Chapter 11: Truth in Shadows

It was another day on the clock tower and Axel, Roxas, and Xion were enjoying their routine of eating ice cream while watching the sunset. Roxas and Xion were currently talking about the missions they'd had that day.

Axel was only half listening, thinking about his horrible blurt out the night before with Thorn. Unfortunately, it hadn't been a lie. It had been a one time thing, and he could also honestly say there had literally been no feeling behind it. It had been a purely physical act that had come about from a passing whim. It had been so meaningless that he hadn't even cared enough to regret it. Not until now anyways.

"Axel?" Xion asked. "Did you hear me?"

He took another bite from his ice cream. "Yeah, I'm listening."

"What's got you all spaced out?" Roxas asked him in a joshing manner.

"Hey, I've had a long day," Axel retorted, nudging the younger boy with his elbow. "Gimme a break."

He was forced to focus a little more when the two of them started asking him about Castle Oblivion. Axel told them the Organization used it as a research facility, but he didn't want to go any farther than that. He didn't want to share how he knew that Xion came from there. How she was made there.

"Guys, that place is a maze that Vexen made his personal play place." Axel explained scratching his head. "Trust me there's nothing of importance there. Just forget about it."

Xion and Roxas exchanged looks of confusion at his answer, but didn't ask anything more on it. "We were just curious," Roxas muttered turning his attention to his ice cream. "Sorry."

"Don't worry about it," Axel replied scratching his head again. He didn't mean to reply so harshly but he wanted the questions to stop and nothing he was saying was convincing them there was nothing. "But hey, we've got another break coming up. Any idea what you want to do for it?"

"I figured you were just going to sleep through it," Roxas teased.

"Hey, I work pretty hard too you know," Axel shot back with a smile. "I deserve a little extra shut eye."

Xion was silent for several moments before standing up. "I think I'm gonna go," she said, even though her ice cream only had a few nibbles taken out of it.

She must have stood up too quickly because suddenly she grabbed her head, and slipped over the edge. Thankfully Roxas was quick to catch her. The incident reminded Axel of one of the times when he and Thorn had eaten ice cream up here. She'd slipped too and he'd caught her, though she assured him afterwards she would've been just fine. His body was reacting now, just as it had then. Everything had coiled up in a simulation of alarm, followed by a relaxing breath of relief.

Both he and Roxas quickly pulled Xion up, but she wasn't waking up. "Is she okay?" Roxas asked worriedly when he couldn't wake her up.

"Oh, yeah, I'm sure," Axel answered quickly. "She probably just fainted from fear of the fall." He didn't really believe it was the reason but saying it made him feel a bit better.

"What should we do then?"

"Take her back of course," Axel told him ruffling his hair. "So don't worry so much, she'll be fine. We'll get her into bed and let her rest. She'll be up and about tomorrow like normal."

"You don't need to worry, I'm fine," Xion said, opening her eyes. She slowly and very carefully got back to her feet.

"You sure you're alright?" Roxas asked, looking both concerned and confused. "Have you not been getting enough sleep?"

Xion shook her head in answer. "No, it's nothing like that." Though that was all she seemed to be willing to share.

Axel turned away, looking out onto the town. Was Xion's connections to Sora affecting her somehow? What would happen if this kept up? What would it do to her? Or to Roxas? Axel didn't want to think about it. Staring out into the sunset, thinking about his mounting problems and wishing how he could just make it all go away. Then an idea came to him.

"I got it! Why don't we go to the beach?"

The other two looked stunned by his suggestion. "The beach? What are you talking about Axel?" Roxas asked in confusion.

"The next time we have a break," Axel clarified. "The three of us should all go to the beach."

"Why the beach?" Xion asked though she was kind of liking the idea.

"What, haven't the two of you wanted to go somewhere different for a change?" the redhead asked fanning his hands out in emphasis. "It's perfect."

Maybe if he was lucky, he could invite Thorn along too, as an apology. Since Roxas and Xion already knew about her, he didn't think it would be too much of a problem. And during holidays the rest of the organization was too busy enjoying themselves to bother with what anyone else was doing.

"Sounds like it could be fun," Roxas said before looking at their female companion. "What do you think, Xion?"

She folded her hands in front of her, looking down with an almost sad expression. "It would be nice, if I could go with you."

"Of course you can," Roxas said as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"You'll have a great time," Axel said decisively. "Trust me."

She looked up at the both of them before smiling and nodding her consent. "Alright then," she agreed. "Let's do it."

Axel and Roxas grinned in their joy and the three of them quickly headed back to the castle talking about their plans all the way back.

They had no idea that someone had been listening in the entire time.

Saix wasn't normally one to eavesdrop. He despised people who nosed around where they weren't supposed to. However, in the midst of his work, he'd recalled the time Axel had invited him for ice cream. It had been quite some time ago, and the offer hadn't been proposed since then. Saix wouldn't openly admit it, but he didn't much care for going out to the other worlds filled with people who still had hearts, who were still whole.

He knew about Axel's spot in Twilight Town. He knew because that was where they'd found each other after losing their hearts.

What he didn't know was that Axel was taking his new found friends there, probably on a regular basis. Even though Axel knew Xion's true origins, he was still treating that thing as if it was alive. It irked him to see it displayed to that extent. Why couldn't he just accept that there was no chance he could keep the little family he'd made for himself. Before the three started to leave, he turned and left through a portal of his own making it back to the castle before them.

As soon as he arrived, he left the gray area and began to wander the halls his mind running through the conversation he'd overheard again and again. He was starting to believe that Axel was slipping farther and farther away from the Organization and there was nothing he could do to stop it. It had started with the heartseer and continued to these two. But where Axel was able to pull away from her in the end, it was starting to appear as if he'd be unable to this time; as if he didn't want to. There had to be something, anything that he could do to keep his friend from leaving. They had a plan after all and Saix still needed him to finish it.

He went to the computer room to file the reports of the previous day and noticed, not for the first time, Demyx's report was missing from the pile. Maybe he should just stick the irritating musician on clean up duty for a month, then have him write a report on that. After finishing the reports Saix left his computer, though he was so preoccupied he didn't realize he forgot to turn it off.

As he traveled to the archive room, he just so happened to cross paths with the ninth member, who greeted him with a nervous, "Oh, hey there, Saix."

"You forgot your report," Saix said, his voice divulging his mounting irritation. "AGAIN."

"Right, about that…" Demyx said glancing around nervously. "You see, I DID write it, but then one of the Dusks poured juice all over it. I was gonna rewrite it as soon as I got a spare moment."

"What are you doing now?" Saix asked raising an eyebrow.

"I'm about to start another jam session," Demyx explained.

"So in other words you're not doing anything," Saix sighed. "Get to work on writing that report now and have it to me by 10 o'clock tonight."

Demyx flinched and waited for the older Nobody to continue with a form of punishment or to blow his ears out with an angry shout; but nothing came. He slowly opened his eyes to squint up at Saix and noticed the blue haired man was simply waiting for him.

"Are you done playing around?" he asked. Demyx nodded slowly completely confused by the other's actions. "Then get to work. There will be consequences if I don't get that report." With that, he walked away without another word.

"Thorn! Hey, you okay? Open up!"

The young woman stirred at the sound of the voice. She shifted slightly on the floor, her whole body sore from sleeping against the door all night. Looking around, she realized the sun shining in her window was much lower than it was supposed to be. How long had she been asleep? The voice came again and she realized her barrier was still in place. Releasing it, she scooted away from the front of the door and tried to stand, noting that her limbs were tingly from sleep.

"Thorn!" Said female looked up to see Zidane and her friends rush inside, worry covering their faces. "Are you alright?" the monkey boy asked as he helped her stand.

"Yeah, I'm fi..." The sentence cut off part way through as she nearly collapsed, clutching her chest in pain. "C-can't...breathe," she panted. She heard a maniacal laugh echo through her mind as her heart was yanked on again and again.

"What's going on?" Zell exclaimed worriedly.

"It must be starting," Irvine murmured.

Just then the rest of the Restoration Committee, minus Cloud and Tifa, entered the room. "What's happening?" Yuffie exclaimed worriedly.

"It must be Ultimecia," Leon answered moving to Zidane's side. "Hurry, lie her down. Aerith, can you do anything to help her?"

"I will try," Aerith agreed stepping forward. She stretched her hands out before bringing them in as if in prayer. At the same time, a gust of wind filled the room and swirled around the gasping female. When it finally passed the gasping stopped and Thorn slowly sat up.

"Thorn...you okay?" Zell asked nervously.

"Course she ain't," Cid spoke up gruffly. "Not if what you told us is true."

Thorn took several slow, deep breaths before glancing between her friends and the committee members. "What did you tell them?" she asked slowly.

"You see, when the three of us went to engage the sorceress in combat and Zidane fell under her control, she said your heart would soon be hers," Irvine answered lightly. "She made it sound as if you would become her."

"Huh, so I was right," Thorn grumbled rubbing the left side of her chest.

"What do you mean?" Zidane demanded irately.

"You could feel it, couldn't you," Leon guessed.

Thorn nodded and tried to stand but found she didn't have the strength. "Yes. Ever since the day she made herself known, I've had my suspicions. I just didn't want any of you to worry."

"How the hell do you expect us not to worry with shit like that goin' on?" Cid demanded, biting his toothpick hard.

"We could have had all this time to figure out how to kick her out of you if you just told us," Yuffie pointed out.

"Now that it's progressed to this degree, what can we do?" Aerith asked.

Everyone shared a look and the three boys started spouting off a few suggestions. They mostly went ignored by the rest, though Leon and Cid did seem to be trying to figure that out. Thorn on the other hand, thought over her options and came to the only conclusion she believed would work.. "As soon as I get better, I'm heading out of here."

Zidane looked bemused. "Huh? But why?"

"Because she's going to try again and I don't want you guys around when she does," she replied in a hardened voice.

Zidane was silent for a moment. "Why not let us come with you? It should be alright if it's the four of us, right?"

Thorn shook her head. The last thing she needed was to be surrounded by her weaknesses. "Zidane...she has two ways of forcing her control over me," she tried to explain. "Either by finding my name and simply forcing it or weakening my heart and jumping through the cracks. She almost succeeded when she had you attacking me. I felt helpless. I couldn't think of anything I could do. I panicked and in doing so I allowed my heart to become weak. While that attack of yours helped you escape, it also allowed me to force her back once more. I can't risk her trying to use you three against me again. For your sake and mine."

"But if we stick together she won't be able to touch any of us," Zidane argued as best as he could. "As a team the four of us are unstoppable."

"They got a point," Cid grunted. "Even if the strain on your heart lessens by leaving, there's no guarantee she won't go after ya. Ya'd be a sittin' duck without some sort of backup."

"Exactly!" Irvine agreed wholeheartedly. "You've said it yourself that you can't take her on alone."

Thorn looked from one face to the next, meeting the gaze of each person present. All were determined not to let her leave alone. She was pleased to know they cared about her enough and almost smiled. However, she felt another powerful tug on her heart and coughed as she clutched her chest.

"Alright, I can't argue with you right now," she groaned. "At the very least I can't stay here much longer. I need to get as far away from her as I can get."

"Then you should go as soon as your wound is healed," Leon summed up before anyone else could speak. "But this time, you have to at least take Zell with you."

"What? Why just him?" Zidane and Irvine both complained.

"Because, the whole point of having a body guard, is to help her fight off that damn sorceress," Cid cut in. "Ya can't do that if she knows your name."

"But..."

"No, they're right guys," Thorn grunted, finally finding the strength to stand back up. "Aerith, how long will it take this wound to finish healing?"

"Tomorrow at the latest," Aerith answered calmly. "I'll boost the process one more time now, and again in the morning. You should be able to leave by tomorrow afternoon or evening."

"Good, thanks," the mage murmured with a forced smile. "Zell, get your things together. I doubt Ultimecia will be capable of coming after me, but just in case I'll need you. We leave as soon as Aerith gives the okay."

Zell nodded and dashed out of the room. Zidane and Irvine watched him leave with severe envy in their eyes. They knew their friends were right, but that didn't stop them from being jealous their friend got to go without them.

"Now this doesn't mean you can do as you please until then," Leon stated firmly.

"Exactly, you're gonna stay here and focus on keepin' that witch from controlling you," Cid declared getting her to lay back down on her bed. "Aerith's gonna be stayin' here to make sure you don't start walkin' around on your own."

"I don't need supervision," Thorn grumbled, though she didn't put up a fight. Based off of what just happened the night before, she knew she needed the help; though she didn't want to admit it.

"Yes you do," Yuffie teased. "You know it too, otherwise you wouldn't have had that barrier up. It was really strong too."

Thorn rolled her eyes and rested her arm over her face. "Fine, whatever," she groaned. "Look, I just need some sleep and I'll be fine."

The group shared a glance before agreeing with her. Irvine and Zidane said they'd be back later and left with the others until only Aerith remained. "Get some rest," she murmured softly. "I'll prepare something for you to eat. Later, I'll give your endurance a little boost."

Thorn grunted in understanding before allowing her eyes to close and trying to sleep. Exhaustion led her to slip in and out of consciousness. Every so often she would jerk awake to shake off the strong pull from the sorceress, making her feel even more tired.

Hours later, as the sun began to disappear, Aerith woke her long enough for her to eat and to use her healing wind to help re-energize her. Then she went back to sleep.

The next time she opened her eyes, the sky was black...and she wasn't in her bed. She blinked in surprise looking all around her as she realized she was standing in the doorway of her place, with one foot pressed against the cold stone of the street.

"So close..."

Thorn's entire body began to shake as the voice flitted through her, as if the person whispered them directly into her ear. She took several steps back before slamming the door closed and locking it. Then she spun around and dashed to the bathroom pausing in front of the mirror.

She stared at the cloth covering the reflective glass and panted heavily. Then, as she felt another wrenching of her heart, she quickly gripped the cloth and ripped it off in one fluid motion. Her eyes closed the moment she saw the glass and her body shook with the fear she struggled to ignore. She took several moments to calm her breathing, the sorceress' voice laughing loudly in her mind, before slowly forcing her eyes open and determinedly staring into the reflective surface at her own heart.

She didn't know what exactly she'd see, but what was there was beyond shocking. Her heart was slowly disappearing into an ocean of shadows that seemed to be devouring every part of her. There were still some large pieces that were untouched and looking them over she realized one was the memories of her years of using her old name while the rest simply hadn't been reached...yet. Unfortunately, this meant that most of her memories from high school were already devoured. She couldn't see any of it in her heart and when she closed her eyes, she couldn't recall it either. She was losing herself, completely.

"Hmm, so that's what your gift is." Thorn jumped at the voice in shock. "Let's see if I can find your true name."

Instantly she stepped back and reached for the cloth to replace it. The last thing she wanted was for the sorceress to locate her name and finish taking over all at once. As she stood up to replace the mirror cover, her eyes were drawn toward her face and she paused. Her eyes seemed to be changing color, though it was subtle, and the roots of her hair were turning silver. With the purple streaks having faded in her hair and the lack of her usual makeup, she didn't look like herself at all.

Shaking her head, she replaced the cover and leaned over the sink. She was running out of time and energy and staying in that world was only making her worse. The sorceress almost had enough control to make her leave, which meant any more and she'd be lost.

"I'm sorry, guys," she murmured despondently. "I can't wait until tomorrow." Making up her mind, she quickly darted around her room, getting dressed, grabbing her cloak, and the star. "I can't risk her gaining any more control. Which means I have to go...now." She threw her cloak on and stepped out the door, the star in her hand. "Don't hate me for this...I'll be back later. I promise."

With that she activated the star and disappeared in a stream of light, leaving nothing behind but a few accidental tears.

From one of the castle's outer balconies, Xion had a clear view of Kingdom Hearts. The one she and Roxas helped to build. They still didn't understand why exactly they needed it. Axel just kept telling them once it's complete, it would all make sense. They would get their hearts back. It was lonely in the castle without those two. She'd missed out on a mission because she'd woken up late. Then she had run into Saix.

"You're better off not waking up at all."

Those words echoed in Xion's mind, burning her insides and chilling her skin all at once, making her feel sick to her stomach. She tried not to think about it, but it wasn't something she could just brush off. Why did Saix treat her so differently from everyone else?

"There you are, poppet." The cajoling voice of Xigbar alerted her to his presence, making her start. "Was wondering where you'd run off to." He paused, catching sight of her expression. "Something the matter?" She turned away from him, pulling her hood up tighter over her face.

"It's nothing."

"Doesn't look like 'nothing' to me." He approached her side, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't you tell ol' Uncle Xiggy what's got you so low?"

She hesitated as she didn't really know the older Nobody that well, but felt that she needed to tell somebody about it. "It's Saix," she answered after a time. "He treats me so differently from the others and I don't know why." She sighed heavily and turned just enough to see him out of the corner of her eye. "Did I do something to upset him?"

"Yeah you did," Xigbar told her with a smirk fully in place. "He knows you ran into the impostor and ended up passing out on your mission. So mission failed and you failed to capture or defeat the impostor. So yeah he's a bit cranky."

"What happened wasn't my fault," Xion insisted turning towards him a little more. "And it wasn't even the impostor! He shouldn't be mad over something like that. She caught me in a tangle of vines," she explained after a time.

"She?" Xigbar asked curiously.

"Yeah...she was a bit taller than me and had purple streaks in her black hair. She also had on some really dark makeup," she told him. "She was really nice even though I attacked her and she even saved me when I fell off a cliff. She used something I'd never seen before to stop my fall and pull me to her. I passed out right after that though."

"You don't say…" A wide grin spread across the older man's face as he chuckled. "So it was the Angelface who helped you out."

"Angelface?" Xion repeated. She really didn't understand Xigbar's penchant for giving people odd nicknames.

"Yeah, she's an old acquaintance of ours," he answered, with a wave of his hand. "Though she left on pretty bad terms."

Xion's face fell. So the lady really had been telling the truth. "Um… I don't want her to get into any trouble," she said in an imploring voice.

He answered by patting her on the head. "Don't worry about it. I understand perfectly why you didn't want to tell anyone. And you don't have to worry. Secret's safe with me."

"Thanks," Xion sighed in relief. She was rather pleased that he'd agreed to keep it secret and even more so that the strange girl had been telling the truth. "Why would you keep it secret though? Wouldn't that get you in trouble?"

"You just leave that all to me, Poppet," he chuckled lightly. "And for telling me about her, I'll give you something as well."

"You don't have to give me anything," she insisted quickly.

"Really? Not even if it has to do with where you came from?"

Xion's eyes widened having been completely caught off guard by this. "What do you know about that?" she asked him.

"I take it you've heard about Castle Oblivion, right?" When she answered with a hesitant nod, he continued, "That's where you were, before you were brought here."

"Castle Oblivion," she murmured thoughtfully. "What's it like there?"

"As if I would know," he said with a chuckle. "I never got sent there. You could try asking your red headed buddy though. He's been to that place plenty of times."

"Axel was there?" she clarified. "Does he know that's where I came from?"

"He might," Xigbar answered with a shrug. "But do you really want to know if Flamsilocks has been lying to you?"

"I guess not," Xion murmured sadly.

"In that case, why not just check it out yourself?" Xigbar suggested. "There's nothing that says you can't visit the place."

The idea did seem rather appealing. "I have no idea how to get there though."

"In that case, forget I said anything. Besides, what's past is past. Can't go forward if you're always looking back."

"Yeah…if you say so." Xion's head dropped with disappointment. She'd really been hoping to find out more about herself. Especially with all these dreams she'd been having.

"Just be a good poppet and keep your nose clean," he said, giving her a pat on the back before leaving her with her thoughts. As he made his way back to the break room, he chuckled to himself. "I had a feeling you were still out there. So how long will it be before you wander back to us, little Eva?"

Two weeks were surprisingly quick to pass. At least there was plenty to see and much to do. Thorn had wound up smack dab in the middle of a castle. She had to admit, it was a lot different from any other castle she'd visited thus far. It was bright and colorful, and the entire population consisted of walking, talking animals. Well, maybe not the entire population, as the castle staff seemed to be made up of enchanted broomsticks. Yep, stuff of dreams right there.

Thorn didn't bother making her presence know to the people there. As far as she was concerned, ignorance was bliss. Plus, her castle experience thus far had been less than appealing. She wandered where she wanted and took food from the kitchens when she needed. To sleep, she'd find herself a storage cupboard to inhabit.

Not exactly what you'd call comfortable, but she'd slept in worse.

She spent a good week touring around the castle without being seen by anyone before heading outside where a small castle town was situated. It was a very beautiful little town filled once more with talking animals. Again she really didn't feel like mingling so she traveled through the town wearing an invisibility spell that kept the residents from spotting her. At the end of her first day, she found a spot on one of the roofs where she could watch the town at night as well as sleep without accidentally being spotted by someone down below.

She was able to stay up there for a few hours before her tiredness caught up with her and slipped off to sleep. It didn't last too long though as she felt the presence of someone nearby and shot up to a sitting position looking every which way for the source.

Through the darkness, she spotted a small black shape passing close by on a roof next to hers. She watched as it leapt down to the street below. Thorn got up, pursuing it while keeping unseen. Before she could allow her sight to I.D whatever it was, the shape approached one of the open manholes in the street and slipped down out of sight. Thorn momentarily debated on whether or not to continue following, then decided it couldn't hurt not to. She'd caught sight of a heart, so she knew it wasn't a Nobody.

The mage approached the underground passage and dropped down. She was surprised to find how neat and clean it was down below. In fact she was in some sort of underground factory from the looks of things. Giant machine parts turned and spun over head. What they're function was, she could only guess. She'd never been engineer savvy.

She was so awestruck by the unusual sight that she didn't notice the shadow had noticed her first until he was standing right in front of her. When she noticed him, she took a startled step backwards before realizing that the cloaked figure had an oddly familiar shape in his hood.

She decided to only scan the heart if she felt she needed to. "Who are you?" she demanded allowing her magic to flow to one of her hands just in case.

"I'm glad to see you're alright," the figure murmured with a small laugh. Thorn's eyebrows shot up at the sound of the voice. He lowered his hood and a small mouse smiled up at her. "I was really worried about what Axel would do to you."

"Thanks, it really is good to see you Mickey," she greeted giving him a small hug. "What are you doing here anyway?"

Mickey glanced around. "Well, ya see, this is my home."

"Um…" Thorn took a sweep at their surroundings. "I'm guessing you don't mean this area down here, right?"

He gave a chirruping laugh. "No, this is the world I'm from. My home is actually up at the castle."

"Oh, I see." Thorn felt a nagging pull in her memory as she recalled seeing him in a few others' hearts. Sora's friends, Donald and Goofy. He was their king… meaning he was the king of this world. That was another thing about her sight. Once she saw into someone heart, she could never un-see it. It always stayed with her, stored away someplace for possible later usage, whether she wanted it there or not.

"I guess it makes sense that you'd be here then," she muttered running a hand through her hair. "How come you're not up there now though? I mean wouldn't your family and friends want to know that you're back?"

"Of course they would," Mickey answered. "But I have to leave shortly and I don't want to put them through my departure a second time."

"Then...why come at all?"

"To make sure everything is alright. I'd never leave Minney to deal with heartless on her own."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense," she acknowledged with a nod. "It would be a shame to have this place covered in heartless. It's so beautiful."

Mickey nodded wholeheartedly. "Thanks. I'm glad I came back, since I got to see you and all. How'd you end up here anyway?"

"I'm on a mission from Yensid," Thorn vaguely explained. "It's been a little slow going but I get to travel so it's not so bad." Being away from Hollow Bastion had served as a bit of respite from her current dilemma, though she knew it was far from over. "It'll probably be a while before I can go home."

The mouse king nodded empathetically. "Well, is there any way I can help?"

Thorn shook her head. "Thanks, but this is something I need to do."

"I understand," he said. "Still, I had no idea you also trained under Master Yensid."

"Yeah...for a little bit," she answered smiling at the thought. "He taught me a lot of my stronger spells and even helped me increase my stamina. It's because of him I can go for as long as I can."

"That's really amazing," Mickey expressed joyfully. "Have you managed to see Riku at all lately?"

"Yeah...he seemed shocked to see me alive as well," Thorn explained in amusement. "And he's looking after Sora right now. I hope the kid's doing alright."

"I hope so too."

They stood for a few moments in contemplative silence. "Well, we should both probably get on with what we're doing. We've got people counting on us after all."

"Right!" Mickey extended a gloved hand which she accepted, giving it a brief shake. "I hope to see you again soon."

"Same here," she agreed. Then added, "Nice coat, by the way."

"Thanks," he expressed lightly. "It was a gift from an old friend. Good luck with your mission."

"You too," she replied curious as to who his friend was. With that, he turned and vanished through a portal. "He can do that too? I've got to learn how to do that."

It was a month after their decision to go to the beach that Axel found himself alone in the Grey Area with Saix. He was sure that it was something important if he was being talked to without an audience, and a part of him was really not looking forward to it.

"Axel, I need you to return to Castle Oblivion," Saix stated firmly once the redhead reached the windows where he stood.

"Again? Seriously Saix, there's no way to find anything in that place," Axel replied with a groan. "And before you say anything I know we need to find it, but seriously it's almost impossible."

"You needn't concern yourself with that for the time being," the number seven informed him. "That's not why I'm sending you there."

One of Axel's eyebrows shot up and he folded his arms across his chest. "Okay… so then what am I gonna be doing?"

"Much of the Organization's research is still contained in that castle. If any of the classified information were to be discovered by anyone else, that could cause us unnecessary problems. Your job is to go to Castle Oblivion and clear out the research facilities there. "

"Oh, is that all?" So they were finally deciding to scrap the second base all together. No doubt because of the recent goings on with the 'impostor'. "So when you say clean out…"

"We already have everything we need here," Saix affirmed. "Everything else can be disposed of."

"So there's nothing else in these labs you want me to bring back," Axel asked for clarification. At the look Saix gave him he sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Alright, I'll destroy whatever is left."

"Good," Saix said with a nod before turning to the windows. "Get moving and don't return until everything is gone."

"Got it," Axel muttered opening a portal.

As Saix listened to the red head leave, he had an inkling of an urge say something more. Though he didn't know what he would say. Saix had never been good with words of sentiment. He heard another enter the room and turned to see Xion approach. She did not speak to him, but stood silently with her blank and empty visage directed at him.

Saix curtly spoke to her the orders following up with a blunt afterthought. "Try not to faint this time."

Xion nodded her understanding before opening a portal and leaving through it. After she left Saix went back to staring out the window. Things were flowing quickly and he knew that unless his plan came to fruition soon he would not be completing it at all.

As Xion traveled through the portal of darkness, she couldn't help but think bitterly on her situation. Saix thought her as useless and Axel was keeping things from her. Roxas could tell something was wrong, but he hadn't any idea what, and she didn't want to trouble him with it. Lately she'd been having strange dreams. Sometimes she was at a beach, other times she was in a castle with white walls. Axel was in some of them. The most recent one had someone else she recognized, that woman who had helped her.

Xion wasn't sure what to make of it. She wanted desperately to know who she was, where she came from. She'd managed to tap into the Organization's database about Castle Oblivion. Since no one else was giving her answers, she may as well seek them out herself. She still didn't have the whole picture though. For a month now, she'd been dithering on whether or not to go there and learn the truth.

Now, she couldn't stand not knowing any longer. So, after leaving the Castle that Never Was, she found herself looking up at the doors to the strange castle from her dreams. Castle Oblivion. It was amazing looking, even more so than she could recall from her splintered memories. She was certain the interior would look just as amazing.

So, after steeling her nerves, she slowly reached forward and forced the doors opened. Immediately upon entering she had the image of Saix leading her out of it return.

The memory didn't last long and once it was over she discovered that Axel was there as well. "What are you doing here, Xion?" he asked pleasantly enough. "Don't you have a mission you're supposed to be on?"

Xion froze as the door closed behind her. She hadn't been expecting anyone else to be there when she arrived, and worse of all it was her friend Axel. She felt anger fill her being until his expression changed to one of disappointment. He moved away from the console and approached her and Xion's anger was replaced by fear. What was going to happen? She wasn't supposed to be there and she knew it...but did that mean Axel was about to punish her for it? No matter, she was there to learn the truth...and no one was going to stop her.

Shippoman: Things are heating up as Xion reaches Castle Obilvion and finds a shocking barrier to the truth, but will she be able to obtain it? Meanwhile, as Thorn strives to recover her strength and search for a way to properly fight off and defeat Ultimecia, Xigbar from the Organization knows she's alive and is now trying to find her. The battle against the silver haired sorceress weighs heavily on Thorn and her friends taking all their attention. Will Thorn be able to keep from being found? Will she and the Hollow Bastion crew be able to defeat the time witch? Stay tuned to find out. And please remember to R&R. ^_^

CM: Thanks for staying with us for so long!