Part One: Goodbyes Are Hard
Demyx walked silently by Axel's side on their search for Roxas in the Land That Never Was.
"Axel," Demyx whined, finally fed up with being quiet for the past two hors. "I'm bored. Can we please go back now?"
"You're almost thirteen, Demyx. Grow up already," said an irritated Axel. "We need to find Roxas before it's too late…"
"Too late? Too late for what, Axel?" Demyx asked his number one idol.
Axel ignored Demyx's question and headed down a dark ally way. About halfway down the street, a figure became visible at the end of the road. The figure had been slammed into the wall, immediately got back on its feet, and ran behind a building and out of sight. It seemed the figure had been one of the Organization. Axel now walked a bit faster down the dimly lit ally; Demyx on his heels.
"Why did the Keyblade choose you?" Axel heard someone shout. Axel's quickened pace immediately turned into a sprint as he heard Roxas's cry of pain. When both Axel and Demyx arrived at the commotion, they saw a sight that was never meant to be. Roxas was lying on the ground unconscious, Keyblade in hand.
"Oh no," Axel whispered as he knelt at Roxas' side. "I'm too late."
"Is he going to be okay?" Demyx asked, concerned about his friend. Not answering, Axel picked Roxas up in his arms and began carrying him back to Headquarters. Demyx got the hint to stay silent and solemnly followed Axel home. They were about a mile away when Roxas began to stir. Axel gently placed Roxas on his feet and kept him steady as he came to.
"Ugh, what happened," Roxas asked, violently rubbing the back of his head where a bump was forming.
"You got your butt kicked, you idiot. Roxas, what in the world were you thinking?" Axel said testily.
"Huh?" Roxas had not become completely focused yet due to his vicious headache.
"Look," Axel sighed. "You need to give me the Keyblade so I can get rid of it." Roxas snapped to as Axel reached for the magical weapon still in his hand. Roxas jumped back and pointed the Keyblade at Axel.
"No, it chose me. It's mine to keep," he shouted.
"But Roxas, don't you see? It's taking you away from us; away from me," Axel said, hurting from the truth before him.
"Why can't you understand," Roxas whispered. "I thought you were my friend," he said, taking offense.
"I am!" Axel cried out, horrified that Roxas would think such nonsense.
"Axel's only trying to help," Demyx told Roxas.
"I don't want your help. I don't need your help. And I definitely don't need this lame Organization. I'm outta hear," Roxas said, turning his back on his friends and walking away. Demyx chased after him, placing his hand on the stubborn ten year olds shoulder.
"Please, Roxas, don't do this," Demyx pleaded. Roxas stood in complete silence for a moment.
"What's the point?" Roxas said sadly, shrugging Demyx's hand off his shoulder and started to walk away again. "No one would miss me…"
"That's not true," Axel whispered in despair. "I would…" As Axel stood there, mourning over his lost friend, Demyx tried once more to stop Roxas from leaving.
"Roxas, stop this nonsense right now and come to your senses," he said, once again placing his hand on Roxas's shoulder, but more firmly this time. "Like it or not, you're not leaving." Everything went dead silent for a minute or two when, suddenly, Roxas turned on Demyx in anger and struck him with the Keyblade. Demyx went flying into a nearby wall and fell gracelessly to the cold pavement. Roxas laughed manically as he tried to get away again, but Demyx was quicker than expected. In a blink of an eye, Demyx was in front of him swinging his sitar at Roxas's chest, causing him to go sprawling on the ground.
"If you wanna leave, you'll have to go through me," Demyx said, confidently standing there with his sitar in hand. Roxas shot to his feet in rage and charged at Demyx at full speed.
"I'll teach you to interfere with my plans," Roxas shouted, lunging at Demyx. Axel watched in horror as his dearest friends fought. With each strike, Demyx was continuously weakening while Roxas's anger clouded any conscious thought he had left. Within minutes, Roxas had poor Demyx on the ground. Too weak to get to his feet again, Demyx watched as Roxas slowly made his way to him with a giant smirk on his face.
"Now to finish this," he said, raising the Keyblade high over Demyx's body. But before the blade could touch Demyx, the weapon was knocked out of Roxas's hand and landed a few feet away from him. Roxas looked up and saw Axel standing before him. Fire began to form around Axel's hands before hitting Roxas square in the chest, bringing him to the stone floor; Roxas was unable to get back up and fight.
"I failed you. I'm sorry, Roxas," Axel whispered.
"Me too," Roxas said, barely audible. Axel's look of grief was the last thing Roxas saw before being consumed by a blanket of darkness.
Headquarters
Xaldin furiously banged on the keyboard, searching for the only solution.
"What's gonna happen to Roxas?" Axel asked, trying not to show any emotions towards the subject.
"He's useless now," Xemnas responded casually. "Even as we speak, he's beginning to fade away. He won't be with us much longer; a few years perhaps? Xaldin here is going to send him to a different world for a few years as an attempt to regain his strength. He'll have a new past and won't have any memories of the Organization."
Axel sadly watched as his closest friend was taken away by the beaming portal. Knowing there was nothing else that could be done for Roxas, he left the room as silent as a ghost.
A few hours later, Demyx was frantically searching Headquarters for Axel who had seemed to vanish into thin air. On his way to search the rooms, Demyx ran into Xigbar; literally.
"Oops, sorry Xig," Demyx said apologetically.
"I told you to never call me that, Dem," he said annoyed.
"Okay," he said, oblivious to the fact that Xigbar was mocking him. "I was wondering if you've seen the long lost Axel lately?" he said sarcastically.
"Yeah, he's in the basement. If you go down there you'd better watch out; he's enraged about something."
"'Kay; thanks, Xig," he said cheerfully, ignoring Xigbar's irritated shouts. When Demyx entered the basement, it seemed that no one was there. His theory was proved wrong though when a box whizzed by his head.
"Hey Axel, you okay?" he asked, now seeing Axel in the back of the room burning random junk. Axel ignored him and began punching the wall continuously. After watching Axel cause himself some healthy physical pain, Demyx became bored and asked the question that had been pestering him mind for most of the day.
"What did Xemnas mean when he said Roxas may not be with us much longer?"
"Roxas doesn't exist," Axel said, still in his rage.
"Axel! How could you say such a thing!?" Demyx said, appalled.
"Roxas doesn't exist. You don't exist. I don't exist. None of the Organization does."
"I don't understand," a completely lost Demyx said.
"We were never alive to begin with. We are heartless and to be alive, one must have a heart. We don't feel anything; we're nobodies. Everyone in the Organization is made up of Darkness itself," Axel shouted, giving the wall one last punch.
"What you're saying can't be true," Demyx said, backing away. "We can feel. You care for both Roxas and I."
"I don't care about anyone," Axel cried out, punching Demyx in the stomach with his last remaining strength. "No one can ever love Nobodies like us; like you! You…Don't…Exist! Got it memorized?" Demyx backed away, pained by his hurtful words and actions.
"If we are heartless and can't feel," Demyx whispered, tears running down his cheeks. "Then tell me why I feel so sad." With that said, Demyx left the basement, leaving a very ashamed Axel alone with his guilty conscience.