her, flicking her hand away from you as you did so- you weren't about to put up with this treatment from her, especially since she had already earned your distrust with her actions against the Organization. And, now that she had made the situation personal by bringing Zexion into it, you certainly weren't about to be silent about such things any longer.

"Don't you dare bring Zexion into this, Larxene. You aren't about to manipulate me into whatever it is you're wanting me to do. So, I suggest you go right back upstairs and never come back down here. You come down here and talk to me as though we're friends, yet you've rarely spoken to me before this. And, to add to it, you made things personal in an attempt to manipulate me."

You grabbed her wrist, pulling her close to you before curling your lips into a small grin. Your fingers dug into her gloves, and you saw a pained expression cross her face as you did so.

"Go back to Marluxia, Larxene. Do not return down here, lest you regret that choice. You've already made the mistake of attempting to manipulate me… do not try your luck again."

You let go of her hand, and watched as she immediately gripped it with her unaffected one. She gave you a rather pained expression of what seemed to be slight fear, and you noticed that she had summoned a portal behind her as she continued to back away from you.

"Stupid girl… what did you do to my hand? It shouldn't be hurting this much…"

You didn't answer. Your smile stayed upon your lips, which only made the blonde more distraught. She quickly turned on her heel, hastily heading within the portal and closing it immediately behind her. You hummed softly to yourself as you turned around yourself, beginning to head back down the stairs towards the floor where Zexion and Lexaeus were.

=13=

The sound of turning pages was the only thing to be heard within the laboratory as you entered the doorway. Upon hearing the door shut behind you, the Schemer glanced up and away from his book to see who had entered the room. He watched as you walked in front of him, the same smile still upon your lips as when you had taken the pleasure of putting Larxene in her place.

"Well, you seem to be in a good mood. Did something happen whilst you were out and about within the castle?"

You hummed softly, reaching down to tug at some of the strands of blue hair that over his right eye. He cleared his throat as you did this, and you couldn't help the chuckle that passed your lips. The mood you were in was good indeed, and you wanted to celebrate your triumph with the man sitting in front of you.

"I simply put a certain blonde woman in her place. She came to me spewing nonsense about how I had great power and didn't need to be Xemnas's lapdog. So, she tried to make things personal to get me to join her side. I simply didn't allow that. Messed up her hand a bit…"

Your response seemed to surprise the Schemer, but he hummed softly and then gave a soft sigh. He figured that Larxene or Marluxia would attempt something at some point or another, but to do something like this so soon was rather unexpected. However, he was rather glad that you had put the Nymph in her place, since she so desperately needed to experience something like that to begin with.

"Also, is Lexaeus in here somewhere?"

"I'm afraid not. He went off somewhere whilst you were gone. Why?"

You brought the hand that had been playing with the man's hair along the top of his head, and then gently ran it along the side of his face to cup his cheek tenderly within your palm. Without replying to his question, you brought yourself down to his level and closed the space between the two of you. He had no reason to object such an action, and happily returned it- being able to feel these emotions again was such a welcomed relief, and enjoying such a feeling with you was more than he could have ever hoped for in this life.

You eventually moved yourself away from him, your thumb running along his cheek as you rested your forehead against his own. You still didn't know much about this emotion called love, and you were mostly acting on instinct- you wanted to be close to him, and being close to him brought you a sense of comfort that only he could give. In all honesty, you were stressed and worried about the predicament with Marluxia and Larxene, so you needed the comfort now more than ever. For whatever reason, being within Castle Oblivion was making your emotions, though still unknown and rather foreign to you, run more rampant than they usually did.

"Are you alright, (Name)? You've been acting rather odd lately. I simply wish to make sure that nothing is ailing you."

You gave a small nod of your head, and then sighed deeply as you closed your eyes. Being this close to him truly was giving you a wonderful feeling of comfort, and you were instinctively wanting more of it with each passing second. He eventually came to notice how you were in need of some physical comfort, and even though he himself was inexperienced with this sort of thing, he wanted to at least try to help you. He rose to his feet, grabbing your hand within his own as he brought his Lexicon to rest at his side whilst he began to walk. The laboratory came equipped with several rooms for those who were working within it, so the Schemer figured it might be a good time to allow you to get some form of rest- after all, rest was one of the best ways for someone to relax, which is what he figured you needed.

He brought you into one of the empty rooms, allowing you to sit upon the bed within the room before brushing a bit of your hair away from your eyes. You wanted him to stay with you, even if that meant sharing your bed with him for a while- anything to keep him close to you. What little you had regained of your heart was growing more and more needy of the man whom had stolen it, and you weren't quite certain whether that was something to be glad about or concerned about.

"I know you don't want me to go, (Name), but you need your rest. I assure you that I will be close by if you need me."

You gave a small nod of your head, a quiet sigh passing your lips. What was this feeling that had overtaken you? You were growing needy of the physical comfort Zexion could now provide, and that hadn't been there when all of this first began. You watched the Schemer place his Lexicon upon the nightstand beside your bed, and he gently tapped the cover of it with his hand.

"Should you need something to read, feel free to examine my book. I'm sure the next portion of the story we began together is in there, now. Now, rest if you can- it is rather late, after all. We've all had a very interesting day."

With that, Zexion made his way towards the door of the side room, and the glow of the computers within the laboratory slowly faded as he shut the door nearly all the way. Only a sliver of blue light managed to make its way past the door- just enough for you to see if you needed to. Your (color) eyes stared at the Lexicon that was sitting upon your nightstand, and you hummed softly as you grabbed it and brought it upon your lap. You snuggled a bit into the pillow you were currently resting on, and then opened the book- sure enough, as Zexion had said, the next part of the story the two of you had been partaking in together was now written upon the pages of the book.

Needless to say, when Zexion returned later within the night to check on you, he found you fast asleep with his Lexicon opened and splayed across your chest.

=13=

Author's Note (1): If I'm going by Roxas's journal entries, the entire Chain of Memories arc takes place over the course of approximately a month (from when Axel leaves to when Roxas finds out about the Castle Oblivion team being eliminated is a total of 28 days). So, that being stated, there is approximately two weeks left in this arc when going by the normal timeline.

Author's Note (2): I made this chapter a bit more… mushy near the end. Please remember that what happens to Nobodies when their hearts return is entirely non-canonical, and based entirely on my own head-canons, observations, and theories. If Zexion appears to be out of character, it is simply because that he and (Name) are attempting to deal with the complications of their emotions slowly but surely returning to their bodies. I feel that, both as a Nobody and as a human, Zexion was rather inexperienced with love and the feeling of it, but is able to cope with it and learn what it means rather quickly. Hence why he doesn't retreat upon kisses, or doesn't mind giving physical comfort. (The trope of inexperienced = shy and incapable got a bit old in my mind).