Oh, man! A new fanfic! =D Wow, it's been so long since I've started anything new. I've been submerged in an immense writer's block for like... almost a year now. I'm so glad it's finally over with!

Anyway, like I said, this is a new fanfic. I'm having to use the scenes from the games (Kingdom Hears: Birth by Sleep and Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days for this chapter) so the story makes sense. So, please please bear with me on that. Anyway, WATCH OUT FOR SPOILERS! Oh yeah, and the very first scene, Axel's dream, is the scene in Birth by Sleep where Isa and Lea are first introduced and meet Ventus. So, yeah.

I know how important it is, so I'll say it again: POSSIBLE SPOILERS, PLEASE BE CAREFUL!

Disclaimer: Also, I don't own Kingdom Hearts, the characters, and all that jazz. I'm just a really big fan, happy to write fanfiction for you all (and myself ;D). So, now that all that's said and done, let's begin the journey and get this show on the road! =D

Chapter 1: The Fog

"Oh, man," I say, crossing my arms as Isa and I walk down the street. "I wish everyday were like this…"

"Hm," Isa says in reply. Just like him not to say much. Before I can continue, though, he interrupts me. "…You mean, a day where you actually get some work done?"

"Wha—? Nah." And even when he does say something, it's usually some smart-ass remark. Hmph. "I mean a day where it's just you and I, you know? Hangin' out like this on such a sunny day. Got it memorized?" I give him my legendary catch phrase, flashing him my legendary smile.

"Yeah, whatever."

I frown at his obviously overwhelming interest in what I have to say, but another smile spreads across my face when he grins back at me. I laugh.

He and I turn the corner and, as we walk on, a random sword-thing tumbles to my feet. "Hm?" I bend down, pick it up, and play with it in my hand. I look up from the sword to see a blonde guy sitting against the wall. "This yours?" I ask the stranger.

The guy nods.

"Lea," says Isa, "we don't have time for this."

Too bad. "Lighten up, Isa. It'll only take a sec." It's important, yeah, but it can wait. Walking over to the owner of the sword, I wave the thing around, saying, "You still play with toy swords? That's cute."

I point his sword in his face and the guy grunts. Ignoring him, I toss his blade on the ground and whip out my own special weapons.

"Now this right here—" I say, rummaging for them in my pockets. "Tada! Whaddaya think?"

"Not a whole lot," the guy replies. Hmph, whatever.

"You're just jealous," I say. "I'm Lea. Got it memorized? What's your name?"

"Ventus," he says. Alright, then.

"Okay, Ventus. Let's fight!" Like I said before, it can wait.

"Fight?" he asks. "Why would I wanna do that?"

Resistance? No matter for me. "You scared of losing? C'mon." I bounce back, getting ready to kick some ass. "Hope you're ready."

He looks at me for a quick second before looking down and back up again. This time, he is ready.

"Yeah! Now we're talkin'."

"You're gonna be sorry," he says, preparing himself for our fight. Now, that's what I like to hear.

I fall back on my butt, totally out of breath. Man, Ventus is seriously good. "You… had enough?" I ask, clearly panting. "'Cause I'm willing to call it a draw if you are."

"Huh?" He smiles and laughs. "Right…"

"From where I stood," Isa says, walking towards Ventus and me, "the only thing you drew was a big L on your forehead for 'Loser,' 'Lame,' 'Laughable' …"

"Wha—" What a dick he can be. "Isn't this the part where ya… cheer me up or somethin'?" I mean, seriously! Talk about a supportive bud, Isa. "'You're just havin' a bad day' or… 'That's what you get for pullin' your punches!'" I groan. "Some friend."

"Oh," Isa replies, "you mean I was supposed to lie."

Hm. I look down, and, more to myself than anyone, I ask, "You see what I gotta put up with?" I fall back, resting my head on my arms. "Sure hope you don't have friends like him," I say, addressing Ventus. I grin.

"…Unh?" Ventus says, but he laughs. Isa and I join him in laughing, too.

"Lea," Isa says, still focused way more than I, "we have to go."

"'Kay."

Isa turns and starts off.

"Already?" Ventus asks as I get up from the ground.

"I'll see ya when I see ya. After all, we're friends now." Can't forget this. "Get it memorized." And that's an order, heh.

"Okay, Lea," replies Ventus.

"What is it with you and picking up stray puppies?" Isa asks me as I finally come up to him.

Ha, the answer's simple. "I want everybody I meet to remember me. Inside people's memories, I can live forever." And I mean it. I really do.

"I know I won't forget you." Just like Isa to say the best things—except I say the very best stuff, of course. "Believe me, I try all the time." This guy's sarcasm…

"See, I'm immortal!" I say, looking him straight in the eyes, beaming nonetheless.

"You're obnoxious." He smirks and looks up.

"You ready?" I ask. He'll never forget me.

"Well, I can tell you are."

Yeah." He and I will best buds—'til the end!

It seemed to end just as quickly as it had begun—the dream, but maybe something else did, too.

"Ugh," Axel groaned as the last remnants of sleep faded into complete consciousness, and he became all too aware of how quiet and lonely his room seemed, of how clouded his mind felt. "Too much work to be done," he thought, slowly rising up from his bed. But even with those thoughts, nothing was changed.

He and Saïx still had a goal to accomplish, something that could not be shoved to the side and picked back up again at their leisure. No, it had to be done, and, day by day, despite how far they still had to go, they became closer and closer to the prize. The pieces had been steadily lining up, and, sometimes, it seemed as if things were just waiting to be put together for the benefit of the old friends. Axel and Saïx would arrive there, one day. Now, however, there was work to be done, missions to do.

"Wonder what's up for today…" Axel said to himself as he zipped up his Organization coat and headed off to the Grey Room to be assigned his work for the day. When he arrived at his destination, however, there was a note on the glass window on the other side of the room. Number IX, Demyx, was standing in front of it.

"Heya, Dem," Axel said coolly, coming up to his fellow Nobody.

"Oh, hi, Axel," Demyx replied happily. A bit too happily, if anything. "Kick-ass morning we're having, right?" He flashed the redhead a thumbs-up and a goofy smile.

"Yeah… sure. So anyway," said Axel, turning towards the paper taped to the wall, "what's this say?"

"'All members should immediately report to the Round Room for an important meeting,'" Demyx read aloud. "You know what this means, right, man?"

"Dunno," Axel said, shrugging. He crossed his arms and placed a hand on his forehead in a bad attempt to rid his head of the fog.

"Hey, you feeling alright?" Demyx asked, noticing Number XIII's unusually subdued behavior that morning.

"Eh, I'll be fine," he said. He didn't think he'd be fine, though. His head was still clogged up with… He didn't know what it was, but he just didn't feel like himself. And, along with that, he felt a bit of apprehension, as if it were hovering above his spiky-haired head like a cloud of doom.

"Oh, um… Sorry." Demyx sighed empathetically before his jovial mood returned. "Anyway, like I was saying, this means no missions today! Isn't that, like, totally freakin' awesome? We haven't had a vacation in so long. Good gosh, I've been feeling like I was gonna keel over and die or something if we didn't have a break soon."

"Tell me about it," Axel said. His eyes fell back to the paper on the glass window once more, and he noticed tiny words at the very bottom of the page. "Hey, it says something else—at the bottom."

"Something else?" Demyx tore the sheet from the wall and held the page closely to hid face. "Ah, I see what you're talking ab—aw, crap!" Demyx moaned, the happiness sapped away from his bright eyes. "It says here that 'the meeting will be over fairly quickly' and that 'all members will depart for their missions after dismissal from said meeting.'"

"Yeah…" Axel said, not really paying attention. "I'm gonna head out to the Round Room. You should probably come now, too."

However, Demyx wasn't listening; he was too busy being crushed by false hopes. Axel sighed and yanked Demyx off of the floor where he had collapsed in a fit of disparity.

The meeting had ended. The Organization had been introduced to another new member: Xion. Just a week prior, Roxas had become the thirteenth member.

Roxas, who was much smaller than the other members, entered the grey room after the meeting was over.

"Roxas, your work begins today," Saïx said, his generally superior demeanor evident, like always. "I will issue missions, which the Organization expects you to carry out."

The boy replied to Number VII with silence.

"Think of these early missions as exercises. You still have much to learn before we put you to a real test," Saïx went on.

And still, there was more silence from the young member.

Saïx turned to Axel who was leaned back against the wall, his head still clouded. "Axel will be joining you your first time out. Isn't that right, Axel?"

Axel got up from the wall. "Oh boy…" he moaned. "What, are you making me the kid's mentor now?"

Saïx turned to leave before saying, "Surely you don't mind showing Roxas here the ropes? Roxas, come see me when you're ready to go.

When the blue haired man left, Axel brightened up. The fog seemed to be disappearing. "Well, you heard the man. Starting today, I'm your babysitter."

Even more silence. Axel frowned. "This kid's obviously not one for words…" Axel noted in his head. To Roxas, he said, "Sheesh… Quit acting like a zombie, and let's get this show on the road."

"Bravo. So whaddaya think? Got the hang of this mission business?" Axel asked Roxas, applauding the younger Nobody's performance. Said younger Nobody had just completed his first mission.

"Uh-huh," Roxas simply said, once again, saying very little.

"I'm sorry, speak up? Cooouldn't quite catch that," said Axel, trying to get more than one words answers out of the kid.

"I said…"

"Hmm?" "Finally," he thought.

"I could have done that blindfolded."

Axel laughed. "I dunno if I want a blindfolded zombie on the loose. All right, smart aleck," he said, an idea forming in his brain, "you did good. And no successful mission is complete without a little icing on the cake. C'mon." Axel walked on ahead, but Roxas stayed put.

"But… don't we have to RTC?" he asked.

The redhead turned to face Roxas. "Later. Don't you remember our hangout?"

The darkening sky was golden with the setting sun. On top of the Twilight Town clock tower, Numbers VIII and XIII sat, both members staring at the horizon.

"Here ya go," said Axel. He handed Roxas one of the two ice cream bars he held. "The icing on the cake."

Roxas took the ice cream, returning the gesture with his typical silence.

"You remember what this ice cream is called?" Axel asked after taking a bite out of the light blue treat.

"Umm…" Roxas could only draw a blank. He was still in the process of grasping all the information he was supposed to be learning. It was all so much to him that it would've been a miracle if he'd remembered such a simple little thing like the name of a type of ice cream.

"It's sea-salt ice cream," Axel answered. "C'mon, I already told you once. Get it memorized, man."

Roxas took a bite of the ice cream. "It's really salty… but sweet, too."

"Roxas, you said the same exact thing the other day," said Axel, laughing.

"I did?" Roxas asked. "I don't remember that." He barely remembered anything from the whole entire week—his first week of existence.

"Hey, what has it been, a week since you showed up?" Axel asked.

"Maybe," Roxas said. He had no clue.

"'Maybe'? C'mon, you must remember that much."

But Roxas didn't remember. Choosing not to say anything, the boy merely looked down at his ice cream.

"Well, that's okay," Axel said, shrugging it off. "Today's where it all really begins anyway."

Roxas lifted his head to look at Axel. "Yeah?" he inquired.

"Sure! Here you are, out in the field, working for the Organization… Today, you're one of us."

Roxas turned his head to the direction of the setting sun, and, before taking another bite of the sea-salt ice cream bar, he said, "I guess it's a start."

ROXAS

Seems like we're getting new members every day. No. XIII was a boy, Roxas. Now we've got a No. XIV, Xion. Today's mission was to show Roxas the ropes. I feel like they've had me babysitting him since he got here. He's not a bad kid, but he's spacey. Good fighter, though. At least I won't be bored.

I woke up with a headache of sorts this morning. My brain felt kind of loaded down and cluttered. When Saïx assigned me my mission with Roxas, though, the fog seemed to clear. By the end of the day, I had completely forgotten about it until Roxas and I finally RTC'd. Maybe I just needed a bit of fresh air.

So, that was fun, guys. I made a reference to something during Axel and Demyx's conversation, so I hope you guys caught that. Anyway, FYI, that last bit was taken from the Secret Reports of Kingdom Hearts: 358/2 Days. The title and first paragraph of the report I took, but I made up the second paragraph myself (if it, for some reason, was not blatantly obvious). I'll probably include the reports for the corresponding day at the end of the chapters to come. And I am SO sorry for stealing scenes straight from the games, but it would've bothered me if I hadn't gotten the actual scene. Hopefully, though, chapter 2 will have way more original scenes, and not stolen ones ^^

Anyway, thanks so much for reading, and please don't forget to look out for chapter 2 and to review! =D Thanks, everyone and Merry Christmas! =D