Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts is not mine, so please call off your (rabid) lawyers...

Summary: Axel dreams of a boy trapped in a white room. He is determined to set him free.

This is not AkuRoku, despite what Demyx says. It's platonic... Or is it? Heh.

Author's Note: Idk.

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Impression

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I glide down a white hallway, unaware - or perhaps uncaring - of the grey creatures lurking in the corners. It is here... He is here... Somewhere...

I reach the end of the hallway. A pair of grand double doors tower over me menacingly, but despite that I grip the handles and enter the room. It feels like I've done this before.

There, he is there, sitting on the same chair on the other side of the long table, looking like he had just woken from a nap. He pins glazed blue eyes at me, piercing and unseeing at the same time. He opens his mouth, but no sound comes out. I approach him, try to say something, to reassure him, tell him everything is going to be alright, that he will not be forgotten -

But the floor swallows me up before I do.

Demyx is complaining about his band teacher again.

"I swear, he sucks all the fun out of music," he moans through his tuna sandwich. Zexion, who is sitting beside him, does not bother to pretend to be interested. He flips through his monster of a book at a steady pace and ignores the din around him.

"That's not the only thing he sucks," Marluxia snickers lewdly from beside me. Larxene snorts.

My phone rings. I pull it out of my pocket and, sure enough, it's Reno.

Working late tonight, says the text. Go buy pizza for dinner.

I roll my eyes and turn back to my friends. They are now discussing Demyx's band teacher's sex life.

"It's true," Marluxia insists. "Axel was there too."

Eyes turn to me, and I raise an eyebrow. "What?"

"Last week?" his pink-haired friend prompts. "We walked into Mr. Li banging Mr. Fa in the gym?"

"Oh yeah." I recall the scene with no small amount of horror. "Hey, you know, Mr. Fa kinda looked like a girl under all that clothing - "

Larxene throws a french fry at me, red-faced. "Stop. Talking. Now."

I laugh. Larxene is like that. She's tough as nails and laughs at the sight of blood and suffering, but mention nudity and she turns into a blushing twelve-year-old taking Sex Ed for the first time.

"Axel," Zexion looks up from his book, "are you still having those dreams?"

Last night's dream flashes through my mind, and I nod. "Yeah. Still feels real as hell, and the dude still can't say anything."

"What did you say the hallway looks like?"

I look at him weirdly. "Uh, like, white. White all over, pillars here and there, pair of big double doors at the end. Why?"

"Does it look like this?" Zexion turns his book around to show... The hallway. It's that damn hallway. I stare at it, gobsmacked. No way. It's real? How can it be real? Aside from my dreams, I've never seen the hallway in my life.

"How... Where is that?" I hiss at him. Something in me sparks.

Zexion glances down at the book. "Castle Oblivion."

Marluxia hums thoughtfully. "In Departure?" Departure is a large historical city five hours from Radiant Garden. Zexion's ten-year-old cousin lives there - Ienzo, if I remember correctly.

"I've never been to Departure," I mutter. "Never even heard of Castle Oblivion. Why the fuck am I dreaming this?"

"Maybe you're psychic," Demyx suggests. "And you're unconsciously contacting the guy in your dream 'cause you know he's in trouble and your subconscious is telling you to get your ass out there and rescue him and - " Zexion smacks him with the book.

"I don't even know him," I say. Lies.

"Maybe he's your soul mate," Demyx sighs dreamily. Fucking romantic.

The bell rings. I gather my half-eaten lunch and head for my next class.

I go down the same white hallway. The grey creatures don't bother me (as usual) and I reach the doors without trouble.

I enter, and he's there again. His blank blue eyes hold mine - again. He opens his mouth, and nothing comes out - again.

I fall.

I try my best to ignore Demyx as I measure twenty mililitres of potassium iodide into a test tube.

"We should totally go for Spring Break," says Demyx enthusiastically, all the while contributing exactly nothing to the lab. "I looked it up yesterday, and they give tours of the castle, did you know that?"

"Uh huh." I dilute the contents with deionized water and set it on a rack. I reach over Demyx's flailing arms to pluck another test tube.

"And there's a ghost too! They say that if you look into the window of the thirteenth tower during a sunset, you'll see a blond boy with blue eyes looking at you - looking into your soul. Hey, Axel, maybe that's the boy in your dreams! He fits the description, doesn't he? No way it's a coincidence. Wow, you really are psychic - "

"Demyx, if you don't shut up in the next fifteen seconds, I will set your hair on fire with this bunsen burner."

Demyx pouts, but doesn't say anything. He knows I'm completely serious about anything to do with fire.

The grey creatures look agitated, I note. Usually, they're calm and still, but this time they're all moving, some tapping their swords on the ground, others swaying this way and that. Some hide behind pillars as I pass.

I enter the room and the boy sits on his chair, regal as always. He gazes at me steadily as I come closer. He opens his mouth. This is routine.

"Axel," he says. "Get me out of here."

"He spoke," I hiss, grabbing Zexion's shoulders and shaking him until the shorter boy snaps and punches me in the face. I draw back but I lose none of my intensity. "He - the boy in my dream - the blond guy - he said something. He said my name!"

Zexion's sharp eyes study me as I pace his living room. Demyx is off to the side, still cooing over my soul mate and alleged psychic powers. Marluxia and Larxene are looking bored by the whole spectacle. They both think I'm thinking way too much into this.

"Did he say anything else?" Zexion inquires.

"Yeah. Yeah, he said something - said to get him out of there. I don't know where 'there' is. I mean, not really. It might not be Castle Oblivion 'cause what are the chances?"

"There is a very good chance it is indeed Castle Oblivion," Zexion says calmly. "There is a reason Departure is considered a historical city. Many historically significant events occurred there. Castle Oblivion used to be the home of the Keyblade Wielders before the Civil War happened and wiped out all of the Keybearers. It is in that castle that the last battle between the two sides were fought. Some historians say that one side actually managed to summon Kingdom Hearts..."

I snort. "Right. And Demyx wasn't the one who set off all those fire alarms last year."

"There was an actual fire in the washroom sink," Demyx calls out from his corner. "I had to do it."

"And it never occured to you to turn on the tap?"

"Who are you?" I ask.

The boy doesn't answer. Instead, he stands up and walks to me. This is different. I reach out, wanting to touch him, but he passes through me and stops in front of a window. He looks into the light of sunset and says, "It's been a while. I've been stuck here for such a long time, I don't actually know how long it's been."

"Where are you?" I ask.

"You know where I am."

I take Demyx's suggestion and drag all my friends to Departure for Spring Break. Demyx is all for it, while Zexion accepts the invitation for curiosity's sake. Marluxia and Larxene are harder to convince, but after numerous bribes and promises to spend lots of money, they agree to go.

"Let's go to the Mall of Disney first," Marluxia suggests from the backseat.

"Castle Oblivion first," I say firmly, hands on the wheel and eyes on the road. "Then the Mall."

Marluxia complains all the way to Castle Oblivion. Larxene on Marluxia's left is the only one immune to his rants; the rest of us have to suffer. A miserable-looking Demyx is on Marluxia's right, while Zexion sits in the passenger seat with his impenetrable poker face on.

I drive the whole five hours to Departure and another twenty minutes to Zexion's cousin's house. Zexion gives me instructions the entire way, and assures Demyx that his aunt and uncle have no problem hosting them for a week - mainly because his aunt and uncle are going on a business trip and need someone to babysit Ienzo.

Once we arrive at the modest house, Ienzo - who looks startlingly like Zexion - greets us politely and helps us with our bags. Larxene gets the smaller guest room while Demyx, Marluxia and I share the larger guest room. Zexion is bunking with Ienzo.

We spend the first day settling in and finalizing our plans for the next day. In the end, Marluxia gets his way and we all agree to go the the Mall of Disney first, then to Castle Oblivion at around six. It's a good chance to check out that rumour about the thirteenth tower. That settled, we feast on Demyx's amazing cooking - broiled Atlantica red snapper with ginger-lime butter, a side of asparagus with oyster sauce, and strawberry pie for dessert - and go straight to bed.

"I'll see you soon," he says.

I look up at the towering walls and teal spires of Castle Oblivion. It's bigger than I thought, having only seen pictures of the place before. It doesn't look as surreal in the twilight. In fact, it seems to fit right in with the backdrop of gently sloping mountains and ancient pine trees. The weathered stone still radiates majesty and strength after all these years, the windows still clean and revealing nothing, and even the architectural oddity of towers jutting out sideways look almost graceful instead of quirky.

"Those are some crazy towers," Demyx comments after a moment.

"Whoever designed this must've be on ether," Larxene adds. "That, or they work for Wonderland TV."

I keep my gaze on the castle. More specifically, the towers. Where is he? "Demyx, which one's the thirteenth tower?"

The musician shrugs. Marluxia and Larxene start bickering.

"That one," Zexion says softly, pointing to the right side of the castle. I follow his finger to a small tower protruding from a larger one, and my heart beats faster. It only has one round window covered in a white curtain. I continue to stare at it. I tilt my head to the side. I come closer. I look at it from all angles. Just as I'm about to give up - where are you why aren't you here - the sun shines directly at the window, and something moves.

"Guys," I say quietly. Demyx and Zexion look up. Marluxia and Larxene stop arguing

The curtain draws back, and an achingly familiar faces looks at me in the eye. The boy - it's him - waves. I feel a slight breeze caress my arm. And then he's gone.

"I'll see you soon."

"Oh my god," says Demyx. He looks excited and terrified at the same time. "Did... Did I just see what I just saw?"

"I think you just did," says Marluxia, sounding unsure.

"Hallucination," Larxene says flatly. "Mass hallucination."

"Interesting," is all that comes out of Zexion.

And all I can think of is, I have to get him out of there!

He is still looking out the window. I lean over him and see the castle grounds bathed in orange, the same as before. Beyond that though, everything is completely different. Craters. Smoking craters are everywhere. Anything that isn't a crater are either crumbling houses, burning trees, or large piles of stone and furniture. Where are the cars? The people? The quaint little café that sells the best blueberry muffins in Departure?

The boy is speaking, so I listen. "You don't remember me," he says flatly.

I don't say anything. It's true.

He shakes his head and looks back. I see grief, confusion, hope. "Sunset," he says. "The Door only opens during sunset for one person from the outside. I'll make sure you get in."

"Door?" What door?

"And then you'll remember..."

Demyx shifts uncomfortably under my stare. "Uh, Axel, you know they close the castle at five."

"I know," I say.

"You know what you're suggesting is illegal and'll probably get us thrown in jail.

"I know."

"You know all of us are stupidly loyal and won't abandon each other when one of us is doing something like this, even when there's a possibility of getting a criminal record."

"I know."

"Then why the hell are you even considering it!" Demyx thunders, jumping to his feet. "Are you so fucking selfish you can't even think of the consequences your friends'll go through because of your half-assed plan?"

I raise an eyebrow. Demyx wilts and sits back down. There's this thing with Demyx: when he gets angry, he gets angry, but it rarely lasts more than a couple of seconds, especially with his friends around him. The way to calm (shame) him down is to think something along the lines of "Really? You, Demyx, are acting like this? Your sister would be ashamed of you!" and then express it in a subtle, physical manner.

However, Demyx being angry is almost always a sign that someone is doing something extremely wrong and should stop whatever they're doing and think it through first.

(Demyx all-out murderous-rage pissed off, on the other hand, is another matter. The only thing it signifies is Demyx being pissed off beyond belief - no logical reason required. Everyone tries to avoid this. No one wants a repeat of the Hollow Bastion Incident.)

"Dem," I begin, knowing I have to word this carefully, "I never said any of you have to come with me this time. In fact, none of you should come with me. He... He said the Door - whatever it is, I'm guessing it's the door to wherever he is - it only opens for one person. Even if you come with me, you won't be able to, you know, actually come with me. So I want all of you to stay here and hold down the fort until I get back, provide an alibi if it comes to that. Got it memorized?"

Demyx gives me a look that says, "Are you crazy, Axel Flynn? Didn't you listen to Zexion's The Boy Might Be Residing in Another Dimension explanation? No, forget that, knowing you, you knew every word Zexion was going to say but even then you don't care because apparently all you care about is a boy from your dream whose only proof of existence is when he waved at us from that window (and even that might have been a trick of the light or a mass hallucination); and now you're telling us, your friends since kindergarten, to ditch you while you go investigate a possible alternate dimension alone and rescue a boy who might or might not exist. Nuh uh, no way, there is no way in hell are we letting that happen."

Yeah, Demyx is my bro. We can read each other like a book, but faster.

Even so. Demyx's look might be entirely accurate, but nothing is going to stop me from rescuing that boy. It's something I have to do. I can feel it.

Demyx reads that off my face and glowers.

"Whatever happened to soul mates and psychic powers?" I mutter in reply.

"I ditched them when I found out they're gonna land me in jail," says Demyx.

"Jail or not," Zexion cuts in smoothly, "I support your plan, Axel."

Demyx chokes on his own spit. "What!" He rounds on Zexion. "You're supposed to be the smart one."

"I have a theory. I would like to have evidence to prove it."

"What - Never mind. Marly! Larx! Tell 'em they're stupid!"

"Sorry Demyx." Marluxia smirks. "This is way too entertaining to stop." He high-fives Larxene.

"You're all gonna give me ulcers," Demyx mutters. Then he sighs. "And that's supposed to be my job. Zexion, is this how it feels like to be the only sane man? Urgh... Alright, Axel, I won't stop you, but you better not get stuck in another dimension with only a freaky dream kid for company."

Surprisingly, Castle Oblivion isn't locked up when I get there.

("I said I'd make sure you'd get in.")

I push the large doors open. The doors, well-oiled, don't make a sound. I step inside. My footsteps echo around the large white foyer as I look around ("It's so white, I know."), trying to remember how to get to... wherever the boy is. I recall my dream, the path I took to the hallway with the grey creatures and large double doors, and head for the grand staircase.

From there on, everything is a haze. I make my way deeper into the castle, feeling all the while like I'm on autopilot. I don't know the way, yet my feet carry me with a sureness that's almost scary. Maybe it's muscle memory? Can you even develop muscle memory from dreams? Or maybe it's the familiar voice in my head that's guiding me ("Yeah, it's me.").

I stop. That did not just happen.

"Oh, but it did," the mischievous voice says.

"What?" I say out loud.

"Sorry," the voice says, not sounding sorry at all. "I couldn't help it. I'm just so happy you're here... Haha, me, happy..."

"You're the boy in my dreams," I realize.

"Yes," the voice - the boy - confirms. "Now that you're here, I can connect with you much easier. Now, turn left at the end of the hallway..."

I turn left at the end of the hallway. I blink. "Hey, how're you doing that?"

"As I said, my connection to you is much stronger here, in the castle, at twilight. You may not remember, but it's a very special time of day..."

"You keep saying I don't remember," I say, frowning. My feet turn right (because I sure as hell am not the one controlling them). "What, exactly, don't I remember?"

"You'll know when you get here, and boy, are you gonna feel so dumb. Go through that door."

I go through said door and come upon a very familiar hallway, ending with a very familiar set of double doors. Strange grey creatures, standing eerily still, turn their heads at my entrance. Ever had a dozen emotionless faces - if you can call it that - stare at you in silence? It's the most unnerving thing ever. Those lethal-looking swords on their backs did nothing to help.

I carefully navigate my way through the hallway, makng sure not to touch the creatures, and stand in front of the door.

It's even bigger than I thought. Really, it's impractical.

I turn the knobs and open the doors. I blink.

"Took you long enough," said the boy, a splash of colour in the canvas of a room. Blond, blue eyes, black coat -

Keyblades in each hand -

And it all comes back to me.

Man, do I feel dumb.

"So," Roxas says nonchalantly, "how's your next life coming along?"