A dark portal opens just outside the castle, and Mario and Xildus step out.

"It's been a while since I was here," Mario states as he heads inside the castle, heading for the kitchen to find Colette.

Xildus, meanwhile, heads to see the Nobodies; he had something to get off his chest.

The old-looking Samurai is in the arena, placing a flower on top of a large pile where Sora had fallen. He then transports to the castle, where the other nobodies were.

Perhaps when Xildus saw him, he'd remember this Samurai from the days when the Organization ruled The Castle that never was, passing by him without a glance. And perhaps even that this Samurai had passed by Xildus' cell, while Xamira visited.

Linguini and Colette were busy cooking in the kitchen, preparing dinner. Something seemed a little off about Linguini's movements.

Xildus stops as he passes the old Samurai, looking back at him. "...I remember you now...you were around back when the Organization was still running...how have you survived for so long?"

Mario, meanwhile, enters the kitchen and sees Colette. "I was told that there was a young girl staying in the castle now."

"By being wise. I would avoid obeying the Organization's orders. When Sora came, I did what I could to help him reach Xemnas. When the Angel's seized control, I fled to avoid being captured by their Master K." The Old Samurai says. "Somedays I look back and feel like I was a coward...."

"Ah, Azure." Collette says.

"She's a little odd...." Linguni says, as he stops putting in ingredients.

"Oui." Colette says. "I doubt she's awake, but I can show you where her room is."

Xildus gives a slight nod. "Fair enough. It's just so rare that I see Nobodies who have for so long gone without fading into nothing or find their hearts. I must ask, though, did you happen to discover how K is capturing the Nobodies?"

Mario nods, but he pauses. "By the way, Linguni, are you feeling alright? You seemed a little...off a second ago."

"Sadly, no." The Samurai says. "Nothing makes sence."

"I'm fine." Linguini says. By how his heart is, he seems to be telling the truth.....but was there a tiny heart in his hat?

Collette waits outside the kitchen for Mario, a little nervous that Mario may have seen Remy.

Xildus is silent before responding. "Hopefully, our spies have come back with some intel. In the meantime, I want to talk with some of the elders; I'm sure you know what it's about."

"Hm-hm...alright then, carry on," Mario states, noting the extra heart but saying nothing for the moment as he follows Colette.

The Samurai nods, and goes off to see if the spies have returned. The other nobodies are relaxing, enjoying the peace.

Colette takes Mario to Azure's room. She points to the door. "That is her room, I'd watch, there's something very odd about her. I know your a knight, but still, she doesn't seem like she'd take kindly to a threat." Colette says, before returning to the kitchen.

Xildus passes some of the Nobodies, his serious look rather telling as he looks for any of the elders.

Mario nods to her. "Don't worry; I'll be careful." He approaches the door and knocks.

All the elders seem to be sitting together, away from the others.

There's no answer. When Mario tries to open it, the door is locked. Azure is inside, however, asleep, one wing wrapped around her. The knock had not woken her.

Mario sighs, knocking again but louder.

Xildus finds the elders and approaches them, squinting slightly. "You all lied to me. I'm not a Nobody."

"We do not recall ever saying you were." One says.

"Then again, you should have known, there was always something about you. You didn't remember pain, but felt it. Nobodies do not have such emotions." Another says.

Azure wakes, confused. Her wings disappear, and she goes to the door, opening it. She looks over Mario, and instinct told her to slam the door and run, but she noticed his symbol. "Yes?" She asked.

"Yes, my name is Mario. I help manage things here in the castle," he states. "I heard that we had a new guest, so I was hoping to introduce myself."

"You know that's not true. Roxas, Xion, Axel, just to name a few. They are but a few of numerous Nobodies who have shown such emotions that Nobodies are supposed to lack, and it doesn't matter if they were special cases; it did happen regardless. And getting back on topic, I know you all didn't tell me I was a Nobody; the Organization did, but that doesn't explain why you didn't correct them or me on what I am, nor how I have become as attached to the Nobody order as I have."

"I'm Azure." She says, steeping into the doorway. "Vanessa told me about you. Your the Head Royal Knight, right?"

"We were not aloud. That, and none of us were sure why. The oldest one says. "Did you expect us to tel you something we were not even sure of. And after the Organization locked you up, we were sure you died when we heard nothing of you."

Mario nods. "That's right. So why don't you tell me a bit about yourself? I'm curious to know how you got here."

Xildus sighs. "Fair enough. It's a pity that none of the Organization are around to ask...I do remember Bleach telling me that Number VIII had somehow been resurrected, but what little he got out of him about the old days seem to suggest that he might not be the wealth of information he used to be."

Azure sighs, and goes and sits on her bed. "I'm from a world far from here, that no longer exists." She says. "I have been traveling the universe in search of anyone from my world, and so far have come up empty. I noticed Heartless following me....and some attacked me. I came here not to long ago...searching, but came up empty again. I noticed there were no heartless, so I decided to catch up on some rest here. I haven't been sleeping alot lately."

"Yes, but there is no telling if he faded back since Bleach saw him. That, and it may be near impossible to find him." The old one said.

Mario is silent, not sure how to respond at first. "Well...perhaps you could tell me about your world and its people. Who knows; given how much I travel, I might stumble across someone you might know."

Xildus is silent for a moment, then suddenly has an epiphany. "Maybe not. Give me ten minutes to check somewhere." He then turns around, opening a portal and heading for a certain location.

{Xildus to Twilight Town}

"Well, all the people have only one thing in common, we're all pail." Azure says. She couldn't tell him about her species. "I've seen people like that, but they weren't from my world."

Azure's heart seemed to burning flame of light. Strange...

Mario notices this strange burning but says nothing. "I suppose that's a start, but is there anything else you can tell me? Perhaps just some sort of custom or tradition of your people that could make it easier to spot one?"

"I guess the easiest is that women from are world always have shirts that start below the shoulder blade. Guys always have a gap in their shirts between the shoulder blades. We're very respectful of others." Azure says. "Do you have a sketch pad? Some of us have these necklaces, their hard to describe."

Mario nods, pulling a small sketchbook from his bag. He always carried one around just in case it was necessary to make notes. "Here you go."

Azure starts sketching a necklace, one she gave a dear friend of hers. "Here." She says, handing it back.

Meanwhile, a man steps into the town, looking around. The man had golden hair and eyes, the very necklace Azure drew around his neck. He clutched it, hoping to find Azure, or someone else from his world here.

Mario glances at the sketch, taking a moment to memorize it. "Alright, I'll keep an eye out for anyone with a necklace like this. In the meantime, feel free to stay here as long as you would like." He smiles again before heading back to the kitchen.

"Thanks." Azure says. She leaves her room, and goes to the library.

Collette and Linguini are serving the meal to the residents, smiles on their faces. "Enjoy." Colette says.

Mario enters the kitchen and gestures to Linguni and Colette, showing them the image of the necklace. "Let me know if you see anyone wearing a necklace like this; it could be a link to our mysterious visitor."

Colette nods. "Will do." She says.

Kaine approaches the castle, noting the guards he hesitates, unsure, then heads to the Arena. He'd come back later.

Mario nods and heads into town, keeping his eyes open in case he sees the mentioned necklace.

Kaine stops at the pile of flowers, and has his wings appear and seems to take respect to the one who had fallen here. Once done, they disappear, and Kaine continues threw the Arena.

Mario stops at the Arena, deciding to stop by and honour the place where Sora fell. As he goes in, however, he notices someone coming out, and he comes to a stop when he recognizes the same necklace that was detailed in the sketch. "Excuse me," Mario asks as he gets closer, "but do you know a girl named Azure?"

Kaine seems shocked at her name. "Where is she? Is she okay?"

"She's fine," Mario states, glad to have found someone who knew her. "She's being taken care of at the castle. I can take you to her, if you'd like."

"Please, I've been looking for her everywhere." Kaine says.

Mario nods, leading the way to the castle and trying to find Azure once he gets there.

Azure is in the same place she was, sitting alone in the library reading a book.

Kaine keeps up with Mario, eager to see Azure again.

Mario soon enters the library, and when he sees Azure, he smiles. "Azure? I think you have a visitor."

Azure looks up, and drops the book. "KAINE!" She shouts, running to hug him. "I thought...."

"I know...so did I." Kaine said, holding her tight. "Did you find anyone?"

"No, you?" She asks.

"Besides you, no." Kaine said. He looks to Mario. "May we talk in private, sir?"

Mario nods, leaving the library to give them some privacy. He contemplates eavesdropping, but they seemed innocent enough, so he instead heads to the kitchen to see if Vanessa was back.

Vanessa didn't follow Mario, having stayed back in Radiant Garden. Andrew spots Mario, and leaves Emma's side to go over to him. "Hey, I was wondering where you were. I wanted to ask if you'd be my best man at my wedding." He says, smiling

---

Kaine sighs. "Azure, I fear we're the last of our kind." He says.

"I feared that as well...." Azure says. She hesitates for a moment. "Kaine.....did you ever guess why I gave you that necklace?"

"I love you as well, Azure." Kaine said, and kissed her gently. "Fly with me?"

Azure nods, smiling. "We'll have to be careful."

An hour later, two dragons, gold and light blue, are flying in the sky off in the distance.

Mario blinks, surprised by this. "Why, of course! It'd be an honour!"

Andrew smiles. "Thanks." Andrew says, smiling. "Vanessa is the Maid of honor....wherever she went...."

"Didn't she go back to Radiant Garden?" Emma asks, coming over.

Mario nods. "I guess she didn't follow me back from Radiant Garden. I'd better go find her. I'll be back soon." He opens a dark portal and steps through.

{Mario to Radiant Garden}

A dark portal opens inside the castle, and Xildus steps through as he makes his way back to the elders.

Axel steps threw, and Axel follows Xildus.

Xildus soon finds the elders, stopping before them. "I have returned. I also bring with me Number VIII; I would like to know if it would be possible to offer him some shelter here, since he has nowhere else to go."

The Elders look at one another. "If he seeked to control us, he would not be welcome here, but we know Number VIII was different then most, respected us, so he is welcome as long as he continues to respect us. The oldest says.

"Don't worry, I got it Memorized. But if you wouldn't mind, just call me Lea."

Xildus nods. "Thank you, elders." He looks to Lea. "Feel free to make yourself at home."

Lea nods, and walks off into the castle.

Andrew and Emma leave the Castle, their guards not far behind. They note the two dragons, deciding to tell Mario later.

Not long after, thought, the two dragons land in the Arena, careful not to disturb the pile of flowers. They then turn back into Azure and Kaine, before heading into the Marketplace, walking hand in hand.

Xildus nods to him and thanks the elders once more before heading back to the ramparts to look over the town.

Azure and Kaine approach Andrew, and Kaine asks to look at his necklace selection. He nods, and opens up his shop. They go in, glad to be with one another.

A portal opens in the castle courtyard, and Mario exits after Vanessa.

Vanessa smiles before going back to the kitchen, Colette and Linguini welcome her back. Vanessa goes and helps them wash dishes.

---

Keith buys Azure a necklace, kissing her. "You could have gotten the one with the diamond." He says.

"I like this one though." She says, as they head to the castle together.

Mario follows her to the kitchen, and after a few moments, he decides it might be time to investigate. "Linguni, Colette, may I ask you something?"

"Um sure." Colette says. "What is it?"

Mario leans against the wall, as if settling in for a conversation. "First off, Linguni, would it trouble you if I asked you to remove your hat for a while?"

Linguini looks to Colette, who nods. Linguini takes off his hat, and underneath is a skinny rat. It stares at Mario, seeming unsure.

Vanessa gasps.

Mario looks at the rat for a few moments before looking back to Linguni and Colette. "Start at the beginning. I won't say anything until you're done."

Linguni sighs, telling Mario everything. Colette fills in some things, but mostly stays silent.

Vanessa leans against the sink. "A rat that can cook.....who knew."

Mario remains silent the entire time, his expression unchanged. After they finish, he doesn't say anything for a few minutes. Finally, he speaks. "Linguni, Colette, let me start by putting things in a matter of perspective. Sure, there is a rat in the kitchen, but at the same time, this castle is filled with Nobodies. From a civilian's viewpoint, which is more disturbing?"

"Well, if this were a restaurant, we would be shut down." Vanessa says.

"But Mario has a point, a rat seems hardly anything when you see the Nobodies." Colette says. "But still, not many people would eat the food if they knew a rat was cooking it."

Mario shakes his head. "My point, though, is that I don't have any issues with this. Trust me, I've seen a lot of amazing things in my experience, and a cooking rat only adds to that. For now, keep Remy hidden, but remember that secrets are not an easy thing to keep forever; I of all people know this."

"Thank you." Linguini says, putting his hat back on. They go back to cleaning dishes.

Vanessa sighs, and helps.

Mario nods. "Sorry to trouble you." He then goes through the castle to check the status quo of everything else.

Azure and Kaine come back, and go back to the library to enjoy some quiet.

Leas is sitting up on the roof, looking around the town, wondering where the Dragons went.

Mario eventually reaches the roof, pausing when he sees Lea. "...I remember you. You're Axel...or is it Alex? ...Lea? Sorry, it's just that you changed so many times three years ago."

"Yea, well Lea was my original name, so I'm going by that." Axel says. "Sup?"

"Not much," Mario states as he sits next to him. "Just wondering what brought you here. It has been three years, after all."

"Well, really it was Xildus. He found me moping in Twilight Town. So much changed....I just found out about Sora..." Lea says. "And these Fallen Angels that killed him."

Mario is silent as he glances away. "I know..." He then sighs. "To think, I've been struggling for three years to take them down, and I've gotten no closer...if I could only figure out how they're controlling the Nobodies..."

"Well, maybe they're doing it the same way the Organization did." Lea says. "But only Xemnas and Xigbar knew I think."

Mario looks up. "Really? Hm...it's too bad Xemnas didn't keep any notes on hand like Ansem...or does he?" He thinks for a moment. "Did Xemnas have any sort of lab or study that was off limits?"

"Not that I know of, but then again, there were various hidden rooms in The Castle That Never Was." Axel says. "It could be anywhere."

Mario is silent before he stands up. "Thanks, Lea." He then rushes back into the castle, eventually slowing to a walk as he enters the room of the elders. "I need to talk. Can you send for Xildus?"

The old Samurai stands, and searches for Xildus.

Lea raises an eyebrow, but doesn't follow Mario.

Xildus notices the old Samurai, and after getting the message, he comes down to meet with Mario in the elders' chamber.

With Xildus in attendance, Mario begins. "I've been talking with Lea. He states that the methods that K is controlling the Nobodies might be related to the methods used by Xemnas. Do you know if there were any areas that were off-limits in the castle where Xemnas might have kept research notes or other vital information?"

"There was one floor Xemnas wanted to himself, perhaps it was his lab?" One says.

"Maybe...how soon can get our spies to investigate?" Mario asks, feeling that they might finally be having a breakthrough.

"As soon as we can reach them." The Samurai says.

Mario gives a nod. "Alright. Let's hope we can finally make progress." He gives a respectful nod and leaves to deal with other responsibilities.

The Elders nod, and go back to whatever they were doing before.

Later, one of the spy Dragoons go up to the Elders, but bears no news. They tell him to search the bottom floor if possible. It nods, and disappears.

Azure and Kaine leave the library and walk threw the castle.

Mario notices Kaine and Azure as he is walking down the hall. "Have you two been enjoying yourselves?"

"Yes." Azure says, smiling. She looks to Kaine, and he shakes his head, as if reading her mind. "Well, if you'll excuse us, we have alot of catching up to do. Thank you for reuniting us."

Mario gives a smile and a nod. "Alright. Just to let you know, though, there's plenty of extra housing in the town, if the two of you don't have anywhere else to go." He then continues on his way.

Kaine nods, and they both go and return to town, looking at houses. "We should have told him." Azure says.

"We don't know if we can trust him, Azure. You said your instincts told you to run from him, you shouldn't ignore that fact." Kaine says.

"Yes, but he seems harmless. Why would he be in charge of this place if he's bad?" Azure says.

"You forget we thought thatman was good too, despite our instincts, and yet he's responsible for bringing destruction to our world." Kaine says.

Azure sighs. "I know..."

---

The castle is pretty calm, few people wandering threw it.

Mario, seeing things in order, decides to head upstairs where he had a room reserved for him. He soon falls asleep, enjoying a nice nap in the midst of all the action.

A few days later
The Old Samurai goes to Mario's room, and knocks on the door. They had just received news about the lab.

Mario quickly gets up, going to the door and answering. "Have they come back?" he asks.

The old Samurai simply nods, and heads back to where the Elders were, his pace quick.

On the way, Kaine and Azure were headed down a separate hallway, if Mario looked, he could see light blue wings coming from Azure's back, and golden ones coming out from Kaine's. A moment later thought, the wings disappear, however.

Mario gets a brief glimpse of these wings as he rushes past them, but he doesn't think much of it as he continues his hurry. He soon reaches the Elders' chambers, where Xildus is already waiting to scribe.

One Dragoon is resting, it's wing wounded. It watches Mario come in and then turns to Xildus. Are you familiar with Xehanort's previous work with Hearts? It asks.

"I've read up on a bit about his reports in Radiant Garden," Mario responds. "Mostly the properties of the heart, the Heartless, something about a Keyblade war, etcetra."

The dragoon nods. He pulls out a large stack of papers, some slightly singed. We gathered these papers on his research. This is everything on the nobodies, including how he controlled us. It looks to Xildus. Included in these papers are the unspeakable tortures he did to you. If we knew they were that bad, we would have stopped them. We are sorry.

Xildus is silent, wordless about his tortures but mostly having moved beyond them now.

Mario, meanwhile, looks over the notes, reading them as he tries to make sense of them. "Hm...I can't understand any of this science, but if I were to get them to someone who could, would it be possible to reverse-engineer a way to break the control?"

It's possible. The Dragoon says. Whom did you have in mind?

"There's only one guy I know who is the most capable of reading stuff like this," Mario states with a smile as he opens a dark portal. "And the good news is that he works for us." He then steps through the portal, heading for Radiant Garden.

{Mario to Radiant Garden}

The Dragoon seems to smile, before going off to rest and heal.