6H: This is the final Roxas chapter before we get back to Cedeile and the gang! Finally, everything will come together!! Well…some things, maybe…

Anaretsu: You always say that, and then NOTHING happens!

6H: Quiet! Read the chapter!

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X-Roxas

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The room was dark and dank in the fading light. The table in the center of the room was long broken in half, with the small, collapsed candelabra from the ceiling laying in a broken mess on top of it. The scarlet wallpaper was peeling off the walls, revealing mold and mildew climbing up the rotting wood underneath. The carpet was rotting away as well, showing decrepit floorboards underneath. The china in the broken glass and gold cabinets was either long gone or broken and covered with sheets of dust. A tarnished painting of some scenery hung on one of the walls, but the paints had yellowed and faded so much it was hard to tell what it was.

Ansem surveyed all this as he walked in, his hood back over his head. It was a shame to see this place in its condition. He wondered what the room had been like back in its prime. The only usable things in the room were two semi-elegant chairs facing across from each other. The one nearest him was empty, but the farther one was occupied, by DiZ.

"So, why did you show him the train?" Ansem demanded, somewhat angry. He hadn't been told about this before. DiZ shrugged it off like it was nothing.

"I felt bad that he missed his trip to the beach." The red enigma replied coldly.

"How…almost kind of you…" Ansem sneered.

"Yes, well…how are you? Did you feel your memory starting to fill in the empty spots?"

"Yes, just like magic." Ansem replied with some edge to his tone. He was still not pleased about how things were going now. "Is that because of Namine?"

"Everyone else who knew Sora will be starting to have the same effects. Now, Sora will just be someone who went away for a year, who they're now looking forward to seeing again." DiZ replied, blatantly ignoring his question. Ansem turned and took a seat in the other chair, and then turned his attention back to DiZ. He surveyed the older man cloaked in red, with his face covered by red bandages, only revealing one eye and his mouth. It was now that he realized how little he actually knew about the man. He didn't know what he would do after Sora woke up, and that result was the only thing that the two men had in common. After that happened, and there was nothing left to strive for, what would become of them? Would DiZ possibly go against him and do something unexpected?

"What do you want?" Ansem asked, half thinking aloud.

"It's simple. Revenge." DiZ replied with a sneer. Ansem gripped his hands into fists. He'd had a lot of experience with revenge, and he knew that it always went sour. Whatever DiZ was planning, it was probably no good.

"Revenge…is that all?" He asked quietly, almost to himself. If DiZ had heard him, he chose to ignore it.

"Now, the last little touches…" DiZ began after a misplaced pause. "We need to get rid of Namine. She did a fine job with Sora, but now she will only get in the way. With the way she is, she'll only be a hindrance, just like Roxas." He leaned forward in his seat. "Take care of it, Ansem." Ansem stood up from his chair.

"Gladly." He responded, and left the room in unease. Only when he shut the doors behind him did he dare to let his thoughts wander. Why now did DiZ want to get rid of Namine? He sounded as if he wanted the girl dead, even though she had done all of this good for them. Even though she had tampered with Roxas a little bit, it wasn't enough to cause any significant damage. Ansem now began to wonder about DiZ's true intentions. All he had known from the start was that they were trying to awaken Sora again, and that Roxas was an essential part of this, but there was little else he had said. There was also that other "female guest" he was to be expecting, but DiZ had said little else of her since then, so he wondered if that was still happening or not. A room had been prepared-a moth ball infested, dust covered room, but a room none the less, as if she would be coming any day now. And who would he be bringing to the mansion anyway? Could it be Kairi? Certainly not-not with Namine here. Then he thought back to his orders. He was to "get rid" of her. Was DiZ crazy? She had been the one to fix Sora! How could he so easily turn on her for no reason? A startling thought entered his mind. Would he be next out of the way?

'No, he couldn't…he wouldn't dare…' Ansem thought as he approached the room behind which Namine dwelled. He opened the door with a little creak and entered silently.

There she was, sitting in her chair, and leaning on the table, feverishly scribbling the last memories down. There were even more drawings scattered about than last time, and he couldn't help but notice one ripped in two on the floor. He picked it up and saw what was there- Roxas and Sora extending their hands out to each other. He dropped it after a moment, the two halves floating to the floor dreamily, and he turned his attention back to the girl. She was working as if she knew her time was limited. What could he do?

"Namine…" He said in monotone. She didn't even glance up from her work.

"Does DiZ need me? Just tell him that it'll only be a little more." She replied. Ansem couldn't possibly do this. She was so innocent, just trying to do what was right. In fact, she hadn't done anything wrong at all. He remembered when they found her, covered in bruises from Marluxia, never leaving Sora's side in Castle Oblivion so that she could return his memories. She had even put herself in the way to protect him from them before they explained who they were. Even then, she had been slightly weary of them, and had made them promise that they wouldn't harm Sora. Only when DiZ had assured her did she give in, and then he himself noticed how exhausted she was. She had been supporting the whole castle by herself in addition to using her powers to begin returning the memories. While DiZ got to work, she collapsed into his arms and murmured a line that struck him.

"I trust you."

She trusted them. She trusted them to protect Sora and do their best to restore him. She was still doing her best even now to piece every last link of the chain of memories back in his heart exactly the way they were. When they had first brought her back to the mansion she had been still for days, as if asleep, but there was something more inhuman about it than that. It was more like she had turned off completely. But when she did turn on again, she wanted to get right back to work. They had had to patch her up from her injuries sustained during her time at Marluxia's mercy, but even with one eye covered by gauze and many bandages all over, she insisted that she had to work.

He had always been fascinated by Namine. She was an enigma yet so familiar at the same time. She reminded him of that one particular person who he'd given so much for, yet she was so different that he couldn't possibly see how. Her devotion to Sora was also outstanding.

"Namine," He said again.

"I promise that I'm getting down to the last few things." She said, but not irately. "I'm sorry it's taken so long."

"You have to get out of here." He said suddenly; so suddenly he was surprised at himself. She actually stopped working and looked up at him with wide blue eyes.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"You have to leave right now." Ansem said again. "DiZ…he isn't what we thought. He's just using you, Namine."

"I trust you."

"But I haven't finished yet. I have two more memories." She said, desperate. "I have to finish them. "

"If you don't leave now, I'm afraid that DiZ will kill you!" He exclaimed, terrified because she wasn't.

"But I can't stop! I have to fix Sora! I promised him…" Her eyes begged with sadness and loneliness.

"How much longer?" He asked.

"A few more minutes."

"As soon as you are done, I'm getting you out of here to somewhere safe." He gave in, sitting down. She gave him a huge smile, a smile he knew wasn't truly just for him. It was always for Sora.

"Thank you."

----

"What an empty place..." Sora said softly, almost sadly.

"It's full of loneliness...and darkness..."Aru added, stepping beside him. "But he's here...Ansem..."

"Well, this is just one of them heartless worlds."Goofy responded. "It'll just disappear into the darkness."

"...n-n-no. Who are you?" she whispered to herself.

"It's us, Aru. Ryu and Sora-we're right here with you."

"I felt something..."

"What?" asked Donald.

"Something inside the keyblade, reacting to something-a heart."

"A heart inside the keyblade?" Ryu asked.

"What the hell?" Ryu said. The top part of the mountain rose, and a head with shallow yellow eyes was visible between the cracks in what they thought was rock, but were actually wings, that spread out to their full span. The demon within roared, shaking this new area.

"Take this!" A voice came from below. Sora and Ryu came up, Sora lifting Ryu by his hands. "NOW RYU!" Sora threw Ryu to Chernbog's head. The fragment hunter drew his sword and jammed it into the other eye. Chernbog roared out again, and with his huge claws put a huge gash in Ryu's back. Sora flew back and out of range.

"Look at this place." he said, in Ansem's voice. "To the heart seeking freedom, it is a prison...surrounded by water. But to the heart seeking solitude, it is the perfect cage. And so, the boy thought to escape this prison, and gave himself up to darkness, while the girl sought to put shackles on herself. I do not know who was more foolish-the boy who wanted more than anything to go, or the girl who never wanted to leave."

"They both belong to darkness. All worlds begin in darkness, and all so end. The heart is no different!"

"Come on, Sora! I thought you were stronger than that!"

"Dragons were meant to be slain!" Ansem's voice echoed. Ryu was thrown back into the air. Sora came down and went to attack Ansem, but suddenly, hundreds of cables flew up from the ship, and Ryu screamed out. Sora turned around to see the most grotesque site he had ever had to see.

"Who are you?" Sora asked. The woman smiled as she stepped forward, a look of confidence on her face.
"I...am Hikari Tagami."

"The keyblade master has a choice- he can either throw the worlds into oblivion and live in the light forever...or he can save the worlds, at the price of casting himself into oblivion." Sora's eyes went wide.

"Then...Silvia's heart is in the keyblade?" Sora asked.

Suddenly, Cedeile's hand moved, and her emerald green eyes came open for the first time in awhile. She sat upright and stretched out her arms.
"Geez! I'm so stiff from lying around!" she said. The others laughed. Aru cried out and got Cedeile in a huge hug.
"Cedeile! I missed you so much! We all thought you died!" she cried. Cedeile smiled.

"Kingdom Hearts! Fill me with the power of darkness!"

"That doesn't matter, because I know now..." Sora began to say. Cedeile realized what he knew to, and stepped forward to join him.

"Kingdom Hearts is LIGHT!" They both shouted. And true to their word, the doors released a great light that blinded Ansem, and he began to fade away.

"No...How can this be? Light...? Just when I was so close to Rakuen! Cyanna...I did it for you!" Ansem whispered before he was completely gone.

"No! Keep going! You guys-!" A familiar voice pleaded. Two hands grabbed the door from the inside. Aru and Sora looked up. Those black gloves looked awfully familiar.

"Riku!" Everyone cried out.

"Come on! I'll help too! Let me try to make up for my sins!" He said. Sora nodded and they all began to pull the door closed.

"Now, masters, let us close the door for good! This darkness was never meant to exist in our world!" Mickey said. Cedeile and Sora looked at him in shock.

"But doing that will-" Donald was about to say, but Mickey shook his head.

"Don't worry. That door that leads to light will always be there. Rakuen is still closed."

"Be sealed forever!" They both yelled. The light flew up the door and a click was heard, signifying the door was locked.

"Cedeile, are you coming with us?" he asked her. She looked at the ground and thought about it for a moment. Ryu and Aru watched her, wondering what she would say, and what would happen to them if she said 'yes.'

"I'm sorry Sora-I can't. I have to keep taking my own path." she replied. Ryu and Aru were puzzled.

"Why?" Sora asked.

"Because I have a mission-make it to the final purification and save 'him.' I haven't figured out the 'him' part yet, though. Oh yeah, and we have to find Silvia. It'll be easier if we split up, yeah?" She said. Sora nodded.

"I'm just being selfish. You have your way, and I have mine." he said. She nodded. The ground began to shake again, and the part Ryu and Aru were standing on broke away and began to move off into the distance.

"Cedeile!" They both called. Cedeile looked at them and then turned back to Sora.

"This is goodbye...for now." she said.

"Goodbye, Cedeile."

"Say hi to Kairi for me!" She yelled. She jumped off the edge of the ground and flew up towards the platform that was moving away from her. Her fingers just brushed the edge and nearly missed, but Aru and Ryu each grabbed one of her hands and helped her up. Sora looked down for a moment but then jetted his head up, like he remembered something.

"Cedeile!" he yelled, to get her attention. He threw something towards her and it sailed through the air. She caught it carefully in her hands and then looked at what his gift was. It was his necklace with the silver crown on it. She looked back to him.

----

"Sora!" Kairi yelled out as he ran towards her.

"Kairi!" He returned. The ground underneath them shook and he grabbed her hand. "Remember what you said before? Well, I'm always with you too. I'll come back to you, I promise!"

"I know you will!" They let go of each other as Sora disappeared into the night.

----

Roxas awoke, this time slowly and peacefully, the kind of waking up where you're not sure if you're awake or not for a few moments. He blinked a few times, and then finally found himself able to keep his eyes open, and looked around his room. Arlette wasn't there, which didn't really surprise him in the least bit, but what really disturbed him when he finally noticed it was that the smell of dragon fruit was completely gone. There wasn't even a hint of it in the air, like there had been when she wasn't around. Had something happened to her? Had Cedeile finally woken up?

He decided it was just time to get out of bed. Besides, Hayner and the others would no doubt be waiting for him at the Usual Spot in the back alley, so he better get ready quick. As he swung his feet to the ground and got up, he felt unsteady for a moment. Out of the corner of his eye, his reflection in the mirror didn't seem to be his own. When he turned to look, however, it was simply him-a blonde boy looking dumbly back at him. He got up and stretched out, feeling stiff from the previous night. He couldn't even recall when he had gone to bed. The last thing he remembered was looking up at the ceiling while Arlette was with him. What had happened in between then and now?

He turned and looked out the window. It seemed really quiet, more so than usual. Soon his parents would be coming home from his aunt's house. How would they react when they found all these things about him?

'But that's right; I don't exist…so they never even had a son.' He thought sadly. As he watched the waking world through the glass panes of his window, he noticed a whole flock of birds darting by, as if startled by something. He wondered what could've frightened them so, because the morning bells hadn't rung yet.

----

As he went out of his door and locked it, placing the key in the mailbox, he noticed that everything seemed very quiet in the town as he went towards the usual spot. No one looked at him as he went by, but just went past him, occupied with their own business.

There was no comforting scent. Arlette was gone. But where could she have gone? There was a sickening lurch in his stomach when the thought of Cedeile waking up occurred to him. She had to stay asleep in order for Arlette to exist separately from her. But wouldn't he have felt something or heard something if Cedeile had managed to wake up? Then again, he wasn't really attached to her, was he? He couldn't think of any reason.

He walked into the usual spot to see his friends in the middle of a heated discussion. They hadn't noticed that he had come in, but he wasn't surprised because he was pretty quiet.

"So that's when Seifer went running around the corner-"Hayner was in the middle of explaining to them. There was suddenly laughter that made Roxas's heart drop. If he wasn't supposed to exist, then what about his friends? Would they forget about him one day, if he disappeared?

"I had the hardest time sleeping last night…" Roxas began, trying to get their attention. But to his dismay they did not turn, but continued talking. He must not have spoken loud enough. "You guys?" He asked, stepping forward.

"Ready to go?" Hayner asked, turning around. He began to run forward, and passed right through Roxas. Roxas was horrified, and stood frozen in place as his three friends left the usual spot. What was happening to him? Was this it-was he disappearing right now? He dropped to his knees as a picture floated to the ground. He snatched it up and looked at it, his blue eyes widening. It was the picture of them in front of the mansion-except he was not in it.

He looked up to the sky and screamed. He screamed as loud as he could, even though no one would hear him. The picture had fallen out of his hands and landed, useless on the ground. He screamed and screamed, over and over again, wanting some proof that he existed.

"HAYNER!!!!! PENCE!!!! OLETTE!!!!!!" He screamed as loud as he could. "ARLETTE!!! Arlette, please help me!!!!!" He begged, nearly on the verge of crying, as pathetic as it was. "ARLETTE, ARLETTE!!!!"

"Geez, Roxas…your screaming is enough to wake the dead, you know." A voice said from behind him. Axel came striding in to the little hideout and stopped a few feet behind the kneeling, crumbling Roxas. Roxas was breathing heavily and shallowly, feeling like he was finally snapping. Axel sighed. "Hey, there's not much time. Come with me and this will stop." He said. Roxas leaned forward, resting his weary body on his legs. Something was coming back to him…something he was remembering-not one of Sora's memories, but his own.

----

Roxas stormed out of the library and down to the courtyard. He hated, hated Larxene. Their experiments were not working-their secret little tests to see if they could feel. But he hated them, as much as they intrigued him. Maybe, perhaps, they should've left this up to Vexen. He was the scientist of the group. But this…this wasn't something they wanted everyone to know…

He stood out in the courtyard, even though it was raining. He raised his head up to the sky and let it wash away everything from him. He embraced the feeling of the wet streams going down his skin. It was warm, unlike the cold hands…the cold hands they all had.

"Something wrong, buddy?" A comforting voice asked. Roxas opened one eye and saw Axel leaning against the doorway, trying to stay out of the rain. Axel hated water.

Roxas needed to tell someone. This was driving him crazy.

"Axel, no matter what, we're best friends, right?"

No, he didn't hate Larxene. He didn't hate her in the least bit.

----

"Axel…" Roxas heaved out. Axel blinked.

"What is it?" He asked, mild surprise rising up in his green eyes.

"We're best friends, right?" He asked.

"Well sure, but I'm not risking getting turned into a dusk just because you're…wait…you remember?" He exclaimed happily, a smile now conquering her face. Roxas looked up at him briefly. Then he sighed and slowly picked up his broken self.

"Yeah…" He hesitantly responded.

"Wow…this is great! I can't believe…" Axel was rambling, overjoyed. Then he put on an air of seriousness. "But, just gotta make sure and all….umm…what's our boss's name?" He asked. Roxas frowned. He couldn't fake this. Axel waited expectantly, but when no answer came, he sighed and looked crestfallen. "Oh…so it's this way, isn't it?"

"Sorry." Roxas said, but he didn't know why. Axel frowned and summoned forth his weapons. Roxas took a step back as Axel shifted them a bit in his hands.

"Not as sorry as I am, buddy. This is it…" But suddenly he froze. In fact, it was as if a wave of silence hit him full force and all the life was drained out of the town. Axel stood in place, frozen by time.

"Roxas!! Hurry, to the mansion!" A bizarre voice commanded. Roxas then recognized the voice as the man in red, whom Arlette had fought.

"I'll kill you!!" Arlette seemed to come flying out of nowhere, attempting to attack him again with the heartblade brought back.

'That man and Arlette are enemies, but he also has the key to who I am…' Roxas thought. He shook his head in confusion, and then ran towards the woods.

----

The gate was already unlocked when he got there, and he ran through it. As soon as he did, though, the gates started to close behind him, and a bunch of the grey suited creatures appeared, wanting to get their hands on him. He didn't let them have the chance, however, and ran towards the front doors on the mansion, to find them surprisingly unlocked. His heart was pounding in his head as his mind raced. Just what would he find? His new memories coming back both terrified him and made him curious. Why was he with them? Wasn't Axel one of the bad guys?

When he first stepped into the mansion, it felt both new and familiar at the same time. All this time he had been wondering what it was like inside, but now that he was in here, it didn't feel all that surprising. The main hall was dark, the only light coming through the big windows in the back wall. He approached them quietly, not daring to make a sound in this place. Carefully, he edged around the fallen chandelier and old rotting boards that had fallen from the ceiling. When he got to the window, he thought he could almost see a few feminine figures milling about the overgrown back garden, but it was empty, save for broken down statues and dying rose bushes, smothered by hearty weeds. There was also some old furniture-tipped over chairs, a broken table, and a couple of benches covered in ivy. It was almost as if someone had left this place in a hurry. But why? Roxas left the windows and noticed the glass case in the middle of the hall. He pressed his face to it and noticed that it was a little golden model of Twilight Town, with tiny people stuck in place along its streets, and a little train making its way on the tracks, but always in the same spot. Roxas had to look away after awhile-he wasn't part of this town. He just felt it. This town was not a place for him.

As if knowing where to go, Roxas headed up the stairs. One of the stairs creaked loudly, and it startled him so that he actually jumped up and flung himself against the wall. He took a few deep breaths-there was nothing to be afraid of. Nothing but his own memories, this is…

He made it to the top of the stairs without any more incidents and looked down the hall. There was a door all the way down at the end that he felt he had to go to. His heart-or whatever he had left of it-pounded in his chest, and he felt like he might fall over at any moment, but he still kept going, as if he might find out something about himself. The door came ever closer, as if it was moving towards him rather than the other way around. He reached out for the handle and pulled it, letting himself in.

It was the white room he had met Namine in. He gasped, looking around. It was completely empty. Where was Namine? All that was left was a bunch of pictures hanging on the walls and scattered all over the floor. But the pictures weren't just of Sora and his friends anymore; there were pictures of him. Pictures that brought back memories…

He felt his head begin to hurt as if it would burst and brought both hands to his head while the memories came back to him.

----

He gripped his coat with his clenched hands and gritted his teeth. He hated them all-every last one of them. The superior was droning on about something, but he still felt as if all their eyes were on him-Roxas, number XIII, the key of destiny…

"After all Roxas, you are our most brutal fighter…" Superior had said.

He didn't want this. He was tired of all of them. All of Organization XIII could go straight to hell for all he cared. They didn't respect him. Half the time he wasn't even noticed. The superior had a creepy interest him because of the keyblades, but everyone else ignored him completely.

He loosened his grip. What did he care? He liked to be alone. All that mattered was fighting. He'd worry about the rest later.

----

"Larxene…" His cold voice said. She turned, her sadistic sea green eyes having that usual, devilish sparkle to them.

"What is it, XIII?" She asked in an innocent way that was not becoming of her at all.

"I know why it doesn't work." Roxas replied. She approached him, and reached out to stroke his cheek, but he turned away. Confused, but not particularly disappointed, she drew back her hand and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"And why doesn't it work?" She asked indignantly. He looked at her, his face completely blank.

"Because love isn't a desire to feel anything. Love is trying to lose yourself completely within someone else-to come as close to feeling nothing as possible." He replied in bored monotone. She blinked a few times, and then laughed a little.

"And where in the world did you find this out?" She asked, amused.

"I'm serious XII." He said harshly, which wiped the smirk off her face. He hadn't called her by her number in a very long time.

"I see it. I see people on the other side, together. What they find in the other person isn't everything-a surge or emotion, everything all at once. What they find is nothing; a way to lose themselves and their separate state to something else, to a becoming of one. I've seen it. I can tell by their faces. What we are doing…it will do nothing but make us more empty than we already are." He said. He sat down on the couch as if his body was a heavy burden. Larxene looked at him, her face blank, as if she wasn't sure if this was a joke and she should laugh, or completely serious.

"So that's it? You obviously didn't tell me this if you wanted to continue." She said, a slight edge in her voice. Her brows were stooping into a glare.

"There's no point in doing anything else. This is the end."

"XIII…I know that nobodies aren't supposed to feel, but it was like…we were so close to feeling something."

"That was a fairytale you made up. There was never anything." Roxas replied, his response obviously having some kind of fake impact upon her. "Perhaps, unlike the others, we remember more clearly what it was like to feel."

"Maybe it's opposite for us." She insisted. He shook his head and stood up.

"It's done. This is over, Larxene. It'd be best if we didn't tell anyone about this." Roxas said as he left the room.

----

"Leaving?" Roxas asked, stunned. He and Axel sat atop one of the lower skyscrapers, looking out at the lonely landscape. Mere shadows floated in the streets- the one who had not been as strong as them.

"Superior's orders. We're heading out to Castle Oblivion in order to try and infiltrate the dream castle. If we have that under our control, then we'll gain a great deal of power in the world of light." Axel explained. "Of course, that nitwit Marluxia is in charge. I can't believe I have to answer to someone under me."

"But why do you have to go too?" Roxas asked, almost like a child whining to a parent who was about to go away on a business trip. Axel sighed.

"It's really a test. The superior thinks that Marluxia is not quite trustworthy. That's why I'm going to. I'm to relay any information of rebellion back to the superior." He paused, and sighed before he added "Larxene's going too."

"Oh?" Roxas asked, trying not to sound interested. He hadn't seen her since he had told her what he learned of love. He hadn't even seen her walking around the hallways or in her favorite haunt in the library.

"She's not going for the same purpose I am." Axel added after it was apparent Roxas was not going to contribute anything else. Roxas felt a lump drop in his chest.

"There's no way she's plotting something with Marluxia. You don't really think she'd turn on us…do you?" Roxas asked, trying to sound as if he really didn't care, but he was failing miserably.

"It's true that she does try to suck up to the superior all the time, but…lately, there has been something off about her." Axel admitted, as though it pained him. Roxas was surprised-Axel hated Larxene.

"So now I'll really be alone. If both of you are going…" As soon as he had said that, he immediately wished that he hadn't. Axel gave him a funny look.

"I've been meaning to ask-what ever happened between the two of you? In the beginning, when you first came, everything was normal, but then after awhile the two of you were seen together a lot, talking, and then you were really depressed all the time, and now you two won't talk to each other at all." Axel's eyes suddenly went wide as he realized something. "You two weren't doing anything you shouldn't have…were you?"

"Of course not." Roxas said hastily. "No. Absolutely…nothing."

"Oh…of course. Just wondering…" They both trailed off and looked down at the city again. A rumbling noise rolled across the ski far away from them. "It's going to rain again. It's been doing that a lot lately, hasn't it."

"Yeah…" Roxas answered half-heartedly. Both Axel and Larxene were leaving him. He'd be totally alone, without anyone to turn to. At least with Axel here he could remain somewhat sane. And even if only he was going and Larxene had stayed behind, it still would've been better than losing both of them. "Axel…"

"Yes?"

"Don't kill Larxene…unless you have to. Can you do that for me?" Roxas asked hesitantly. He turned his face away so he didn't have to see how aghast and horrified his friend looked. He heard Axel give a very heavy sigh.

"I'll try my best, Roxas…"

----

Roxas felt like he wanted to faint right there in the white room. Him….part of organization XIII? But that would mean he was a bad guy!

"That's not right…"

"What's not right?" A voice asked from above. Roxas instinctively looked up towards the ceiling. That voice was oddly familiar. No, it's couldn't be….

"Are you Cedeile?" He asked.

"Yes but, how did you know? And who are you? You look a lot like my best friend."

"I'm Roxas. And I look like Sora because I'm a part of him." He explained sadly, turning his head to the floor. For a moment he could see a crowded bedroom-people walking in and out, but two kids his own age always staying by a bedside. They were both familiar-Ryu and Aru, from Sora's memories.

"You even know Sora and that he's my best friend…wow, this is…well, kinda weird." Cedeile responded, and Roxas half smiled-he had almost expected her to say that, like she was a familiar old friend.

"It certainly is a bit weird. These past few days have been…weird." He replied.

"I know what you mean. I've been asleep mostly, but then things get really screwy and I'm awake, but I'm not in my body. In fact, I've been getting glimpses of you, I think. Weirdest thing ever. Defiantly a much weirder dream than that one I had about the purple cat and the mockingbird…ah, anyway…" She trailed off. Roxas tried to hold back laughter. Cedeile was wacky-very wacky. Perhaps he might be too shy around her to be her friend. But she was nice too.

"Cedeile, are you awake now?"

"I don't know…it's too hard to tell. But I wish I was-this is boring!" She complained.

"Well, I was wondering…would you forgive me?"

"Forgive you for what? You're not making any sense Roxas."

"I think I did something bad in my past-I think I was with the bad guys. But I don't know why."

"Did you kill anyone?"

"What?!" Roxas exclaimed. "Well…no, I don't think I did…I only remember fighting heartless."

"Then I can forgive you, I think. I'll try, anyway." She replied. For a moment in his mind, he thought he could see her smiling face, but then he wasn't sure if it was really Arlette who he longed to see. But then there was only silence and he knew that Cedeile was gone. But she wasn't awake-so then where was Arlette?

'Oh no,' He thought, as something struck him, 'Oh God, please no…'

That man in red might have gotten her. He might have hurt her.

He had to find her.

Even now though it might already be too late.

He looked around the room one last time, at all the sketches and the memories that he had forgotten. Now he remembered why he had hated that life so much. It was all suddenly very clear to him now, as if he had remembered everything all at once.

That life was empty and cold. All there was was fighting. He was hailed as the best at what he did-the most cruel to his foes, the most brutal. The Key of Destiny-a Nobody who could wield keyblades. The Dual Wielder, XIII. There was nothing else. He had tried to find something to cling to. There was Axel, his best friend. The two would do anything for each other. Hayner was starting to fade to the corners of his mind. It wasn't Hayner who sat on the rooftops of the city with him and went on missions and fought heartless and told him to ignore everyone else. It had been Axel.

He turned and left the white room, and as the doors closed behind him, he felt a sense of finality coming over him. It was clear what had to be done now. He didn't like what it would bring, but it was what had to be done. It wasn't fair. But everyone needed Sora.

'Give me a little more time, Sora. Please, just let me find Arlette.' He thought.

----

Roxas felt like he was at a dead end when he entered the library at the other end of the hall. He felt like there should be more here. He looked around the room, which carried a gold hue in the dusky light. There were many, many books, and it seemed as if time had left them undisturbed. He recalled what the guardian of the forbidden archive had told him-that even books, too, had hearts, and were thinking. It kind of creeped him out, and he felt like the books were watching him, so that's when he noticed the statue that was sitting on the shelf.

It was a gargoyle carved out of a dark stone. It seemed rather misplaced in this place, and he wondered how it got there, but then he followed its gaze. It was looking at the floor. He walked to the approximate spot where the statue's gaze focused, and found that a large table was in the way. There was a drawing on the table in yellow crayon of a circle, but the circle was incomplete. There were two symbols and the beginning of a third. One was the heartless symbol, and the other was a crown-a crown for light, for Sora. Roxas smiled sadly yet in triumph at the same time. It was a lock and he knew how to open it. He picked up the yellow crayon that lay nearby and completed the drawing with the third symbol. An inverse, thorny heart-the symbol of nobodies, of Organization XIII.

The circle glowed as soon as he finished and he took a few steps back. The table and the floor disappeared, revealing exactly what he had been looking for without even knowing it. A metal staircase led down into a drastically different room-all metal with computer components strewn about. This was what he had been looking for, and he knew that once he went down, he wasn't coming back up. Yet he still went. This was just too important to turn back.

He went through a door and found himself in a dark room with a computer, a room he actually knew. They had brought him here. They had sent him through the computer so that they could use him. But who exactly had it been…?

----

He was leaving today. But now there was a massive heartless attack and rain was pouring down. This was exactly what he didn't need. Thousands of them were rising out of the ground, surrounding him. He wouldn't escape. And he'd need both blades this time…

Plus, that one was watching. He knew who he was-he was a faint shadow from his other's life, someone he'd only heard of, but he knew enough of to recognize him if he saw him. Plus, he looked like her.

He began his beautiful death waltz, the two keys flashing around him like his missing partner, slicing through several of the beings at once. The superior was right-he was the best fighter they had. The dual wielder, XIII….

And when that fiery heart, some sort of magical spell, appeared beneath him, he knew who was here. He looked up at the roof of the tallest building in the plaza and saw a figure standing above it, just peeking over the giant monitors.

"Where's Sora?" Roxas whispered to himself. But somehow, he felt that Riku knew. Even though he didn't particularly like him, he knew that together they could finish the battle up quickly to get done with their own.

And maybe even corner that one. Roxas noticed him moving out of the corner of his eye-he was running down a fire escape at the moment.

Roxas began to climb up the building, slicing through heartless as he went, so elegant with every movement, so precise. Riku leapt off the top, coming down towards him. Ah, he was blindfolded again this time. Riku was always so interesting.

Roxas tossed him the Oblivion-they were all key bearers after all- an drew out his trump weapon, another kingdom key. Riku caught Oblivion deftly and landed perfectly on the ground…

"Every time I see you, I hate you only more…" Roxas hissed as he forced Riku off of him and turned, slicing through the silver-haired boy. Riku collapsed, grasping the bleeding wound in his side, and looked up at the blonde, who choose to remain hooded. He felt better like this-if Riku looked at his face, he'd only be looking at his other, not him. And he want Riku looking at him.

"Why…?" Riku asked out of breath, "Why does someone like you have the keyblade?" Roxas looked down at them. He couldn't explain it either-really, it shouldn't make sense. A weapon of the heart, with a girl's heart inside, and made to protect the hearts of the worlds in the hand of someone like him, someone without a heart, didn't make any sense at all. It angered him that he couldn't find the answer he wanted.

"Shut up!!!" Roxas yelled as he charged forward, but a new figure slid calmly in his way, so he had to stop short. "You….!"

"You…?" Riku questioned. He wouldn't know who this person was. Out of all of them, there were only two who did.

"I've been waiting a long time, Roxas…" The figure said.

----

The computer was in pieces at his feet. He knew that everything was a lie. Riku had brought him back here and now he and the DiZ guy were messing with his head. They even made the fake Twilight Town as a prison and made him believe…

Hayner…Pence…Olette…

They were real people somewhere, and they lived without ever knowing who he was. How could that be? How could someone just mess with him like that? And his parents…were they real people too? And maybe they had a son his age, who was living a happy, normal life and existing…feeling…

"Roxas…more…" He could almost feel the sadistic whisper against his ear from long ago. He shook it off as he looked at the shattered machinery in front of him. They had used this to trap him in this digital world, to make a fake existence for him.

Now he understood why Arlette had hated DiZ so much. He was starting to feel hatred for him too. And he had probably caused Arlette to go away and made things so hard for the both of them.

"She loves you the most!"

He would destroy DiZ for everything he had done to him and to Arlette. He would get his revenge against that man for messing with his head, trapping him in that cage, erasing his memories, and causing him so much pain. DiZ was waiting for him beyond this room. He knew that it wasn't exactly Roxas waiting for him, but the Organization's number thirteen.

"I can go back…" He murmured. "I can go back, and it will all be okay. Because, even though this time I've had in this world will never be remembered by anyone, it has helped me, and changed me. I can go back and still be me, and everything will be okay. Number XIII and Roxas…they're both me, and I can combine them together and be who I want…right, Arlette?" He asked the empty room.

A peace had come over him again, this time it was more permanent than ever before. He felt that he could go forward and accept things now. Though he couldn't forgive DiZ and Riku for what they had done, he could at least face them and know he would be alright.

He would be alright…

Turning around, he spotted the next door that he had to go through, and approached it. It slid open electronically and emitted him into the dimly lit room beyond. As soon as he stepped through, it slowly closed behind him and he didn't even make an effort to turn back. No turning back now. He was fine with that. Though the room was empty and the air thick with tension, he was fine.

He would be alright…

"So you came after all…" A familiar voice said out of the shadows. A figure strode out from the corner and came within Roxas's view. It was Axel, and this time, he looked prepared for whatever was going to happen.

"I did. I have to." Roxas said.

"Roxas, I assume you remember more now than you did before? You seem more and more like your old self, but there's still something different about you. Damn, it's almost hopeful."

"I do remember now. I know everything Axel. We're best friends." Roxas replied.

"Then can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Why is it that there's always a woman between us?" Axel asked, looking stricken with angst.

"What do you mean?" Roxas asked.

"That dead girl, the one I've seen you with; you love her, don't you? There's just something about how you look at her…even now, you're thinking about her, right?" Axel asked, hoping it wasn't true. Roxas thought for a moment.

"I don't know if I love her for sure, or not, but…I do care for her. It's weird…I know we could never be together. She's dead, and I don't exist. I'm part of Sora, and she's a part of Cedeile. It's impossible for us, and yet…I can't help feeling how I do. It goes against Sora's feelings, but…I feel like I can feel independent of him." Roxas explained, sadly. The realization of what he had said hit him-he could never in any way be with Arlette. But still…he could try, right?

"So you do care about her. More than you care about me, your best friend." Axel muttered. "If this is how it'll be, then fine. That'll make THIS-" He suddenly called out his chakrams and pillars of flame explodes all around him, getting ready to attack, "So much easier!!!" A blast of warm air flew at Roxas, nearly knocking him off his feet, but he managed to keep his balance.

'I can be XIII and me…' He thought, and he felt handles materialize in his each of his hands. He grabbed them and they formed his trusty dual keyblades-Oblivion and Oathkeeper, side by side.

"Two?! So, you really have gone back!"

"No, I've moved forward!" Roxas replied. Axel came at him, but he blocked with Oathkeeper. He swung out Oblivion from behind him and slashed upwards, forcing Axel back.

It was a tough fight between the two friends. No matter what Roxas did, Axel would counter. As hard as it was for Roxas, he found that he was enjoying himself for once. And he could tell that Axel enjoyed pushing the limits too. Roxas half thought that Axel was doing some attacks just to be showy-making giant pillars of flame appear and having them dance around the room, molten fire rocks exploding up from the floor, and throwing his chakrams around to try and get Roxas from behind. But Roxas was smarter-he was able to dodge and block everything. Roxas flew through the air so easily, and his keyblades seemed to follow him wherever he went, like two partners rather than two weapons. Axel jumped up above him; coming in front of Roxas and ready to attack, but Roxas flipped backwards and threw the Oblivion from underneath his body, the black metal weapon spinning furiously and ready to tear through whatever it came into contact with. Axel, at the same time, threw one of his chakrams with all his force. The two weapons just passed by each other, leaving only a tiny space to spare from hitting each other. The chakram hit Roxas just as he brought his legs over his head and was getting ready to land back on the ground, throwing him off balance. He landed with a hard thud, but Oathkeeper never left his hand. Meanwhile, Oblivion came up and hit Axel dead on, knocking him out of the air too. He passed through a pillar of fire, but it didn't affect him at all-of course his flames wouldn't hurt their master. Still, Oblivion had left a nasty mark on him. He staggered on his feet a bit, the air knocked out of him and his shoulder bleeding badly.

Roxas slowly got up. His white jacket was torn all across the bottom edge and a good portion of it was now missing. There was also a few cuts where the blades had stroked his skin. His instinct told him to lift up his free hand, and he was rewarded by Oblivion returning to his hand. He smiled-it was like he wasn't fighting alone. He got up on both feet and slowly rose up.

"This isn't over, is it?" Roxas asked Axel. Suddenly, the room went dark and the fire disappeared. Axel fell to his knees. "Axel!!!" Roxas called, and ran several steps forward.

"Stop." Axel said, looking down at the ground. "Hey," He continued, as he started to disappear in a swarm of dark energy that had started to rise up from the floor. "We'll meet in the next life, right?"

"The next life?" Roxas asked. He nodded. "Sure, it's a promise, Axel."

"Stupid," Axel replied, "Just because you have a next life…" He remarked before disappearing completely. Roxas was sad, but he was sure that he would see Axel again. He'd just have to wait. All that was left to do was to go through the next door.

This door led to a cold, dark hallway. The lights on the floor were little help to guide his way, so he went slowly, keeping Oathkeeper and Oblivion close to his sides. He looked from wall to wall, making sure there was nothing hiding to jump out at him.

Suddenly, up ahead of him, it seemed to get lighter. He quickened his step, and when he found the source of the light, he gasped in surprise. Two large glass pods were before him, and though they were foggy, they held two familiar figures…

"Donald…and Goofy?" Roxas voiced, surprised to see Sora's travelling companions here. Then that must mean Sora was nearby too. The hallway turned the corner and led out to a large, white room, and Roxas followed it, emerging into the brightness.

His room seemed to stretch out forever above and around him. The only solid thing he was sure of was the floor. The room was mostly empty, save for one very large, flower like pod in the center. Roxas slowly began to approach, but stopped short when he noticed a figure standing in front of the pod with their back to him; a very transparent figure…

"Arlette!!!" He called, relieved and surprised to see her. She turned her head sadly and slowly. As she did, her braid fell from the rest of her hair and disappeared, leaving her with a very uneven and choppy short haircut. As the brain disappeared on its way down, the green ribbon that she wore at the end of it became more solid and dropped to the floor. Tears sparkled in her dark emerald eyes as she gazed at him one last time.

"I'm so sorry…" She was able to whisper before she faded out completely.

"No, Arlette!!" Roxas called as he ran towards where she had been standing; however, DiZ appeared and blocked his path. Roxas slid to a halt before the mysterious man. He looked at Roxas with his one good eye and then laughed a bit.

"That ghost has haunted me long enough! And so have you-you were useful for a bit, but now it's time for you to fulfill your true purpose." He said mockingly.

"If you did anything to Arlette, I swear I'll-"

"What can I possibly do to her?" DiZ cut him off. "She's already dead. But let's not waste time on small talk-like I said, it's time for Sora to get a long delayed wake up call."

"Why are you doing this to me? You tricked me, and used me! You jerked me around and I had no idea! Why the hell would you do that to me?" Roxas yelled, angered.

"Do you think you're important at all?" DiZ asked. "I am no more than a servant of the world, which makes you a tool at best."

"I am more than a tool! I'm a person, someone who's alive, who can-"

"Were you going to say 'feel'? How funny-but you're a nobody, and you can't feel. There is only one nobody who can feel, and he's not in this room right now. Anyway, the only use you have now is to wake up Sora. I need someone who can move about in the realm of light, and you can barely cross through the boundary without tearing yourself apart." Roxas gritted his teeth, and then charged forth at DiZ with both keyblades drawn. He was sure he had the old man; until he passed right through him.

"What?"

"Sorry; this is just a data projection. You need not to waste your time." And with an evil laugh, the man disappeared. Roxas stood there for a few moments, not sure what to do.

"I'll be alright." He said. He walked towards the pod and picked up the lone green ribbon on the ground. It was still shinny a soft, as if it was new. He gripped it tightly in his hand and looked up at the flower as it opened up, showing a boy who looked like him.

"We meet at last." Roxas said to the boy. He smiled sadly and looked down at his keyblades and the ribbon one last time. "Thanks, partners." He said to the keyblades before they disappeared. He sighed and looked back up at the boy. "Sora, you're so lucky. It looks like my summer…is over…"

----

He was disappearing now, sinking further into the darkness, into obscurity.

"Roxas…this is my wing. You can use it…whenever you want to." Arlette's voice echoed in his ears and he felt warmth from deep down within his soul swell up and engulf his entire body one last time before fading away.

----

Cedeile's eyes snapped open.

It was so sudden and unexpected that no one noticed at first until she let out a small gasp. Ryu and Aru turned, ecstatic that their friend was alright, but then alarmed. She was crying uncontrollably.

"Cedeile? Are you alright?" Ryu asked. She brought up her hand and wiped her eyes with the back of it. "Cedeile?"

Cedeile slowly sat up in her bed and looked back and forth between Aru and Ryu, and then to the other people in the room, before she brought both hands up to her face and sobbed loudly. Ryu immediately threw both arms around her and embraced her tightly as the others looked on, amazed.

----

6H: Finally the end of Roxas's story. Next chapter is when their adventure begins!!!