Hi everybody! I am sooooooo sorry for not updating, but I haven't had CRAP for time to work on the next chapter. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

Demialcsid (disclaimed back words! I wanted to change it up a little!)

~Korin's POV

First of all, I have to say, the soup was DELICIOUS! It was hot and creamy, and had chunks of potatoes and vegetables and cheese melted in it, and it warmed me from the inside out! It was so good that I ate two whole bowls full, which is, like, twice as much as what I usually ate, but I didn't care.

Not only was the soup great, but Loui and his wife Delia were really nice to us. Their house was tiny, just a small apartment behind their quaint restaurant built for two, but they managed to make room for us. They'd also provided us clothes while ours dried by the fireplace. As I lay there on the worn wood floor, wrapped in a thick, homemade quilt and wearing most of my regular clothes once again, I began to think about the events of the past few days.

It all came rushing at me, as if the memories had been suppressed before, but now they filled and clouded my mind. They were nearly too much for me to take in, so I just decided to put them out of my mind for a while, just until things were less crazy.

As I lay there waiting for sleep, one memory managed to resurface, without permission I might add. It was the one of Nana dieing. I began to drift off into sleep, and in the dream there was fire, lots of fire. Not that I was ever afraid of fire. but it was everywhere, and in the distance, between the crackling and hissing of the flames, I heard Nana's voice call out to me. Her silhouette stood out against the burning hues, but for some reason I couldn't call out to her in reply. It felt as though I couldn't even breathe. I began running towards her, eager to crash into one of her warm, welcoming, bone-crushing hugs. But no matter where I turned or how fast or far I ran, I couldn't seem to reach her. Her voice began to get fainter, weaker, and finally, her silhouette and her voice faded away, and I finally managed to scream.

"NO!"

~Axel's POV

I was having a hard time sleeping, even after a few bowls of Delia's famous soup. I couldn't quite figure out why, but I couldn't seem to get comfortable. Maybe it was because of the bedding situation, because right now I slept on my back on an old flannel sleeping bag on the floor of the DelGatto apartment, and Korin was only a few feet away. Or maybe it was because of what Saix had said.

"... You're not the only one who was given a second chance..."

It sent shivers down my spine even now. That must have been what was making me restless. The idea that, maybe, just maybe, some of the others had come back too. That meant they would probably still be angry with me, especially after I killed most of them... And stabbed a few others in the back...

Which brought about another idea that was bothering me. Telling Korin. I turned my head to look at her sleeping face. She still had no idea. And if the others were still around, that meant I'd have to tell her sooner or later, unless I wanted someone to beat me to it and ruin my reputation with her forever. But if I told her, she'd probably freak out and run away. She'd think I was a monster, still a heartless Nobody who could kill at any given moment. But I'd changed! So why wasn't I comfortable with telling her? She was smart, so she'd probably ask questions anyway.

A sound broke me from my musing. Someone was crying. I looked back at Korin, saw her face distorted slightly with rage and sadness. She was sobbing in her sleep.

"NO!" She cried, twisting about in her sleep a bit before curling up into a ball, her blanket discarded. She then began to tremble, like she was cold, or upset. Probably both. That same feeling of need welled up inside of me, the one I'd felt before when I'd saved her, and when her Grandmother had died. I needed to do something about it, and at first I didn't know what. So I crawled over beside her and tentatively wrapped her blanket back up on her shoulders. I just sat there for a moment, watching her still shiver in her sleep.

Then I remembered, 'Dur! You still have your fire powers! There's fire in your veins! Put that to use! *Mental facepalm*' So I lay down beside her, hoping my own excess of body heat would make up for her lack of it. She reacted immediately, snuggling closer to me. The awkwardness of the moment lasted for only about a minute, even though it felt like an eternity. I slowly wrapped my arms around her, not realizing just how comfortable I was until I was finally drifting off to sleep myself.

~Kirxon's POV

The images that flashed through my mind were vivid. They were bright, but distorted, estranged from reality. Clutching my head in my hands, I let out a faint groan of agitation. This wasn't the first time this had happened. No, it happened all the time, sometimes lasting for hours, others for only a few minutes.

What I saw this time was fire. Lots of fire. Not something I'm a big fan of. I wasn't exactly afraid of it, but it just... unnerved me. On top of that, there was also a lack of proper air reaching my lungs. I couldn't breath, even though I knew it was only a vision, only temporary. And the real kicker, what bothered me the most, was who I saw in the fire.

Korin.

My Somebody.

She had her back to me, but I'd recognize that red hair anywhere. She seemed untouched by the flames, like they were avoiding her, keeping their distance. She spoke, but it was mumbled, faint, and I didn't catch what she said. Before I could attempt to reply, she turned around, and what little breath was still in my aching lungs disappeared completely.

Her face changed. Her whole body had, actually. It wasn't Korin anymore. It was Zexion.

"Help me, Kirxon..." He said, his soft voice barely more than a whisper. "We all... have choices... Make yours..." Then, he was engulfed in flames.

There was a sudden rush of air to my lungs, and with that air, I screamed.

~Zexion's POV

Kirxon had been acting so strangely lately. Especially around me. Sure, I'd known her the longest out of all the other Nobodies (I was also the ONLY one, besides Xemnas and Vexen, that knew of her existence), but we hadn't exactly bonded much when we- when I was a heartless nobody. We were now on our way to Radiant Garden, riding in a "borrowed" gummi ship, and she was being quieter than ever. She'd been like this since this morning, probably preparing herself for the fight ahead of us, but it was a bit unsettling. Now, she sat across the small room from me, on a bench built into the wall. But I didn't dare break her calm with conversation.

I decided it was best if I just read my book for a while until our arrival. My Lexicon was designed to read the reader's heart and show them what they truly wished to see, but when I became a nobody, I didn't have a heart for it to read, so it changed constantly. Now that I was whole again, the book seemed to read my heart all too well.

I got so into my reading that I almost didn't notice the faint sounds of agitation and frustration coming from my sole companion in the room. She was holding her head in her hands, and her face was distorted in a grimace. She was having another one of her psychic episodes, and as far as I knew there was nothing I could do to help her until it was over.

But that didn't mean I wouldn't try. I knelt down beside her, clasping her thin wrists, and tried to calm her down. She began shaking, and suddenly, her ice blue eyes shot open and she screamed. It was so shrill and cold that it sent a chill through my bones.

Since feelings and emotions were still fairly new to me, I wasn't sure what to do next. I mean, I was really worried about her. But there was something else too, something I couldn't place... Regardless, I searched her face for any signs of harm or trauma, but before I could say anything, she lunged forward, wrapping her thin arms around me neck in a desperate hug. She began to sob, her gentle tears falling on my shoulder. I wasn't quite sure how to react, so I slowly wrapped my arms around her too, attempting to console her. This simple action sent an eruption of butterflies off in my stomach. And I still didn't know why.