Chapter 10

Memories Returned

Leah opened the door. There was Axel, and she stood there, staring blankly at him. Roxie peered out from behind her.

"Um... Hello," Leah said, "Who are you?"

"My name is Axel," he replied.

"What do you want?" she said.

He pointed at Roxie and said, "I came for her." Leah put her arm around Roxie, and narrowed her eyes.

"Why?" she asked, now becoming defensive. Axel sighed, raised his head in frustration, then looked back at her.

"It's a long story..." he replied.

"Then get started," she ordered, "because I'm not letting you in or anywhere near her until you tell me what's going on."

"Yeah, alright," he sighed again, "This might sound crazy, to you-"

"I think I can take it," Leah replied.

"-but that's my daughter," he finished, having ignored her. She stared at him, and Roxie leaned up against her.

"Your... daughter?" she said, confused, but regaining her wits, told him, "Prove it." A look of deep thought came across his face.

"Well? Prove it already!" she commanded, "Or can you?"

"Wait a sec!" he exclaimed, then continuing his thoughts, then said, "There should be a photo in a chest of drawers in this room, and I'm in it."

"Roxie, could you-" Leah began.

"I'm on it," she replied, and ran over to where they had found that picture before. She opened the drawer and pulled the picture out, then brought it over to her. Leah took it, and examined it. She then looked back up at Axel. She looked back and forth between the two.

"O.K., so I have met you before," she said, "but, tell me, who is the baby?"

"Roxie," he answered.

"Me?" Roxie said.

"Yeah," he replied.

"Then... why am I with you two?" Leah asked.

Once again, Axel sighed, then said, "I told you it was a long story."

After a while, when they were inside, Axel explained to them, as best as he could, what had happened.

"-and this guy, Diz, was working on some kind of program," Axel said, "that is, according to my boss, Xemnas. Somehow, you ended up here, and that program- a replica of Twilight Town- had an effect on you, Roxie, messing up your memory."

"And... I was married... to you?!" Leah inquired.

"You mean we are married," Axel corrected her, "We were just separated by Xemnas. He originally wanted to get rid of Roxie, but, of course, I wouldn't let him."

"Why did he want to 'get rid' of me?" Roxie asked.

"Because he thought that I wouldn't come back, because of you," he replied, "Oh, and, I found this. I believe this belongs to you." He reached in his pocket and pulled out her necklace.

"My necklace!" she exclaimed, taking it.

"I found it while I was looking for you last night," he said.

"You gave it to me on my fifth birthday," she said, placing it back around her neck.

"You remember now?" he asked, "That's great! But, hey, we have to go back to The World That Never Was."

"So soon?" Roxie replied sadly.

"I have to get you back before Xemnas gets here," he said, then added, "He gave me a deadline, or else he said that he would come for you himself. And that's never good."

"Oh..." she sighed. Leah walked over to Axel and hugged him, then kissed him. She now also remembered him.

"Be careful," she said, "You too, Roxie."

"We will," he assured her, "and we'll try to come back soon." She smiled, and he made a portal appear. Roxie walked over to him, and she and Axel returned to The World That Never Was.