All it had taken was seven days for my life to turn upside down. All those times I blacked out, Axel showing up telling me confusing things, those creatures coming out of nowhere, it didn't make any sense. I was a normal teenage boy. I just wanted to be with my friends.

Last week when I heard Hayner, Pence, and Olette calling for me from the street, I rolled out of bed, and knew something was wrong. Deep in my gut, I could feel it. Even if I couldn't figure out what it was exactly. All of the people I knew acted strangely around me. Even I wasn't myself.

"Faitouru…" I whispered, looking at the childlike drawings hanging on the walls in the all white room of the mansion. I knew that the story was that he'd been sent away to be taken care of by his doctors, but…it just didn't seem right. It was like I was blocking something, and no matter how hard I tried remembering, I could only get back small pieces at a time. And looking at the picture seemed to jar something.

"Don't you want to know the truth about who you really are?" Namine asked quietly.

Not taking my eyes from his picture I said, "No one knows me better than me."

"Of course…"

"But, I don't get what's been happening lately."

"About a year ago…some things happened, and I had to take apart the memories chained together in Sora's heart – you know him."

"From my dreams, right?"

"Yes…It's taken me a long time, and you've been affected by it." She continued softly. "You and Sora are connected. And in order for Sora to become completely whole again…he'll need you."

"Me? What for?"

"You hold half of what he is."

Finally turning from the picture, I looked across the room to where the small blonde haired blue eyed girl sat gazing over at me curiously. Gulping, I strode to the empty chair at the other end of the table nearest me and took a seat. When I found my voice again I asked her, "I feel like now I don't know myself at all, and…I guess I would like to know. What do you know about me, that I don't?"

"You…" she started, casting her eyes down ashamedly. "You were never supposed to exist, Roxas."

"What…?"

"I'm sorry…I guess some things really are better left unsaid."

My vision grew blurry. I still had questions. But, in the next instant, I heard Pence calling my name, bringing me back to reality. We were standing outside of the old mansion, looking in through the second story window, trying to find out if the rumor of Twilight Town's seventh wonder was true. It was said you could see a girl there even though no one lived in that house anymore.

Drawing my lips into a thin line, I realized that I was the only one that could see her…just like I was the only one that could see the ghost train, and Axel, and those creatures. If Faitouru was here, I knew that he would've believed me.

"C'mon, let's go tell the others this one was bogus too," Pence said, sighing and shaking his head as he headed back towards town.

Before coming up here, Olette told me she and Hayner were going to check in with Fai's parents and see how he was doing prior to starting on our independent study paper for school. Maybe we'd get some good news, I thought.

Of course that wasn't the case. Turns out his Mom was in tears when they'd shown up. Fai was supposed to have been back that morning. I felt like someone had reached into my chest and ripped my heart right out. Hayner put a heavy hand on my shoulder as his eyes filled with tears. My life was slowly falling away around me.

The next morning when I arrived at the Usual Spot, I discovered that my friends couldn't see me or hear me. And as they ran out, they passed right through me. Axel showed up, telling me that if I didn't cooperate and go with him, he would have to destroy me. Just as he was about to attack though, he was frozen and a voice boomed out telling me to go back to the mansion. Unable to think of what else to do, I obeyed the bodiless voice.

Namine was waiting for me as I entered the white room in the mansion. Would she give me the answers I so badly craved?

"What's going to happen to me now?" I asked, gripping the table tightly as I looked pleadingly into her eyes. "Just…just tell me that. Nothing else really matters anymore."

"You are-" she began, but stopped as her body froze, and slowly fell away into small pieces.

"Namine?"

"There's nothing that has the power to change your fate." A man wearing red said ominously, appearing in the far corner of the room.

Narrowing my eyes at him I said harshly, "Even if that's true, I still want to know!"

"A Nobodie doesn't have the right to know," he barked, glaring over at me. "Nor does it have the right to be!"

"But…what is a Nobodie?" I cried, balling my hands into fists.

Suddenly, a swirling black portal appeared at the man's side and Namine stepped out, her eyes wide with desperation as she called, "Roxas, Nobodies like us are only half a person. You won't disappear! You'll be whole!"

What was she talking about? I was going to disappear? She was then dragged back through the portal, leaving me alone in the mansion. I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't care what anyone of these people said. I wanted to go home…and be me.

But who am I? Could I even do what I wanted anymore? My entire existence was never supposed to happen. Would I have to continue hurtling towards my terrifying destiny and only hope that maybe I could make this come out right, and get back to my life?

Standing shakily, I made my way through the old mansion and opened the floor of the library to reveal the secret stairway leading down into the darkness. Taking a deep shuddering breath, I began down the steps, advancing through the dark hallways. An eerie feeling of familiarity washed over me as I came upon the next room. It was cool and silent aside from the steady hum of computer monitors.

The longer I stared at the screens, the more I could feel my head pulse in agony. Images began flashing through my mind as I collapsed to my knees. I saw Axel, trying to tell me that I should stay in the Organization and forget the Protector. The hazy image of Faitouru, his two large violet eyes gazing up at me sadly appeared, making me remember exactly what had happened a week ago. Just when I thought the pain couldn't get any worse, it fell away, leaving me spent and panting on the ground.

That boy had been all that I'd had in that world and this one; just being around him made me feel like I'd had a heart. Clenching my hands into fists, I whispered under my breath, "Faitouru…"

When we'd been in The World That Never Was, he'd been Noxeon, but when we'd spent the summer together here in Twilight Town…he'd been my Faitouru. I remembered the secret smiles and confessing of love we'd shared. Most of all, I remembered him disappearing.

Beating my fist into the dusty floor I recalled that day I'd last seen him…a mere seven days ago. They'd made me think there was something wrong with him. I'd been trying to take him to the doctor. We were ambushed. He got hurt. When I woke up in my bed the next morning to the calls of Hayner, Pence, and Olette down in the street below, I could only remember the false memory of his parents telling me he would be back in a week after seeing his doctor. Now…I can remember seeing his crying face as his hand reached out desperately to my limp form on the ground in Namine's room in this cursed mansion. Back then, they'd made it fade. What had they done to him after that day?

Unsteadily, I stood as anger engulfed my entire being. The only thing I could think to do was destroy anything I could get my hands on. A flash of blinding white light encased my hand for a moment as I wasted no time in summoning my Keyblade. Screaming, I swung down again and again on the console, cursing everyone and everything that led up to this.

These people, whoever they were that put me here, would pay. This was my life, and I wasn't about to let them get away with messing with it, or the people that I cared about.

Axel attempted trying to stop me again in the next room, but I merely fought with anger on my side. And after our final words, I continued on through the labyrinth of underground hallways. My heart thumped against my chest as I came upon a hall that housed a line of capsules running its length.

Peering in through the opaque glass proved to be impossible. If I was going to see who was in them, it would have to be a different way. With a newfound determination, I pushed on, stepping through an automated door into a stunningly pure white room. Using my free hand to shield my eyes, I stumbled in and looked around.

Easily three times larger than the other capsules had been an enormous pod stood filling the center of the room with its brilliance. I couldn't help but gaze up at it in wonder. I almost didn't even see the small glass sphere standing separately from the structure a little ways away. But when my eyes fell on the figure suspended in a curled position inside, the air in my lungs suddenly disappeared.

It was Faitouru. I rushed to the glass and slammed my hands against it, finally finding the breath to call out to him. I might as well have been beating a pillow. His eyes remained shut. But as I pressed closer, I could see small tears escaping from behind their closed lids. They had been keeping him here this whole time while I ignorantly let them feed lies to me. Pressing my forehead to the cold glass, I closed my eyes and whispered sadly, "I'm so sorry…"

"Glad you could make it, wielder of the Keyblade...He will awaken soon…" the man in red from before called over menacingly.

My body trembled in response. Whirling around to face him, I gripped my Keyblade even tighter.

"You must return your existence to Him, Roxas. When He wakes…you'll disappear."

It wasn't fair. My whole body shook as I asked, "…why?"

"Because you hold the other half of his power, and…" he answered, his eyes narrowing coldly. "…because you are a Nobodie."

"SO WHAT?" I screamed, charging the man that was so calmly condemning my existence. I swung with all my might, but felt to my surprise, the Keyblade pass through nothing. I stood frozen, unable to think or do much of anything. That…coward wasn't even here to do the job in person. My existence was worthless to him.

"My apologies…" he muttered. "…this is only a data based projection."

Tears flowed freely down my cheeks as I turned and called over my shoulder thickly, "I hate you…so much."

The projection began to fade as his voice echoed, "Make sure you pass on your hate to Him as well…he's far too nice for His own good."

Swinging again I cried, "No, my heart belongs to me!"

The sound of my tears dripping to the floor below bounced off the bare walls of the room. And then, the large capsule opened with a loud hiss. Glancing one last time over my shoulder at Faitouru, I took a step towards the boy that had been plaguing my dreams for so long.

"…Sora…" I breathed, closing my eyes as I let the sound of it fill me like a warm breeze.

Guilt, regret, and a number of other things ran through my mind as I thought of everything that I would be losing. Smiling sadly up at the boy still dreaming peacefully above me, I whispered sadly, "It was so real to me…"

The only thing that had been real in this fantasy of mine had been Faitouru. And even then I wasn't sure anymore if what I'd been feeling had been programmed or not. But despite that…I was sad to be losing him. Opening my eyes one last time, I could feel myself fading.

"You're lucky…" I directed at the slumbering Sora. "…looks like my summer vacation's…over…"

Where am I…? I feel so at home.

Turning, I could make out something in the distance. Could it be…? For a moment, I gazed over at my other self and smiled. He looked lost. Maybe I could help him get back to where he needed to be?

"…Sora?"

Goofy and Donald had been the ones to wake me. It wasn't long before I shook my head to clear it of the fog and asked where Faitouru was. Glancing around nervously, I spotted the small glass sphere and immediately jumped down to it. Sure enough, there inside was my Protector and best friend. But…was he hurt?

I could see small droplets of tears floating beside him, as well as the hint of a long thin wound running up under his shirt. Panic clenched my heart, making it difficult to breathe. Motioning wildly I called to the others, "Help me get this open, quick!"

Every second wasted trying to figure out how to work the stupid thing was another second my mind felt like it was exploding from stress. But finally, the capsule opened. Carefully, I reached in and supported his lifeless form in my arms. As I brushed the hair away from his face I whispered under my breath, "Please be alright…"

"Fai…!" I called, trying not to jostle him too much.

The others pointed at the long pink scar running under the hem of his shirt, and as I glanced down, I saw that the end stopped a little off center on his chest. What could have happened to him? The last I remember was chasing Pluto to that strange Castle.

"Wake up, Fai!" I said, this time noticing movement behind his closed eyes.

"Are you hurt?" Donald asked, also noticing the signs.

Groaning, he laboriously began shifting different parts of his body slightly. When he was finished, his eyes blearily opened as he asked hoarsely, "What happened…?"

Seeing him awake made me happier than I'd ever admit to anyone. My arms trembled slightly as I pulled him closer and pressed, "Are you hurt? Are you alright?"

His eyes finally came into focus as he gazed up at me. As his amethysts met my sapphires, it felt like he was a bright sun warming me from the inside out. Relief flooded me as an inner voice said, 'You've found him again. Everything's alright now.'