Bah, I haven't been on this site in a long time. :( I miss it a lot; I've just been soooo busy lately…my English teacher decided that a paper every week was a fab idea. Wa. Hoo. Anyway, I hope that all of you wonderful people have stuck reading the story…so…yay :)

..Sunny

V. Elaeus. Lexaeus. The Silent Hero.

They tell me that I am not worth much. That's okay. I know I'm not smart, like Zexion. People don't want to hang out with me, like they do with Demyx. I'm not really powerful, like Xigbar. I'm just strong. And big. I think that's a good thing. I guess I've never been very smart. That's okay. I think it would be hard. You know, to be smart. People expect things if you're smart. But if you're stupid, then they don't. If you do something good when you're stupid, then people think it's really, really great. If you do something bad, then people just shrug it off, because they think that you can't do anything good. But I can, you know. I'm good at stuff.

Like gardening. I'm good at gardening. They would tease me, if they knew. Zexion might not. He understands me sometimes. Or pretends that he does. Since he's so…not strong, and I am so strong, we get along well sometimes. Vexen acts like I'm stupid. Guess I am, especially compared to him.

But I was good at gardening. You know. Before.

We all have different passions. We try to fill up the empty parts of our lives. I understand that. I am good at that. I don't know what the Superior likes though. He is hard to talk to. He doesn't talk to me very often, because I'm not always helpful. But he is nice to me, because once, we were friends. We all used to be friends. Now we're forced to be together, and nobody likes to be forced.

Xigbar likes the maps. He mentioned his brother once. He fights sometimes too. That's why he has the scar, and he is missing an eye. I have been in many fights, but I never have had scars. I think it is a sign of power, to have a scar. But I would not do that, that would cause more pain. I do not need…more pain. Xaldin likes roses. And the wind. He likes those wind chimes that Larxene gave him a lot. I think we all like anything from Larxene. She's mean to us, but she is a girl. I remember that, Before, I liked girls. Girls didn't always like me. There was one girl. She had blue hair. I thought she was pretty. I think she is pretty. Some day, I will go home, and I will see her. If the Superior tells me that it is okay. I won't talk to them. They would not want to talk to me.

Vexen has his knowledge. Cold facts. That sounded smart, I think. It describes Vexen good. It describes him well. Zexion corrects me on my grammar. That is good. But Vexen, he likes knowledge because it can't hurt him. I think he is a coward. He does not know how to fight, and he does not let anyone talk to him. He is mean.

Then there is Zexion. That is obvious. He likes games, and puzzles. And riddles. Things that make him think. I think that is good, it must be fun to be smart. Zexion showed me a puzzle once. Where letters go in white squares, surrounded by black ones. It made my eyes dizzy, I did not understand. Zexion said it was okay. He said that some day he would show me, but he was too busy. I watched him. He did in only a few minutes. Larxene does those sometimes. Zexion is better at them, but it is more fun to watch Larxene. You can tell that she is thinking. She doesn't look so angry when she is thinking. I think that she is angry a lot. I don't know why. I think it's because of her Before. It must have been bad. Poor Larxene. I think she should be happier. She told me once that Zexion's passion was manipulation. I knew what that meant. That has happened a lot to me, especially Before. But Zexion does not manipulate. He just makes sense, and it is obvious that you should do what Zexion suggests, because he is so smart. I would like to be smart some day.

Did you know that Zexion is the youngest? Except for Roxas. Sometimes, Zexion pretends that he is older. He is not. He treats Demyx as if he is older than Demyx. Demyx does not mind. Zexion knows that his ranking is higher, meaning he is more important that Demyx. Maybe that is why Zexion thinks he is older.

Saix has the moon. He likes looking up at the sky. At our moon, back at the World That Never Was. Saix says strange things. He does not always make sense. Axel says he is sometimes psychotic. I am not sure what he meant, but I think it was supposed to be a joke. I did not think it was very funny.

Axel is good at telling stories. Vexen calls these lies, but they seem real to me. You want to believe Axel and I always think he is my friend, although sometimes he is mean. He likes candles too. And matches. I got him a box of matches once that I found in Radiant Garden a long time ago. He laughed, but he said thank you. I think Axel is sad, but he is good at hiding it. Are these lies too? I think we all lie.

Demyx is funny. That is good, to be funny. People like you when you are funny. Laughing is good. He makes pretty music too. I can see the music. Zexion tells me not to make things up. But I can. I can feel it. Sometimes, music makes me feel whole. Demyx says that is what happens with him too. I wonder why this is. I asked Vexen, but he told me to go away and stop bothering him. I think that he doesn't know.

Luxord gambles. That is it about Luxord.

Well, Marluxia likes flowers. Sometimes I think we might have something in common. But Marluxia annoys me. A lot. I threaten to beat him up sometimes, but then I think that the Superior would not like that. So I don't.

Larxene. She is so pretty. She thinks she is ugly. She does not say it, but I know that is what she thinks. She is very pretty. Prettier than the girl with blue hair. Zexion says Larxene likes sadism. I asked her what this is. Larxene laughed. She said that sadism is sexual pleasure through pain. I asked her why would you like that. She said because it is kinky. I did not understand. She just smiled and patted my shoulder and walked away. I wonder why she would like that. It sounds stupid and mean to me. I don't like stupid and mean. I already know enough about those.

I haven't really talked to Roxas a lot. I think he's important. More important than me. He's probably smarter. Plus he has the keyblade. I feel sorrow in him. And anger. And confusion. He doesn't know anything about his Before. That is good. I wish I did not know about my Before. My Before was not fun.

I gardened. I felt the trees, and I heard them. I listen to the earth. It tells me that rocks go here and that trees go there. Flowers like this and the grass likes that. My mother said that you can not hear trees. I told her I could. My sister said she could hear them too, but I knew that she was "lying". She said that they talked to her. My sister was wrong though. They sing. They flow. They do not talk. But that is okay. This is called "taking my side". I am glad. My sister was nice to me. She never called me stupid. She said I was smart, and that I was her hero. I didn't talk a lot. I just listened. I don't really talk a lot now. I just listen. I heard that Axel had a young sister too. But he will not talk about her. That is too bad. Sometimes, it is good to talk about those people you have lost. I think we have all lost. Someone.

Lexaeus sighed and rotated his shoulder muscles, tying the strings of his black cloak. His body radiated heat from the hard workout he had been pushing himself through. He sighed in content and exhaustion. He was proud of himself; he'd been getting better time. He jogged up the stairs, pumping his arms back and forth. As he reached the top floor, he heard Vexen arguing with someone. He slowed down to listen. It sounded like Zexion. A door burst open behind him. He turned around quickly, just in time to see Zexion being thrown out of a room and slammed into the opposite wall.

Gingerly, with a menacing expression crossing his normally stolid face, the mastermind rubbed his arm and started to approach the door. Vexen appeared in the doorway, smirking and holding his shield in front of him.

"What are you going to do, Zexion?" Vexen taunted. "Bite me?"

Zexion knuckles clenched around his shoulder, turning white. He stopped moving though, unsure of what to do next. Neither of them seemed to notice the Silent Hero. He decided to make himself known. He stepped forward, placing his hand on Zexion's slender, frail chest. He pushed the manipulator back. Surprised, Zexion let himself be moved. Lexaeus turned to face Vexen.

"What is the problem, Vexen?" he asked, his voice thick and booming as always.

Vexen sneered and replied, "Keep your voice down, you'll wake the whole castle. You do know what time it is, don't you? It is three in the morning. You shouldn't be working out this much. You'll make your heart explode." It was quiet for a few moments. Vexen laughed, a high-pitched, cruel laugh. "That's right. You don't have one. Go ahead and work out, you won't hurt yourself."

"Zexion can't fight you. Not like this," Lexaeus growled in answer, ignoring Vexen's comments.

"He would never fight me," Vexen sputtered in disgust. "He would never fight anyone! He has no power. He is weak." He glanced at Lexaeus, and then back at Zexion, before turning back to Lexaeus. "Just like you."

Lexaeus took a step forward, the muscles in arms bulging. "I am not weak. I am not a fool like you."

"A fool?" Vexen's eyes widened as he mocked the taller member. "I am a scholar! I know all! And you call me, a fool?"

Lexaeus stepped forward until he stood less than an inch away from the Organization member. He towered over him, his azul eyes burning with hatred. "I am stronger than you," he stated. "I am in shape. I am muscular. You call me weak."

"It's called an oxymoron," Vexen hissed, his neck straining as he tilted his head up to look at Lexaeus. "I don't think your little tutor has taught you that yet, has he?" he continued, looking past the Hero to look at the Schemer. "I'm sure he's taught you other things," Vexen's eyes narrowed and his mouth smirked.

"Be quiet!" Zexion snapped, lunging forward, only to be held back by Lexaeus. "Do not say things like that. You know nothing. Nothing! You are no scholar!" he shouted, even as his larger friend pushed him away from the Academic. "You are an orphan!" Zexion spat. "No one but an old man with a mansion would take you in! No one loves you!"

Simultaneously, Lexaeus jumped forward between the two fighters as Vexen hurled a ball of water out which hardened into crystals the minute it hit Lexaeus's arm. The three were still for a minute, watching the ice grow along his arm to his shoulder, icy tendrils swarming over him. It only took a single flex of his arm muscles to snap the ice away. A sharp crack! could be hard as it shattered. Shards of ice, hard as glass, skipped along the smooth floors of the hallway.

"I think it is time to go now," Lexaeus said simply. Zexion, his silver hair covering his face, glanced from Vexen to Lexeaus. He nodded one simply to the Silent Hero before swiftly trekking up the stairs. Vexen licked his lips in annoyance and turned away without a look at number V, returning to his lab.

Laxaeus stood in the hallway a few minutes by himself. He was used to this. No one ever explained to him what was going on. But that was okay; he didn't really need to know. As long as people told him what he needed to do, he would be fine. He thought of going out to the garden, but it seemed less inviting at "night" he noticed. He wondered who would be cooking dinner later that night; Demyx had cooked the night before. He wondered who would want to. He wondered if Axel would do it; he hadn't cooked since they had all arrived.

He wondered what he should do.

He shifted from foot to foot.

He jogged back down the stairs.

The gym was always empty.