Xion walked the halls of The Castle That Never Was, heading for Axel's room. As much as she hated to admit it, she had become much closer to Axel than she had to Roxas as of late. There was something about Axel's experience, Axel's knowledge that simply trumped what Roxas had to offer. Axel had more logical answers to her questions than Roxas usually provided. On approach to his room, she noticed that the door was creaked slightly open. She heard voices coming from inside. She crouched down and looked through the small opening in the doorway. She saw Saix rather forcefully talking to Axel. She strained to listen. "Where is the boy, Lea?" Saix said.
"I already told you that I don't know! And don't call me that!" Axel responded.
"Why shouldn't I? That is your name, isn't it?" Saix continued.
"If Lea is my name, then why am I called Axel? If Isa is your name, then why are you called Saix? None of us here in the Organization are who we used to be! We're Nobodies!" Axel shot back. Xion realized she had no clue what they were talking about.
"We Nobodies are not obsolete as you think! We are superior! We lack the one thing that held us back: our Hearts! Now where's the Keyblade Wielder?!" Saix said, his temper flaring. Suddenly, it clicked to Xion. He was looking for Roxas.
"I don't know, Saix! Why is it so important that you know where he is all of a sudden?!" Axel yelled back.
"Because the boy left the castle this morning! He abandoned the Organization!" Saix responded. Xion involuntarily gasped. "Now, it is imperative that we get our Key back! Unless, we're stuck with the worthless one…." Xion flinched at the obvious reference to her.
"He did WHAT?!" Axel exclaimed.
"He abused the power of his Keyblade and escaped from the Organization! Do you know where he went?!" Saix screamed.
"Dammit, Saix! I told you no!" Axel screamed back at him, standing up from his bed.
Saix relaxed his shoulders, then said, "Fine. At least go look for him." He turned towards the door as Axel glared at him. Xion stepped back out into the hallway to make it look like she had just showed up. Saix entered the hallway, then said with a snarl, "Well, well. If it isn't the puppet." He stormed off down the hallway. He rounded the corner, then Xion looked back into Axel's room. Axel had spotted something laying on his windowsill. He picked it up and faced the bed with it. Xion could tell it was an envelope. Axel opened it, and a stick from a sea-salt ice cream fell out. Xion could make out the word winner wrote on the stick.
"Roxas, buddy…. What have you done…?" Axel muttered to himself. Suddenly, it all hit Xion. She knew where Roxas would be headed: the Bell Tower in Twilight Town. She quickly opened a Dark Passage, and headed into it. Shortly afterwards, Axel left his room and headed down to The City That Never Was.
Once there, he positioned himself under a streetlamp by the world's exit, hoping Roxas hadn't left yet. His wish was granted, for he saw the head-full of bright blonde hair that could only belong to Roxas. Roxas walked by without saying a word to Axel, or even looking at him. Axel watched him walk by, then asked, "Your mind's made up?"
Roxas stopped, then slightly looked back at Axel. "Why did the Keyblade choose me? I have to know…." he said.
Axel stepped toward Roxas, raising his voice. "You can't turn on the Organization! You get on their bad side, and they'll destroy you!"
Roxas continued walking. "No one would miss me." he said with a slight smirk.
"That's not true! I would…." Axel said, his face dropping. Roxas continued his steady pace, eventually disappearing from Axel's sight into the darkness, leaving him so very alone in the cold, bitter night….