Chapter 2- Day of the Fair

The Organization's number I, Xemnas, sat atop his throne, the tallest of all of the thrones in the blank-white room. His face was stoic as always- only the tapping of one gloved finger betrayed his impatience.

He heard the unmistakable sound of someone portaling in. Xemnas sat up and looked to see Saïx sitting on the seventh throne, his legs crossed and his hands folded imperiously in his lap.

"Well?" Xemnas prompted.

"Xigbar has been sent, Superior." Saïx said coolly. "And Axel stands outside eagerly awaiting your command."

His tone spoke complete disdain of the matter at hand.

"Something is troubling you?"

"More than one 'somethings,' Superior," Saïx said calmly, resting his hands on the arms of his throne. "This plan is not only reckless, but- even worse- it will strain the loyalty of your subordinates. To suddenly change direction only to imitate the failed plan of the traitors is-"

"Do not mistake me," Xemnas said in a tone that stilled Saïx instantly. "The plan remains ultimately the same as before. But there are other factors involved. For example, the old fool…or 'DiZ' as he likes to call himself these days…he knows who we are and what our purpose is. He knows our location, and he holds the secrets to much of our research. Then there is the mouse king, Mickey. If he was to discover that the old friend he has been searching for was right under his nose this whole time, might he not go at once to get the answers from him? Not to mention that both Mickey and that boy Riku wield Keyblades. It would be disastrous for them to discover this place before the time is right. They are actively fighting the Heartless; but their primary mission is to find us. We need a way to disarm them effectively, as well as have the biggest factor in the success of constructing Kingdom Hearts under our control."

"Sora." Saïx murmured. His rare objection to the Superior was quickly dimming as he could see where this idea was going.

"Acting alone, he is formidable enough. We must ensure that his actions remain in our best interest."

"But still…"

"I am well aware that it will take more than Naminé's influence to make this plan successful," Xemnas said, a bite of impatience in his voice. "We have all seen that the heart cannot be manipulated to betray its true nature. The traitors' attempt failed because of their severe mishandling of the Keybearer's heart- or perhaps their underestimation of it. They became so absorbed in the temptation to ruthlessly study the heart of a chosen one that they became distracted from their purpose. Imagine how successful they could have been if they had turned their talents to actually convince him to fight us. Imagine! Foiled by the inability to lie to a mere child. They behaved like amateurs. We will not make that same will make the traitors a study of what not to do." Xemnas waved his hand idly. "The best sort of trap is one where the prey doesn't know that it is trapped. By doing this, we have more assurance that all factors are under our control. And we also have something perhaps even more valuable- a plan the enemy will not foresee."

Saïx bowed his head. "Of course."

Xemnas gave a thin smile. "Send Axel in. I must give him his task."

Saïx hesitated. "What of number XIII?"

"The Organization does not let traitors go unpunished. That always remains the same. Still, he could be very useful…we can use him to make Sora all the more powerful."

"Undoubtedly, Axel will be delighted to hear that." Saïx said in a dry tone that could have almost been considered sarcasm.

Xemnas gave an unconcerned shrug. "Maybe. He will not know of it until it is too late for him to interfere, in any case. To him, I know nothing of the fact that his loyalty is not strictly to the Organization- either that, or he simply doesn't care that it's obvious. We'll just let him hold on to that delusion as long as he will." He gave a small chuckle. "And if it comes down to it…well…the Organization can function just fine without him."

"Understood. I'll send him in at once." Saïx bowed his head again and vanished in a plume of darkness.

"But why would they take Naminé?" Riku said, pacing about the computer room. "I thought it was Roxas they were after."

"By taking Roxas, they could stall Sora's awakening, and make him less powerful when he did awake. Capturing Naminé proved to be easier, especially with our guard down." DiZ said bitterly. "I never imagined they'd be brazen enough to invade this very mansion. Two different tactics with the same result- my revenge is ruined."

"It's not the same!" Riku burst out. "So what, Sora would have been weaker. He managed to save all of the worlds and seal Kingdom Hearts without Roxas! Without Naminé- he can't even wake up!"

Riku's hindsight was horribly clear. Why hadn't they guarded Naminé better? She couldn't even defend herself like Roxas could. How could they have not foreseen this kind of scenario?

"They may be attempting to use Naminé to manipulate Sora, as they did before." DiZ said doubtfully. "It seems strange for them to repeat that failed plan, though…and in order for them to do that, anyway, they'd have to get-"

A loud crash from the pod room interrupted their conversation.

"…Sora."

Riku swore and ran to the pod room, fighting down the panic that was threatening to overwhelm him. No…this couldn't be happening…not after all the time, the effort…

When Riku reached the blank white pod room, his worst fears were confirmed. The pod was cracked open, a big portion of it swaying up and down where it had landed like a giant discarded eggshell. Axel was standing there in plain view, a dark portal at his back and a deeply unconscious Sora slung over his shoulder. He smirked, then stepped backwards into the portal with a mocking bow, moments before Riku's blade slashed through the space he had just been.

"Damn it!"

Riku immediately summoned a portal of his own, ready to chase that red-haired bastard down.

"Wait."

Riku turned impatiently to DiZ, who had followed him in. "What? They just took Sora, in case you didn't notice!" Riku was very tempted to just go ahead and leave without bothering with the bandaged man.

"You must find Roxas- right now." DiZ said sternly. "If I am right, they will be after him next."

"Who cares? They just-"

"I assure you, without Roxas, they cannot awaken Sora for awhile yet, even with Naminé's assistance." DiZ walked over to the pod as if to survey the damage, his lack of concern over Sora simply infuriating. "And when they do wake him, he will be at less than full power. We need to secure Roxas as soon as possible. Then we can regroup and focus our energies on finding Sora. I believe they are counting on us making such a novice mistake as to leave on a hopeless chase in anger and have Roxas remain in the open. Besides…do you even remember how to find the Nobodies' world?"

Riku hated to admit it, but it was true that although he did remember fighting Roxas in The World That Never Was, he no longer had faintest inkling of how to get there- otherwise, he would have stormed the place with Mickey and ended this a long time ago. Even his vision of it was vague, just like everything that happened between the time he lost his memory and regained it was. Worse, he was almost positive that DiZ knew the secret of how to get there- and that was all the more infuriating. Disgusted that he would have to follow the man's orders at least a little while longer, Riku marched out to find Roxas. What else could he do to help Sora besides cooperate with DiZ?

Roxas stretched and yawned as he walked into the back alley that led to the Usual Spot. He was well rested this morning, his dreams blissfully blank the night before. It was a surprise, considering all the things he had to think about.

"Hey guys, I-" Roxas pushed aside the ratty old blanket they used as a door only to find the Usual Spot completely empty. "…Oh."

"'Morning, Roxas." Olette's voice came from behind him. "Hayner and Pence went to help out with the opening at the Sandlot. They heard that Seifer and his gang were helping, so now suddenly it's a competition of who can be 'good citizen of Twilight Town.'" Olette rolled her eyes and walked into the Usual Spot. Roxas followed, sitting down at the end of the beaten-up old couch where he always sat.

"Yeah, that sounds like them." He laughed.

"Hey, what's that?" Olette said curiously, pointing at the small sketchpad Roxas was holding.

"You…noticed that I had this?" Roxas said in clear surprise, holding it up.

"Sure." Olette said. "Why wouldn't I? You've never liked to draw…isn't it a sketchbook?"

"Well…yeah."

"Can I see it? Are you any good?"

"Oh- no- this isn't mine." Roxas said hurriedly. "But…um…you can look at it if you want to, I guess." With some uncertainty, Roxas handed it over.

When he woke up in his room after the last day at the mansion, he had found this sketchpad sitting on his desk. Ever since then, he had looked over the sketches many times- and today, bringing it with him just felt like the thing to do.

Of course, he never would have anticipated that such a thing would be noticed by his friends. Everything ordinary was fake- everything bizarre was reality. And somehow the two were touching when they'd been kept forcibly apart before. Olette silently flipped through the sketches, her bright green eyes thoughtfully taking in the somewhat clumsy scribbles.

"Who did these? Where'd you get it?" she said, clearly impressed. "These are very creative. Is this you?" she laid one slender finger on a close-up sketch of Roxas in Organization attire.

"Yes." He replied quietly. He hesitated for a moment, then said, "The girl in the mansion drew all of those. I…I think she gave them to me somehow."

Olette looked at him seriously. Roxas had felt silly admitting his thoughts to someone he was pretty sure wouldn't understand, someone that was nothing more than a computer simulation designed to fool Roxas into believing DiZ's lies, but the look she was giving him was not what he had expected in response. He'd expected a giggle and a "Roxas, you're letting all those ghost stories get to you. It's probably some secret admirer!"

Uncomfortable with the silence, Roxas said, "It sounds dumb, I know."

Olette shook her head and closed the sketchbook. She held it out for Roxas to take back and said, very gently, "If she was the one to give this to you, then there was probably a good reason. I think you should hold onto it, at least until you know what that reason is."

Roxas stared at her as he slowly took the sketchpad back.

"Y-yeah." He said dumbly.

Olette suddenly seemed to snap back into her usual self. She stood up and said, "C'mon, let's go to the Sandlot! It's starting now, and we gotta make sure Hayner doesn't get in trouble too early." She gave a wink and ran out of the Usual Spot.

Roxas shook his head. He ran after Olette. Despite everything, he was actually looking forward to the fair. He just hoped that nothing when awry while he was there.

Unfortunately, he failed to notice the small group of Dusks following him at a distance in their slithery way.

The Sandlot was the epicenter of the day's festivities, though the fair was extended to encompass all of Tram Common as well. The Struggle ring was set up in the center; only instead of being draped with the Struggle banners, it was decorated with orange and red ribbons, colors mimicking Twilight Town's perpetual sunset. The ring was a stage for live entertainment as well as a dance floor.

All of the booths and fair equipment were cleared out of the Sandlot's storage building, its metal doors rolled up and the extra space utilized as a bar. Contained within the building, it was easier to ensure no one underage got in (Hayner usually tried every year, though- dragging Roxas along with him more often than not). Around the stage were extra benches and tables set up so people could sit and eat while they watched the band play. And was there plenty to eat! Popcorn, hot dogs, cotton candy, blooming onions, potato spirals, taffy, homemade ice cream, barbeque, and- holy of holies- funnel cakes. There were more kinds of food there than someone could sample in just one day.

The Sandlot being too small to contain more than just the basics, Tram Common was lined with booths selling the traditional as well as the unusual. This is where the citizens of Twilight Town got to show off any unique talent or craft; the greatest thing about the fair being that it was never exactly the same two years in a row. Roxas, Hayner, Pence, and Olette had gone with their usual game plan- split up to explore this year's attractions for an hour, then meet back up at the Sandlot to plan out the rest of the day.

Roxas strolled casually around Tram Common, blue eyes scanning the booths lining almost every inch of the walls. It would have been quicker to take the tram around a couple of laps but Roxas had always preferred to take his time looking at all the interesting wares.

Maybe. He thought. At least that's what I remember always doing. This is probably the first time I've actually done this…if this is in fact what I am doing.

He really needed to stop thinking.

Roxas shook his head and focused on taking in the sights. There was the old lady who ran one of the regular shops on Tram Common (the one that was always losing her cat), selling her homemade jams and jellies and pickled vegetables. There were normal things like strawberry and grape, but a few oddities were always thrown into the mix specifically for this event. He paused by the table full of jam and saw flavors such as jalapeño (would anyone buy that?) and mint.

The next booth sold soaps and candles. The one after that had hand-blown glass and jewelry. After that there was a man that drew caricatures. He sat with his easel in front of his designated booth, which had a few recent scribbles posted up. The man was a regular at the fair, and was usually considered a must-visit by the residents of Twilight Town. Already he had a good-sized collection of sketches up. The man would draw anyone for free- a few Munny and the drawing was yours. Roxas stopped to look at them, grinning at the few familiar faces he saw. He walked around to see the ones on the side, and suddenly the smile fell off his face as his eyes widened.

"Axel!"

Instantly wary, Roxas whirled around as if to see Axel standing right behind him. He wasn't there. Roxas carefully scanned the crowds, paranoia prickling its way up his arms and the back of his neck.

Nothing. There was no sign of the hot-headed Nobody, who would surely stick out if he was there. Carefully Roxas turned back to the drawing. It was definitely Axel, no mistake. He was drawn in comical caricature style, but his 'crazy maniac' grin was captured perfectly as he flashed a thumbs-up and a wink. He looked as if he knew full well that Roxas would see the picture and react like this, his expression a taunt.

"Hey, Roxas!" Roxas jumped. "Thinking about buying a picture? Only 30 Munny for a sketch, 50 for a colored picture." The artist said. His regular job was the ice cream vendor, so he knew Roxas and his friends quite well.

"No thanks. Um…" Roxas pointed at Axel's picture. "When did this guy come here?"

"Oh, him?" the man turned in his chair to look. "He was here earlier, before the Sandlot opened. A lot of people like to set up their booths early, and visitors come even before the official start. Strange fellow. He said he was waiting for someone and he needed to kill some time."

"Which way did he go?"

"Off that way, I think." He pointed in the direction Roxas had been heading. "But he could be anywhere by now." He looked at Roxas curiously and was about to ask him something, but Roxas quickly thanked the man and left.

The more steps he took, the quicker and more desperate his pace became. Had he really thought that it was over?

He looked left and right around at all the people he passed, and peered into every tent and booth set up along the way. A stand selling polished rocks and statuettes; a waxworks shop where couples could buy wax roses or make a mold of their clasped hands; a sweetery with candied apples and homemade fudge…

He was approaching the games now. First there was a game where you tossed flat aluminum rings like overgrown washers onto bottles lined up on a shelf in the back of the booth. Roxas stopped abruptly when he reached it.

There was Axel, brow furrowed as he lined up a shot. He had a metal disk poised in one hand, and three more in the other. He bent his arm, ready to toss.

"Hey!"

Axel jumped, his aim going wide and the disc sailing uselessly to the right before crashing into the booth's wall. He whirled around, ready to torch whoever had wreaked his concentration, until he saw Roxas standing there. His anger dropped instantly, replaced with the usual sarcastic smirk.

"Ah, Roxas." He said, standing up straighter and laying the rings down on the booth. "There you are. It's about time!"

"What do you want?" Roxas demanded bluntly, hand itching to draw his Keyblade, but wary of the people milling about. This wasn't the place for a fight.

"Hey, don't get all hostile on me now." Axel held up his hands in a pacifying manner. "I'm just here to give you a warning. You might want to hear it- and if you waste any more time, it could be too late."

Roxas watched Axel cautiously. It was impossible to tell what the flame-head was up to, and now that Roxas remembered him a little more, he was unsure that Axel was his enemy as he had originally believed.

"…Yeah?"

Axel seemed relieved. "I thought it might interest you to know that we've captured both Naminé and Sora."

Roxas froze. "What?"

"That's right. Not sure how much you happen to know about the whole thing, but the only reason why you're not living inside of Keyboy's head right this moment is because we kidnapped him. Any second now someone is going to be sent here to find you, as well. The Superior wants the use of your services again. He wants three Keyblades on his side, apparently."

He spoke this last sentence casually enough, but it was clear that it meant something to him, because he watched Roxas carefully as he said it, as if gauging his reaction. Roxas, who could not understand anything Axel was doing, straightened up into a slightly less defensive stance.

"Wh…why are you telling me this?" Roxas said, astonished.

Axel shrugged. "I get the feeling that working alongside Sora is the last thing you want to do. Besides, the old you quit the Organization. You might not remember it, but I do- you told me that if you ever managed to escape from there, that you wanted me to do whatever I could to cover your tracks. And if you still don't wanna be a part of it, then I still intend to do that."

"Yeah, but…what about all this time when you kept trying to drag me back there?" Roxas said.

Axel's voice dropped a little and he muttered, "Well, of course I was ordered to bring you back, but who knows? If you somehow escaped again it certainly wouldn't be my fault." He crossed his arms.

It took a moment before the real meaning behind this sunk in. Roxas actually cracked a small smile.

"So…what am I supposed to do?"

"Well, there's only two options. Cooperate with your…escort, or find a way out of here before he comes. I'm sorry that I can't just take you with me now-" he gave a leer, "But I'm supposed to be confined to my room and kept far away from you at the moment. I don't have much time here, and, unfortunately, I need to stay on the Superior's good side a little while longer. My advice to you is to try to get to the basement of DiZ's mansion. There's a portal there that will take you to the real Twilight Town. At least there you aren't being constantly traced and monitored. When everything back home cools down, I can come find you there. The only other way is to come back to the Organization and escape again. But it'll be hard." Axel glanced around. "Anyway, I'll see you later. Now would not be a good time to be seen talking with you." Black tendrils of darkness enveloped Axel and he vanished into dark smoke.

Roxas stood still for a moment.

"The real Twilight Town…" he whispered. He shouldn't have been surprised. It didn't make sense, after all, to think that one man could make a whole town, full of people with personalities and histories, all on his own. Or perhaps Roxas' reaction was from the blunt, unsympathetic confirmation…this town wasn't real.

Someone from the Organization was coming after him. It was now or never. Roxas' feet felt glued to the ground. Why the mansion, of all places? In order to escape, he'd have to go right through the fire. But it was either that, or go back to the Organization. Despite what Axel had said, Roxas was sure that escaping again would be more than hard- nearly impossible. Surely they knew by now that Axel had helped him run away before?

Roxas forced his legs to move, running for the hole in the wall that led to the mansion. There may have been rips and gaps in his understanding, but there was one thing he did know for sure- he had to get out of here before this world unraveled and fell into nothingness, taking him along with it.

Of course, Axel hadn't known Xemnas' exact plan for Roxas. It was extremely rare that he ever missed any movements of the Organization, and of those rare occasions, this could probably be considered the most disastrous. If he'd had the faintest inkling that they intended to rejoin Roxas with Sora, Axel would have dropped all pretenses at obedience and taken Roxas with him, severing ties with the Organization right then and there.

But that's the funny little thing about 'if'.

Roxas had approximately half a second to react when a nearby booth suddenly exploded into sharp splintery bits. His body twisted around and avoided a flying piece of wood before his brain even began to understand what was happening. Roxas overbalanced and stumbled backwards, tripped over debris, and fell rather clumsily to the ground.

"Ow." Roxas sat up. His hands stung from where he'd tried to catch himself.

Another explosion brought him back to his senses. People were screaming, running around in terror and confusion.

It was all unraveling so fast.

Roxas was on his feet in an instant when he saw silvery Dusks bounding and weaving in among the people, attacking everyone and everything around them. The screaming rose to a panicked crescendo as the defenseless citizens fell, the Dusks' sharp arms scratching and stabbing. Roxas stared in horror at the violent swirl of screams and blood that looked all too real to him.

"Hayner?" He yelled, pushing his way frantically through the chaos. "Pence? Olette!"

He'd forgotten again they weren't real. All he saw was disaster and all he could think of was to cling to the only thing he thought could be real.

He should have just kept running.

Another booth exploded, and now Roxas saw that it had been torn apart by some invisible force…as if a small hurricane had contained itself in that one spot.

Xaldin…

Roxas whirled around and saw Number III standing far away but staring right at him, a sinister smirk playing about his lips. The carnage swirled all around him as he walked toward Roxas, bits of wood and debris tossed in a high wind.

"This world is falling apart." He commented, his voice surrounding Roxas, oddly clear, when all else was becoming increasingly muffled by the howling wind. "Then again, it is just a confused little place with no heart. All fake- all just like you."

Roxas summoned the Keyblade. He had no idea what he thought he was doing, only that there was some instinct from the depths of his memory screaming at him, telling him that he had to fight, that he must not let this man take him back to that place. Roxas tightened his grip on the Keyblade. It was now, or never. Xaldin summoned his spears.

A swirling column of darkness suddenly blocked Roxas' vision. When it cleared, a tall cloaked figure stood in front of him, aiming a strange, wing-shaped blade at Xaldin.

"This way! Hurry!" an unexpected voice came from behind him, and before he knew it, Roxas found himself being pulled toward a dark portal by a small hooded figure with…big round ears? Roxas dropped the Keyblade and it vanished. There was no time for him to do or say anything. He plunged deep into icy darkness.