Whelp... it's been a year. So... here's anooooooother chapter! Enjoy! I wish I had more time to write. Sad face.


In Life and Death
Chapter 29: The Other Twilight Town

The metal locker was slammed shut, the clanking noise vibrating threw the crowded hall.

"Rox!"

"Fuck off Nam."

She stopped short, her eyes wide. She spun around on her second-hand heels and headed down the hall in the opposite direction.

Roxas glanced around at the kids in the hall. Stares and whispers erupted around him. Great… another thing for them to torment me about, he thought as he turned. "Nam! Wait up!" He ran after her, shutting out the hushed voices and not-so-quiet whispers.

At fifteen and sixteen, Roxas and Namine were the oldest at the Twilight Town School for Children and they were forced to attend the local high school with all of the normal kids. It hadn't been a good fit for either. Nam was the freaky, quiet, smart girl who skipped a grade and spent her free time sketching or reading. Roxas was immediately outcast as the pedo-bait fag when Axel had picked him up from his first day of school. The hand-me-down clothes and the lack of parents for the various parent-related days didn't help.

Nam didn't slow or speak as Roxas caught up with her. She held her school books right against her chest as she maneuvered through the milling students. Most stepped out of her way quickly for fear of catching something from the parent-less freak.

"Nam, PLEASE!" Roxas grabbed her shoulder, stopping her. "I'm sorry. Seriously sorry. I'm… having a bad day."

She tilted her head to the side and glared at him.

"A bad week."

She blinked and continued to glare.

"Okay, fine. A bad year. Ever since they made us come here."

Her face softened and she looked at him sadly. She nodded towards the doors and together they exited the school. "You can't let what those kids say get to you." She said once they left the school yard and turned down a road that would take them to their non-home home. "They have to torment others to make themselves feel okay about their own insecurities. If you didn't rise up to all their insults, they'd grow bored of you and move onto someone else."

"Easier said than done." He mumbled.

"One more year, Roxas. Then we graduate and can get jobs or go to college or anything we want. We'll be rid of the orphanage forever. You and Ax can finally move in together like you've always said."

"If he even wants me anymore." He mumbled.

She stepped closer and lowered her voice. "He still not returning your calls?"

Roxas shook his head. "It's been almost six months. I think I messed it all up."

She laughed and clapped a hand over her mouth, trying to stifle it. "Well… what did you expect? You've been together forever! He's been waiting for you to close the gap and you're getting close to a point where five years isn't such a big number. And one tiny good luck peck on the cheek and you tell Axel to leave you alone."

"It was in front of the school!" He whined. "The entire student body was on their way out. And he's so tall and I'm so short and no he's not so much older but he might as well be from everything they've all said!"

"He didn't do it on purpose." She said matter-of-factly. She knew how upset Axel had been when he found out.

"I know that!" Roxas snapped.

"He's leaving you alone so he doesn't cause you anymore problems." She continued. "He's only doing what you asked him to do."

"I'm only sixteen, Nam! I'm too young to feel this way!"

She shrugged and sped up. "Then stop."

"Stop?!" He hurried to catch up with her. "I can't. I need him. I feel like my heart is gone."

She stopped and turned to face him. "Tell him that."

He stepped back, a bit surprised by her sudden movements. "I don't know if he'll listen."

"What do you want, Roxas?"

"I want…" He paused for a minute. "I want him. I want us. All of us, together again. Zex and Dem, Lar, Zoey and Zander… Axel… the last time we were together was the twin's fourteenth birthday party. At the beach. Remember?"

She nodded, thinking back.

"Do you think something happened to them? We've heard nothing from them in over two years."

Nam pursed her lips and dropped her gaze. "They've fine, I'm sure. Just probably busy. They have a family now."

"We're their family."

"Wouldn't you love a rich, doctor family to whisk you away on an interplanetary cruise?"

"For two years?"

"If they're lucky!" She smiled. "They could be swimming the oceans of Atlantica or swinging on vines in Deep Jungle or playing croquet with the Queen in…"

Roxas laughed and held up his hands to stop her. "Fine, fine. Yeah, all that sounds great, Name. I hope you're right."

"Me too!" She hooked her arm around his and the two started back off down the road.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

The musical whistle of an unknown songbird drifted in with the sun through the window. "Roxas? Roxas!"

He let out a groan and rolled over, throwing his arm over his face to block out the bright light. Visions of the odd dream he had been having swam back in front of his eyes. An abandoned mansion. A much too large key. Axel in a black hooded trench coat. Him and three kids he felt like he should know hanging out. Salty ice cream. A brunet boy that seemed oddly familiar.

"You made me feel like I had a heart." Axel said with a smile before he began to fade away.

"No! Axel!"

"Roxas!" Name's voice was more urgent, pulling Roxas completely from his weird dream.

"Nam?" He waved her off, not wanting to get up. "What are you doing on the boy's floor?"

"I'm not."

"Hmm? What?"

"Wake up and see."

Roxas pulled himself up and blinked the sleep from his eyes. "What…?"

"Hurry! We have to get out of here quick!" Her voice dropped to a hushed whisper.

"Out?"

"Shhh!" She snapped.

He shook his head and yawned. He glanced at her quickly and saw her dressed and with her backpack on her shoulders. "Are we late for school? Did I sleep in?"

"Roxas!" She grabbed him and yanked him up. "Wake up and look around."

Groaning and rolling his eyes, he finally sat up and glanced around. "Where the fuck are we?" What had happened? Had they been kidnapped? There were boxes littered along the wall where his dresser should be. His bed was gone… had he just been sleeping on the floor?

"It's a storage room, in an office building… I think."

"An office? How did we…"

"Put these on." She pulled off her backpack and pulled out some of Roxas' clothes.

"Hey!" He snatched them. "What are you doing with my clothes?"

"Come on! We have to get out of here and find the others. I think we've merged." She slipped out the door.

"The others… merged?" He pulled his pajamas off and quickly changed. Then he hurried after her, out the door and down the hall. The set up seemed identical to the orphanage they'd grown up in. The walls were painted different and there were windows in the doors but it felt like home. They ducked around the corner, out of sight into what should have been a classroom and passed several rooms that should have had beds. As they approached the stairs that would bring them to the first floor and hopefully the exit, they heard a voice.

"Hey! What are you two kids doing here?" The man emerged from the stairwell, briefcase and coffee cup in hand.

Not skipping a beat, Nam smiled. "Where's the restrooms?"

He turned slightly and nodded. "Down the stairs and to the right."

"Thank you!" She glanced at Roxas. "See! I told you it wasn't up here, Billy!" She slapped his arm.

"One of your parent's work here?"

Nam nodded. "Bob."

"Robert Adams?"

Nam nodded, her smile widening.

"Yes…" The man said slowly. "I didn't… uh… well.. .maybe… I think I've seen a picture of you two. It's… uh… bring your kids to work day?" The man looked thoroughly confused.

Nam nodded. "Yes sir. Dad hasn't given us the tour yet so we got a little lost." She grabbed Roxas' hand and pulled him towards the steps. "Thanks for pointing us in the right direction."

The man nodded, shook his head, and turned. He continued on down the hall, not looking back to check up on the kids.

"Come on!" Nam hissed, pulling him down the stairs. "I have to use the bathroom. Billy!"

Roxas waited until they were halfway down the stairs before pulling her to a stop. "What the hell? Do you know him? Who's Robert Adams? And why'd you call me Billy?" He kept his voice low.

"I don't know anyone." She shrugged. "Bob is a very common name, chances are there's at least one in a building this big. I took a chance. It's good; it gives us a reason for being in the building. If we run into anyone else, I'm Kelly, you're Billy and we're Robert Adam's kids, here on take your kids to work day."

Roxas rolled his eyes. "Unless we run into Bob and say we're Bob's kids."

Nam smiled and grabbed his hand again. "Just come on. We can talk more once we get out of here." Together, they were able to navigate through the building and made it to the front door without being stopped again.

Roxas pulled out of Nam's grip and spun around to stare at the building they'd woken up in. "Wite & Sons Law Firm: Beating the Other Guy Since…" Roxas read the date and did the math in his head. "Wait… fifteen years?" He turned around, his eyes seeking out and recognizing every surrounding landmark. It all looked the same, except slightly different. The house across the street was white instead of gray. The public library next door looked remolded and a bit bigger. He pointed to the sidewalk in front of the law building. "Five years ago, Axel tried to teach me to skate and they were redoing the sidewalk. I lost control and rolled through the wet cement. Those tracks were still there yesterday." He started trembling as he looked at Nam. "What's going on?"

Namine stepped towards him, stopping just a few inches away. She lifted her arms and planted her hands on either side of his temples. "Sora." She said, her usual quiet and meek voice taking on a commanding tone.

A flash of light erupted behind Roxas' eyes. He closed them and grimaced at the pain that throbbed in his temple as the image of the brunet from his dream came back to him. "Ugh!" It wasn't just a dream. He remembered. He remembered living in Twilight Town before and growing up with Hayner and the others. He remembered fighting the heartless and nobodies. The abandoned mansion and the struggle tournament. And before, being in the Organization. Xemnas and Saix and everyone. And Axel. It all rushed at him, like flood gates being ripped open and drowning him.

As Namine released her hold on his mind, Roxas sunk to the ground. "Is… what… did that really happen? The orphanage… was that real?"

Namine sat down beside him, tossed her backpack beside them, and pulled her knees to her chest. "Both were… are… real Rox. We lived other lives, as Nobodies, and were reborn here. There… a copy-cat town."

He stared at her, his eyes falling down to her school clothes and to her backpack. "You've known… haven't you? How long?"

She followed his gaze and dropped her own. She rocked backwards a bit. "I think… I've always known." She admitted softly.

"Why didn't you tell us?"

She shrugged her shoulders shyly. "Because none of you remembered."

Roxas nodded slowly. "So… if we're here… Axel… he's still alive, right? Somewhere?"

She nodded. "I think they all are."

"Lexaeus…" Roxas smiled and laughed. "The basketball coach at school."

"Marluxia sneaking in with Larxene."

"The pawnshop down the street that Ax and I went to all the time!"

Namine nodded again. "Xigbar worked there."

"They all were… all Nobodies…"

Namine shook her head slowly. "Not all."

Roxas' eyes widened. "Zoey and Zander! They aren't from before… they aren't nobodies... who are they?"

Namine was silent for a while, thinking. "They are our friends. That I am sure."

"Are they… still alive?" He asked slowly, afraid of the answer.

She nodded again. "I think so."

"Okay." Roxas picked himself up off the ground and held his hand out to her. "Let's go find them."

"Hmm?"

"You said this… ours… was a copy. So… they have a house here, right?"

"I think…" She started as he pulled her up. "They were removed."

"Removed?"

She nodded. "Removed from our copy and placed, here, in the real time."

"Seriously? When?"

She hesitated before answering. "Right after they were adopted."

He gawked at her. "That was two years ago!"

She nodded again.

"Damn, Nam. I wish you had said something. Do you know how worried I've been about them?"

She cocked her head to the side. "If I had told you all… you would have thought me crazy. No one else remembered." She insisted. "I was never quite completely sure that I wasn't." She smiled. "I always thought... maybe… someday, someone would remember."

He laughed. "Huh… we didn't."

"Until today."

"Because we merged?" He asked, using her word from before.

She nodded.

"You felt it merge?"

She nodded again. "I woke up before it happened." She bent over and picked up her backpack. "I had a thought. That if everything merged, we'd be stuck with no money or anything and stuck in pajamas. I don't know how… but I thought… if we were wearing or holding something, I thought it would come with us. I was hoping, at least." Her cheeks reddened slightly. "It would be horrible if we all merged… naked!"

"Oh Namine!" He laughed. "That's just…" He laughed harder and struggled for breath.

"So anyways…" She said, clearing her throat over him. "I packed a change of clothes for us… and I… stole what munny I could…"

His laughter had slowed and his eyes widened. "What? You stole munny? From the Orphanage?"

"It's not real!" She said quickly. "It doesn't exist anymore!"

"Oh… yeah… I guess not…" He said slowly, thinking. "The others will remember too, right? We have to find them! Nam, you have to explain!"

She grabbed his arm before he could move. "Where do you think the first place Axel will go?"

Roxas opened his mouth but shut it quickly and glanced down. "I don't know."

"Yes you do. He'll come for you. And this is where he'll come. So…" She plopped down on the edge of the road and dropped her backpack beside her a second time. "Have a seat and wait."

Sulkily, Roxas dropped down beside her. "So everything's gone? The school, our rooms, our stuff, our clothes… besides that?" He pointed to her backpack.

"None of it was ever ours."

"No… I guess not." His head still swam from memories of all his existences. "From the beginning Nam, tell me everything."

She smiled and shook her head. "Why don't you tell me what you first remember?"

A million things popped into his head. The twins, her, Sora, Hayner, Siefer, Struggle, the abandoned mansion, seasalt ice cream, Axel… "I guess… the first thing… I was wandering along in the dark… Sora was turned into a heartless… and I was created… and Axel… he found me… he's the first thing I remember."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

They sat on the edge of the street talking for over an hour. No one who passed by gave the pair so much as a glance. It was very different from the neighborhood they had grown up in. A lot less friendly and a lot bleaker.

"So this merged thing you mentioned earlier… what exactly…" Roxas stopped mid-thought as a mop of red hair came into view down the street. "Axel!" Roxas jumped up and waved. He sighed deeply as Axel came into view, shirtless and shoeless, and waved back.

"I told you." Namine said smugly.

"Roxas!" Axel closed the distance between them and threw his arms around the blond. He hefted the smaller teen off his feet and locked his arms around the smaller waist.

"Damn, Ax!"

"Roxy… I'm so sorry!"

"I'm fine! It's alright!"

"No… it's not!"

"Ax… put me down! You're hurting me!"

Axel lowered him to the ground immediately and took a small step back. "Sorry." He muttered, looking embarrassed. "I just… I woke up this morning and I remembered everything! And I just… I'm sorry I haven't returned your calls or visited. I honestly thought it was the right thing to do but I can't do it anymore. Not that I guess it really matters since… whatever happened, happened." He looked confused for a moment but quickly shook it off. "Point is, I can't stay away. I lost you twice before and I'm not letting it happen again." He grabbed Roxas' hand and held it to his chest, overtop his heart. "I won't chance this ever again."

Roxas listened to Axel's touching speech with wide eyes. There was so much promise and commitment and… love. He smiled shyly and intertwined his fingers with Axel's. "I'll take it." He whispered.

Namine cleared her throat, reminding the two boys of her presence. "I don't want to interrupt your happy reunion but…"

"Right." Roxas looked back at Axel. "Where're the others?"

Axel lowered their intertwined hands and pursed his lips. "Oh… uh… I'm not sure."

Namine frowned. "Don't you live with Zex and Dem?"

"Lar too." Axel said, shaking his head.

Namine's mouth fell open. "I thought she moved in with her boyfriend."

"They broke up last week."

"Again?" Namine sounded sad. "She didn't tell me."

Axel shrugged. "Anyways… I kind of... ran out of there as soon as I woke up. I just… I didn't think about them. I had to make sure you were okay."

Namine stepped around them and pointed towards the way Axel had come. "Let's head back that way and see if we can't find them."

Axel, still holding Roxas' hand, offered Namine his free one. "Off we go."

"After we make a quick stop. You can't walk around like that." Namine said with a giggle.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

The three friends soon met up with their missing parts. Larxene was particularly grateful for the thrift store clothes Namine had found. Their next course of action was quickly decided. Locate the other person they knew they could trust, who had helped watch over them in both lives; Xemnas. And by extension, his boyfriend and fellow organization member, Saix. Where the counts lived, that they knew. How different it would be now in the real world, they didn't.

Larxene suddenly stopped walking and let out a loud groan. "I'm so tired of walking! This is so stupid!"

Demyx rolled his eyes at her. "What are we supposed to do? Our cars that didn't really exist aren't magically here to escort the princess."

Larxene shot him a glare. "Why you little…"

"Stop bickering guys." Namine said softly. "We'll find a way."

"Yeah, no cars and limited money, which you spent!"

At his comment, Larxene turned and punched him in the shoulder.

"Stop it." Namine grabbed Larxene's arm. "I didn't spend it all." She said softly. "But we can't spend it on a taxi. We may need it."

"Corridors of Darkness…" The silent Zexion muttered under his breath.

Axel spun around. "What?"

Zexion cleared his throat over the bickering and fighting. "Corridors of Darkness. The portals. Do you think we can still use the paths?"

"Zex, you're brilliant! Everyone! Stand back!" Axel took a step away from the retreating crowd. He raised his arm out before him as he'd done so many times before in his other life. The oval, obsidian portal of darkness appeared before him almost instantly.

"Yes!" Larxene hissed. "Getting around is so much easier when you're the bad guys."

"We aren't bad guys!" Namine insisted. "Not anymore. We're kids, who grew up together in an orphanage." Everyone turned towards her as she spoke. "What we did in our previous lives holds no meaning over our lives now. I don't think we should go in there."

"Don't be such a scaredy cat, Nam." Demyx said.

"Don't be mean to her!" Larxene slapped him.

"Namine might be right." Roxas said slowly. "We don't know what's gone through there since we last used them."

"Then we'll test it." Axel said, leaning forward a bit to peer inside. "I'll go and see if I can find the counts."

Roxas grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "No Axel!"

Axel smiled at his worry. "I'll bring them back."

"No!" Roxas insisted.

"Roxy, I'm the oldest…"

"By like a month!" Demyx snapped.

"Still oldest!" Axel stuck out his tongue. "I'll go in and if anything's wrong, I'll come right back." He looked at Roxas, an unspoken promise in his eyes. "But it'll be fine. I'll find the counts. And then we'll…"

Roxas took a deep breath and nodded. "Go find the twins?"

"Yes!" Namine clapped her hands together. "We can all be together again."

Axel nodded. "Right." He turned back towards the ominous black portal. "Easy… just like riding a bike." He stepped inside the portal and was immediately sucked into the darkness. He could feel the dark around him, like dark tendrils reaching out to touch him. He took a deep breath, lifted his arm in the dark void, and called the portal to open. He'd never been to the counts' apartment building before, but he knew the address. The oval opened in the darkness and light streamed in along with a familiar voice.

"They tore down our apartment building overnight! With us in it! Can they DO that?"

"Get a hold of yourself, Number Six… uh… Saix…"

Axel stepped out onto the street. An immense structure of iron beams and bricks stood before him. The sign out front said, 'The Future Home of Twilight Condominiums.' A large smile spread across his face as he spotted them. If he was honest with himself, he wasn't actually sure he'd be able to find them. "Guys! Xem! Saix!" He ran towards them, waving.

"Axel?!" They turned together, Xemnas first to find his voice. "Where'd you come from?"

"The Corridors of Darkness." Axel said, pulling up. "They still work… you do remember, right?" He asked slowly.

They exchanged a glance before Xemnas sighed. "It wasn't just a dream, was it?" He sunk to the ground. "I was happy when it was a dream."

"Xem…"

"I did… horrible things… to all of you guys… and everyone around me… horrible…"

"Xemnas!" Saix knelt down beside him and placed his arms around him. "We all did. It doesn't matter now."

"Yes it does!" He cried loudly. "We're the bad guys!"

"No!" Axel said, stepping closer and bending down. "We aren't the bad guys. We haven't done anything wrong."

"But…"

"Another life, Xemnas." Axel said softly. "Namine said we're different. We grew up together. We are a family." He stood up. "Our past memories don't count. We can choose our paths. From this day forward can be the good guys."

"You think so?"

Axel nodded.

Xemnas stood up, pulling Saix with him. "Nam… so I take it the lot of you hellions found each other."

Axel smiled and nodded. "They're all waiting for me to bring you back."

"Me?"

"Axel shrugged. "You're the leader." He laughed. "Even in this life."

That seemed to do the trick. "Alright then." He held up his arm and called to the darkness. The portal opened up quickly, seemingly devoid of life. Hesitantly, he started forward but was pushed aside by Axel.

"You're taking too long." He darted inside and vanished in the darkness.

"Axel!" Saix gasped, moving to stand beside Xemnas in from of the portal. "Well, Mr. Leader, after you."

Xemnas grabbed his arm and pulled him through.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

"You took too long!" Roxas wagged a finger as the red head emerged from the black abyss. "What were you doing? You go in, you get them, you come back!"

Axel stepped back and held up his hands. "Sorry, Roxy. I came back as quickly as I could." He drew Roxas flat against him and hugged him. "Shit, Roxy."

Xemnas and Saix appeared behind him. "Mouth, Axel."

Axel released Roxas immediately. "Sorry Xemnas… wait…" He spun around. "You're not a counselor anymore."

Larxene's eyes widened. "Yeah! We don't have to listen to you anymore, fucktard!"

"Lar!" Namine gasped.

"What does it matter anyways?" Roxas whispered to Axel. "You guys left the house already."

Axel shrugged. "Hard to break habit."

Xemnas crossed his arms, frowning at Larxene. "Maybe not, but as Axel said just minutes ago, I am your leader."

"Well, oh fearless leader" Larxene sarcastically bowed to him. "What should we do not?"

Xemnas ignored her sarcasm andlooked at each hopeful face and sighed. "I don't know. I hardly know what's going on."

Roxas smiled and hopped to Namine's side. "Catch them up, Nam."

They turned towards the quiet blond. "You know more than us?" Saix asked.

She nodded shyly. "Well…"

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

She went over again everything she had with Roxas, in greater detail. Her mind was like a book, able to turn to any day and recite word for word what happened. She was the keeper of their life stories in all existences. It was as freaky as it was cool. "It's the twins." She said softly. "Somehow, this all revolves around them. It started with them being brought in and basically ended when they were taken."

"Taken?" Demyx exclaimed.

"Adopted." Xemnas said. "I knew the whole thing was fishy. No one would listen to me."

"That's why you couldn't find them." Saix placed his hand on Xemnas' shoulder and squeezed.

"So… the parents…" Demyx started. "You think they brought them here?"

Namine nodded.

"Why?" Larxene asked.

"I don't know. Hiding them, safe keeping, aging…"

"Kidnapping!" Xemnas interrupted. "They kidnapped them, used that place to age them beyond recognition, and we watched out for them."

"It sounds stupid to me." Larxene said. "What makes them so special?"

"That doesn't matter!" Demyx snapped, grabbing her arm. "They're our friends!"

Larxene glared at him and shoved him. "Don't touch me!"

"Ouch! Get off Lar!"

Xemnas calmly pried the two blondes apart. He held them both at arm's length. "You two aren't helping!"

"We can't just leave!" She blurted out.

"Why not?"

"The others!" She snapped. "They're all… still here… somewhere." She mumbled, her tone dropping. "Thirteen! We're Organization XIII! Plus Namine!" She added quickly, glancing over at the only other female in the group. "But thirteen! That's six of us missing! We can't leave them here."

"She has a point…" Saix glanced at Xemnas. "Okay then… so… we split up." He suggested.

"No!" Namine said quickly. "We HAVE to stay together!"

Xemnas nodded. "We go after the twins first. Assuming the address was real, they could still be here. Once we do that…" He looked at Larxene. "We'll look for the others."

She pouted and crossed her arms but didn't disagree.

"We'll find Marly, okay?" He reached out and gripped her shoulder. "I promise."

"Whatever." She shrugged him off.

"Alright." He clapped his hands and rubbed them together for a moment. "Everyone in the portal!" A large. Ominous black oval opened up, big enough for them all to walk through together.

"I still don't think we should go in there."

Larxene pushed through and grabbed Namine's hand.

Axel tilted his head to the side, thinking. "What if we… change it… the Corridors of Light?"

"Light?" She glanced back at him.

"We'll hang lights inside. It'll be used for good."

Zexion reached out to touch the black void. "Can you hang lights in an unseen path?"

"We'll find a way." Larxene said, pulling Namine inside. "Just hold my hand." She whispered.

They followed Xemnas into the darkness and stood, waiting. Mere seconds passed before another portal opened up onto a residential street, lined with houses. "That one." Xemnas pointed to the one directly in front of them. A 'For Sale' sign sat in the yard, mocking them.

"This looks promising." Larxene mumbled.

"Shut…"

"We'll go ask the neighbors." Zexion pulled Demyx after him before the blondes could go after each other again.

Xemnas shook his head slowly. "Lar and Nam, go check the other neighbors." He turned to Axel and Roxas after Namine dragged her off. "You two, keep them all apart. I've got a headache. We're going inside. Look… or something… out here."

They watched the counts head into the house. Axel shook his head. "Who the hell leaves the front door unlocked?"

"It does say for sale."

"Yeah but… still… shouldn't be unlocked."

"Maybe they left in a hurry." Roxas shrugged. "You think they're okay, right?"

Axel was silent a moment, considering. "I have no idea. But I hope so."

Roxas nodded and turned. He glanced around the whole block. He wondered if they really lived here. What was it like? It was a farce, he knew. But how far did the farce go? Did the parents love them? Did they cook and help with homework and play games? Were they really a family? Just how fake was it? And why?

Axel stood, watching and fiddling with his zipper. "Rox…"

Roxas was torn from his thoughts and turned. "Yeah?"

"This is all a waste of time!" Larxene snapped loudly as she and Namine joined them. "The crazy drunk over there says no one lived here. Ever. He says there's no house. It's a hologram controlled by aliens."

Roxas turned as they approached. "Seriously?"

"I don't think he was drunk." Namine said with a giggle.

"Just crazy then." Larxene pouted but laughed too. "He said to stay away from the tree outback. It's a probing machine."

Roxas' eyes widened. "Lar!"

"I swear!" She held up her hands and laughed.

They were all laughing when the Counts returned with Saix carrying a box. "What?" Xemnas asked, looking around at them.

"Nothing." Namine said, recovering first. "Just that guy over there is crazy."

"Oh yes, a crazy guy. That sounds hilarious." Saix said sarcastically.

"Well… whatever. Nothing much inside." Xemnas said, pointing back towards the house. "Bunch of furniture and a box of medical journals or something."

Zexion stepped closer to Saix, his interest piqued. "Can I see?"

"Damn, Zex. Make some noise when you walk up!"

"Sorry." He muttered, stepping back.

The older man shrugged and nodded towards the house. "Let's go inside. We shouldn't all be standing around, looking like… whatever this looks like."

Zexion nodded and followed him inside.

"Wait!" Namine said, looking around. "Where's Demyx?"

"Still at the neighbors." Zexion paused and turned. "An old lady. She called me creepy and said she'd only talk to the cute blond."

"Everyone inside." Xemnas said, waving them towards the house. "Pretend we're not weird. I'll wait here for Demyx."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

"I really need to talk to her. As soon as possible." Demyx said, stepping back and raising his arms. The old woman had already tried to grab him three times. She was all hands. And she was old enough to be his grandmother.

"She'll be here in a few hours, sweetie. You can stay and wait with me."

"Uh…" Demyx shook his head. "I really should get back to my friends."

"Alright then." She said with a nod. "You come back okay? And tell your creepy friend he can stay wherever he is."

Demyx nodded slowly and ran for the door. He waved at Xemnas as he neared but didn't slow until he was next to him.

Xemnas cocked at eyebrow at him.

"Grandma over there likes them really young and blond." He shivered involuntarily. "Her granddaughter comes over after school each day. She said she was really close with the twins… so… maybe…"

Xemnas nodded as he bent down over the 'For Sale' sign. He took a hold of it and yanked. The post pulled from the ground easily. "This…" He said, turning back towards Demyx and holding it up. "Is a front."

Demyx frowned at it. "It's fake? How do you know?"

"No phone number, no realtor's name. Nothing." He ran his finger over the sign. "Someone just put a sign in the yard. I doubt if anyone knows about it yet."

"So you think it's safe here?" Demyx pointed at the house.

"There's furniture and the electricity still works. I'm telling you… they up and left. Without telling anyone."

"So we should leave?"

Xemnas shook his head. "Not yet. We have no idea where to go from here."

"So…"

"So we wait for your new girlfriend's granddaughter and see if she really was friends with the twins."

Demyx flipped him off.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Inside the house, the Organization orphans were making themselves completely at home. Larxene and Namine sat on the couch, flipping through channels on the T.V. Axel and Roxas came down the hall towards them after having snooped through all the rooms. Saix and Zexion sat the kitchen table, sifting through the box of medical junk.

"Cable still works." Larxene announced, hearing Demyx and Xemnas enter. She hit the power button and dropped the remote on the couch beside her.

"Find anything useful?" Xemnas glanced at Axel and Roxas and both shook their heads. "Saix, Zex… what about you guys?"

"Nothing I understand." Saix said.

"Zexion?" Xemnas moved closer to the table.

Zexion held up his hand, halting him.

"He's reading." Demyx said. "Let him."

Saix pushed the papers he was reading towards Zexion and stood up. "That's fine with me." He crossed the room and stopped beside Xemnas. "So… what's the move now?"

He shrugged. "We got time to kill."

"Awesome!" Larxene grabbed the remote and flipped the T.V. back on. "Someone make lunch. I'm starving."

"Get off your ass and do it yourself. You've got two hands."

"But Xem!" She whined loudly. "I'm wasting away! Haven't eaten all day."

Axel laughed. "None of us have."

Roxas glanced at him. "She does have a point."

Demyx shrugged. "Maybe there's something left in the kitchen."

"Who knows how long it's been in there." Axel said. "Find a phone book. We can order something, right Namine?"

She sighed but nodded. "Maybe there's a store nearby."

"Awesome idea!" Axel clapped his hands together. "We'll go secure us some food."

Xemnas nodded. "Be fast. Be careful. Don't talk to anyone."

"Yeah, yeah, dad." Axel grabbed Namine's hand. "Come on sis."

She laughed and let him drag her out the door.

Xemnas watched them leave. "Axel and Nam on food. Zex is… studying." He said, glancing at him. "Dem, you're waiting on the neighbor. Roxas… why don't you check out the kitchen? Saix, you too. See if there's any timeline. Lar…" He turned to her and she threw him a glare. He rolled his eyes. "Fine. Lar's taking a break."

"Lar is taking a bath." She said, rising to her feet. "Assuming it's functional."

"Way to help out." Demyx muttered.

"No more fighting. Please."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

The bathroom was indeed functional. Larxene found towels and soaps and hot water. Axel and Namine returned unscathed and they ate. Zexion finished reading all the papers and journals found in the box although he kept what he learned to himself for the time. And Demyx had returned from meeting the granddaughter.

"Anything?"

Demyx shrugged and handed over a folded piece of paper. "She said they left a letter for Rocky."

Xemnas eyed it for a moment before turning towards Roxas. "Must be you."

Roxas took the letter and unfolded it slowly. He scanned the contents and smiled. "Get me a pen."

Axel stepped into the kitchen and rummaged through the draws.

"What's it say?" Larxene yelled from the couch.

Axel returned with a pen and handed it to Roxas.

"When we were like… eight, Zander and I, we got in a lot of trouble for talking in class. Counts yelled at us all the time, threatened to separate us in different classes. So we promised if they let us stay together, we'd behave."

"What's it say?" Larxene yelled again, interrupting.

"Listen!" He urged. "So… the Counts thought we were behaving, doing homework and taking notes, right? We weren't. Well… we were. But we also sort of… snuck in words… a code, I guess. It was pretty simple, actually. We'd capitalize and lowercase words that weren't supposed to be. Stupid… but whatever. Never got caught. Just simple things, like the Counts smelled or cusswords or Zander's favorite… vagina."

Namine's mouth fell open as she rose from the couch and moved around towards them.

"He liked seeing how many times he could sneak it into homework assignments."

"So what's it say?" Larxene interrupted again.

Namina leaned closer to look at it. "I don't see anything."

"Here." Roxas pointed to a sentence. Remember? It was like Hello einstein, Let's Play. "See?"

She shook her head.

"Hello Einstein, let's play." He said out loud.

"H-E-L-P?" Axel spelled out. "Help?"

Roxas nodded. "And here. K-D-P. R-G. Longer words. When they were more than four letters, we abbreviated them usually."

Xemnas nodded slowly. "So K-D-P means something?"

"Kidnap." Zexion said.

Roxas glanced at Namine. "You think they knew?"

She shrugged slightly. "I don't know how they would find out… they didn't have any pervious lives… not that I know of."

"There must have been something." Axel said.

"The parents…" Zexion said slowly. "It was sort of all faked. The mother hated the father… maybe they caught some vibes or overheard a conversation or something."

"How do you know that?" Larxene snapped. She was still in the living room, but was now leaning over the back of the couch.

"In the journals." He answered simply. "I'll explain in a minute. Just trust me. They could have suspected something."

"R.G.?" Axel said slowly, thinking back to Roxas' code. "Radiant Garden?" He suggested.

"I think you're right." Roxas answered.

"So… help, kidnapped, Radiant Guardian."

"And vagina." Roxas said, shaking his head.

"Is that what is REALLY says?" Larxene said. "What if this code thing isn't actually there? You could just be reading into it what you want."

"It's pretty much gibberish. About their new school, about their old school, some Kindergarten play about Einstine's life—that we never did—and some old girlfriend of mine named Robin Gellar who didn't exist. None of it means anything, except the code."

"Then it's decided." Axel said excitedly.

"No it's not!" Larxene practically jumped over the couch to finally join them. "We can't leave!" She insisted. "We can't!"

"We can't stay here." Xemnas said.

"But… the others…"

"They won't stay either. They'll have woken up like us… right?" He glanced at Namine for confirmation. When the youngest of the group nodded, he continued. "They won't stay here."

"They'll be looking for us!"

"They'll look for us somewhere familiar." Saix said.

Xemnas turned to him, his eyes suddenly sparkling. "The castle! That's where they'll go.!"

"Split up?" Saix suggested with a slight shrug. "Half of us go after the twins and half to the castle?"

"No!" Namine squealed. "We have to stay together!"

"I'm not leaving!" Larxene snapped.

"Well we have to go to Radiant Garden!" Axel added.

"Enough!" Xemnas said over the yelling. "Nam… I'm sorry but we can't be everywhere at once. Eight people traveling together will cause problems."

"But…"

"Corridors of Darkness…"

"Light." Zexion corrected loudly.

"Whatever." Xemnas shook his head. "Point is… we'll never be far from each of us."

She looked down with a small sigh and said no more.

"Alright. Agreed? We split up." He looked at Saix. "Castle?"

Saix nodded.

"Saix and I will go to the castle. Lar…"

"I'm staying here!"

He rolled his eyes. "Yes. We already know that. But not alone. Who's staying with you?"

Larxene turned towards the other female in the group. "Nam?" She said her name softly. Namine looked up and nodded. "Nam and I will stay behind and scout for any sign or lead of the others." She said in a diplomatic manner.

"Axel?"

"We're after the twins." He answered and Roxas nodded.

"Dem? That leaves you two. I assume together?"

Demyx looked at Zexion and the quiet young man rose to his feet. "We'll go to Destiny Islands." Zexion announced.

"We will?" Demyx tilted his head to the side.

Zexion nodded. "To find Sora and Riku. To tell them about their… kids."

"Kids?"

"Who's kids?"

Zexion was silent a moment, trying to figure out how to explain everything he'd read. It was pretty unbelievable, but it sort of made sense, as long as he didn't think too hard about it.

"Zexion?" Xemnas promted.

"Spit it out already!" Laxene snapped.

"Give him a moment." Demyx snapped.

Zexion cracked a smile and laid his hand on Demyx's shoulder. "It's pretty unbelievable." He shook his head slowly. "It starts with a Nobody doctor named Veera and… from what I can gather… a sort of evil scientist named Zing."

Veera kept very detailed and precise notes. About everything. The impregnation, the fake death, the kidnapping, the copy-cat town, and everything in-between. Every detail, every thought, every ounce of hatred about what she was doing and the man who made her. It all made sense, in a bizarre way. All except the biggest question.

"Why?" Larxene gasped, clearly repulsed. "Boys don't have babies! Why force them to? Gross!"

Axel shrugged. "It's not THAT farfetched."

"She didn't know why." Zexion answered. "Besides his promise of getting her heart back."

"And making babies, hyper growing them, and kidnapping them get her a heart how?"

Zexion shrugged. "She didn't know."

Xemnas moved closer to the table and sunk down in a chair. He let out a sign and rubbed at his forehead. "Alright." He breathed out. "That at least answers a missing piece of the puzzle, even if it adds another. But it doesn't change our plan. We split up in four groups. Staying, Radiant Garden, the old Castle, and Destiny Islands." He looked around at them and sighed again. "What a fucked up mess."

"Mouth!" Larxene snapped indignantly.

He cracked a smile and let out a laugh. They all shared in the laugh for a few minutes. Then he stood up and clapped his hands together. "Alright. Those of us leaving… should leave at once."

Namine flung herself at him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Axel laughed, grabbed Roxas' hand, and threw himself at Xemnas as well. "Group hug!" The rest followed suit until only Larxene stood, her arms crossed and a glare on her face. Demyx and Axel leaned out and grabbed her.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

End of Chapter 29. Stay tuned for Chapter 30: Detained

Author's Notes: I've a few questions recently about the aging thing (and by recent, I mean like last time I updated and started writing this chapter note). The orphanage was in an alternate universe, an identical copy of Twilight Town. Zing had full control of it, including the ability to speed up time, basically like pressing a fast forward button (like on The Sims). He had a door/portal in which he could enter into the alternate universe. He dropped the twins off, left them, and that's that. A year passed by in about a week and a half. Zing told Veera to delete his alternate universe and kill of the Nobodies but she lied so while only a few weeks passed for the twins, for the organization orphans, it was a few years. Now everyone's in the same timeline. It's a little corny and whatever but I came up with the storyline 7 years ago.