A/N:

Disclaimer - Kingdom Hearts is the product of Square Enix and Disney. Not me.

Remembrance

A tall, lanky man with spiky, shoulder-length red hair slapped some munny down onto the counter and loudly ordered a few bars of sea-salt ice cream, startling the old lady who managed the shop. She saw the man dressed in a long black coat and recognized him as a regular customer, though he had been absent for a while now, soon nodding at him with a smile and gathering his order in the back of the shop. She called out as she did so, asking a question.

"You know, where did that young boy go to? I haven't seen him for almost three months now. He's usually never gone that long. Do you know? He always came here with you."

"... No. I don't know. He just... left."

The old lady returned with a white plastic bag containing some sea-salt ice cream. Her lips were pursed in a frown as she handed it over to the young man. "He moved away and he didn't even let his friend know where?" She tsk'd disapprovingly. "Children these days."

"Yeah," the man agreed tonelessly after a moment. He pushed the munny closer to the old lady's side of the counter. "They all think they can do whatever they want."

"Be careful what you say. You're not much older yourself."

He forced a chuckle and a thin smile as he saw her pick up the munny with a wrinkled hand. Walking away with bag in hand, he muttered, "I don't know. Looks can sometimes be deceiving." - not caring whether the old lady could hear his reply or not.

As soon as he was out of view from any curious passersby, he stretched out his free hand and stepped right into the swirling cloud of darkness that had appeared from the simple movement. It opened up again at the top of the clock tower and closed behind him once he had exited the dark portal.

The man sat down heavily in his usual spot on the walkway edge, gently placing the bag of ice cream beside him. Long ago, he would have plopped it down carelessly, ignoring his friend's protests about how it would ruin the ice cream and only laugh. But now that his friend was nonexistent and had been for what seemed like forever, he found that he cared much more about what happened to the bars of ice cream than before.

He absently reached into the bag and groped for a stick, feeling his fingers brush by the sticky blue-green treat. He eventually pulled one out and bit into the cold sea-salt flavored ice cream.

For several minutes, the man simply stared at the bright orange-red sunset ahead of him. The once beautiful sight that used to have him bragging about how he knew why it looked red had lost its appeal to him a long time ago, but he was determined to carry on the tradition that his friend had once treasured. In honor of Roxas. He chuckled at his sudden sentimentality. Only a year ago, he had heartlessly murdered several of his comrades in cold blood. Now look at him, gazing at the sunset like a heartbroken boyfriend.*

And then there was Isa. He chomped down on his ice cream almost angrily. He could remember, back in the old days before they became Nobodies, when they had fun. Running around Radiant Garden as they teased each other endlessly. When did that change? When did Isa give up on that and join Xehanort's new groupies? He just didn't understand.

He should have done something. Stopped them, both of them, somehow. He should've dragged them both back with him and snapped them out of it. But it was too late. They were both gone.

At least there was Sora. He was Roxas and Roxas was him, in a way. So why didn't that make him feel any better?

The man felt his teeth reach wood and he glanced back at his bag, gnawing at what was left of his favorite treat. Peering into the bag, he could also see out of the corner of his eye a 'w' beginning to appear on his stick as he finished off the rest of his sea-salt ice cream.

"... Why did I buy three again?"

A/N:

* to the AkuRoku shippers.