Axel left a few minutes after they hugged and Max stood up after three hours. She stared at the sunset and sniffed. Axel's absence was starting to affect her. She summoned a portal and went to the Castle again.

Max ended up at the lounge and saw Saïx. "Saïx!" She called out and walked up to him as he turned to her. "Have you seen Axel?" She asked.

"He just left for Castle Oblivion." He answered and she looked down. "Were you the one who told Xemnas about…?" He mumbled very quietly and she nodded as the tears fell on the ground.

"Saïx, is Axel going to be okay?" She looked up at Saïx. Her green eyes were sparkling with tears and her bottom lip quivered; she looked so innocent and naïve. Saïx smiled slightly.

"Max, he'll be fine and he won't get hurt." He mumbled and what she did next shocked him a bit. Max hugged him and sobbed in his chest. He gulped at this, but nonetheless he wrapped his arms around her and patted her head. She was so small in his arms, so small and vulnerable. "He's going to be okay…" He whispered and she pulled away. "Max, stay strong." She nodded at this and walked off.

She found herself at Xemnas' room and sighed. Everytime she would look at the mirror, for a split moment, she would see that girl.

When she took a last glance at the mirror and stared at it. There was a girl with jet black curls and garnet eyes who was her reflection. When they touched the mirror they both gasped.

'I need to talk to Xemnas about this.' She thought and knocked the door.

"Come in." He answered and she opened.

"Superior, can I talk to you?" Max asked.

"Yes you may." She closed the door behind her and sat on a chair. "Maximum, you look troubled."

"There's something bothering me. Everytime I look at the mirror, just for a minute or so, I see this girl and it's not my reflection." She said.

"What does the girl look like?" Xemnas asked curiously.

"She has jet black curls, red eyes and very pale, like a ghost." She mumbled and he nodded.

"Max, that is your persona's Heartless." Her eyes widened and she gulped.

"Heartless?!" She said through her teeth and touched her chest. "I…have a Heartless?!"

"Max, you and I are both the same. Both our personas have Heartless." She looked up at him.

"Is it a bad thing?" She asked naïvely and he shook his head. "But, aren't I supposed to destroy the Heartless?"

"Yes, but the Heartless you are talking about collect hearts." Her mouth formed an 'O' in understanding. She stood up and nodded.

"Thank you superior." She mumbled and left.

'Okay, that's one thing done.' She sighed as she walked down the hall and into the lounge. There was Luxord, Xigbar, Roxas and Demyx.

"How are you at Poker, no. XIII?" Luxord asked and Roxas joined him.

"Hey guys." She smiled and they all looked at her. The golden haired boy sighed with relief; at least she was smiling again.

"Hey beautiful!" Xigbar smirked and was about to hug her. But she reacted super quickly.

"POW!" They heard. She kicked no. II in the chest and he was on the couch.

"Oooh! That's got to hurt." Roxas mumbled under his breathe.

"~YAY!~" She sang as she pumped her fist in the air.

"What was that?" Xigbar groaned.

"It's called 'Self Defence'! Axel told me that if anyone touches me in a way that I don't like, I should beat the crap out of them." Max giggled innocently and they gulped at this.

Demyx started playing on his sitar and Xigbar rolled his eyes at this.

"Would have been nice if he'd gone to Castle Oblivion too." He muttered and Max walked up to the nobody with the mullet.

"Hey Demy!" She grinned and sat down next to him on the couch.

"Hi Maximum!" He said as he stopped playing.

She closed her eyes and sat back onto the couch.

The hooded girl started to walk faster and that word kept on repeating in her mind. 'Sacrifice...' What was it? '…sacrifice…' What did it mean? '…sacrifice…' Is it bad or good? '…sacrifice.'

'I feel like I have a link or connection to the word 'sacrifice', but why?'

She opened her eyes and leaned forward with her elbows leaning on her lap. "Xigbar," She muttered with her eyes averted to the ground. They all looked at her, Max she didn't look happy or sad, emotionless like a doll.

"Hm?" Xigbar asked.

"I want to know, what is sacrifice?" Xigbar raised an eyebrow at this.

"Sacrifice is when you give up something that is valuable." He answered.

"Is it good or bad?" She asked instantly.

"Well it depends really." The nobody with the eye patch said and Max stood up.

"It's bad to sacrifice someone else's life for your own, but when you sacrifice your life for the safety of others it is a good thing." Saïx added as he entered the room and she closed her eyes. Suddenly she felt light headed. She kept on hearing these voices in her head.

'I feel like all of this is happening…because of me!' She looked up and her eyes widened. 'Then if it's my fault...I'll have to pay the price…I'll have to be punished…I'll have to…'

Phoenix closed her eyes and fell forward. Roxas' eyes widened and he yelled. "MAXIMUM!" He chucked all the cards away and he ran as fast as he could to her. Just in time, he caught her from falling to the ground. The golden haired nobody kneeled to the ground. They all rushed to her and Roxas took Max by the shoulders and shook her.

"Max, wake up!" But she didn't.

~

Max was lying down on the bed her face calm as she slept. Saïx sighed and placed his hand onto her head. "She's in a coma." He mumbled to Xemnas.

"It has been the second time." Xemnas stated. "Do you know what may have triggered this?"

"No, but what I have heard was that she asked what sacrifice was." Saïx answered.

"Did she hear the truth?" The superior asked curiously.

"Xigbar told her what sacrifice was and she asked if it was bad or not. I merely gave her an example." Saïx muttered.

"What kind of example?" Saïx furrowed his eyebrows together but answered the question nonetheless.

"I told her that it was bad if someone sacrifices another person's life for their own will. But it was good if someone sacrificed their life for another's safety that is good." Xemnas nodded at this.

"That may have a connection with Max's existence. Let us leave her to sleep in peace." Xemnas exited the room and Saïx looked back at Max.

'I hope you wake up soon Maximum.' He thought and left.