Author's Comments: Hello! It's been quite a while since I posted anything, hasn't it? Alas, despite being busy with all that life brings, I can't stop writing. Here's a short piece inspired by something Lea said in Birth by Sleep. (Not that I played the game yet...*sigh*) Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts. I own Maxiin.

In memories, one never died. One lived forever.

Of course, that would be considering the memory existed in the first place.

"Go."

He lazily opened his eyes one by one and stared blankly at Saix. "Why me?" he drawled, crossing his arms and leaning on one leg.

"You are best-suited for the task."

Hah. Of course he was. Dealing with amnesic former Organization members was becoming a hobby ranking not so far below burning stuff.

"Do whatever must be done but don't intervene when the Heartless appear." Without another word or a chance to respond, Saix disappears in a whirl of dark miasma.

He wasn't too bothered by the command, really…not that he could feel bothered, but that was beside the point. Truth be told, he was itching for a chance to see him—the mysterious Organization member no one but the Superior or Saix knew of up until the Nobodies were completely eradicated, the one who saved their existences after said eradication…the one who remembered.

He didn't believe it. He sensed another Roxas episode.

In the blink of an eye, the miasma engulfed him and sank away. He would have thought he'd never moved at all if it wasn't for the figure standing about ten feet away.

So this was the secret member, huh…? He had to suppress a snort as he looked him over and stepped silently towards him. Those pajamas made him look like a girl. So did the way he clenched his fists and darted his eyes—

He did a double take. Oh. Well, whaddya know?

He stopped a foot away from her, a corner of his mouth curling up at the fear practically emanating from her in invisible waves. "Hey."

That "eep" totally confirmed it. She was a girl.

"Whoa," he half-laughed. "Skittish, aren't ya?"

Her dark eyes flitted around with more fervor, seeking him out—

"I'm right here."

She whipped her head towards him, almost smashing her nose into his ribs. From there she took her sweet time raising her eyes to meet his. She probably would've taken longer if he hadn't egged her on.

He smirked at her widened eyes as she stared at him in bewilderment. It must've been the tats. "If you think I look strange, you haven't seen anything yet."

The girl nearly tripped trying to put some distance between them. All the while her cautious eyes remained locked with his.

Heh. She gave him the exact same look Roxas did.

"I'm not gonna bite," he insisted, raising his hands sluggishly in an attempt to seem friendlier. "I'm on your side. Really."

Not a glimmer of relief cracked through her cautious gaze. Surprise, surprise. The only thing that broke her concentration was the sudden sucking noise signaling the arrival of the Heartless.

He moaned and brought a hand to cradle the side of his head. "Ah, jeez. I was hoping I could have more time to talk to you," he murmured mostly to himself, eyeing the yellow orbs emerging all around them. "They're pretty persistent even after the Superior was finished off. Huh." As the number increased, he glanced back at the girl…and blinked at her utterly confused and shocked stare, open jaw and all.

Oh what a drag amnesia was.

"You know," he prompted, arching one eyebrow. "Xemnas."

He could see her run the name through her brain several times…and then she froze. She could've passed for a statue, for all he knew. He swore she stopped breathing.

Carefully he waved a hand before her unseeing eyes. "Hey. Hello? Anybody in there?"

She snapped back to life, blinking rapidly and breathing again.

That was weird…but it was a sign, he supposed.

The sucking noise stuffed his ears as he partially shouted over the racket, "You know, you're gonna have to fight all these Heartless. Shouldn't you…you know…get ready?"

She stared dumbly. He could almost hear her repeat, Get ready?

He arched his eyebrow again. Talk about major déjà vu…and talk about awkward. He made no effort to hide the fact.

She squirmed in place as the Heartless crawled around them. Defenseless and clueless. That had to suck.

Well…orders were orders. He took a breath before spitting out suddenly, "I gotta run."

She whipped her head up to stare at him incredulously.

"I'll be back!" he reassured her calmly as the miasma swallowed him up. "You know I will!"

In seconds she and the Heartless were completely gone and he was alone in the darkness. He scratched the back of his head thoughtfully. So that was the Kismet Scribe…the one who was supposedly going to get them their hearts…the back-up plan, so to speak…the tool…

Pretty pathetic. So much for remembering them.

"You must try again."

He suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. "She doesn't know squat, Saix."

"Her memories are locked away," Saix calmly fired back. "It's only a matter of giving her the key."

Giving her the key? That was a good one. He doubted she knew what a keyblade was.

"She is not Roxas."

He froze. Saix's glare burned into his back.

"Perhaps differentiating her from Roxas will help you," he heard him mutter. "Go. She's returned."

Saix vanished silently but his words echoed in his mind. She wasn't Roxas. She wasn't Roxas.

The thought repeated in his head as he returned to her side. Quickly he covered his pensive face with a mask of amusement and coated his voice with playfulness. "That was quick," he noted dryly, leaning on one leg again. "I didn't think you'd be back until tomorrow night. Miss me?"

She studied his face…and took a deep breath. "N-No," she tried to declare quietly. "I don't even know who you are."

Things certainly seemed that way what with the dumbfounded-ness and the confusion and the countless incredulous glares she sent his way earlier…but he couldn't find himself agreeing with her. Maybe it was the faint recognition in the deep recesses of her dark eyes or the way she chose her words carefully as if she wasn't sure of anything.

Or maybe it was because he himself was proof that she wasn't another Roxas.

"You're wrong," he said. "You know who I am."

Her eyebrows inched together slightly. She didn't want to believe him...but she would. He'd make sure of it. He was suddenly determined to give her a key. She had to know. He had to discover the truth and prove somebody wrong, even if it was himself.

"Think," he advised, tapping a finger to his temple. "I know you've got it memorized."

Again her body stilled. If he listened keenly he was sure he'd be able to hear her clawing away the cloudy amnesia in search of answers and certainty to his statement.

"Do you remember now?" he asked, bending down to her level. "Do you remember who I am?"

She didn't respond. He could sense it. She only needed a little more...

She was not Roxas. "Do you remember?" he whispered. She was not Roxas. She was—

"Maxiin?"

Her name seemed to do the trick. Her eyes glazed over and she stared unseeingly before her, completely frozen in place. Several moments passed and she didn't budge an inch.

"Hey…" he called uncertainly, but she didn't answer. He called again and again, louder and louder, grabbing her shoulder and giving it a slight shake. "You okay?"

She trembled in his grasp and her dark eyes found their way to his…and he could see it—knowledge. Memory. His memory.

"Axel?"

His name on her tongue made something stir in his stomach and flutter in his chest. With that, he knew he'd been proven wrong.

"Hey! You do remember! I told you so!" he exclaimed brightly while stowing away his own disbelief. "Though you took longer than Roxas did…I know yeah?" He laughed at her shock. "I guess it wasn't his fault he was so clueless."

"I don't understand," she murmured…and then the questions began spewing from her lips one after the other.

Oh-kay, he had to stop her before she made his ears bleed. "You know all the answers already," he reassured her with a confidence he hadn't had since disappearing before Sora's eyes.

"I-I what?"

He would've repeated his words with even greater confidence if he hadn't heard it: the Heartless. "They're here."

Fear overtook her, radiating off of her in waves…but he knew she'd get over it soon enough. He began to back away, smiling toothily at her with a half-shrug. "I'd stay and help, but then I'd get busted."

She gaped openly at him. "What? Where are you going?"

"Sorry, kid."

She protested, hesitatingly stepping towards him and reaching out for him—

"C'mon, Maxiin." He was beginning to like the way her name sat on his tongue as he uttered it. Maxiin. Maxiin. It kinda sounded like a declaration of victory. "You could beat these things in your sleep. Oh wait, you are beating them in your sleep." He snorted and smirked. "Ha, that's funny. I crack myself up sometimes."

Her lips mouthed cried for help from him—

"Fight," he said simply. "F-I-G-H-T. Got it memorized?"

Instantly the chaos disappeared around him. He couldn't wipe the grin off his face. She remembered.

"AXEL YOU JERK! J-E-R-K! GET THAT MEMORIZED!"

He threw his head back and laughed.

Author's Afterthought: If it didn't make sense, this takes place when Imani first meets Axel in her dreams. I'm thinking of writing a short post-Moirai Zealot piece or even a mid-Moirai Zealot piece with this theme of remembrance...What do you think? Leave a review, please! Thanks for reading!