Chapter 1

A young man, nearing the age of seventeen stood in the shadows of an alley, watching the people pass. He had no purpose, no reason and no idea why he felt compelled to watch the mindless activities of mindless people. Yet, he felt that he needed to be here, that something was calling him. He shut his eyes and scoffed, talking quietly to the stale air around him. "Don't tell me to come and then not show me anything…" He opened one eye again as he felt someone pass by. It was a young boy, no older than sixteen sulking down the road, eyes to the ground and sneering as he walked. His hair was a light sandy brown and stood up in all ways, having no set direction. As the boy passed, the young man shrunk back into the shadows again, leaning against the wall. "Roxas?" A shaky voice sounded out amongst the shadows. "Is it really you?" The young man stepped out from the shadowed alleyway. The movement caught the sulking boy's attention. He stopped and looked at the boy who had come from the shadows. He was tall, though perhaps the mound of spiky red hair added to the illusion of his height. Slender and yet sturdy, he was half crouched, as if expecting an ambush. His charcoal eyes were full of wonder as he studied the younger boy in front of him. "You look like Roxas…"

"That's because I am Roxas." The shorter boy answered sharply, his cerulean eyes narrowing at the mentioning of his name. Roxas stood as straight as he could, compensating for the height difference. His voice held no fear or emotion, just simple curiosity. "Who are you?"

The red haired man flashed a quick, uneasy smile. "C'mon, Roxas, quit messing around. It hasn't been that long since you ran away. You've gotta remember me." He waited for a response and got none, causing the smile to disappear and a wounded expression to appear on his face. "You really don't remember, do you…"

"You can't remember anyone you haven't met before."

The reply was soft and slow. "It's me. Axel." Axel watched as a flicker of annoyance spread across Roxas' face. "What happened to you? You're acting like I'm some stranger on the street."

"You are some stranger on the street." Roxas said, lowering himself into a defensive position. "I don't know who you are, or how you know me, but you need to leave. Now." He tightened his fists and gave Axel a dirty look. "Only freaks play in the shadows…"

Axel straightened himself out and chuckled. "How soon we forget… I'm not the only one who plays in the shadows, Roxas." He took a tentative step towards him, his eyes burning into Roxas'. "Look at me, Roxas. Is there even a small glimmer of recognition?"

Roxas met Axel's fire-gaze with his own and concentrated on the charcoal eyes ahead of him. They held nothing; no emotion, no light and had no end. They were pools of obsidian, against an angular face that held a fraction of memory. As he lost himself deeper into the depths of that face, blankets of repressed memories folded over him. The Organization, the KeyBlade, and the chance to find Himself, they all rushed over him in a resounding wave. "The Flurry of Dancing Flames…" He said hollowly, his eyes stuck in an expression of awe. Axel remained silent at the mention of his name; content to watch Roxas remember his past.

Roxas stood still, letting the memories seep back into his brain. How could he have forgotten the Organization? It was the only home he knew before Twilight Town. It was the closest thing he'd ever had for a family, save for Hayner's parents that took him in when he arrived in Twilight Town. But they were a fake comfort. They could never be his actual family no matter how hard he tried to convince himself that they were. Each breath brought in a new memory, a new feeling that he had worked so hard to forget. He remembered going to see the doctor in hopes of learning how to delete memories. The doctor held no merit in physical health, but everyone in Twilight Town respected Dr. Diz as a psychologist. At first Dr. Diz laughed at his inquiry of how to destroy memories. "It is not wise to fool around with the Heart's memories, Roxas. Only grief will come of it." Roxas heard the doctor say in his head. "You must keep your past to preserve your present. You wouldn't want to lose the person you are now, would you?" Dr. Diz faded in his mind and ceased to be, falling back into the pools of memories. "I don't exist, do I?"

Axel crossed his arms as an amused smile spread across his lips. "You're just as Nonexistent as me, Roxie. Glad to see you're finally remembering who you are." He paused, shook his head then laughed. "Or who you aren't, depending on how you see it."

Once again Dr. Diz appeared in his mind, holding a small machine similar to a toaster in shape, with four plugs hanging off it. "Are you sure about this, Roxas?" Dr. Diz called to him, holding the machine delicately. "You'll never be able to fully remember who you were again. It will be as if you are half a person." Roxas closed his eyes and mouthed along with the memory. "I already am half a person. It is my choice to leave the past behind in hopes of gaining a future." His eyes slowly opened as he could feel the plugs on his chest above his heart and on either side of the back of his head. He felt the pain as small needles pierced his skin, targeting his heart and brain. Tears sprung up in his eyes at the remembrance of the pain as the memories were pulled out from him. Gone was the KeyBlade, gone was the Organization, and no longer was he a Nobody. Only one thing remained from his past, the memory of two charcoal eyes peering at him, full of emotion, full light and full of love.

"Axel?" Roxas called out as the eyes faded from his mind. He shook himself free of the memories, coming back to the present. "Why did I leave the Organization?"

Axel lost his smile and became expressionless. He began to pace around, attempting to put the words together. "You left for the KeyBlade and for your True Self." He stopped moving, choosing instead to concentrate on the ground. "And yet you end up here, in Twilight Town, with no memories of the Organization, being a Nobody or of me…" He wildly shook his head, causing his red hair to resemble a bon fire. "Though, it is kind of ironic that you end up in a place called Twilight Town. Maybe the name's what attracted you when you left? Still. It's beyond me how you got here. It took me nearly a year to track you down. If it wasn't for the Corridors, I'd still be back at the Skyscraper."

"The Corridors?"

Axel threw up his hands in disbelief. "You don't remember the Corridors? Oh come on, Roxas! That's how we Nobodies travel." Axel turned away from Roxas and held out his palm. A few feet away a murky black portal appeared. Axel turned back, a satisfied grin on his face. "Ring any bells?"

Roxas shook his head wildly, amazed at the sight. "How did you…?"

"Oh, man. Have we got some work to do…" Axel said, laughing playfully. He held out his hand towards Roxas. "Come on. We've got to get you out of here. Twilight Town just isn't big enough for us two."

Taking Axel's outstretched hand, Roxas stepped forward, eyes still large from the shock of seeing the Corridor appear. He paused at the mouth of the portal and looked at Axel only to be met with a huge smile. "Don't worry, you don't exist. It's not like you can die."

With one long breath, Roxas plunged into the Dark, pushing more memories of his Nobody self away. "Even if I can't die," Roxas said to the walls of the Corridor, "I'm still afraid." But yet he still walked on, hand in hand with Axel, as Twilight Town shrunk into the distance.