A common misconception about Twilight Town is that its name is derived from the prevailing weather conditions thereat. While the sun does seem to linger in the air when it sets, the resulting length of twilight relative to other worlds is not the original reason. Rather, the world was named for its location just inside the borders of the known universe, between light and darkness, existence and nonexistence. On one side: space – the stars, the worlds, and the nigh-infinite vista between them. On the other: nothing. Emptiness. Half a light-year beyond the brink of everything, the World that Never Was stands like a forbidding island in a sea not meant for those who possess hearts.

It was currently Axel's turn to cross this sea; in the days preceding the Nobodies' invasion of Twilight Town, he had been chosen to scope out any potential threats, due to his familiarity with the world.

"I suppose there's a price to pay for spending half my missions here up on the clock tower," he conceded, idly tossing a chakram up and down in a storage room halfway up the town's distinctive landmark. The thing about landmarks, Axel had realized, was that they were far more fascinating to outsiders and tourists than to the people who lived around them. To Twilight Town's citizens, the clock tower was indeed a marvelous piece of architecture. But it was a marvelous piece of architecture that they lived with and saw each day, and thus they were perfectly content to pass it by. This suited Axel just fine, as most days he had the tower to himself.

On recent missions Axel had verified a far lower Heartless presence than normal, despite the Organization's strict population controls on one of the more infested civilized worlds. "Which points to a third party," Axel decided.

It was a concerning assessment. The most powerful resident of Twilight Town was the archmage Yen Sid, former master of King Mickey. "But he took a vow of neutrality after the last Keyblade War," continued Axel. "Considering he's probably the only one we know of who'd take any action, it means someone else is at work here."

The immediate conclusion had been the presence of Sora's Nobody. That was why Axel had been tapped to search Twilight Town block-by-block for him – he specialized in search-and-subdue operations.

"Can't have a 'subdue' without a successful 'search,' though." Axel was almost certain that he had combed every inch of the town and the underground, figuring that the Nobody would head for some familiar sign of civilization. There had been no sign of him, however, and Axel had taken to keeping watch from the tower. "Last day I do this. Then I phone it in and find him during the invasion."

The World That Never Was
The same day

Nine members of the Organization occupied the twelve towering thrones of Where Nothing Gathers, and a tenth figure sat demurely in an armchair where a thirteenth would eventually stand. This was Naminé, diligently recording the minutes of the current meeting.

12:50: Arrival of Xemnas.

12:52: Arrival of Saïx and Xigbar.

12:53: Arrival of Xaldin, Marluxia, Lexaeus, Zexion, and Luxord.

12:59: Arrival of Demyx.

1:00: The meeting begins at the appointed time.

"Thank you for your time," Xemnas began. "Where is Number IV? His presence was specifically requested as the focus of this meeting."

"Still in the High Laboratory, Superior," answered Lexaeus. "He told me he was putting the finishing touches on his presentation and couldn't be bothered until around 1:15." In reality Vexen had finished last night instead of sleeping. At the moment he was downing his tenth glass of water since noon in an attempt to chase away the last of the hangover from his weeklong bender. Lexaeus and Zexion had assisted him previously, but after a few days the Chilly Academic had insisted on solitude.

"And what of Numbers VIII and XII?" Xemnas demanded.

"As far as I know," Saïx answered, "Axel is still in Twilight Town. His mission's progress is questionable at best, and as for Larxene-"

"Somebody call my name?" This was Larxene, fresh out of a portal from halfway across the universe. A symphony of bells tolled the hour from a massive cathedral behind her, which disappeared with the portal. Saïx glared at her, as if he had wanted to denounce her as well; Marluxia's lips twitched in a half-smile. Larxene glanced from person to person, studying each one in turn and finally flashing an insincere grin. "Why, I do believe two of us are missing. What's up?"

"Vexen and Axel are working," Zexion explained, in a tone that betrayed zero interest. "One of them is needed for this meeting to actually go somewhere," he noted, reflecting the group's general restlessness. Below, Naminé had grown bored and started drawing a self-portrait with a tiny hand mirror.

Larxene twisted in her throne, swinging her legs up over an arm and leaning back across the other. "I have it on good authority that Axel has searched Twilight Town top to bottom," she stated nonchalantly, summoning a knife and filing her nails. Marluxia scoffed. "Because Twilight Town isn't the only thing he's searched top to bottom, I'd wager," he remarked. Larxene winked at him. "Maybe. Maybe not. I have my sources," she deflected. "But I'm sure there's more important things to discuss than my sex life, am I right?" Her eyes flicked to the ground, and she flung a knife at the object of her interest. "That's your cue to pay attention, little lady!" she yelled down. Several stories below, Naminé recovered from her unwelcome shock and went back to the minutes. An already vanishing knife had ripped the mirror from her hand and pinned it to the arm of her chair. The young Nobody cast a furtive, fearful glance up at the other female, and then quickly returned to her work.

1:03: Arrival of Larxene.

1:05: Discussions of the whereabouts of Axel end abruptly as the meeting is put back on track.

"Thank you, Larxene," Xemnas said, taking control once more. One of the perks of this job, he found, was that a lot of digressions seemed to resolve themselves. Loss of one's heart and emotions added a certain sense of focus and maturity – which, of course, varied depending on how closely one clung to the façade of feeling. "Until Vexen arrives, I'd like to take this time to remind you all of the reason for today's meeting." Demyx looked relieved, but almost immediately abandoned his expression at the Superior's diamond-hard glare. "I expect certain of our number have forgotten," he continued, giving voice to his gaze.

"As all of you should know, Numbers IV, V, and VI have been working for the past week on a project of great significance to the Organization. Vexen's presentation will detail what, exactly, this project is." Xemnas paused for breath. "Which brings me to another point. Xigbar, I expect construction on the armada is progressing as expected?" The Freeshooter nodded, flashing Xemnas a smile. "The shipyards down in the factory district are busier than ever, boss. Gotta hand it to ya – at first I didn't think the lesser Nobodies could use tools."

He was correct – Something From Nothing, the industrial sector of the Dark City, employed over fifty thousand Nobodies designed to build the carriers, battleships, dreadnaughts, and fighters (living and otherwise) for the armed forces under the Organization's command. Thus far it had not been used; the warships were perpetually engaged in war games and training exercises, and occasionally shot down any wayward travelers who happened to find themselves in the wrong sector of the universe. Now that the Organization was on the move, the Nobody military would finally see action. The last ships built would be the thirteen flagships, constructed to the most exact of specifications after flaws had been spotted and processed out of all preceding projects. Perfection was the watchword for the Silver Armada.

"So we've got the Void Walker almost done – it's the biggest, of course," Xigbar continued. "The thirteenth flagship is mothballed right now – just the generic chassis until Sora's Nobody personalizes it. Any bets on his name, by the way?" Luxord opened his mouth to answer, but stayed silent, cocking his head as if listening for something. "Vexen is on his way," he announced.

The sound of his voice had barely died when it was overtaken by the sound of a portal opening. Vexen stepped out of a corridor of darkness atop his throne, the lowest in the room. He stumbled slightly as the portal closed behind him, but managed to seat himself without falling from his throne in exhaustion. "I apologize, Superior, for my lateness. The error was mine and mine alone." Xemnas raised an eyebrow, a stock inquisitive expression devoid of emotional investment. "And your presentation?" he prompted. "What have you been working on this past week, and why should I fund it?"

Vexen shook his head sharply, putting a hand to his temple and withdrawing something from his cloak. "Ah. Yes – a moment while I find it…" He pulled a sky-blue cube from a hidden pocket, displaying it for the rest of the room to see. Xemnas's only movement was the diversion of his gaze from Vexen's face to the cube. Xigbar and Xaldin leaned forward to see; Lexaeus nodded for Vexen to continue; Zexion crossed his left leg over his right, looking impatient. Saïx was still as usual; Demyx craned his neck to watch; Luxord smiled at this new entertainment. Marluxia tapped his fingers against the arm of his throne, hating the suspense; Larxene turned her attention away from her nails, mildly intrigued. Even Naminé stood on her chair to get a good look.

With a flourish and a prideful half-smile, Vexen shook off the last of his exhaustion and extended his arm, letting the cube float from his hand. The small block of ice drifted into the center of the room, where it hung for a moment. It shivered, and then exploded into life. A spike of ice shot from the bottom, striking the ground and shaking the foundations of Where Nothing Gathers. The blue column remained in place as ice spread out from it in perfect lines, splitting the central space into sixths. The Organization looked on in amazement, delight, and curiosity as ice filled in the empty spaces and began to build up higher. A skeleton of ice rose up in the center of the room, fleshed out quickly by innumerable frozen corridors, machinery, and finally a great outer hull that came within mere feet of the thrones. The tower of ice rose beyond even Xemnas's lofty seat, finally apexing thirty feet above it. When the ice finally stopped moving, a massive cannon made entirely of ice dominated Where Nothing Gathers.

Vexen looked around for a moment, waiting for questions; when none came, he broke the silence himself. "As you all might imagine, going public will be quite an undertaking for an organization so steeped in secrecy as ours. Many, driven to panic and delusions of adequacy, will seek to oppose us. This is what the Silver Armada is for – both a deterrent and a counter to such behavior." Xigbar and Xaldin, the architects of the armed forces, smiled. "No argument there," Xigbar agreed. "And this is meant to serve a similar function?" Xaldin asked, gesturing toward the cannon.

Vexen grinned. "I thought you'd never ask." Something resembling excitement crept into his voice. "I call it the ANTI-Cannon. The name stands for Amplification of Nothingness for Tactical Impact."

"So what does it do?" Demyx broke in. A withering glare from Vexen made him shrink back in his throne and instantly regret interrupting.

"Technically, I already explained it with the acronym," Vexen stated frostily, "but I'll lay it out in more specific terms." Vexen indicated a section of the cannon, and the whole thing collapsed and reformed into a gigantic version of the area of interest.

"This part of the cannon contains the firing chamber. To activate the ANTI-Cannon, one needs to be here. How exactly activation works I'll detail when it's actually completed, but in the meantime I think you'll enjoy learning what I intend to use it for. Lexaeus? Zexion?" On cue, the ice folded back into its supercompressed cube, and as Vexen pocketed it Lexaeus banged a fist on the arm of his throne, summoning a ball of earth from the nothingness in the center of the room. It spun around a single point, forming a sphere that slowly revolved, hovering at eye level with Lexaeus. Zexion suddenly sat up straighter in his chair, focusing intently on the sphere. A scale model of Vexen's cannon blurred into existence next to him, aiming at the sphere.

"The sphere represents a scale model of a world," Lexaeus explained. "The ANTI-Cannon is meant for use against entire worlds, for large-scale offense and intimidation."

"For your consideration," Zexion said. With this, the illusion of the cannon shot a devastating jet of fire at the mock planet, blasting an enormous chunk out of it and turning the rest to charred glass. Lexaeus dismissed the ruined ball of earth, summoning another. Again, the cannon fired, this time shooting a crackling bolt of lightning through the earth and ripping a ragged hole through it. Another sphere; it was torn asunder by a huge tornado. Another sphere; this was struck with pure energy and sucked into a black hole. Another sphere; a torrent of water blew it apart and flooded the remaining surface. The demonstration finished, Lexaeus and Zexion returned their parts of the presentation to nothingness.

The rest of the Organization looked on greedily, excitedly, and in one case fearfully, before bursting into applause. Even Xemnas expressed his approval with the faintest facsimile of a smile.

Vexen beamed, enjoying the adulation. "The ANTI-Cannon," he began, "was designed to ruin worlds. With it in our possession, we shall walk the universe as gods – able to absolve or condemn entire populations on a whim! Think of it – whole worlds, cracked open to offer their hearts to us!" He was half out of his throne by this point, and he coughed, composing himself and turning to Xemnas. "There's currently a section of what will be the barrel in the High Laboratory. I've already retracted the roof to make room for it, and if we continue working on it I fear for the integrity of the castle floors. With your permission, Superior, I would like to move it to the factory district and complete construction there."

Xemnas nodded. "Permission granted," he said, and here he added a deliberate inflection of impressments to his voice. "Once again, Vexen, you have outdone yourself. You shall have as much manpower and resources as necessary to complete this superweapon."

With this, the meeting drew to a close. Xemnas addressed the Organization one last time: "At the end of this week, we are scheduled to invade Twilight Town. After approximately two months, the entire Silver Armada will be in service. Xaldin, you shall lead the attack on Saturday, accompanied by Lexaeus, Axel, Marluxia, and Larxene. Begin in the underground; Xigbar will bring a vanguard of Snipers to consolidate our position when our forces seize the clock tower." The Superior stood, finished for the afternoon. "That will be all for today. Meetings are scheduled daily at precisely 1:00 through Friday. I expect all of you to be prepared well in advance." With that, Xemnas portaled off to somewhere unknowable, and the meeting was over. The rest of the Organization disappeared one by one, save for one forgotten figure far below, curled silently in her armchair.

Naminé shuddered at what she had just seen. "So many people are going to die," she thought. "All I can do is watch, and write it down." Tears took over where further words failed her.

Larxene stepped out into an alley somewhere in Twilight Town. She took a moment to adjust to the sunlight, and then put up her hood as she navigated the back streets.

"Let's see. Clock tower is…that way!" she deduced, peeking out across the train station plaza. The tower stood proudly in the distance, its two giant bells silhouetted against the afternoon sun. Larxene opened another portal in the nearby wall, and none of the crowd beyond the alley even turned their heads to see.

Meanwhile at the tower, Axel was growing increasingly bored. The most interesting thing he'd seen all day was a street parade announcing a local's entry in the upcoming Struggle tournament. Whoever Setzer Gabbiani was, Axel figured he was a fighter of some skill. "That or a blowhard of some conceit. At least I got out of a meeting…" At that moment Axel detected a disturbance in the surrounding area. "Someone's coming – Hopefully to relieve me of this." He had barely finished his thought when a portal opened to his left. A cloaked figure stepped out, waving hello. "Long day?" asked Larxene, removing her hood.

Axel shrugged. "No longer than usual. What'd I miss?"

Larxene whistled. "Ooh, this is going to be educational. Well…" she answered, mock-pensively, crossing to the window and looking out. "Remember how we didn't see Vexen for a week?"

"Oh boy." The redhead grinned, immediately interested. "He had the Dusks bring his food up to him. What was he doing up there, anyway?" Axel asked, leaning back on a crate. Larxene chuckled humorlessly, scanning the streets of Twilight Town as she answered. "Well, he finally lost it and built a giant gun."

Axel actually laughed at this. "He doesn't half-ass anything, does he? Must've watched a little too much Star Wars somewhere along the line, no?"

"Perhaps." Larxene wasn't paying attention. "I'm curious, Axel. How do you feel about all this?" Axel raised a crimson eyebrow. "That a trick question?" he deadpanned.

"You know what I mean!" Larxene retorted, turning back to him and rolling her eyes. "Going public. Coming out of the shadows."

Axel scoffed. "Didn't we talk about this? I for one am sick of having superpowers and not being able to use them whenever I please. Besides, if it helps me get my heart back I'm up for it."

"Oh, I don't know about that…" Larxene said, stepping away from the window. "To be honest, I'm rather enjoying myself where I am. I mean," she continued, moving nearer Axel, "without my heart, I find that emotions don't distract me. I feel like I get a lot more accomplished, you know?" Here Larxene took Axel's hand, gently pulling him off of the crate.

"Besides," she whispered, "without emotions complicating things, I can appreciate physical feelings all the more." They were nose to nose by this time. "Don't you agree?"

Axel's raised eyebrows were the only external sign of his confusion. He hadn't found himself in such a situation in all his time as a Nobody. He hadn't forgotten what it was like, of course, but it was a surprise to have Larxene – ostensibly in the same position as he – suddenly bringing back a mark of his wholeness. Larxene's eyes were closed, her lips expectantly parted ever so slightly as she leaned into Axel. Fighting to remember proper protocol for such times as these, Axel slipped an arm about her waist, pulling her closer.

He closed his eyes, copying Larxene as he leaned down to meet her. The feeling of each other's breath against their faces was quickly overshadowed when their lips touched. Instinct carried them through this long-absent display of affection; the movement of Axel's lips against Larxene's felt in a way familiar, as did the warmth that blossomed in Axel's chest all the while. Larxene melted into him, fitting the curves of her body to the angles of his. Her hands drifted up to his neck and shoulders, while Axel's slid to caress her hips. Their kiss held them there for twenty seconds, and in that fraction of a minute both of them rediscovered an experience that had eluded them for as long as their hearts. They broke apart, cheek-to-cheek in an embrace that made them remember, if only for a moment, something they had been missing. Emotional closeness simulated by physical sensation.

Axel's eyes drifted open, and the feeling of Larxene in his arms began to die down to mere acknowledgment. "That…how long has it been since that kind of thing could last?" Axel's thought was then upstaged by a more pressing matter: voices. Someone – multiple someones – could be heard outside the nearby window. Larxene heard them too; she backed away, no hint of a blush coloring her cheeks as she smiled knowingly at Axel. With a quick wink, he gestured for them to hide in the shadows as the voices drew nearer. As they took cover, a group of teenagers passed the window, apparently walking on the ledge beyond.

"Hayner, what's going on?"

"Come on, Blondie, this is where we always hang out!"

"I told you to stop calling me that. Can I take the blindfold off now?"

"Until you remember your real name, you're Blondie. Hold on…"

Axel and Larxene's cloaks blended seamlessly into the dark spaces behind the crates. They saw the owners of the voices: three boys and a girl, entering one by one by way of the window. One of the boys, clad in camo pants, a black muscle shirt, and a gray vest, signaled to the girl to spin a boy wearing a blindfold. After seeing that he was sufficiently disoriented, a heavyset boy in a red jersey labeled "Dog Street" whipped off the blindfold.

"See, Blondie?" said the camo-clad boy, who was apparently Hayner. "We hang out on top of the clock tower – the ladder's through that door. Pence, Olette – think he's ready to see the place?"

Axel wasn't paying any attention to the rest of them. He was drawn to the kid that had been blindfolded – he looked somehow familiar. "Blondie" had spiky blond hair and wore a white jacket over a black one, with similarly two-toned jeans. But his defining characteristic was revealed without his blindfold: bright blue eyes like the sky on a clear summer's day.

Sora's eyes.

Axel's breath caught in his throat. "No way it's this easy," he whispered.

"What? I can't see anyth-" Axel clamped a hand over Larxene's mouth. "As your superior, I order you to follow my lead." Larxene crossed her arms in a huff, but complied.

By this time, Hayner and the others had crossed to the door leading up. "You two go up first. I'll make sure Blondie here doesn't fall." Sora's Nobody started to protest, but Hayner pushed him toward the door. Axel waited until Pence and Olette had started up the ladder, and then sprang into action.

He signaled to Larxene to take care of Hayner, and vaulted over the crates, tackling Sora's Nobody across the room. Before he had finished this motion, he opened a portal behind his target, ensuring that they'd fall through.

"Hey, let him-" That was all Hayner had time for. Larxene was upon him, and she knocked him to the ground, muffling his protests with one hand. With the other, she delivered a swift, precise, electrically charged strike to his neck that left the boy unconscious. She then leaped to her feet, stashed his body behind a crate, and vanished through Axel's portal.

First rule of the Organization: The mission comes before everything.

Larxene emerged into the Dark City to find Sora's Nobody struggling to break free from Axel's grip. Axel had him from behind by both arms, and was trying to sweep his legs out from under him. "Larxene! We've got a fighter here! Call for backup – I want him sedated now!"

Larxene paused, giggling at the scene before her. Here was skinny, 22-year-old Axel, wrestling a teenager and barely winning. "You sure? You look like you've got him under control."

"Let me go!" Sora's Nobody screamed, trying to hook a foot behind Axel's leg. "I'll take you both on! You don't know who you're dealing with!"

"Takes one to know one, kid," Axel shot back. "Larxene, signal, now!" With a sigh, Larxene threw her arms skyward, casting a colossal bolt of lightning up into the clouds. "You never let me have any fun," she pouted.

At that moment Sora's Nobody brought his heel down on Axel's foot. Axel yelped in pain, letting the boy go for an instant – which was more than enough. Immediately, the Nobody rounded on Axel and Larxene, planting his feet and holding his hands out before him. There was a flash of light, and now the teenager brandished a black-and-white sword in the form of a giant key.

A Keyblade. Axel stared, incredulous, then smiled. "You're our guy, all right," he noted, summoning his chakrams. Larxene smirked, stepping up to challenge the boy. "So you've got yourself a Keyblade," she taunted, summoning a fistful of knives. "I wonder if you know how to use it?"

The boy rushed Numbers VIII and XII, letting loose a battle cry – and suddenly, the light faded from his eyes. The Keyblade vanished, and he tumbled roughly to the ground, unconscious. Xigbar stood in the street behind him, an arrowgun carefully trained on his position. His eye met Axel's, and he winked. "You want to be careful with him, eh, lovebirds? Who knows what he could have done to you if I hadn't seen your signal and knocked him out." He chuckled, vanishing his weapon and striding casually over to the teenager's body. "I'll take it from here. You two report to Xemnas." He hefted Sora's Nobody over one shoulder, glancing at the street sign. "Welcome to Limbo Avenue, kid," he said, bringing his prisoner through a portal into the Gray Area.

The lounge of the Castle that Never Was was populated by about half of the rest of the Organization. Luxord and Xaldin were engaged in a game of chess; Xaldin did a double take at their new guest, and Luxord took the opportunity to move his opponent's queen. Lexaeus was in an armchair, typing away at a brick-brown laptop, and he set it aside and rose from his seat, focused on the new arrival. Xemnas stood behind the bar, making a smoothie; when he saw Xigbar and his captive, he cracked his knuckles, turned off the blender, and walked out into the room. He approached Xigbar, who whispered the details in his ear before handing over Sora's Nobody.

Xemnas snapped his fingers, and the boy came to immediately, his eyes fluttering open. When he saw where he was – or, technically, wasn't – he snapped wide awake, looking desperately around for an exit. Xemnas grabbed his shoulder, keeping a firm grip on it as he gazed into the younger Nobody's eyes. The boy held his gaze, fear eventually giving way to a defiant glare. Xemnas seemed to be looking for something in his eyes; after several seconds, he stood up to his full height and regarded the boy coldly.

With a sweep of Xemnas's hand, four letters swirled into existence in front of the boy:

S-O-R-A

The young Nobody stared at the name, confused. Who was Sora? Was he Sora? Why couldn't he remember anything?

Axel and Larxene portaled in, just in time for another gesture from Xemnas. The Organization looked on as the letters moved, swirling around each other before the newcomer's eyes. Eventually they settled into a new configuration – a new name.

R-O-X-A-S

The boy's eyes widened in amazement. Was this who he was? He was about to ask when Xemnas answered the question for him.

"Arise, Roxas."

Roxas glanced at the dark-skinned, silver-haired man, slowly getting to his feet. It was indeed he who the man was referring to. Xemnas held out a hand, and darkness swirled around his arm, coalescing into a brand-new, neatly folded Organization cloak. He offered it to Roxas.

"Welcome to Organization XIII."