Author's Note:

Hey, I kept my promise! Instead of this chapter taking like four months to write, it took me... two months... I'm so sorry. I'm a horrible person for taking so long to update this story! I've been working on writing more original stuff lately, and this fanfic kinda got shoved to the bottom of the priorities list for a while. :( However, this chapter ended up being so long that I decided to break it up into two separate chapters! Hopefully that makes up for the looonnnggg wait.

Thank y'all so much for 13,000 total views and 50 favorites on this story! You guys are the best! :D Seriously, it makes me so happy to know that so many people like this fanfic.

Again, I'm so sorry about how long this chapter took me to write. I'm not super happy with it, but I tried my best and I really hope y'all like it!

A huge thank you to the fabulous Jackie Vocacia for Beta-ing this chapter! :D And as always, thank you so much to everyone who reads, reviews, follows, and favorites this story. I can't believe it's already been almost a year since I posted the first chapter! Thanks for sticking with me and my story for so long, y'all! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, or any of the dialogue, worlds, characters, or ANYTHING from the games/manga/novels. Got it memorized?

Chapter 28: Trust and Mistrust

My mission on day 321 was a solo heart-collecting assignment in Twilight Town. I should have been happy about this- I hadn't been to my favorite world in at least a week, besides the times spent on the clock tower with my friends. It also wasn't a super challenging assignment, so It hopefully wouldn't take me too long to complete. I'd have plenty of time to meet with Axel and Xion at Destiny Islands afterward. And I guess I was happy. Mostly. I just had a few things on my mind I kept worrying about.

I held back a sigh as I walked through the empty streets of Twilight Town, Kingdom of Broken Hearts gripped tightly in my hand. I still wasn't entirely sure what to think about working together with my two friends. I mean, of course I wanted to save Roxas and Xion, and maybe even change Axel's ending (because didn't he sacrifice himself to protect Sora in Kingdom Hearts 2?), but... I don't know. Something just seemed off. Maybe I was being paranoid.

I exited the Tram Common and paused for a second at the beginning of Station Heights. My mission was more than halfway over- I just had to get to Station Plaza and defeat the Heartless there for my mission to be completed. Then it would be off to the islands to meet my friends. I had already told Roxas earlier that I wouldn't be meeting him at the clock tower after my mission, so hopefully he wouldn't come looking for me. I felt guilty about sneaking around behind his back, but we were just trying to help him, right? I mean, it's not like we could openly tell him about the horrible events that would take place unless we did something to stop them. What would Roxas do if he knew? I wasn't sure, and I didn't want to find out.

I shook my head slightly, dismissing my worried thoughts as I continued on my way to Station Plaza. Fretting over something that would probably never happen was a waste of time. I needed to focus on my mission.

Just as the clock tower building came into view, four Scarlet Tangos appeared in a burst of smoke-like shadows. I held my weapon at the ready, focusing more on blocking than attacking. The Heartless spread out, surrounding me in a large square formation. This wasn't going to be easy. One of the Tangos made sure to always stay behind me as I constantly shifted my gaze from one enemy to another. I gave up on defense and attacked the Tango directly in front of me, defeating it with four quick hits of my Keyblade. The others broke formation and hovered around me angrily, launching attacks which I struggled to avoid. Two of their fireballs hit me, which hurt like crazy, but I gritted my teeth and focused on attacking. Fire magic didn't actually set you on fire, but it stung and burned just as badly as if it had. Thankfully the effects only lasted a few seconds.

Soon it was down to two Tangos, and then one, and then- finally- the last enemy disappeared with a final hit from my Keyblade. I quickly gulped down a potion (I always kept at least five in the pockets of my cloak) and continued toward the Plaza.

"Not bad."

I instantly turned toward the sound of the voice, my weapon gripped so tightly my hand hurt. Panic flooded through me as I spotted the silver-haired, blindfolded teen standing a few feet away. How long had he been there? Why was he here? Why did he always have to sneak up on me? Did he never say hello like a normal person?!

"Ri-Riku?" I stuttered, mentally scolding myself for sounding so afraid. I repeated his name, my voice stronger this time: "Riku."

His serious expression didn't change as he took a few steps closer. "Time's running out, Alexa. Have you decided yet?"

"Decided what?" I replied, forcing my voice not to shake. Riku wasn't holding his weapon, but I didn't feel comfortable with dismissing mine. I didn't really trust Sora's best friend. Not that I planned to fight him for no reason or anything, I just wanted to be armed in case he decided to attack.

His mouth twitched impatiently. "Roxas is almost out of days. Sora will wake up soon. You're not going to stop that from happening...Are you?"

The icy tone of his voice made me even more nervous. A tiny part of my mind worried that my Keyblade would snap if I tightened my grip any more. "I already told you," I answered calmly, bravely meeting his blindfolded gaze. "I don't want anything bad to happen to Sora, but I am not going to let Roxas and Xion fade away." Despite my calm appearance, I was absolutely terrified. Riku could summon his weapon at any second, and then it would all be over. There was no way I could win a fight against him.

Riku let out a small sigh and shook his head slightly. "You're making a mistake."

"How is doing the right thing making a mistake?" I shot back without thinking. "Be honest- if this was all reversed, if you were me and Sora was Roxas.. wouldn't you do anything to save your best friend, no matter what the cost?"

The silver-haired teen's frown deepened. "I would. And that's why I'm not going to let you make the same stupid mistakes I would if I were in your position. I will fight you if I have to, Alexa. But surely you don't want it to come to that. We can work this out peacefully."

He was right, of course. I didn't want to fight him. I liked nonviolent solutions. But no matter what, I wasn't about to give up on my friends. Why couldn't Riku see that? This would be so much easier if we just worked together!

"I've been trying to work this out peacefully," I responded. "You know, you and Axel are a lot alike. Both of you are so convinced that your friend is so important that you're ignoring any other point of view. It's really starting to get annoying!" My hand hurt from gripping my Keyblade so tightly, but I didn't relax. Riku had made it clear that he would attack me if I had to. The though of battling against him terrified me. Should I run away while I had the chance?

No, I decided firmly. I was done with running. I was sick of standing by silently and letting things fall into place. I was going to stand my ground and stay strong- or, at least, try to be strong. I had fought and defeated a Leechgrave, right? That had taken a lot of courage, and I'd done it. I mean, Roxas had helped, but still...

Riku sighed and shook his head slightly. "You're not... You're not listening. And yet you accuse me of being unfair? Try listening to advice once in awhile." To my surprise, a Dark Corridor formed behind the silver-haired teen. "Here's some: you're trusting the wrong people." He turned around and vanished, the portal disappearing behind him.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm not the type to get mad easily. I don't pick fights or get angry over little things. I pride myself on being peaceful.

But at that moment, I wanted to scream.

Why wouldn't anybody listen to me?! I was just trying to do the right thing, and yet no one seemed to be taking me seriously. I mean, Axel listened to me, but did even he really respect my opinion? I wondered sometimes what he actualy thought of me. Sure, I was a weak 14-year-old with no previous battle experience besides video games, but I had gotten a lot stronger (and possibly braver?) during my time in the Organization. I wasn't the same person anymore that I had been back home. Maybe it was due to me being a Nobody, or maybe I was just growing up. Either way, I was trying my best to complete my missions and save my friends. Didn't Axel see how much I had changed since the first time we sparred? Back then, the gleaming metal of the sword had terrified me. Its weight was heavy and awkward in my grip. I had frozen up when Heartless appeared.

And now? Now I had my very own Keyblade, which I could wield fairly easily. I defeated dozens of Heartless without worrying that I was gonna die. I didn't freeze up during battle- or, at least, I hadn't in awhile. Sure, I was still kind of fearful, but there was no question that I was at least a little braver and more confident. I'd probably never be as skilled as the rest of Organization XIII, but that was okay. I had to stop thinking so negatively about myself!

Pushing Riku's words deep into the back of my mind, I turned back toward Station Heights and resumed my mission. It wouldn't be too much longer before I could meet my friends at the Destiny Islands, and hopefully my problems would be solved.

I briefly considered telling Axel about my encounter with Riku, but quickly decided against it. I worried that my tall friend would attack Riku or something, which would be very bad. Anyway, it wasn't like I was hurting anything by not telling him... Right?

~Time-Skip~

I was the first of my friends to arrive at the islands that day. Which was surprising, because my mission had taken me longer than usual. I begun to worry. Had I misunderstood something? Were we not meeting today? I decided to wait for a bit longer before going to look for them.

I waited for them on the beach, just a few feet above where the highest waves would gently splash onto the shore. The water was as beautiful as always- the same brilliant blue color as Roxas and Xion's eyes. The sky and the ocean were such similar shades of turquoise that it was almost hard to determine where one ended and the other began. The air was as warm and salty as always, but not nearly as hot as the desert city of Agrabah. The heat of the islands was almost pleasant, like a warm hug.

I couldn't image why anyone would ever want to leave this island. Was life here really that bad? Then again, my own life back home had been fairly easy, and yet I still wished to escape it. Guess that's just normal, no matter where you live.

The familiar sound of a Dark Corridor opening sounded from my right, and I turned toward it. Axel stepped out from the shadows, rubbing the back of his head as the portal closed behind him. "Hey."

"Hi," I greeted him. "Where's Xion? You're both late."

"Nah, you're just early," Axel shot back. It was almost exactly the reverse of our conversation on day 255, I realized. It was weird how much had changed since then.

As if my question had summoned her, another Corridor opened a few feet behind Axel and our dark-haired friend emerged from it. I greeted her with a friendly smile, but she avoided my gaze.

"Okay, we're all here," Axel announced. He had to speak louder than usual to be heard above the ocean's roar, but there wasn't anone nearby who could possibly overhear us. We were alone, with only the sky and the sea and the land. "So, anyone got any bright ideas on how we can do this without hurting the Keyblade's Chosen One?" I knew by 'this' he meant saving Roxas and Xion. There was a sharp edge to his voice on the last three words, but I ignored it.

"I... My mission was with Roxas today," Xion spoke up. It was hard to hear her over the around of the waves. "He seemed... not good. He was really pale, and almost collapsed at the end of our mission." There was a worried gleam in my dark-haired friend's eyes as she spoke. "He kept telling me he was fine, but... something's wrong."

I tried to remember if this had happened in the video game. "What was your target?"

"A Spiked Crawler," my friend responded. "In Agrabah."

"Oh!" I gasped. "I remember that mission! That's the one with those annoying cubes you have to push around until they get into the squares-" I broke off abruptly as Xion's confused expression told me that she had no idea what I was talking about. "Oops, never mind. Must only be in the video game."

"So you... you know what happened, right?" Xion asked.

Before I could reply to her question, Axel interrupted. "Whoa, okay, hold on. You and Alexa may know what happened today, Xion, but I don't. Care to explain?"

Our dark-haired friend nodded timidly. "Roxas and I were sent to Agrabah to defeat a Spiked Crawler. Roxas seemed... He didn't seem himself. His fighting wasn't as good. He missed easy attacks. Even his defense was sloppy."

"'Roxas is having an off day,'" I muttered aloud, remembering the message that appeared onscreen at the beginning of the mission in the game. "'Level halved.'"

Axel's frown deepened. "I think I know why."

"It's my fault, isn't it?" Xion questioned, her shoulders slumping and head hanging down. "Today, near the end of the mission, I... I finished the Heartless off with a single attack. We had only just begun to fight it, so it wasn't weak or anything. I just... I suddenly felt this rush of power and confidence. It was like I could do anything. I used an attack I had seen Roxas use before, but he never showed me how to do it or anything. I just... knew. It's... It's because I'm a replica of Sora, isn't it? I'm hurting Roxas by simply existing, aren't I? That power I used today..." She trailed off, her voice tight with emotion. Yes, that's right, emotion. After all, Xion wasn't really a Nobody- she was a Replica. Did that mean that she could feel emotions? I didn't think they ever talked about that in the video game, or in any of the articles I'd read online about Kingdom Hearts.

Axel spoke up before I could gather up my thoughts to do so. "So you're using up a bit more power than you should. That doesn't mean you're a danger to him, Xion. Just be careful."

"It's not like I can control it!" Xion shot back, lifting up her head and glaring at our tall friend. "I'm just a replica, created to wield a Keyblade and work for Xenmas, and that's exactly what I'm doing! That's... That's all I'll ever be. Riku was right." Her voice lowered in volume until the last few words were only a quiet mutter, but I still heard them. "I'm just a puppet."

Apparently Axel had heard them too. "For what it's worth, you're no puppet in my book. You're one of my best friends. Got it memorized? A puppet wouldn't look for a way to change things to save their friend the way you are. Get it together already!" His last few words were harsh, but the look in his emerald-green eyes was kind rather than scolding. It wasn't very often that his expression softened the way it did then, and I knew that Axel really did care about Xion just as much as Roxas.

"He's right," I finally spoke up. "Puppets don't fight for what they know to be right. If you were blindly following Xenmas that'd be one thing, but you're not." Rather than seeming reassured, Xion looked even more guilty after I had finished speaking. I caught her shooting a glance at Axel, who ever-so-slightly shook his head. What was that about? I didn't want to ask about it, worrying that I was just imagining things.

Then again, there was Axel's sudden change of (supposedly non-exsistant) heart yesterday... Maybe I was right to be suspicious.

"We should head back before Saïx sends someone out searching for us," Axel suggested a moment later.

I was surprised that he suggested we go back so early. There was still so much I wanted to ask my friends, Xion especially. Just how much had Riku told her? "Already? But we haven't-"

Axel hurriedly interrupted my protest. "Do you really want the others to find out we're meeting here? What if Roxas comes looking for us? We can't risk staying here too long. We can meet again tomorrow."

Axel had a point. "Okay, tomorrow," I agreed reluctantly. I was worried about Xion, about Roxas, about Axel's sudden willingness to help me. I could trust him, couldn't I?

"You're trusting the wrong people."

Riku's earlier advice echoed in my mind, adding to my ever-growing pile of worries and things to keep in mind. What exactly had he meant by that vague statement? He wasn't... He wasn't referring to Axel and Xion, was he? Because I knew I could trust them. Who else could he have been talking about? Who else did I trust in this world?

Well, Roxas, of course. But I knew he was trustworthy. Not only was he one of my best friends in this world, but I had played an entire video game with him as the main character. I probably knew more about him than anyone else in this universe. I knew I could trust him.

Riku was probably just messing with me, I decided. Maybe he was trying to get me to doubt my friends so I'd help him instead.

Xion summoned a Dark Corridor, and the three of us headed back to the Castle that Never Was. We didn't accomplish nearly as much as I had hoped, but Xion seemed a bit more confident now, so that was good. It was a start, at least. We still had about three weeks before day 358. There was still enough time to come with a plan. And with Xion on my side, saving her and Roxas was going to be a lot easier. If Xion stayed in the Organization, then Roxas would stay, and he wouldn't go up onto the clock tower on day 357 and fight Xion. Then he wouldn't battle with Riku and end up in the digital Twilight Town.

...But if all those events didn't happen, then what would? And how would that affect Sora?

I didn't have all the answers, and that bothered me, but I knew I was going to have to find out. I wasn't going to stand back and let the canon ending play out. With Axel and Xion helping, I now had two people to help me come up with ideas.

Together, we were going to change destiny.

Author's Note:

Sorry that chapter was so short! Chapter 29 will be longer, I promise! (I know because it's mostly already written, I just need to write a bit more and then edit and proofread it.) Thank y'all so much for reading! Please leave a review letting me know what you thought of this chapter!

Thank you so much to guest reviewers Anon and Anya5544! :D

The next chapter will either be posted later today or tomorrow. Thanks again for taking the time to read this chapter! :)