I'm Nobody

by free man writer

He didn't have anything when he was born. Just a name and number. But over time, what he had grew. He, with his friends began to understand that there was more to their existence then just their name and number. They will prove that they were meant to be real. To exist. To become something more than just a Nobody. Co-written and created with Jebest4781. Fem Shepard. Now on Ao3.

42. Unto Oblivion Our Journey Goes

Aaaaand, We're back.

Let's get to it.

Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.

I'm Nobody Chapter 42: Unto Oblivion Our Journey Goes

"So how does it work exactly? This whole card thing and visiting worlds of our past?"

Riku crossed his arms in thought, humming to himself as he mused on the question. It had been a bit of a time since he went through Castle Oblivion with King Mickey but the experience was one hard to forget.

"It's like… I dunno, you just are there." The silver-haired teen said with a shrug. "I went through the whole place using card worlds. I mean, I didn't feel anything whenever I went through those worlds, just some nostalgia I guess for being there."

"Huh." Sora mused, rubbing his chin, a thoughtful expression on his face. "So what, Donald, Goofy and I would have gone through the same Worlds?"

"Those you visited, yeah, but we both went to the same worlds." Riku pointed out.

"Does that mean we're gonna experience the same thing?" Goofy asked.

"Not likely." Came the answer from Axel, leaning against the wall next to the door.

Currently, he along with the group consisting of everyone in Yen Sid's tower but the old wizard himself were preparing in the room that Sora, Donald and Goofy shared.

It was a large group, to say the least with eight of them preparing to traverse the halls of Castle Oblivion.

Originally, King Mickey intended to journey with them but that would leave the tower undermanned and the other Worlds to themselves. Much as they have managed to dent the Heartless rampaging across the World's, they were still an ever-present threat.

They couldn't just all up and leave the Worlds to themselves.

Though with such a large majority if not all of them going, Xion did ask why they were going in such force.

The King simply replied that all of them would likely be needed for this and that Donald and goofy aren't really ones to let Sora go gallivanting off on his own. He did remind them that out of all of them, he was a Keyblade Master and that he could at least hold the fort down long enough until they returned.

Back to the conversation at hand.

"How so?" Riku asked, turning to the redhead.

"With us present," Axel gestured to himself and his fellow Nobodies, "you'll be getting more variety."

"Are we gonna be seeing World's we visited ourselves?" Xion inquired, curious as to what to expect from Castle Oblivion.

"Mostly from the Milky Way." No. VIII elaborated.

"Whoa~~~" Sora said aloud, a glimmer in his eyes. "That sounds awesome."

"Didn't you technically see the places they all visited through Roxas and Xion?" Goofy questioned, curious about the notion.

"It's one thing to see it through their eyes, it's another to experience it for yourself." Sora countered boisterously.

"Wow, that actually sounded almost intelligent." Riku couldn't help but remark cheekily, getting a huff from his best friend.

"Oh please~ like your one to talk." The brunette jabbed his finger at him. "You're no better yourself half the time. You make half-assed attempts at sounding "smart" and stuff but that's just your lame way of passing it off as you just copying things you heard."

"And you don't?" The silver-haired teen shot back.

"Bleh~" Was all Sora said in response, tongue poking out and right eyelid pulled down.

His friend 'hmphed' at his behavior, addressing the group as a whole.

"But I do agree with Axel." Said Riku. "We might go to places each of us went to, but it'll be different depending on how it'll be played out."

"Oh right, forgot for a moment you went through the basement levels." Axel murmured, a snap of his fingers.

"Is there a difference between the upper and basement levels?" Donald asked, turning to the former head of the Castle.

Axel shook his head. "Nope. Same process. It's just the memories being shown will be shifty if there was tampering or you forgot something significant and it surfaces. And if I recall it right, the floor space would be pulled from a particular person, not just everyone in attendance."

"What was your experience, Riku?" Sora inquired with a thoughtful frown, wondering what it would be like to go through memories of past events knowing that he could actually interact with them.

The silver-haired teen didn't answer at first, looking down for a few seconds before answering in a low voice. "...Isolated."

Some of the group tilted their heads at that. "Huh, isolated?"

"When I went through each of the floors, there was hardly anyone I interacted with. Only Maleficent and her Council were all I met with." Riku's voice came out hollow, some looking at him in surprise. "They were just… my reminders of the darkness I fell into. Willingly."

There was an awkward and tense pause from the rest of the gang until Namine stepped forward, placing a gentle hand on his arm.

"But that was your past, not your future." She quietly said. "You don't have to dwell on it because you've beaten it."

The look he gave her was somewhat intense. "Have I?"

She bit her lip, looking down for a moment until Sora spoke up.

"Well this time, ya won't be alone." He boisterously declared, walking over to his childhood friend and slapping him on the back. "You've got us and whatever we all run into, we'll take it all on together."

"At least we know what to expect if we come across a floor pulling from Riku's memories." Said Goofy before pointing towards the Nobodies. "Same goes with you three." He then pointed toward himself, Donald and Sora. "And us."

"Don't know about me." Said Namine. "I haven't visited that many worlds at all."

"Is there perhaps anything else we might expect?" Xion asked, looking at Namine, Axel and Riku in particular.

"Just putting it out here, but the floors might make a replica world -in a sense- of the Organization's HQ." The redhead stated, making some jolt at that revelation.

"Really?"

"It happened once when I was exploring." Axel revealed, a pointed look at them all. "It was rather trippy. I thought I somehow wound back there without using a Corridor but had to remind myself it wasn't real."

"Huh…" Roxas said, frowning now. "Sounds…"

"Best not to think about it too much." The tallest of the group advised. "It'll save ya the headache… till ya get there. You'll get one eventually."

"Real reassuring there, bud." The sandy blond deadpanned, getting Axel to flip his hood over his face.

"Is there anything else we should know before we go?" Donald brought up with Namine being the one to answer.

"Yes and this is a strange thing about Castle Oblivion." She crossed her arms, her finger tapping her chin in thought. "I never quite understood how it worked or why it operates like this but the means in which we'll be using to traverse the Castle with our memories will be cards."

"Uh, what?" Sora was clearly bewildered. "Why cards?"

Axel simply shrugged. "I dunno, that's just a function of the place. Maybe we can capture Luxord and interrogate him, cause that feels like something he would do."

"He would do that." Roxas and Xion said at the same time.

"Alright then." No. VIII clapped his hands together. "Everyone set?"

He got varying degrees of yeses and acknowledgments and with their goodbyes in passing to King Mickey and Yen Sid, the group began to make their way out of the tower.

With the use of the Gummi Ships and the help of Axel's directions, they soon arrived at a familiar crossroads where Sora, Donald and Goofy once napped in. No. VIII advised they leave the ship here since having it fly right at the Castle may alert whoever is there and they'll be discovered sooner or later once they enter the place.

Walking down the long path, the gang soon arrived at Castle Oblivion, the large structure at the edge of the road and seemingly in front of what one could call the entryway into the abyss.

"Jeez." Axel let out an annoyed sigh, hands on his hips. "Never thought we'd have to come back to this shithole."

"Hey, once we're done with our task here, we don't have to come back unless necessary." Roxas pointed out, nudging his friend.

"True. Still doesn't make it any less annoying in being here."

"Think the Organization is here?" Xion tentatively asked, her hand instinctively twitching to call for her Keyblade.

"More than likely but…" Axel crossed his arms.

"But what?" Donald said, inclining his head in his direction for the full answer.

"Tough as they are, they're not stupid enough to try to take us all on. Though who's to say what they'll do while we're here."

"Now that ya mention them again, I've been thinkin'," Sora spoke up, scratching his head. "Couldn't we have just, you know, teleported into this place and gotten out with your Corridors?"

The Flurry of Dancing Flames shook his head. "Only the three of us could have done that and if you guys came with us, the Darkness could consume or affect you."

"But I saw it was done once before." Sora revealed. "Through Xion. I had a dream about her doing it with Tali and Garrus."

'That's different." Axel countered. "Their galaxy doesn't operate under the same laws as ours does for now and even then, they nearly did get consumed. You guys all having Keyblades and weapons tailor-made for taking on the Heartless would have actually, probably made the Darkness try to consume you more forcefully."

"Then couldn't you have all gone alone?" Goofy asked.

"Nada." Axel shot down the idea. "This feels like all of us are needed. Riku's experience, me being the last boss of this joint and this having to do with Sora, Xion and Roxas mean this is something we all gotta tackle together. Namine will also help with the whole memory bit, definitely playing a role in the connection they share. Can help in disconnecting them."

"What about this place having a lab?" Roxas inquired, eyeing the foreboding Castle. "Can't I go in and maybe hack the place? Download what we need?"

Axel snorted, ruffling his hair. "Sorry to say this Rocko but you're no Tali'Zorah."

"Yet I hacked the computer back at the Castle that Never Was."

The redhead wagged his finger. "That was before they knew about the Omni-tools and what they can do. I doubt Zexion and Vexen would leave such things unprotected anymore. Those two eggheads must've boosted security measures and added who knows what else for the defense of their systems. If Tali were here, that could've worked but not with you Roxas. Sorry."

"You really thought this through, Axel." Namine pointed out in slight wonder.

"Had to with what we are gonna be doing here. Any ideas of sidetracking from the incidental mission here needed to be accounted for."

"...Got all that from Shepard, huh?" Roxas flatly stated more than asked.

"No, I'm just that awesome, get it memorized, Axel is always ten steps ahead of the game." No. VIII boasted. "But also… Yeah, kinda."

Roxas rolled his eyes, eliciting a scoff from him.

"Oh I'm sorry, and what was your plan gonna be?" He challenged, not just No. XIII but the group as a whole. "Just bum rush in there, hope for the best and expect to pull out a win?"

No one responded, some mouths clamping shut with Donald laughing.

"That would be something everyone would do."

Sora rounded on the duck, hands on his hips. "And you wouldn't?"

The wizard squawked at the challenge, Goofy laughing at him with the rest of the group joining in.

"Alright, come on." Riku said, waving his hand to the Castle. "We're burnin'," He paused, looking up at the pitch black torrential clouds shifting about above them. Looking back, the clear skies from far back were also visible from afar. "Well… time, yeah, we're burnin' through time. Let's get going."

Entering the Castle, the group traversed through the main hall. A space that was once a battleground.

"Do you think any limiters are placed on us?" Asked Sora.

"Don't think so." Said Axel. "And if they did, we can counter them. I know how this place works for the most part. Namine and I can throw off whatever is set on us."

"But if there were-"

"Then we'll have to work through whatever until we find whoever is the present Lord of the Castle." Axel emphasized this by holding up his hand and lighting a ball of fire in his palm, the intention clear. "But whatever, focus up people, showtime."

Approaching the little flight of stairs leading to the door at the end of the room, the group was more or less prepared to ascend and enter. They stood in front of the large set of doors for a moment of silence.

"So~ who wants to go up first?" Asked Donald. "Or should we all try to go together?"

Namine was the one to speak up. "Whoever goes up first will have a memory pulled from random to form the floor. Everyone together will just have it really randomized." She got looks from the others. "I heard it from Zexion."

"Ok, but still, the cards…"

Riku was the next to speak. "They'll pop up after clearing the first floor. After that, you essentially pick whatever memory World for the next floor from the cards given to you."

"Good to know."

"Well," Sora swung his arms back and forth. "I'm one of the reasons we're here. Best see how this'll work."

Stepping forward, a ring of light surrounded him.

A moment later, another flash of light appeared and a crown card hovered in front of the brown-haired Keyblade wielder.

Carefully, he took the card out of the air, examining it for a moment before looking back to Riku and Namine.

The former made a gesture of him needing to hold the card above his head.

"Concentrate on the card and the memory."

"How do I know which memory it'll be?"

"It will come naturally." Namine stated.

Taking their word for it, Sora turned back to the door and held the card over his head. A second later, the card let off a flash and disappeared, the particles of light going in between the cracks of the door.

"Here we go." Sora whispered, grasping the handles and pulling the doors open.

The light was blinding, making it difficult for them all to see. Yet all they could do was walk up the stairs and traverse through the doorway.

-Scene Cut-

"Whoa." Was Sora's first reaction to where they stood. "It's Traverse Town."

True enough, the World the large group stood in was that of the refuge World, a place where survivors went to from Worlds taken by the Darkness before they were restored.

"It's an exact replica." Goofy said in astonishment, looking around the area where he, Donald and Sora set out from when they first came together.

"So… what now?" Xion asked, looking around the familiar yet unfamiliar environment.

"Now we explore, see what we encounter here, learn and all that before moving on." Axel stated. "Probably gonna need to fight-."

"Definitely." Riku cut him off.

"Definitely gonna fight something." Axel corrected himself.

"How can you be sure?" Sora inquired, still experiencing a wave of nostalgia in just being here.

"That's what I went through." Riku reminded. "And that's how things always go whenever we do most anything when doing these kinds of things."

"Good point." Roxas remarked. "Ok then, where to first?"

"Let's just get a lay of the land." Riku said. "Search for anything that'll help us move forward in this memory.

"Walk the avenues of latent memory, and you shall meet someone dear to you." The Flurry of Dancing Flames abruptly said.

"Axel?"

"Just something I would need to remind you all when going through these floors."

"Oh, so you're a poet now?" Roxas sarcastically said, earning a noogie in response.

"Teach you to respect your elders." Axel gritted out, ignoring the fact that his friend managed to pull his hood over his eyes.

Before they were able to do anything further, they heard barking in the distance.

Up ahead, the gang saw a familiar face bounding across the plaza of the entrance to Traverse Town.

"Pluto?" Donald said in recognition.

"What's he doing here?" Xion asked the group.

"Did he follow us here somehow?" Sora said though the answer came from the platinum-blond Nobody.

"That's not the real Pluto, guys." Namine said. "He's back at Master Yen Sid's tower, remember? This is just a memory of Pluto."

"Ah~~" Xion bemoaned with a pout, hoping to pet the faithful and adorable pup. He was always a joy to be around.

"That's right." Said Goofy, his fist in his palm at the memory. "We came to Traverse Town with Pluto. So this is the Pluto from back then."

"Did we?" Came Donald's question, soon pondering as if he was forgetting a small detail like this.

"He wandered off." Goofy reminded with a chuckle. "Then he just kinda… disappeared for the rest of our time till we saw him again after beatin' Ansem."

"That dog really gets around." Was Riku's comment.

"Huh, that would explain how he wound up at Castle Oblivion." Said Xion.

"Does that mean we're gonna run into me?" Sora asked, curious as he saw the dog moving towards the alleyway he first woke up in when arriving in this World.

"Nope." Axel waved off such a notion. "That's not how these memories work. When you're here, you're the only version that'll exist in this memory unless there's some weird variable."

"Like what?"

No. VIII shrugged. "I don't know, just that there's somethin'. There's always something when it comes to this stuff."

Riku bore a sly smirk then. "Think that's for the best. Don't think we can handle two Soras at once."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

"Aren't I technically Sora?" Roxas said in confusion, hand raised.

"No, you're you and no one else." Sora declared with a wide smile.

"Which is a gift from Kingdom Hearts." Riku quipped. "When you were created, ya probably took whatever smarts this bozo had with him."

"Hey, I'm not the one who flunked reading three times back home." Sora shot back.

"Oh please, you had Kairi's help with that."

"Well duh, I actually knew she could help, unlike your dumb head."

As the two continued their bickering, the gang began exploring the first area. They didn't really run into anything other than a sudden Heartless attack they took out with relative ease.

After a few more minutes of exploration, a thought occurred in Sora's mind.

"Wait, what about Leon, Aerith, Yuffie, Cid and the others?" He brought up. "Are we gonna run into them here or in Hollow Bastion?"

"Depends on who the floor is developed and what memory is pulled from whom." Axel stated.

"I think we'll probably meet them here." Goofy surmised.

"What makes ya say that?"

"Well, this is where we first met Leon and his pals." The Knight reminded. "So I betcha this is the place where we'll see them."

"Wonder what would happen for us and our memories." Were Roxas' thoughts on the matter.

"But if we do run into Leon and his gang, would they still act the same as we first met them or be different with how they went later on?" Donald inquired, humming at the concept.

"Argh! Who cares about all that? It's too confusing!" The younger islander said aloud, clutching his head. "My noggin is starting to hurt from all this thinking."

"Yeah, let's just get through all this. I don't wanna think too hard about it either." Riku admitted, not wanting to dwell on the semantics and details of all this. He already went through it once before.

"You people should seek shelter."

Looking over, the group saw a man with blue eyes and long brown hair with a distinctive scar running diagonally across the bridge of his nose. He wore black gloves, black zipper-lined shoes, a silver necklace and a white undershirt with a black short-sleeved jacket. There were also three brown belts on his left forearm and three buckles on his right thigh over his black pants.

"It's not exactly safe out here with Heartless wandering around every corner." He plainly said, approaching them.

The brunette Keyblader gasped upon recognizing who it was.

"Leon, it's you!" Sora said in amazement and relief, gladdened to see such a familiar and reliable face. "What are you doing in Castle Oblivion?"

However, the sentiment was not shared.

"Huh? Castle Oblivion? What are you talking about? And how do you know my name? Who are you?" Said Leon, who was rather bewildered at being approached by Sora. "I've never met the likes of you before."

This appeared to stun the teen, not believing what he just heard.

"Quit playing, Leon! We fought the Heartless together! You know that!" The boy emphatically said.

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about." Leon soon gazed towards the others present. "I don't even know your names."

The teen in front of him had his jaw drop in disbelief. "Are you serious? How can you have forgotten about us?"

"I feel for you, but you've got the wrong guy. Happens all the time. Don't take it so personally, Sora." Leon calmly said, sounding genuine.

The others were thrown off by this.

"Wait…" Xion said, about to point out a fallacy in Leon claiming to not know who they were. Or Sora at least.

"Uh, oh." Axel murmured.

"What?" The others looked at him in confusion.

"I should've remembered this sooner." He said, slightly cringing at forgetting this small detail.

"Remembered what?" No. XIV asked, looking between him and Sora speaking with Leon.

"Wait, you do remember my name!" Sora blurted out, ignoring the "peanut gallery".

Leon began questioning the islander. "Now, now hold on! Why do I know your name?"

"This is rather strange." Goofy commented.

"It's not funny at all." Donald added in.

"What's strange, Goofy? You and Donald are the ones who-" Leon stopped talking, soon clutching his head as if an icepick was shoved right through it. "Wh-What? How?"

"Leon, what's wrong?" Sora was now worried.

The tall brunette appeared to be straining his mind. "I don't get it… Something's wrong with my memory. Wh-What's happening here?"

Roxas turned to the redhead amongst them. "Axel, mind explaining?"

"Memories are fickle things." Axel said with clear agitation. "They relay what was recorded, even if it's not all that accurate. But overall, what is done here is supposed to be scripted."

"Scripted?" Xion parroted, clearly confused by this.

Her tall friend made an iffy hand motion. "In a sense. You should just know it's complicated."

"You've gotta be delicate with your memories." Namine added in. "With how you're going to be interacting with the projected memories on these floors, they may not react accordingly like how the actual person acts now in comparison to back then."

"You may enjoy recalling people of how they once were, but you know that deep down they aren't the same as they are in the present. Both segments are essentially two completely different people, with the one in the past being a complete stranger from the here and now."

"Speaking from experience?"

Axel took on a thousand-yard stare, remembering an instance of his past. Him recalling Saix and the other Apprentices with what they once were years ago before they became Nobodies.

"Clearly."

"I didn't get that when I went through the floors." Commented Riku. "All I had was Maleficent and her Council torment me the whole way through, degrading me with how I was essentially their lackey."

"What happened with you was tampered with on how the floors were projected."

It was the only logical explanation Axel can come up with at this time.

"Now you tell us." Donald squawked, fuming in annoyance.

"Going through these floors now is gonna be more complicated than we realized." Goofy grumbled.

"Memories of the present and the past clashing." Mumbled Roxas.

"We should probably move on and not interact with a lot of these projected memories."

"That's gonna be rather hard and you know it." Sora rebuked, rounding them with a dramatic look.

"What is going on here?" The memory of Leon asked, clearly bewildered by all of these people talking about something he couldn't make sense of. "Who are you people? How do I know you three and you know me? But… I know I don't know you guys."

"Sounds about right." Axel said with a sigh. "Alright, Leon right? Look, let's just say that telling you what's going on is a hassle and a half. Just know we're here to help with the Heartless problem."

Memory Leon gave the man an unsure glance but upon turning back to those he "knew", the man relented with a nod.

"Ok. Come with me. Yuffie and the others will wanna meet you guys."

Seeing the other Leon walk off, the others hung back slightly with Axel as he told them to wait a sec.

"Sora, Donald, Goofy, do you guys recall exactly what you said back then?" He asked, intently eyeing the trio.

They all shared looks with each other and their answer came as thusly. "Uh…"

No. VIII rolled his eyes. "That's what I thought."

"Why? Is it important?" Goofy inquired.

The redhead let loose a chuckle. "Let's just say we're gonna be having an interesting time seeing what's to come."

Donald gave the tall Nobody a bland look. "That doesn't sound unsettling at all."

"I suggest you ball-park it and not derail on the initial subjects."

"Wait, what happens if we do?" Donald said, now really curious.

"No, no, we're not getting into that." Axel firmly shut down the thought. "Let's just go through with this already. You guys have been here before and done whatever ya had to do. Let's just speed through the process this time."

If memories can experience existential crisis', well… the group infiltrating Castle Oblivion will be witnesses to record such an event if Sora, Donald and Goofy messed this up.

All the while…

"How much longer do I have to stand here?" A young teen asked impatiently.

"As long as necessary." The man behind a computer screen calmly rebuked. "Must I remind you of the purpose of this, Riku?"

"I don't need a reminder and I don't need you to call me by that name." The Riku Replica spat out with a heated glare directed at his creator.

No. IV, the Chilly Academic of the Organization named Vexen simply rolled his eyes in response to the attitude directed towards him.

"Then there is no need to act the age of that fool." Vexen admonished dismissively.

"You replicated me from the version of a teenager." Riku Replica shot back. "How the hell else am I supposed to act?"

"With some manner of dignity and poise." No. IV said in turn.

"If you want that then at least call me by my real name."

The scientist let out a dramatic sigh, eyes shifting to the ceiling above.

"Must I?" He asked as if dreading such a proposition. "It is gaudy and completely unoriginal."

Riku Replica crossed his arms, a smug and challenging look. "Gotta keep up with the motif of the whole group if I'm part of it."

Vexen appeared to physically fight such a notion but in the end acquiesced with an even more dramatic sigh.

"Very well… Kirux, god that name is vile, please stand still whilst I finish my work."

The aptly renamed Replica smirked at his creator who resumed working on… whatever it was he was doing to him.

"Can you at least tell me what's supposed to happen to me?" Kirux asked with Vexen not even looking up from his work.

"It's a matter of making sure your fighting strength continues to grow and isn't hampered by your replication of the original Riku." The Academic clarified, his fingers dancing across the keyboard. "When I made you, the base model was akin to that of No. i but there was a clear difference. I made you out of data I received in my bout with Riku wherein our wayward traitorous puppet had far more to work with, allowing for the link between herself, the Keyblade's chosen one and No. XIII. The intended plan was to have her siphon Roxas' power and have her completely obedient to the Organization."

"And how did that turn out?" Riku's Replica rhetorically asked, earning a pointed glare from the scientist.

"No matter." Vexen said after a moment. "The siphon is already in effect, subtle and unnoticeable as it may be. And even if they are made aware of it, they don't have the knowledge or foresight to disconnect it."

"Do they?" Kirux challengingly asked. "Are you sure about that?"

No. IV paused in his work and looked up at his creation with a degree of suspicion.

"What are you insinuating, Kirux?"

The Silver-haired clone shrugged. "I heard what happened with her from the big lug of our team. Seems that she developed something of a breakthrough in having a Keyblade different from either of those bozos she's supposed to copy."

Vexen frowns, very much aware of that tidbit and falling deep into thought.

"Yes, I do recall that." He said quietly. "It appears not everything can be predicted through equations and numbers."

History seemed to repeat itself in a manner. First No. XIII acquired a different Keyblade and now No. i.

Shaking his head, the Academic resumed his work. "Getting back to the matter at hand, I seek to replicate the connection to a degree. Forging the line between you and Riku. For every time you seek to confront him, you'll get stronger-"

"As he gets weaker in the process."

"More or less." Vexen said. "Or perhaps an alternative outcome."

"Huh?"

Before any further conversation can be made, a Corridor of Darkness appears between the two. It soon disbursed to reveal No. VI.

"Hello, Zexion." Vexen greeted curtly. "There a reason for your presence here? Anything new to report from our Superiors or from your assignment?"

The gray-haired Nobody shook his head, instead looking at No. IV with a serious gaze.

"I do have something to report and it is a startling discovery."

"Being…"

"We have visitors."

"Oh?" Vexen said nothing more, awaiting just who it was that was in the Castle.

Going over to the other console, Zexion's fingers flew across the keyboard to pull up the security feed. Before long, it revealed-

"The traitors?" Vexen said in disbelief.

"Along with Riku, Namine, the Keyblade's chosen and his friends." Said the Cloaked Schemer. "I caught their scent some time ago."

"The hell are they doing back here?" Kirux asked, sharing in his creator's sentiment of shock, getting off the platform he stood on to walk over to his superiors. He stood by their side and watched the large group walking through the first-floor door to their memories.

"Your guess is as good as mine." No. VI stated. "They arrived not too long ago. As to why they would be back here, I can only hazard a guess."

The Chilly Academic said nothing, instead becoming contemplative, crossing his arms and rubbing his chin.

"I can think of a few theories." He murmured. The screen transitioned to the memory of the World the group was currently traversing, battling Heartless and encountering individuals associated with the memory of that World.

Kirux found himself grinning menacingly, eyeing his "donor" to his existence. "Right. Let's go in and-"

"No." Vexen quickly dismissed such an idea, earning bewildered looks from his creation and his fellow Organization members.

Zexion and Kirux looked over to Vexen with different hues of curiosity.

"No?" No. VI repeated, making sure it wasn't a slipup.

"You heard me."

"And why, Vexen, should we listen to you?" Zexion inquired, eyes narrowed.

"I have my reasons." Was the airy response.

"Being what?"

The Academic Nobody rolled his eyes. "Data."

Kirux rolled his eyes and uttered out a growl. "Okay, stop prancing around the bush and get to the point."

The Icy Nobody pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment.

"Instead of going in and apprehending the traitors, and the others, I suggest we let them go through Castle Oblivion." Seeing as Vexen wasn't getting through their latest member's head, he decided to elaborate. "We gather more data about them as they traverse the floors. We would learn more about them than what we have on record. Not just their strength, but also their skill. Not to mention learn of their intentions of being here in the first place." The Academic soon rolled his eyes a little before focusing a tad more on the Replica. "And at a certain point, when they've tired themselves out, we'll go in and take care of them if you would so like."

This seemed to please Kirux while Zexion only frowned.

"What shall I tell Lexaeus and Luxord?" Asks No. VI.

"The same as I have just said." No. IV retorted as if it were the most obvious thing. "This is a chance I would rather not pass. On top of studying their growth in their powers and abilities, we have a chance to observe the Worlds all of them have traversed. Who knows what new discoveries and innovations we can use for our own purposes?"

"Despite what I've already gathered."

"Precisely. Not everything is shown through reports and lack of action." Vexen stated. "With their own experiences reliving certain memories, there is a goldmine of new data and research to be had."

"But we still don't know why they're even here." Kirux pointed out. "Sure as hell seems like one insane risk to just walk right into a home base like this."

"We will learn soon enough, I'm sure. Just be patient."

"I'll hold you to that."

-Scene Cut-

It didn't take long for the team of heroes to make their way through the memory World of Traverse Town.

They had run into the memories of Aerith, Yuffie and Cid before going on to defeat a large Heartless in the same location Sora, Donald and Goofy once found and sealed the Keyhole to Traverse Town. In the end, they faced the Guard Armor Heartless before finally exiting the floor.

Appearing in a new hallway, the group briefly looked around the stark white surroundings.

"Ok that was… can't say that it was simple but man was it weird." Sora admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "Are all of these memory Worlds gonna be like that?"

"Some, maybe but others might be drastically different." Namine stated. "We're all taking turns for each floor so who's to say what World we're gonna experience next or what'll happen there."

"So whose turn is it next?"

"I'll go next." Riku said, walking past them all and toward the small staircase leading up to the next set of large double doors for them to go through.

"Alright, next floor we go." Sora proclaimed, moving to walk beside his friend, the rest joining a moment later.

Yet, just as he got to the first step, the silver-haired teen froze, his expression becoming sharpened and on edge. His nose twitched and his eyes shifted about as if looking for something.

The others were thrown off by this sudden pause but it was Axel who noticed the twitch of the teen's nose.

"Got something Riku?"

Riku nodded slowly, now tense and ready for whatever might happen. "Yeah. I can feel something."

The rest were still in the dark as to what Riku was talking about and how Axel seemed to be aware of what it was.

"Feel what?" Roxas asked what the others were wondering. "What's going on?"

"I smell… people." Riku vaguely answered, causing further confusion between his friends.

Sora turned to Donald and Goofy, raising an arm. "...I don't smell that bad, right?"

Unable to help himself, his fellow islander snorted, shoving the back of his friend's head. "No, not you. Some… others people."

Axel narrowed his eyes slightly before figuring out what was implied.

"Seems we ain't alone in the Castle." Says No. VIII.

"Huh, how'd you figure?" Asks Goofy.

Riku gave the answer. "Something I picked up when I was ascending the basement levels when the King and I were last here."

"Can you tell how many? Even who?" Was Xion's inquiry.

Riku concentrated, focusing on what peculiar darkness's were present within this unusual castle.

"Five. Vexen, Zexion, Lexaeus, my Replica…" Riku's face scrunched up as he concentrated a bit more. "And someone else. Someone I don't… wait… what is… I can't get a proper pin on this other scent."

"What do you mean?" Namine worriedly asked.

"It's like… it keeps disappearing and reappearing infrequently. Almost feels intentional."

Roxas soon pondered, trying to rack his mind in narrowing down the candidates on this final individual. "That could be anybody in the Organization."

"No, no." Axel held up a hand, head tilted upwards. "It's not them. No way it's them."

"How can you tell?" Donald asked.

"I picked up that little scent trick from Zexion." Axel explained. "And in that, I learned the scent of all the members of the Organization. This one doesn't belong to any in the group. In fact… wait… I don't understand. What the hell is that?"

"What, what is it?" Sora now appeared a bit nervous. "You guys are kinda freakin' us out here."

Axel looked as though he was at a loss.

"A Nobody? No… not a Nobody but… kind of is… who is this? What is going… dammit, I lost it."

"Mind filling us in?" Was Donald's request. "What was that just now?"

"Well…" Axel crossed his arms, recalling the first time he came here with the mission he was given by Xemnas.

"There was an assignment most of us in the Organization was more or less doing on the fly when being here. Something which our esteemed Superiors were very interested in."

"Why weren't we told of it?" Roxas said, gesturing to himself and Xion.

"You were easy, Roxas, as you weren't introduced to this place before you wound up in the Milky Way. As for Xion, I can think of the possibilities as to why."

"And what was this assignment anyways?"

"Finding a Room."

"A room?"

"Yeah, this Castle, while under the jurisdiction of the Organization is not of our making or design." No. VIII revealed. "Though it matches our aesthetic, that's just a coincidence. This whole Castle is something we don't know what it exactly is or where it even comes from. Lot of mysteries that we don't understand. The boss man seemed to know it or was maybe aware of it, I don't know. But when he first came here, I remember Saix talking about him seeing the guy look like he knew this place… I think. Can't fully trust his report, never wrote it down."

"Okay. But what does this have to do with the supposed assignment?"

"Despite knowing the underlying truth of this structure, Xemnas was as lost as any newcomer. He was seeking this unknown room for some unknown reason."

"And what's up with this supposed room?" Roxas asked, his voice rather subdued.

"From what I gather, something in this lost room contains something Xemnas desires above all else… aside from his supposed desire of making Kingdom Hearts."

"An unknown thing in an unknown room." Pondered the captain of the guard.

"Leaves a lot to the imagination." Xion remarked. "What could it be?"

"You have any idea what it is?" Roxas said, hoping Axel might have some inclination.

However, this thought was shut down at the shake of his head. "Wish I knew. Only Xemnas knows and even he is keeping it close to the chest. Or maybe he doesn't know and he wants to find out."

"Can we find it then?"

"Easier said than done." Axel stated, thumbing to the doors towards their next memory World. "I think there's a reason these floors and the whole memory schtick exist. I think it's trying to deter anybody from getting to this hidden room."

Xion hummed in thought, swaying on the spot before turning to her fellow lady. "What about you, Namine? Could you perhaps figure this out?"

Namine focused, feeling bewildered with what she could pick up.

There was a clear attempt of trying to understand just what it was she was reading through her abilities. "I can't make a clear reading. It feels… drowsy."

"Drowsy?"

"Sleeping, or in a state akin to it. It's hard to describe. I…" She humphed, making a small gesture of frustration with her fist. "It's gone."

"Alright, that's way too much of a coincidence." Roxas said, a flash of annoyance. "You're telling me you guys can't pick up on anything?"

Riku, Axel and Namine tried once more to see if they could pick up on whatever it was they detected earlier but were met with the same result.

Donald tapped his foot as he pondered on the thoughts. "Maybe as we keep going up, you guys can get a better reading."

"Maybe. Maybe not. Until then, we keep going on with our original task of being here." Riku said, walking up the steps.

Making their way to the entrance of the next memory World, Sora, Roxas and Xion felt something. It was subtle, but not alarming. It was like a little itch or a nudge from what they could describe.

Neither paid much focus to it as the Replica, Nobody and Somebody followed the others.

-Scene Cut-

Within the lost room of Castle Oblivion, glowing lights faded in and out from the intricate symbols lining the walls and floor. They all led and connected to the throne residing at the center of the room.

This was the Chamber of Waking.

It was large and ornate. Its stark white coloring matched the surrounding space.

The only color that seemed to be present within the Chamber was the one seated on the throne.

Or rather propped up.

You see, this person was comatose.

Reason why is complicated. All that could be said was he was badly hurt and needed to heal.

And throughout all this, he was alone in this lonely place.

Despite him being essentially entrapped here, this was the safest place he could reside in his present state.

For years, no one has visited him. A precaution or accidental. The one who placed him here promised she'd return one day with their friend. Yet not all promises can be kept.

So all this person could do was sleep… and dream.

As he slept, he dreamt of lives not his own. Lives connected to him, letting him experience things he could not do in his current predicament.

The lone occupant in this chamber stirred ever so slightly. And if one could see his sleeping face, they'd see the subtlest of smiles forming before dying down in the restful state.

A reunion may soon occur, an unusual one at that. It may all depend if the ones connected to him can find this chamber without the presence of this castle's architect.

Or perhaps they will simply pass by, remaining blissfully unaware of his presence here, knowing that he sits here in slumber but never discerning just who he was.

Only time will tell.

AN

Hey everyone, we're back and boy it's been a while for this one, hasn't it?

Sorry bout taking so long but we kinda just… I don't know, we stepped away from this one for a while cause other things held up our time and attention.

Other stories, games, films, shows, life, more life, moving, work, life, that kind of thing.

But we're back and now we're at the start of our next arc of the story, the journey through Castle Oblivion.

Lots to cover here and I think what kept us away for so long was we didn't actually sit down and try to figure out what we wanted to do in this arc despite having a general idea. But sometimes, a bit of time away from a story and coming back to with a cleansed pallet of it so to speak is actually useful.

We wrote this chapter in two sittings and came up with everything, or a majority at least, of what we wanted to do in this arc in one go.

Hopefully, though not any promises can be made, we can get this arc out rapidly, getting us closer to ME2 but there's still work to be done. Since we're gonna be needing to change a few things up in regards to both that and KH2 plotlines.

But until then, thanks for your patience, remember that a vote from the fans decided on something that is to come so can't really complain all that much like some are in Infinite Wars.

You'll know it when ya see it.

Rate Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.