Puzzles and Pieces [King Mickey, Humor]

[Fate]

Disheartening

Days were quickly becoming meshed together as the Schemer traversed through the worlds, seemingly following a cold trail. Everywhere he went, he received no answers about the Tool of Darkness and Heartless numbers were down. It was rather disappointing to say the least, particularly since he thought something would have turned up by now; anything would have been good. Zexion did not want to displease the Superior with his lack of progress in finding any sort of information and he could not move forward with his plans concerning Axel just yet. There was still business left unfinished, leading him to his current location: Disney Castle.

There were a few reasons behind this visit. For one, he did not doubt that he might have sparked the King's curiosity by showing up in the meeting as his Other; it would be intriguing to see if Mickey still remembered him after all these years. Secondly, he wanted some more information. His trust in Axel was strained at this point, not willing to trust him with much at all. Mickey had to have some information about what happened with Xemnas and he knew Mickey wasn't about to lie; it wasn't in the mouse's nature to do so. He could gain that information and compare it with Axel's, which would help his case even further; he would have all of the evidence he needed.

Lastly, he was curious on the King's position concerning the balance. Zexion wasn't one to make enemies if it could be avoided and knowing what the king's moves would be would help matters. The issue of balance concerned not only those who fought for either light or darkness, but the Organization as well. If there were not enough Heartless, then their goal would take longer to meet. The illusionist would say that he felt uneasy about the lack of balance at the moment; the light could cause problems, but what those would be were currently unknown.

With all of these thoughts in mind, Zexion lingered in the throne room, his hood on. He sat down on the armrest of the throne and crossed his arms, waiting for the King to return home.

[King Mickey]

Home Sweet Home?

The flight home from Agrabah had been tiring. Mickey partially blamed the heat that still lingered beneath his fur. And the sand. It felt like he wouldn't be able to rid himself of that grittiness in his clothes for a good while. Thank goodness the castle had an ample water supply. He couldn't wait to fill up a tub and jump right in. Besides, Minnie would probably send him there first, anyway. She wouldn't want to deal with the smell of his travels.

He gathered up his cloak--it would definitely be needing a good washing, as well--exited his ship, and made his way through the hanger, eagerly taking in the familiar sights and smells of home. Things were relatively quiet as he entered the courtyard. The landscaping was as fantastic as ever, yet everything seemed almost too undisturbed. Surely, Donald and Goofy were around somewhere. Or Pluto, even. He could find and greet them later, preferably after a long bath and maybe some sleep. It had been a good while since he had slept for more than a few hours at a time.

Making his way inside the castle proper, Mickey decided to check the throne room first to see if Minnie might be in there. If she wasn't there, the library was next on his list. His footsteps echoed a little along the lengthy hallway, and he finally stopped in front of the large doors leading to the throne room. He pushed them open slowly. "Minnie? You in here? I'm home!"

It only took about three seconds for him to switch gears. In the first second, he saw the cloaked and hooded figure sitting on the arm of the throne at the far end of the room. In the next second, he faltered for a moment. "...Riku?" No, that couldn't be right. Riku wouldn't come to him like this. The silver-haired Keyblade master no longer walked in darkness. At least, he had no longer walked in darkness the last time Mickey had seen him. The third second ticked by, and Mickey dropped his own cloak to the ground to free both his hands. The Kingdom Key D flashed into existence, held ready to attack should the need arise. However, the king wasn't so on edge that he was going to attack first and ask questions later.

"If ya think coming into my castle and hiding behind that hood is an okay thing to do, you've got another thing comin'." He pointed his Keyblade at the intruder. "I thought all of ya were gone, anyhow. So, which one are you?"

[Fate]

A Fair Exhange?

"Must everything start with a battle? I do not intend to fight you," Zexion told him, his voice not faltering one bit as he eased himself off of the throne, though he did not move far from it. He took off his hood as well, revealing his bluish-silver hair that fell over one side of his face. The side that wasn't hidden was staring at the King with an ever-so-slight grin on his face, his arms going back to being crossed. "I'm almost surprised you do not remember me; what a shame."

Though, that was not the main focus of Zexion's visit. There was more business to attend to and questions that needed answering. First things first, he needed to get Mickey to lower his weapon. The Schemer did not come waltzing into the castle looking for a fight; especially when he would be fighting someone he was not so sure he could win against. He gave the mouse a cold stare, thinking for a moment. Perhaps a small informational exchange could ease the tension and make Mickey lower his Keyblade. It was obvious that he did not know the Organization had been revived; while it may be slightly unwise to reveal that fact, Zexion could work with this.

"Zexion," he told him simply, "As stated previously, I do not wish to start a fight. However, I come with the knowledge that we may be facing a similar foe. The 'Tool of Darkness', I believe?" Zexion paused for a moment, letting that sink in before he continued. "I may be able to provide you with information that could possibly aid you. Although, I come asking for information as well." The Schemer was one with an inquisitive, and often restless, mind. He was not going to stop until he found the answers that he was looking for.

Hopefully, Mickey would be able to provide them.

[Administrator]

I walked in on the wrong conversation...

A dark corridor opened up and a seven foot tall creature of pure Darkness walked out of the corridor as it closed behind. He took one look from the irate mouse to the cloaked figure and held up his hands. "Don't shoot!" he said, hands in the air in a placating gesture. Wow, did I walk in at the worst possible time... Humor had been bored sitting in the back of what's-her-name's gummi ship, so he had used a corridor to travel to a world at random.

Humor saw now that that was a somewhat...bad decision on his part. The mouse seemed to be pointing a keyblade, the bane of his existence, at the cloaked figure. "Can this not be solved with polite conversation? Why is it the keyblade always seems to choose those who strike first and ask questions later?" He realized that the hooded figure was saying the same a moment later.

"It seems that Zexion seems to have the right of it." Wait, 'Tool of Darkness'? Seems like some guy was making the dark look bad. THAT was embarrassing. Wait...was that what they were calling that guy who ransacked the Marketplace on Hollow Bastion? Huh. "I may be able to help a little with these matters. I have some information myself."

(So, I'm just going to use masculine pronouns to describe Humor from now on. kthxbye)

[King Mickey]

We Have Got to Get Better Security Around Here

Mickey relaxed just a little when the Nobody started speaking. The voice--and the frame, for that matter--didn't match Xemnas, Saïx, or any of the other Organization members they had run into in The World That Never Was. Maybe all of them were still dead. That was probably too much ask. There could never be just one threat to peace, could there? Mickey constantly seemed to find himself with his focus divided. Organization XIII was the lesser of two evils at this point, though. They had already been beaten back once. If necessary, the king knew that he, Sora, and Riku could do it again.

The hood lowered, revealing a face. Well, a face half-covered with hair, anyway. Something about the face and the way the hair fell over one eye tugged at Mickey's memory. When the Nobody told him his name, it only took mere moments for Mickey to do a quick rearrangement of letters. "Ienzo?" Then it hit him. He had seen Zexion's Other in Radiant Garden. Hadn't he been talking to Sora? At first, he was confused as to how that was possible. But he remembered Riku telling him about a Nobody in Castle Oblivion who had been a master of illusion. Riku hadn't known this Nobody's name, but his description matched Zexion's perfectly. So, unless Zexion had a twin running around, this was the illusionist. Everything was beginning to click into place.

He would have dismissed his Keyblade immediately, but something stopped him. "What were you doing with Sora?" Mickey doubted Zexion was pulling an Axel and developing some sort of soft spot for the Keyblade master. As far as he knew, Zexion and Roxas didn't have much of a history. Though, if the Nobody was interested in at least working with Sora, the king could understand the need to be secretive. The rest of the Organization might not take kindly to that. Then again, Zexion could be planning to obtain Sora as a tool of the Organization. It wasn't a new idea, after all. The Nobodies wanted hearts, and the Keyblade could get them.

Before Zexion had a chance to answer his question, a Corridor of Darkness sounded off to the side and revealed another visitor. This one was obviously affiliated with the darkness, and Mickey was glad he had not yet put up his Keyblade. His first inclination was to attack, but the thing surprisingly asked them both not to hurt it. It then offered to provide information. This could turn out to be beneficial. Zexion had already stated that he had information on Radiant Garden's attacker, and he had even gone so far as to call this attacker a common enemy.

The Kingdom Key D finally vanished, and Mickey made his way toward the other end of the room. Brushing past Zexion, the mouse king hopped up into his throne and took a seat. Much better. He didn't feel quite so short now. "Well, what have ya got for me?" He would, of course, eventually offer his own information. But this was his castle, so he was going to get everything these two could tell him first.

[Fate]

Semblance of Balance and Security

Zexion nodded his head to Mickey's first question; that was indeed how Mickey knew him and the rest of the original six, wasn't it? He had known all of the apprentices, or at least knew of them through his discussions with Ansem the Wise. He would say that it had been far too long since one called him by that name, but Emi had referred to him by that name as well when he had uncovered her memories. This meeting did not concern memories, however, and both of them knew that. The Nobody wanted information and the King could possibly use what he had to offer.

Though, his Keyblade still remained out. Zexion should have suspected that he would not do so; Mickey was not about to trust anyone from Organization XIII and with very good reason. Besides that, the King had obviously seen him in Radiant Garden with Sora, which gave plenty of room for suspicion. Of course, he was not about to go into detail with his plans for Sora that he was going to enact with Axel-- those were better left unsaid and unknown by anyone that wasn't one of those two Nobodies. For now, he could say that he was working with Sora, or attempting to.

Before Zexion could even get the chance to say these words, another Corridor of Darkness sounded. He instantly took a couple of steps back and narrowed his gaze; who else could possibly want to see the King from the Organization? If anyone else knew what he was doing right now, they would have room for even more suspicion and Zexion did not need that. He stared at the Corridor of Darkness and what emerged from it, the scent reeking of darkness and not recognized. He relaxed his stance and stood straight once more; this was not someone from the Organization.

Yes, a Humanoid Heartless was better than a member of the Organization.

He studied this Heartless for a moment. The voice was most definitely masculine and the creature stood at a foreboding seven feet tall at the very least, making the Nobody resemble a midget comparatively speaking. The Heartless also seemed to be sentient and did not want them to attack. Zexion raised an eyebrow to this; the last sentient Heartless he had met had been very keen on attacking the Nobody. In fact, the scents seemed almost similar... Zexion would have to study this at a later date. All three of them had information that needed to be shared and the two that entered the castle needed to share theirs first.

"I surmise that you were filled in about the Tool of Darkness during your meeting," Zexion told him, going back to sitting down on the armrest of the throne. "I have searched many worlds now for information regarding this man, but I have not been able to find anything concerning a silver-robed man with red hair. He has not attacked any other worlds and Heartless numbers have been considerably low." He passed a glance at the humanoid Heartless for a moment before returning his eyes to the King. "After some surveillance in Radiant Garden, we can only assume that Maleficent is going to try and obtain this Tool and use it for her own means. We cannot allow this to happen."

He paused again, thinking these words through. More darkness is what the Organization needed at this point since they were about collecting the hearts from the Heartless. However, with a massively powerful Tool of Darkness in the hands of Maleficent, the balance would be skewed even worse. Everyone knew about the corrupting power of the darkness and Maleficent had been the one to bring it down on Radiant Garden before; with the Tool of Darkness on her side, Radiant Garden, and most likely many other worlds, would fall. Zexion was not about to stand by and watch that happen; there needed to be at least somewhat of a balance. He turned his eyes to the humanoid Heartless and Mickey now.

"What information can you offer?" he asked. He would wait to question Mickey on the information that he wanted; it was not the most important topic of this meeting.

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[Administrator]

Corruption from the Light is possible, yes.

The Heartless nodded. Zexion had spot-on information. The Mysterious Figure seemed to have vanished entirely from their plane of existence, which was impossible. "None of the Heartless I have seen in my travels have had any other news about this mystery man, unfortunately." Humor sighed. He wished there was more relevant information that he could add to the conversation, but his sources, one could say, were rather limited.

"And, as unlikely as the two of you may think it, I agree with Zexion and, likely, yourself, good King. If Maleficent obtains this Tool, then she can tip the balance too far in the side of the Dark." Humor smiled then. "But do not think my intentions are pure, or any such nonsense.

"The truth is," the Heartless said, drawing his speech out, and stroking his face with one arm in a musing gesture, "if Maleficent wins, gaining this new Tool of Darkness...I have rather slim pickings amongst the humans for new hearts." It was as simple as that. If the witch gained that Tool as an ally, all of the Heartless ranks would swell, and the number of hearts he would have to take from the humans would dramatically decrease.

"Not to mention I dislike her pompous attitude towards the Heartless. As if she were better than us." The Heartless laughed. If only. No, she is beneath our kind. She betrays her own to a race of heart-hungry beasts. We only do as our minds command. Ours is an existence of necessity, but hers? Hers is one of sheer spite. Humor did not have much nice to say about Maleficent, not at all.

"I believe we all agree that the Darkness being at a low is dangerous, and I can warn you how." This was where he would be of use to them. Humor had studied the situation intensely, and the effects that Light being in preeminence for too long would have. His results were quite astonishing, really. "Your leaders will begin to become pompous. They will become greedy power-mongers, and they will begin to fight amongst themselves, possibly having purges of the 'lesser' races.

"Light can corrupt a heart just as much as can the Dark." The Heartless stopped a moment, pausing himself. He had begun pacing. That was a bad habit, one he was attempting to break himself of. But there seemed to be something in his subconscious causing him to do it. Humor shook his head lightly and continued. "Now, while I do think the levels of darkness should increase, I do not in any way propose that you should give up fighting the darkness. Just...try to be a bit less vigorous in your pursuits, and cut us Heartless a break every once in a while. A holiday or two would be nice.

"And, after all, are you not just as blind with a light in your face as when you stare into the deepest darkness? It is much better to live a life where the two are balanced, is it not? Where you can see without having a blinding light nor an overshadowing darkness?" Humor cut himself off there. That should be more than enough for now. Now, it was for him to wait for the other two to speak.

[King Mickey]

Pooling Resources

Zexion elected to speak first, resuming his seat upon the arm of the throne. Though, the only unfamiliar piece of news was that the witch Maleficent was planning to recruit this Tool of Darkness. Mickey nodded gravely when Zexion said they needed to prevent this from happening. Though, he was more surprised when the Heartless also agreed that this Tool of Darkness did not need to fall into the witch's hands. Of course, all of their reasons for keeping this from happening were different. Or at least, Mickey assumed that Zexion's reasons were different from his own. The other important thing to note here was that the mysterious attacker had not struck at any other worlds since Radiant Garden. So, he had effectively vanished from existence for the time being.

The Heartless then proceeded to describe rather eloquently what Mickey had been thinking about for the past several weeks. Light could also corrupt, though perhaps in a different way or with different results from darkness. This made him withdraw into himself for a moment to perform a self-examination. He didn't think he was showing any of the signs of corruption the Heartless had described. He was still very willing to lend a helping hand to whomever needed it. And he certainly had no desire to purge entire populations. Power was such a nebulous concept, after all.

Finally, he spoke. "I used to think eradicating the darkness was the only way to bring peace to the worlds." He looked at the Heartless. "But you've pretty much nailed down the thoughts that have been running in my head lately. We gotta do something about this imbalance." He gaze now settled on Zexion. "I, too, have been traveling the worlds, looking for this man. But I've found no trace of him anywhere. It's been kinda frustrating. But it did let me see for myself the sorry state the Heartless population is in. And not just on one world. Every world I've been to has had either very weak Heartless or hardly any Heartless at all." Scratching his ear, he paused for a moment. "I know we have to fix this, but I don't want to see whole worlds decimated just to restore this balance. There's gotta be some other way than just sitting back and letting the darkness run wild. I won't watch people suffer, especially if that man shows up again."

[Fate]

What to Do?

It was the Heartless' turn to speak next, Zexion's gaze on it now. It seemed that he, or at least the Nobody assumed it was a male when it spoke with a masculine voice, did not want Maleficent gaining the Tool of Darkness either. The reasons for such had to do with the hearts, which Zexion had to factor into this equation as well. If there was too much darkness, too many Heartless and not enough Keyblade Masters to defeat them, Kingdom Hearts would not return and the goal of the Organization would be rendered null-in-void. With a balance of light and dark, it allowed Kingdom Hearts to build itself at a more steady rate.

The Heartless' next point was also intriguing. He mentioned what this imbalance would do to the leaders, one of which Mickey was. Though, that was not the Schemer's concern. While part of him was skeptical of the Heartless' words, he could very easily see this applying to Xemnas. If he was correct in his suspicions, which would have to soon be confirmed by Mickey and Axel, the Superior had a lust for power already. Zexion was unsure what Xemnas would purge, if he would, though he doubted this purging would go along with the Organization's goal for Kingdom Hearts. He would have to keep an eye on Xemnas now and watch for any changes.

The difficult question was put on the table now: what to do about the imbalance with the darkness weakening. The Heartless was indeed correct in stating that one was just as blind in overwhelming light as one was in complete and utter darkness. Zexion went into his thinking position, his right arm going across his chest while his left elbow rested on it, his hand going to his chin. His eyes went to Mickey now as he spoke, speaking of how decimating worlds was not something he wanted to happen. He nodded his head in agreement to this. Though, one of his statements intrigued the Nobody. 'I know we need to fix this.' It not only implied that Mickey seemingly wanted to work together to fix this problem, but also that the Organization, bound in its neutrality, also had to do something.

"Decimating worlds would do nothing to aid the balance," he started to say, looking at the both of them now. It was intriguing to see all of them collected here; a being of light, a creature of the dark, and one of in-between. It was curious to see them in Disney Castle, a world that rejected anything of darkness. If Zexion were to guess, the King had disabled the Cornerstone of Light; if he had not, then the Heartless and the Nobody would not be standing here at this very moment.

"While we may be able to keep the Tool of Darkness away from Maleficent, I fear that it would not be enough to set things into balance once more. He paused again, thinking; there had to be a way to fix this, or at least start on this path. However, what could truly be done? When the darkness was starting to become overpowered, it was easy to see what to do next: destroy the Heartless and the ones controlling it. There was nothing similar to this situation, unfortunately. It left the Schemer truly stumped, which he could not say he was fond of.

"There is not much more we can do but wait and see. There is no question that this man will turn up again, but none of us are sure when. We need to wait for him to turn up once more and find out his intentions. Merely defeating him will not help and the process to do so is arduous; your Committee tried and failed." He looked specifically to Mickey when saying this, keeping his gaze on him as he continued. "The only thing we can do is to make sure he does not join with Maleficent. The only other option I see is to allow the darkness to grow, but obviously we cannot have that." His tone turned a bit sly toward the end; he of course did not have a problem with letting the Heartless do as they do best, but Mickey would not be quite as keen about that as he previously stated.

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[Administrator]

"Zexion and yourself are right, King. Allowing worlds to simply be destroyed will not help this balance. Allowing Heartless numbers to grow may not help it either." Humor sighed, shaking his head. It was a sad truth that the Heartless was forced to admit. After all, he was a scientist first and a Heartless second. Scientists preserved knowledge and experimented on life. Or the equivalent, in the Heartless and Nobody's case.

But there was one thing that could be done. "I propose that we meet at a designated location in three weeks time to discuss if we have discovered anything new, or if we have yet seen this mysterious figure a second time. Agreed?" Humor looked to both of them. He had, he supposed, made contacts amongst the human world that would not kill him, for now. That was a good thing. Well, one was a Nobody, but that was better. This Nobody was not as pompous as that Saïx, who thought he was so much better than the Heartless. Didn't he realize that half of himself was one?

"But, besides that, we all have things we must get back to, do we not? And, the sooner we continue our search, the more likely it is that one of us will stumble upon the Mystery Man."

[King Mickey]

Watch Out for the Duck

It seemed no more information could be gathered from this strange meeting. Mickey found it somewhat ironic that a representative from each faction--light, darkness, and the neutrality that was the Organization--had come together in an unofficial truce. Perhaps this meant there was hope for the worlds. They could eventually come to a solution that did not involve constant fighting. For now, though, his Heartless and Nobody guests were right. They really did not know much of anything until this mysterious man surfaced again. Talking in circles wasn't going to solve anything.

"I'll agree to a second meeting." The king nodded, then tilted his head in thought. "Where would you want to have it, though?" It was time to get back to searching for answers. But it sounded like the only thing he could do at this point was travel from world to world until chance, fate, luck, or what-have-you deemed he himself encounter this Tool of Darkness. Maybe then he would get some real answers.

"And if there isn't anything else, I'd suggest you two leave as soon as possible. There's a duck wandering around here somewhere who would have no problem setting you two on fire or something." He couldn't restrain a chuckle. If Donald walked in here right now and saw him speaking with two perceived enemies, there would be a lot more than a few fireballs flying around.

[Fate]

One Last Thing

It seemed that the two wanted a second meeting to discuss new findings in three weeks time. Zexion was a bit hesitant to agree with this, having to ponder it for a moment. He would have to tread even more carefully, though the meeting would be in a different place; he could work around that. "We can arrange for a second meeting in Traverse Town in three weeks time. By then, one of us will have surely found something." Traverse Town would arouse the least amount of suspicion, which Zexion needed.

It was now time for the Heartless and the Nobody to make their exit. One of Mickey's loyal subjects would not bee pleased to see them and would surely attack them. The Schemer stood to this, though he chose not to leave just yet. There was one last piece of vital information that he needed to gain before he returned to the World That Never Was or move forward with his plans with Axel. He had things timed with Sora already, but he needed to contact the Flame now; it was something he had been too busy to do and he wanted Mickey's story to make sure Axel was telling the truth.

"I have one last question for you before I leave," he said, his stare completely focused on the King. "You were present when the Superior was defeated. Tell me, what happened to Kingdom Hearts?" While his tone was nonchalant, his stare was serious; he needed this information at this point. The integrity of the Organization, and its next actions, depended on it. The Heartless had already warned the two about their leaders and Zexion was already slightly wary of Xemnas. If it was confirmed that Kingdom Hearts had been used for power and was in danger of being used again, the Schemer needed to act accordingly; though, he was not sure what those actions would be at the moment.

[Administrator]

No slacking off for Humor. It's straight back to stalking.

The Heartless nodded. It was about time he took his leave. He had obtained information and imparted it as well, which was about as much as he could have hoped to gain. Of course, greater than that was the fact that he had made temporary allies--more of a non-aggression pact--with one of the members of Organization XIII, and none other than King Mickey, the anthropomorphic keyblade wielder himself.

All in all, this was a pretty successful day. The only thing that was left was to return to the ship in tow and his uneventful stalkerly life. Well, it wasn't all that bad, he did, after all, see the girl freak out fairly often. Which was amusing. "I will be going now. Three weeks, in Traverse Town. I shall be there." A dark corridor opened, and the Heartless stepped through. It was going to be difficult to wait, but Humor had all manner of board games to help him pass the time...

[King Mickey]

Curious Question

The second meeting time and place was now set. In three weeks, they would all meet in Traverse Town, a spot where Mickey was much more comfortable meeting these two. The ease with which they had been able to enter Disney Castle now that he had muted the Cornerstone of Light was worrisome. This time, they had not meant any harm, but there were no guarantees that every other Heartless and Nobody would share the same peaceful intentions. Even more worrisome was the fact that the mysterious man could show his face here, and Mickey did not want that. Of course, he did not wish destruction and death upon any other world, but he especially wanted his close family and friends to stay safe. Despite the effect it could have on the balance, he might restore the Cornerstone to its former radiance.

The Heartless was leaving, and Mickey only just now realized that he had idea what to call him other than "the Heartless". But he supposed it did not really matter. Perhaps he would know this Heartless better after the Traverse Town meeting. The corridor closed, and that left only Zexion, to whom Mickey now turned his attention. The Nobody's question was an intriguing one, more so for the reasons behind the asking of it. Zexion specifically mentioned Xemnas and Kingdom Hearts. What was he trying to find out?

Mickey saw no reason to say anything but the truth. There would be no love lost between him and Xemnas, after all. That brought up another thought. Could Xemnas have returned somehow? Mickey doubted that Zexion was the sole Organization member running around. "Well, to make a long story short...when Xemnas was the only Organization member left, we cornered him at the top of that castle of yours. He...well, he basically tried to merge with Kingdom Hearts. He wanted its power to strengthen his own so he could destroy us, calling us the enemies of him and Kingdom Hearts itself. But eventually, Sora and Riku defeated him." He paused for a moment, thinking. "I don't have too many details, since he managed to prevent me, Donald, Goofy, and Kairi from fighting him in the end. But is that good enough for you?"

He wasn't about to give information freely, though. "So, how many of you are there? Has anyone not come back?"

[Fate]

A Very Intriguing Answer

He listened carefully as Mickey spoke, not moving from his spot. As the words started to leave the mouse's lips and float into Zexion's mind, the Schemer was a bit unsure of how to respond. His eyes widened initially in surprise, though only slightly. Was this true? Did Xemnas truly use the power from Kingdom Hearts to try and exterminate the Keyblade Bearers? When Xemnas did this, it was obvious that the rest of the Organization had fallen beneath him; however, that did not make Zexion any less uneasy about it. Mickey was not one to go around lying, even to his enemies. This put things into a different perspective.

"I see... That is more than good enough, yes." This was said mainly to acknowledge that he was, in fact, listening as he went into his thoughtful pose once again. He would need to mull this over in detail a bit later. For now, he turned his eyes to Mickey again when the mouse asked questions of his own. He wanted to know how many of the Organization had returned and which ones had not. Zexion needed to be careful how he answered this question; he did not want to let on too much information.

"Eight members of the Organization have returned," he answered in a simple tone, "One of which is the Superior. Other than that, I am unaware of any others; the traitorous members have not returned." The answer was specific enough to give Mickey the information that he needed, but vague enough to not include exactly which members had not returned; Axel was in that group. Speaking of said Nobody, he was most likely growing rather impatient with lack of word from Zexion. That needed to be remedied.

"Thank you," he said, "I will see you in three weeks time." He did not say another word as a Corridor of Darkness absorbed him, the Nobody completely vanishing from Disney Castle.

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