Hiya everyone!

I'm alive! ! ! Sorry I kept you guys on a cliffhanger for so long! ! Life has been super busy. Never could've imagined how busy life abroad in uni would be! So many new life things to figure out, on top of homework, a new style of learning, new places, a new language... It's been a whirlwind, and I don't know where the time has gone... but I'm back now!

I've been writing this chapter piecemeal whenever I found time, and it's finally done :) So here it is! Hopefully it won't take as long for the next one to come out!

Now enough of my babble, enjoy!

Chapter 9 - Nobody

Roxas stirred from his position sitting against the back wall of the cell with his legs out in front of him. The four companions watched as the boy's eyes opened slowly, revealing bright blue irises identical to that of Sora's. He lifted his head, looking up at the crowd watching him curiously before he moved to get up from the floor, slowly rising to a standing position. As he did, albeit a little unsteadily, Sora, Kairi, and Riku watched him with interest, reaching out an arm for support. Naminé stood a little further back.

"Who are you?" Roxas asked as he cocked his head, his gaze more curious than anything.

Sora was about to respond when he had a flash of memory.

"Ven! You hopeless sleepyhead!" chastised Aqua.

Then it clicked. Sora's eyes focused back on the boy in front of him in the cell.

"You're him!" he exclaimed. "You're that boy I saw in my dream! Ven! Aqua's friend."

Roxas looked confused as Sora watched him expectantly. He had a look of contentment like he had just found the key to a huge puzzle, one that Roxas had no knowledge of. After a few moments of awkward silence, he spoke up.

"What? How could I look like someone from your dream?" he said. "We've never met… and that's not my name. I'm Roxas."

Roxas watched Sora's gaze change from excitement to confusion as he stood up straight and took on a thinking posture.

"Hmm…" said Sora, contemplating with his hand under his chin. "But you look just like him…"

As Sora stood pondering, Kairi stepped toward the blonde boy with a warm expression, her hands clasped behind her back.

"It's nice to meet you, Roxas," she said. "I'm Kairi. And this is Riku, and Naminé," She motioned toward the taller male and shorter female standing slightly behind herself and Sora. Then she proceeded to smack Sora on the back of the head, passive-aggressively saying, "Sora! Show some manners!"

"Ow!" whined Sora. "What was that for?!"

He broke completely out of his thoughts, and began rubbing his head where Kairi had whacked him, giving her a disbelieving look. Then looking up at Roxas, gave a friendly expression.

"I'm Sora," he said.

Roxas watched the four with interest. His expression remained blank for a time, before changing to slight recognition.

"Sora, Riku, and Kairi. I feel like I've heard those names before…" he mused, almost inaudibly. He had his hand under his chin in the same thinking posture that Sora had had. When the others looked at him expectantly, he spoke louder. "It's nothing," he continued, smiling slightly.

None of the group knew what to say next. It was an awkward meeting to say the least.

"So Roxas," began Kairi after a moment of silence. "How did you end up down here?"

Roxas looked into the girl's eyes curiously as she watched him. Something about her seemed familiar, but he couldn't place why.

"Why has Roxas been locked up?!" said Axel furiously in one of the many halls of The Castle That Never Was. His expression was adamant and unfaltering.

"He's only been down there for two days," replied Saïx emotionlessly. "It's hardly something to get so worked up about."

The fiery redhead and long, blue-haired man stood in a corridor not far from the Round Room where a meeting had recently concluded. Axel had not been happy when he had found out about Roxas' new situation.

"You could have just asked!" Axel continued, equally as worked up as before. "Roxas would do anything for the Organization! So would I!"

"Oh you would, would you?" said Saïx, almost contemplatively, his expression becoming conniving. "We will keep that in mind…" He showed hardly any emotion, but the last sentence almost seemed to have a touch of sinister to it.

The two stood silent for a moment while Axel calmed himself, letting out a huff. Saïx looked back at him almost in pity.

"Why are you so insistent on Roxas anyway?" he asked after a moment of silence. "It's as if you care."

Axel looked him straight in the eyes, conflict evident across his features as he tried to find the right words. Roxas had been his friend since the boy entered the Organization. He had practically raised him from a comatose-like state.

"He's a member of this Organization," he said flatly. "He gave his loyalty to us —to Xemnas—so why is he now all of a sudden locked up? You have that Sora kid, isn't that enough?" Axel had his arms out to the side as he tried to plead his case.

"The order came from the highest authority, Lord DiZ himself. There is no refuting it." said Saïx calmly. "This conversation is pointless."

He turned to walk away as Axel hung his head in frustration. He balled his hand into a fist, looking for somewhere to place what was bubbling up inside him. He knew they were after that Sora kid, but taking Roxas away had never been a part of the plan. He wanted his best friend back, but he just didn't know how he could do it.

"I remember when Axel and I would hang out on the clock tower… just do silly stuff," said Roxas, reminiscing.

He looked absentminded up at the surface of the cell and smiled, remembering all the good times himself and Axel had shared together. Then, reverting to the present, he focused back in on the others with a somber expression.

"Then they tore it all away," he continued, looking down at the ground of the cell, and lifting his wrist to examine the metallic device that prevented him from creating a Corridor wrapped around it. He half-laughed as he let his arm drop. "And for what?" he said passionately. "Some research on the Heart…? I don't even have one!"

Roxas' expression had become fiery, and realizing this as he looked at the others, calmed down once again. He didn't even really know these people, and yet he felt like he could trust them.

"Wait a minute…" said Sora, trying to piece together what Roxas was saying. "Don't… have one? How can you not have a heart?"

Sora looked very confused, as if the universe had just turned upside-down on him—again. As he tried to puzzle through it in his head with a finger to his temple, he came up empty. Roxas was about to answer when he was beaten to it.

"Because he's your Nobody, Sora," Riku interjected calmly from behind.

Sora darted his head back toward Riku, towering over him as he stepped forward to stand beside his shorter friend, smiling friendlily. Sora looked hopelessly lost, something that Riku was almost secretly jealous of. No matter what happened, Sora always seemed to be so carefree, and somehow always landed on his feet. With everything that had happened in recent months, he knew he'd have to explain it.

"My… Nobody?" said Sora slowly, confused.

"Yes," said Riku, turning to look at him. "During my time here, I've overheard many conversations. All those people you've seen here in black coats… are Nobodies. They're born when someone who has a particularly strong heart, falls to darkness. An empty shell is left behind with no heart, called a Nobody. They don't all look the same, and only the strongest hearts leave behind Nobodies in human form."

Sora looked taken aback for a moment, shock evident across his features.

"But I never…" he began in disbelief, but then quickly corrected himself. "Oh."

The memories of the events at Hollow Bastion suddenly came rushing back to him, and he grasped at his heart near his chest while looking down. The memory was a strong one, when he had saved Kairi from her slumber by giving up his heart to free hers, and had become a Heartless in the process. That must've been what Riku meant when he said someone falls to darkness. He had been in a void for a while. Sora looked up at the boy called 'Roxas' standing in front of him. He was the same height, with the same eyes, with only a few differing features.

"That's correct" came a voice from outside the cell.

Everyone turned toward its owner in surprise. Saïx stood just outside the bars, watching as Sora and Roxas stood side-by-side near the back of the cell, their expressions almost mirroring each other as they gritted their teeth.

"Roxas, do you know this creep?" said Sora defensively.

Roxas stood his ground, staring down the man that had put him in the cell. He had never liked Saïx; too be honest the older man had made him and everyone else in the Organization nervous, he was sure. Always ordering everyone around, and had the Superior's ear. He was never the nicest, and Roxas had reason now more than ever to be enemies with him.

"Unfortunately." he said disgustedly.

"Two halves of one whole make a complete heart" Saïx continued. "How interesting that your Nobody looks so much like that boy… The one that disappeared so many years ago after the Keyblade War…"

Sora and the others had no idea what this man was talking about. To them, he was just rhyming off nonsense. Saïx leaned his head forward slightly, speaking quietly such that no one else could hear him.

"Xemnas, is that your true motive?" he almost whispered.

He paused, looking back up at the group a moment later with his usual façade of uncaring and callousness. Looking from Sora to Roxas, he studied the two, seeing their reactions as they almost stood defensively together.

"Sora and Roxas, finally reunited," he continued. "It is no wonder Lord DiZ brought the two of you together". He paused, his expression almost becoming contemplative as he looked directly at Roxas. "However, why Axel seems to care for you so much is beyond me…" he finished.

Roxas broke out of his stupor, looking up at Saïx in sudden realization as his eyes became wide.

"Axel…?" he said absentmindedly, looking at the blue-haired man hopefully.

Saïx walked off with a smirk.

I hope you enjoyed it! I'm starting the next chapter! RIGHT. NOW.

Please let me know what you thought in a review!

Until next time! :)