Roxas woke up, "Ah, man! I'm late!" he leaped out of his bed and tripped over something. He hit his bedroom floor on his hands and knees, "Ah." That's gonna bruise. At least my knees will bruise. "What was that?" he turned. An extremely long black coat sat folded neatly by his bed. The shirt and pair of pants that had been on top of it were no longer so neat. The fact he had tripped over them had messed them up. Knee high black boots sat at the leg of his bed. A folded piece of paper sat on the coat. "Where did these clothes come from?" he crawled over to them and picked up the piece of paper. "It says, 'I thought maybe these would help jog your memory. –Your best friend, Axel'" Roxas cocked his head to the side, "Axel? But I don't know an Axel. Jog my memory?" he stared at the clothes before turning over the piece of paper. 'Put them on' was written in a different person's handwriting. Roxas looked at the note, then at the clothes, "Um, okay?" What's the harm in trying on some clothes, right? He swallowed nervously. I mean other than the fact that I have no idea who Axel is and I don't know where they came from. He put on the clothes. He looked at the mirror that spanned the entire height of the wall by his door. "Hey, this looks kinda—ah!" he grabbed his head. Stabbing pain shot through it and down his spine and his vision blurred. He got dizzy and fell to the ground. "My head," the world faded to black.

Roxas jerked awake. He was still lying on his stomach in the middle of his bedroom floor. It was almost dark. "Ah, man, what happened?" he lifted himself to his hands and knees. Pain stabbed through his head. He dropped back onto his stomach and curled up, "What is going on?" After a few moments the pain subsided. Roxas stumbled to his feet and stared at the mirror on his wall.

"Do you remember now?"

"Axel?" Roxas glanced over his shoulder.

Axel pulled off the hood that covered his face. "Do you remember now?" he repeated more urgently.

Roxas nodded, "I remember."

"Come back so I don't have to watch you be destroyed," Axel insisted.

"But I made a promise," Roxas shook his head.

"A promise?" Axel raised an eyebrow, "To who?"

"I can't remember her name or what she looked like but I made a promise to her," Roxas looked at his hands.

Namine watched Roxas study the Organization XIII uniform coat and shirt and pants, "DiZ is not going to be happy." She watched him lie there unconscious for the entire day, "Who left that last part of the note. It wasn't Axel. Who was it? Could it be—that isn't possible." She shook her head, "No. It can't be her." Her eyes widened as he spoke to Axel. She didn't blink. "This isn't possible," she sat up and stared at the screen, "He shouldn't even remember her." She stood up and raced up the stairs, "Riku!" she called.

"Yes?" Riku appeared at the top of the steps.

"I need to upload you into the digital Twilight Town. Now," Namine gasped.

"Why?" Riku was alert instantly, sensing something was wrong.

"You need to stop Roxas," she said, "He's going to leave the program and he's already expanding its parameters."

"How?" Riku asked.

"DiZ designed it around Roxas," she explained. Her voice had the slightest hint of impatience to it as she continued, "He must have figured that out."

"So now he can manipulate the program," Riku concluded. "Alright."

"He'll head for Castle Oblivion," Namine said as she led the way back down the stairs, "He can't reach the top floor. If he does he'll be out of the program. If he does manage to get out he'll head for the World That Never Was."

"Why there?" Riku asked curiously.

"Because of a promise he made."

"To Axel?"

"No," Namine shook her head, "He made a promise to Xion."

"Xion?" Riku glanced at her curiously, "Who's—oh! Xion. Why couldn't I remember her?"

"Because you aren't supposed to," Namine sat at the computer. "I'll be here. Axel's already left the system so you shouldn't have any major roadblocks unless Roxas breaks free or Axel realizes what he's doing and tries to stop him."

Riku nodded, "Alright."

"Don't kill either of them," Namine warned, "or you'll break down the entire system and be trapped forever in a digital dimension."

"Roxas I understand but why not Axel?"

"The reason he can pop in and out the way he can is because of his connection to Roxas. DiZ built the program around Roxas."

"So if I destroy Axel, because he was such an integral part of Roxas' life the program will mess itself up," Riku nodded.

Namine uploaded him in front of Roxas.

"Riku," Roxas sighed in barely contained frustration, "I'm not in the mood right now."

"Sorry, but you can't leave," Riku's tone implied that his words were final.

"Why not?" Roxas snapped.

"Because Sora needs you in order to wake up."

"You're only concerned about what you want," Roxas snarled, "but what about what I want? What about what Xion wanted?"

"You are a nobody," DiZ walked up behind Riku, "You do not have the right. You aren't even supposed to exist. Your replica has even less right. It was created for the sole purpose of fulfilling the whims of nobodies that could not accept their fate."

Roxas' face hardened significantly. "Xion is my friend," he whispered dangerously, "and that may have been why she was created." His voiced rose to an angered yell, "But that wasn't why she died!" He summoned his Keyblades, Oathkeeper and Oblivioin.

"She faded into Sora by choice," DiZ said calmly, "We did not force it on her."

"She did it because she cared," Roxas snarled. His blue eyes took on a yellow tinge closer to the pupil, "She did it because you convinced her that if she continued to exist then everyone she held dear would be destroyed!"

"It would have," DiZ said as though it were simple.

Riku shifted uncomfortably.

"No," Roxas snarled. His eyes narrowed to slits, "It delayed Sora's restoration."

Namine appeared in between them, "Roxas, Xion chose to return to Sora. Yes. We did press on her that it was what was best but we left the decision up to her."

"Fine," Roxas lowered his Keyblades, "but I made a promise and I intend to keep it."

Riku sighed, "Roxas—"

It's okay Riku. He's ready now. He'll be okay.

Riku paused.

"Well?" DiZ prompted.

"If you think it's the right thing to do then I won't stop you," Riku continued, "I wish you the best of luck."

DiZ stared at him, "What?"

Namine nodded, "Be careful. This course of action will make you many enemies. Good luck."

"What about Sora?" DiZ snarled, "Don't you want him to wake up?"

"Yes," Riku nodded, "I do but Roxas made Xion a promise."

Roxas shot DiZ a triumphant look before disappearing into a corridor of darkness.

Riku turned to follow him.

"You lied to him?" Namine asked, stunned.

Riku shook his head, "I also made Xion a promise. I promised to look after him and that's what I intend to do. If Roxas bites off more than he can chew then I'm going to help him."

DiZ disappeared.

Namine smiled, "Best of luck from you too then."

Riku nodded and followed Roxas.

Roxas met Axel in front of Castle Oblivion.

"Roxas please," Axel pleaded, "The organization will destroy you."

"I'm sorry," Roxas shook his head, "It might bring Xion back." He could see the conflicting emotions in his friend's eyes.

"I want her back just as much as you do," Axel sighed. He lowered his head, "Is it really worth your existence?"

Roxas nodded.

Axel shook his head, "Then I can't let you go through with it."

Roxas sighed, "I'm sorry but you aren't going to stop me. Maybe there's another way for us to get our own hearts."

Axel chuckled, "Silly. A nobody can develop their own heart. We wouldn't be friends if we hadn't."

Roxas smiled, "Then I'll make you a promise."

Axel lifted his head, "What?"

Roxas grinned. He darted past him, "I'll buy us all some sea salt ice cream if I live through this!" Thanks Axel. I will live through this.

"Roxas!" Axel tore after him.

Roxas raced to the top floor of the castle. The halls were all empty and bare. Everything on the inside was white and painfully bright. When he reached the top floor he opened a corridor of darkness. He took a deep breath, "Here we go." He stepped through it. Riku's following me too. Man. Roxas arrived on the World That Never Was and raced into the central castle, Axel and Riku how on his heels.

"Wha—Roxas?" Demyx stared at him as Roxas raced past.

"Sorry, Demyx, can't talk right now!" Roxas raced up the steps to the top floor of the tower. Around a corner, up one more flight of stairs and through a door and I'm there. The sky opened up before him. Two thins walkways connected him to the tower he was standing on and the tower he wanted to be on. On the other tower Saix waited for him. Roxas could feel his glare. He growled and returned it. 'Ah, did it break again?' He'll pay for saying that. He shot across the walkway. Riku and Axel were on the other one. "You won't get in my way," Roxas recklessly tried to dart past Saix.

Saix swung his claymore and knocked Roxas into the air. He leaped up and slammed Roxas toward the ground. Roxas fell past the tower. Xion I'm sorry. I tried. I really did.

Don't give up.

"Sora?"

Sometimes you have to fight for your friends.

Roxas noted the differences between the two voices, "I thought I was just Sora's nobody. How am I hearing two voices?"

There always comes a time when you have to fight for your friends.

Because they can't fight for themselves.

"Roxas!" Axel's call finally broke through the haze of Roxas' mind.

Roxas growled. He flipped, righting himself and caught onto a ledge. He flipped onto it and raced up the side of the tower. Summoning Oathkeeper and Oblivion he jumped over Saix. Roxas landed on his claymore and used it as a springboard. He threw his Keyblades at the heart shaped moon hanging in the sky. It began to crumble as the two Keyblades hit it. Roxas fell, landing on his back. He rolled out of Saix's way as he brought the claymore down towards his head. Crap! I don't have a weapon.

Axel and Riku appeared between him and the blue haired nobody.

"Leave him alone," Axel glared at him.

"Very well." Saix turned and disappeared into a corridor of darkness.

Axel relaxed and rounded on Roxas.

Roxas was staring at the crumbling moon. His eyes were filled with hope. She will come. I know she'll come back.

Namine appeared from a corridor of darkness. Xion stood next to her with a broad, happy smile on her face. Namine nodded, "Sora's awake."

"Xion!" Roxas smiled.

"I'm glad you're alright," Riku nodded and returned to greet Sora.

Xion's grin widened, "Roxas, Axel!" she ran up to them.

"Someone promised us ice cream," Axel glared at Roxas, "Don't ever worry me like that again, got that?"

"Thank you, Roxas, Axel," Xioin looked up at where the moon had been.

"No problem," Axel sighed, "You two. You both think you can do whatever you like. You keep running off but no matter what I'll always be there to bring you back."

"You did," Xion smiled.

"Just not in the way you had intended," Roxas laughed.

"I guess I did," Axel nodded. He smiled, "Yeah. Now, what about that ice cream?"

Roxas nodded, "Okay." He turned to Namine, "You can come too. We'll all have ice cream."

"I'll race you to the top of the clock tower!" Xion grinned. She disappeared into a corridor of darkness.

"You're on!" Roxas followed her.

Axel and Namine exchanged glances. Axel shrugged, "I guess we better follow them."

"Make sure they stay out of trouble," Namine smiled.