SUPER late update! I've been sitting on this chapter for quite some time, reason being, I wasn't entirely happy with it. But I can't do anything more to it, and having come to that conclusion, here it is.

The orb was there, in the centre of the room. White, surrounded by petal like flaps. This was Sora's Memory Pod. It had encased the only hope for stopping the Organization, the swarms of Heartless, and so many more threats that might yet come. It had housed him for close to a year and a half.

It was unknown if he was dreaming or not.

"I hope he is dreaming." She said quietly.

She stood in front of the Pod, fingers steepled. Looking at him, she was transfixed by his appearance. He had changed, aged, in there. He had grown—

"...so handsome..."

—since he had been in there. He was healthy, not lacking weight at all. A useful feature of the Pods is their life support, which not only provided ample clean air, but also provided nutrition. Still he would be weak from being unconscious for so long.

"I'm trying." She said to the unconscious boy. "Riku is searching. We're doing everything we can. It's all my fault..." She held both hands over the centre of her chest. "But, I won't stop trying. I promise."

"Naminé."

Naminé felt a little alarm at the curt voice of DiZ. She didn't reply, the only responses that came naturally to her being 'how do you do's, and 'Is everything all right', neither of which were welcome with him.

And so, DiZ spoke. "Have you determined where Sora's Nobody has escaped to?"

"I told you already," Naminé said, patiently, "I cannot pinpoint where he is. I can only attempt to convince him to return of his own volition."

"You are a witch," DiZ argued without altering his tone, "Who has power over Sora's memories, and those to whom he is connected. Can you see nothing, Naminé? Nothing that would provide a clue as to where to look?"

Naminé shook her head. "I can see a school, a forest, and the faces of some people. That isn't enough to do anything, not enough to get a lead."

DiZ said nothing, though his dissatisfaction was palpable.

"This is all we can do."

"Naminé," DiZ began, trying to keep his voice level. "This is an intolerable setback. We must wake Sora soon, lest the Organization make more headway than we can afford."

"They need Roxas as much as we do." Naminé countered. "Without the Keyblade, their plans are at a standstill."

"Not entirely." DiZ disagreed in a mutter. "There are other hearts coming to them. From whence, I know not, but somewhere out there, Heartless are being felled by a Keyblade."

Naminé nodded. The Heartless drawn to Roxas would release hearts which would then be drawn to Kingdom Hearts, thus inadvertently aiding the Organization. Still, "Their progress is a slow crawl..." She said meekly, knowing how weak it sounded as a reassurance. She turned around and walked away, DiZ staying to stare—or glare, rather—at the inactive Sora. She stopped halfway to the exit to give one last look to the boy.

"What is it?" DiZ asked, having heard her footsteps stop.

"Nothing." She lied. Riku, please find him soon...

"As you all know, there is a mob amassed outside our gates. Don't worry about it; S.H.I.E.L.D. is living up to its acronym and protecting our asses, so the rioters aren't getting in here." Logan spoke curtly and authoritatively, explaining the situation to the students. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is also living up to its full name's sake and putting forth some BS story to cover us from all the people who would have them let the mob in. I'll get to what that is in a moment, but first; the Professor has been advised that no one should leave the school grounds for any reason." This triggered murmuring within the crowd of students. "Next, all calls and emails, postage, and general shopping is going through S.H.I.E.L.D. That includes clothing and food. And no smut magazines." A small round of giggles is heard of the din of groaning, protesting, and general disapproval of the students. A shout of protest is made, but quickly silenced by Logan's loud reply of, "Third; The Brotherhood of Mutants has launched a worldwide attack against all nations."

The room fell to a silence that echoed fear. No; dread.

Dread.

"That's why the mob is outside." Logan said, getting to the explanation of S.H.I.E.L.D's mandatory presence and their public story for it. "The line is officially drawn between mutant and human. The world is at war."

"It's being called the Genus War by media." Scott put in form beside him.

Genus. Being a school dedicated to the protection and education of mankind's successor, the word was known. Just below Species, above Families, in the ranks of the taxanomic chart. A Genus may have a single species to it, or several. Appropriate, concerning the war between the two distinct existing species of the Homo Genus.

"The Neanderthal doth march against us." He heard someone mutter, Lorna he thought. Then he heard a slightly scolding whisper of, "Lorna..." in Amara's voice.

Only he heard the exchange, his hearing being what it is.

"Fury's...Director Fury's public statement is that we are being contained on the premises to prevent us going underground or joining the Brotherhood. They say that we are also going to be processed in the next few days, which has a grain of truth in it.

"Last night, Xavier, Scott, Fury and I discussed what this school is going to do. An uncomfortable fact we faced was how G.U.N. knew about the bunker, where to dig to catch it before it left; the answer is..." Logan trailed off, the memory of Fury's explanation putting a sneer on his face.

"Well, the way he phrased it," Scott took over, "Is, 'do you imagine that a group of mutants can open a school, build a jet, get custom suits, take in other mutants, then build an escape chute without anyone noticing?'."

Logan then took over again, "And because of that fact, we have been forced to consider...acknowledge, rather, that all our escape plans...may not work." The muttering among the students renewed. "The X-Men have no choice but to through our lot in with S.H.I.E.L.D. In return, those of us who are not X-Men are granted relocation to a secure location."

"What kind of 'secure location'?" Asked X-23.

"And how do we know that S.H.I.E.L.D isn't going to make use of the other students as bait for the Brotherhood at some point?" Asked Shadow.

Logan took a nasal breath, resigning himself to the fact that he might need to talk to those two one on one. "We don't have any guarantees besides that those who don't want to fight won't have to. We won't get much better from the Brotherhood."

"We're still waiting on information from S.H.I.E.L.D," Scott said taking over again, "And I'd wager they don't have a full plan themselves. I can't imagine anyone being prepared for what's just hit this morning. But we can't figure out a plan if were backed into a corner, and S.H.I.E.L.D. has breathing room to offer."

The muttering took a bitter tone. The students agreed. Somewhat.

"So, that's the situation." Logan said in closing. "And we all have to deal with it." He made a meaningful glance at X-23, then Shadow. "Till then, keep your noses in the books, and try not to switch on any media. Dismissed." Despite the statement of 'dismissed', it was Logan and Scott who left right away, leaving the students to talk amongst themselves.

Roxas walked out of the room, not out of bitterness or need to think, but because he found the noise uncomfortable. He hadn't made ten steps before he felt a nudge. He stopped and turned his head, seeing Rogue.

"Hey." She greeted.

"Uh...Hi." He greeted back. Roxas felt the question in the air, but decided he'd beat Rogue to it. "You alright?"

"That's what I wanted to ask you." Rogue replied.

Roxas nodded, giving a reassuring smile. "I'm fine. Honestly, after that little speech you gave earlier, I'm not that worried."

Rogue brought her hands up to hold her own elbows. "I don't suppose you'd mind giving me a speech, then?"

Roxas felt a twinge of sadness. "We'll all get through together." He said. "You convinced me of it, don't go doubting it now."

Rogue was silent for a long few moments but then slowly nodded. "Okay." She said softly.

Roxas wasn't convinced, but before he could press further, he heard, "I don't mean to intrude," come from the side in Kitty's voice.

Both Roxas and Rogue looked across to Kitty, who stood a small distance from them, but it was Rogue who spoke first, curtly saying, "Nothing. It's fine. What do you need?"

"The Junior X-Men are going to be talked to separately from the rest of the student's. Tomorrow, during lunch break, in that same room." She finished the last bit of her sentence by pointing to the room they had all been assembled in.

"When was that decided?" Rogue asked.

"Just a moment ago." Kitty explained with a shrug. "Logan walked back in and told everyone who was still in the room."

Rogue rolled her eyes. "He must've forgotten to say it before..." She shook her head slightly and said, "Fine. I'll be there."

Roxas was about to ask, 'Can I come, too?', but stopped short, remembering he wasn't an X-Man, and therefore would likely not be welcome to hear whatever they would be told. Instead he asked, "I hope they have some good news for you guys."

Kitty and Rogue scoffed bitterly, but not at him. At the situation. "Not likely." Rogue said.

"Still," Roxas said, unfazed, "I hope it's at least not depressing."

Rogue looked at him again, her expression soft. "Thanks. Really."

Roxas only nodded. He extended a hand to the side, opening a dark corridor.

"So that's what it looks like?" Kitty said in wonder as Roxas stepped in.

"Yeah, I know right?" Rogue replied as the corridor closed.

Charles had been told earlier, before arriving at the armed escort for Miss Harkness, that things worldwide had gone into a frenzy; the protest outside the front gates was not the only one, and was also relatively small when compared to the others. People were crying out for the treatment to be made available everywhere, crying foul at it being localised to one nation. Even the American citizens wanted it shipped out as soon as possible to cure the whole world of the mutant cancer.

S.H.I.E.L.D. was keeping all this off Charles's hands, thankfully, but it didn't make it any easier to think of the horrible things that must be going on across the world, and would yet be done. Worse still, what would yet be done by Erik.

I may be asked to deal with assist with dealing with his Brotherhood. He didn't want to; his place was with his students in study, not with the X-Men in war. Erik could surely be dealt with by another?

Charles entertained, for a moment, the thought of Cyclops besting Magneto, or Jean. They were his first students, before even Kitty Pryde, Kurt Wagner, or...Evan Daniels.

He couldn't deny he would likely feel pride at Erik being finally put away by one of his most experienced X-Men. 'Put away', because Charles certainly didn't want the man dead. Detained for life, certainly, but never slain.

Coming away from the thought, he had to admit, he was afraid of the prospect of meeting Erik now. To most everyone else, he referred to Erik as Magneto, but not to himself. Even now, with the war now started de facto, he still tried to remember Erik as the pained and misguided being he was deep inside. Not what he had allowed anger and ambition to turn him into.

If I saw him now, would I be able to keep that image? Is he still Erik, somewhere, or will I see what I dread most for him?

His line of thought was abruptly halted by the appearance of a dark orb. Only after Roxas stepped out of it, did he realize it was Roxas' means of teleportation, as he had previously seen. "What are you doing?" Charles demanded. Had he begun frivolously using his known powers? He disliked it when Kurt did it unnecessarily—and Kitty, and Bobby. And he was absolutely infuriated when the students indulged in 'mutant ball'. "You have legs to walk, and arms with which to knock on the door. You will use them."

"Sorry." Roxas apologised quickly. "Can you spare a moment?"

Charles took a breath. He wished it was something easy to deal with, before saying, "Go on."

"I didn't tell you everything I had remembered when we contacted Naminé."

Charles took this in stride. He didn't think there was much that could surprise him about the boy after the revelation that he could use magic. "What did you leave out?"

"You might not believe me, but...you heard us discussing the Heartless during that, right?"

"Yes." Charles nodded. "Have they appeared again?"

Roxas shook his head. "Not yet, but...soon. I guess. I'll try to be somewhere inconspicuous when they do."

"That would be appreciated." Charles said.

"Right, well, as I said, the Heartless are created from people."

Charles nodded.

"That's only one half. The Heartless are the heart, but a Nobody is the body and mind."

"Another enemy that is hounding you?" Charles guessed.

"No. It is me." Roxas clarified. "I'm not actually a mutant like you all thought. I'm a Nobody, one half of a person. Half of Sora. That's why Naminé needs me to go back to him."

There was a long silence as Charles took this in, mild confusion on his face. "Why did you keep this to youse—was Miss Harkness aware of this?"

"Yes; I cut her off just before she told you when we spoke to Naminé, and I guess she just didn't bother to make issue of it."

"Or she respected your wishes, or she didn't care to tell secrets." Charles was neutral about it. He would have preferred it if Harkness had told him, but really it was Roxas who should have told him and not lied. "Does the fact that you are one of these Nobodies present much difference between you and others?"

Roxas shook his head 'no'. "It just means I don't have a heart, and I fade away into nothing when I die instead of decompose."

"I see." Charles said. He breathed in and out, not angry but a little disappointed, and in truth a little grateful that this had been an easy matter to deal with. "You didn't need to keep this a secret in the first place." He said, looking Roxas in the eye. "May I ask why you did."

Roxas didn't answer at first, seeming to choose his words. "Because I didn't want to be seen as anything but Roxas." He said. "I want to build a life, then live it, and eat the occasional ice-cream with friends." Roxas' focus faded and he seemed suddenly absent in mind. "Right, that..." He whispered.

Thinking, Ah, more memories, and then ignoring it otherwise, Xavier said, "You could be an extraterrestrial for all I care, Roxas. You are still a thinking and feeling individual, who we took in when we found him broken and bloody on our grounds. That is who I see when I look at you; Someone who needed our help, and has so much to learn about the people who took him in. You do not need to be a mutant to receive our help."

Roxas nodded. "I'm sorry."

"You don't need to be; you have the right to decide who knows what about you, but do so while knowing that we won't turn our noses up because you aren't a mutant."

Roxas nodded. "May I be dismissed?"

"Use the door." Xavier said by way of affirmative answer. "I was put there for a reason, after all."

Roxas smirked as he turned and left, muttering, "Right."

Charles watched the door close behind him. "I wonder how Erik would respond to your existence..." He wondered absently. He smiled a little as he imagined himself and Erik as yound men, encountering Roxas and knowing what the boy is. 'Where do you say this goes on your vaunted food chain?' Erik would have been in such a huff about it back then.

I will try to remember you as that man. Charles thought. If only to honour the good intentions that turned you to so far astray.

In the gloom, he sat and remembered with mournfulness.

Watching from the East Wing Balcony of the Citadel, Trusted Brothers Blakk and Byte drank coffee, observing the departing forces as though it was an everyday event. The distance allowed for this sort of emotional detachment from the reality of the march to war.

From his position at the edge of the balcony, Byte asked, "Do you think their resolve will hold?"

"Who?"

"Them." Byte nodded at the sight they were watching. "Do you think their resolve will hold?"

"What is the point of wondering that now?" Blakk asked flatly, moving away from the table he had been standing at to come to the balcony edge as well.

"Because they are marching to war with only practice drills and speeches as preparation." Byte explained. "I wonder if perhaps that will be enough for them not to freeze in fear, or to become disillusioned due to gore."

Blakk set his cup aside on the wide lip of the balcony rail. "I suddenly have no appetite."

"Say what you like about the subject matter." Byte said, setting his own cup aside. "It is an important question; will our army hold?"

Blakk didn't reply immediately. "You might have brought this up at an earlier time." He muttered. "Before we were at war." In answer to the question, he said, "Our psychology is not all that different from the humans; we have their feelings of inferiority when faced with someone who can exceed us, or admiration of our betters as an alternative to that." He approached the edge of the balcony, looking down at the streets below. "But the similarity I base my faith in our army upon is this; that neither the humans nor we feel anything when we step on an ant. For a human, the smallness and insignificance of the insect in question compared to themselves distances them, morally, ethically, and emotionally. Sometimes, wilful destruction of ants is undertaken out of curiosity to the ant's reaction." Looking to Byte, he concluded, "Our Brothers and Sisters have gifts that put them far out of reach—far above—the humans, so I don't see how they can experience any difference between killing humans by the dozen and stepping on a dozen ants at a time."

Byte held Blakk's gaze for a minute, then shook his head. "Sociopathy, zealotry, and psychopathy are poor answers." His phone buzzed, and he diverted his attention to merge with the device and read the message just received. "Lord Magneto has asked for an emergency session in the auditorium." He said for the sake of informing Blakk about it. "It's in an hour and a half." He spared one more glance at the mutant flooded horizon, before giving a curt, "Excuse me." And leaving.

Blakk returned to looking down at the streets after Byte had gone. "The humans have to been removed." He said, speaking verbally only so he could satisfy his own argument. "How it is done, and with what mindset, are irrelevant. Evolution has no place for such concerns." If Byte was so concerned about the Brotherhood of Mutants holding together in warfare, why not just tell it to Magneto rather than annoy Blakk with it?

Blakk briefly considered bringing it up with Magneto himself, but dismissed it; what would he propose be done about it?

Regardless, Blakk thought it best to clear his schedule in preparation for the emergency meeting. He took out his pager—himself sharing Lord Magneto's distaste for mobile phones—and put through a message to his personal assistant that he would be attending an emergency session with Lord Magneto. He didn't wait for a reply before making his way inside.

Coming in, he crossed paths with Jothuun, Magneto's personal assistant. "Good day." Blakk greeted.

"Hello." Jothuun replied in kind. "Have you been informed...?"

"Of the emergency meeting, yes." Blakk was now walking alongside Jothuun. "An hour and a half from now, yes?"

"Yes."

"Might I ask what the meeting is about?"

Jothuun's reply was immediate and curt. "Lord Magneto will inform you when the meeting begins." A silence followed as they walked, before coming to an intersection in the halls and parting with Jothuun giving a quick, "I'm this way," as they parted. As they walked away, Blakk stopped and half turned to watch Jothuun continue on his way; walking briskly, head straight forward. "Man on a mission." Blakk muttered. He continued on his own way, refocusing on clearing his schedule in preparation for the meeting.

His citadel office was not many more halls away, and when he came to it, he opened the door and shook his head. It was so much less...lively than his one. His office in the east district, a few kilometres from the citadel, was decorated with wooden floors, rugs, art, all the accoutrement used by those with large office space. This one had wall-to-wall grey carpet throughout. And plain white walls.

"It looks like a Fed Ex store..." He muttered. Noticing his assistant looking at him expectantly from his little desk in the corner, he said, "Are there any appointments that you are having difficulty moving?"

His assistant shook his head. "Mostly there are just complaints concerning the sudden change in orders; it was not all that long ago that they were given orders to begin sabotage operations, and with the coming first assault it will be very difficult to safely establish contact. Or so they say."

"They are correct." Blakk confirmed. "And the Institute?"

"Professor Xavier's Institute for the Gifted?"

Blakk nodded, ignoring the unnecessary use of the full name.

"S.H.I.E.L.D's presence has made further contact with the assigned sister nearly impossible. What mastermind brought to us was the last we might get for a while."

"Was that the Handler's assessment?"

"No. He made no assessment of the situation, but did ask to be recalled."

Blakk shook his head. "Absolutely not. Lord Magneto mandated long ago that Xavier and his school were to be monitored as much as is possible. S.H.I.E.L.D's occupation of their grounds changes nothing."

His assistant nodded his understanding.

"Now," Blakk said as he strode into his office, "Pen and paper...