Woo for twentieth story to be uploaded!
So... This is just something I wrote down in a notebook when I couldn't sleep one night. I have a habit of doing that... Anyway, I wanted to write something about that WINNER stick from Days, but no ideas directly pertaining to Roxas or Axel came to me, but instead this. It's just an idea I had, not really relating to anything in general. Also, this takes place a little bit after KH II, but before the trio get the letter from the King. So, uh, enjoy.

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts belongs to Square Enix and Disney, not me.

He had saved the worlds from Darkness. Twice.

Sora just wanted to spend some quiet time on the Islands with his friends—he just wanted some peace for once. As long as Riku remained Riku, and Kairi didn't go missing again, life would be good. They wouldn't have to think about Heartless or Nobodies or Ansem… They would be just fine.

Of course, not a day went by that they didn't think about these things, or weren't haunted by them at night. There wasn't a day Sora didn't summon his Keyblade, mistaking a cat or a dog or even a tree for a Shadow; sometimes he was scared that he would never get over it. But he would just move on every time it happened, swallowing his embarrassment. Besides, he wasn't the type of guy to hold onto the past too seriously. He just tried not to think about it.

And so, as he lay on the warm sand of Destiny Islands, not a single thought was in Sora's mind. He had gotten good at doing that during long rides in the Gummi Ship—he taught himself to tune out Donald and Goofy's arguing over the controls, to just clear his mind of all thought process. It was better off that way—to not think—anyway. If he got to thinking, one thing would lead to another, and soon his nightmarish reality would grab hold of his brain, and sleep would never come. Now that the universe was safe, this ability came in handy when he just didn't want to do anything at all. This was one of those days.

The only thing Sora noted as he laid there was the familiar coarseness of the sand, the warm summer heat, the comforting sound of the waves…

"At least the waves sound the same…"

No. Sora shut Riku's words away. Remembering would only lead to the Realm of Darkness, to the fight with Xemnas to…

He inhaled deeply, trying to forget. It took a few moments, but he finally got it off of his mind.

Sand. Sun. Waves. Destiny Islands being destroyed by the Darkness.

Sora's eyes flicked open. He just couldn't do it—not now, at least. He sat up and shook the sand out of his hair, staring out at the waves. Will things ever be how they were before? Will I ever be able to get over what's happened? Will I—

"Sora!"

He was jerked out of his thoughts as his childhood friend ran up to him. He plastered on a carefree smile as she sat down beside him. "Hey Kairi, what's up?"

She just stared at him for a second, then turned to the bag strapped to her side. "Um… there's something I need to give you."

Sora didn't respond as she pulled out an object, and he leaned over to get a better look. In Kairi's hands laid a simple ice cream stick, with the word WINNER imprinted along the top of it. "That's…" He blinked, puzzled by the item. "That's just a stick from a bar of sea salt ice cream. Why would you have that?"

She pursed her lips as she held it gingerly. "I-I… it…" she struggled to get the words out. "When Axel kidnapped me… he, uh… before that Saïx guy took me from him, Axel handed me this and told me to give it to you when the time is right. I don't know what he meant." She sighed.

Sora stared at it. "Axel gave you…" He shook his head. "Why?"

"He never said," She looked at him, eyebrows knit. "But I think you should have it now; here."

He took it, but almost the instant it met his fingertips, his skull started to buzz. Sora doubled over and gripped his head, stick still in hand.

Kairi's eyes widened. "Sora! Are you okay? Answer me!"

"Ugh!" He shut his eyes tight as images started racing through his mind.

The Twilight Town clock tower. Roxas. Axel. That girl with the black hair… her image was fuzzy. The trio eating ice cream together. Roxas finding the WINNER stick that was now in Sora's hand.

Xion.

That was her name, but the image of the girl that looked so much like Kairi started to fade again, until it was only the two guys, laughing and teasing each other. The rapidly changing pictures slowed down until a nice, peaceful scene was in Sora's head, and a warm smile spread across his face. It was just Roxas and Axel, eating their blue treats without a word. It just felt… right; like everything was good. Kairi's concerned voice moved to the back of his mind, almost like a far-off memory. The blonde then looked at his companion and opened his mouth to speak, but before any words were spoken, the scene changed so fast it made Sora jump.

He was still in Twilight Town, but instead of being on top of the clock tower, he was below it. That girl—Xi… Xion? He could barely remember her name—was lying motionless in the arms of his Nobody, slowly crystallizing. The pictures remained there for a few more moments before things started swirling around again.

Riku… Ansem… Saïx… Heartless… Maleficent… Axel… that girl who was slipping away quickly from his memory… Roxas…

It was all too much. "Agh!" He pitched the stick, breathing heavily. It only landed a few feet in front of him, but the images—the memories other than his own—had stopped. He glanced to his side, but Kairi was gone, probably to get Riku. Sora blinked; he felt fine, but… that stick had caused so many disturbing scenes to play out in his mind, either having to do with Roxas or Axel. The mysterious girl with the black hair didn't even cross his thoughts now—how could she if she wasn't even there?

He stared at the simple WINNER stick. What… what had just happened? Why did it trigger those memories, and more importantly, why did it have so much to do with Axel, that strange man Sora still knew so little about?

Why?

The young hero lied back down in the sand, so many questions running through his head. But one thing was now apparent to Sora: he would never fully escape the things that had happened to him. Not now, not ever.

A/N: Like, dislike? I would love some feedback, but don't find it necessary to review. Thanks for taking the time to read :)