Author's Note: YUSS! We have gotten this far! Woohoo! The best part is, WE ARE ON SCHEDULE! FOR BOTH UNIVERSES! This is happening at the same time as the chapter rar just posted, and just after the chapter I just posted. (At the same time as the chapter I plan to have up later this week.) WOO! Kay, enjoy the chapter now.


"Well, let's see how this works," Axel said, fingering the star shard in his hands. "Take me to where Kuin is."

The star shard activated.

Axel found himself in The World that Never Was. He frowned.

"Okay, I seriously doubt…"

"Axel, what are you doing here? I thought you were sent out on recon!"

Axel blanched at the Vexen Replica. (Well, he figured it was a Vexen Replica. Generally speaking, the Replicas were more polite than the original Vexen.)

He stood there, dumbfounded for a couple of seconds, trying to gather what the heck was going on.

Why was there a Vexen Replica in The World that Never Was? Why was he expected to be doing recon? This was back like the days at the…

Parallel universe. He was in that effing parallel universe that Xion had mentioned.

"Just got back," he said, off-handedly.

This seemed to satisfy the Vexen Replica (whose number just so happened to be Number 5). He walked away, satisfied with that answer.

"Assuming this is the same universe, then me and the other Axel aren't that much different. He's probably a traitor, too."

He snorted.

"I start analyzing things like those Vexen Replicas the minute I start being around too many of them. And I start talking to myself. Fan-freaking-tastic."

Axel decided that he would much rather be anywhere else but here. However, he wasn't exactly sure how the heck he was supposed to get back to his universe.

"It really bothers me how many privileges that L gets," Larxene Q (though Axel didn't know that) muttered.

"It's only because she went and got close to that gross 37!" another Larxene (Larxene H) replied.

"I don't know what she sees in him! All of the Vexens are so weird! And like… just… ew!"

"And to think that he actually likes her back!"

A Marluxia Replica (well, Axel figured that he was a Replica, everyone else here was) walked up to the pair of Larxenes.

"You do know that if either of them hears you talking about them like this, they will Rewrite you. Since Disabling isn't an option anymore."

Larxene H snuck her hand around his waist. "Oh, Bloodroot, you know we don't mean any harm by it!"

He kissed her forehead.

Axel puked a little on the inside. He then decided that they had to be Replicas. Because Nobodies didn't do crap like that.

"Axel!" Larxene Q said, looking at him.

Axel cursed internally. He was hoping to have left before anyone noticed him.

"Yes?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and hoping he sounded bored enough.

"Saix wanted you to report to his office as soon as you got back from recon!"

"Since when do I have to take orders from you?" he repeated, his voice sounding rather whiny in an imitation of her.

She looked taken aback.

He hoped that he hadn't just done something that the Axel from this universe would have done. That was the last thing he wanted to do, get a fellow Axel in trouble.

However, given the glare that the Larxene Replica was giving him, he figured this was merely normal.

He just about activated the star shard right then and there, just to freak them out. But he figured that probably wouldn't be something that this Axel would do. As much as Riku and Namine were going to kill him for this…

He stuck an arm out beside him and formed a dark corridor to his bedroom.

"Walking never was quick enough for you," Bloodroot muttered as Axel walked through.

Axel had been hoping that he would have shown up in his own room. Unfortunately, given the fact that this room had a dart board still on the wall, he had to assume that he was still in the other universe. In the other Axel's room.

"Well, this is odd."

"You're telling me."

Axel turned around to find himself face-to-face with, well, himself.

"Don't tell me they stole enough of my data to make a replica of me! I told Vexen…"

Axel threw up his hands in defense. "I'm no replica. Trust me. I'm not even a Nobody."

"You lost me."

"I'm from a parallel universe."

"You're joking."

"Yeah, I wish I was. I don't really understand much of it either. All I know is that the universe that I'm from and this universe are connected because of someone screwing around. My star shard decided that now would be an excellent time to come over here. Now I've gotta figure out how to get back."

"So, you're not some joke that Saix is playing on me?"

"Absolutely not."

The other Axel got a very maniacal grin on his face. He cracked his knuckles and flopped down on his bed behind him.

"Well, while you're here, why don't you say we have a little bit of fun?"

"Well, I was thinking about setting one of those Larxene Replicas on fire…"

"Which ones?"

"I don't know. There were two of them, and they were gossiping. Then a Marluxia Replica walked up and…"

"Oh, you can stop there. I don't want to hear it. You're talking about Q and H. H is the one with the… boyfriend."

"Man, I really feel for you."

"I get my revenge," the other Axel said, shrugging. "I have good fun."

"So, what do you propose we do?" Axel said, leaning casually against the wall.

"Well, currently right now there happens to be a small group of replicas breaking into Saix's computer room."

Axel raised his eyebrows.

"They're the Rebellion. They're hoping to lock Saix out so that he can stop Rewriting them at every turn of the chakram."

"And where do you stand on all of this?"

"Well, officially, I have to be against them. However, I'm all for them usurping Saix off of his high-horse. The power he got with the Replica Program went to his head."

Axel grimaced.

"Saix hates Replicas."

"Yeah, tell me something I don't know. And it's not like he even does anything! He just sends 37 and L to do most of his dirty work. Putting them together was a very bad idea."

Axel remembered the other two Larxene Replicas talking about L and 37. He decided he didn't want to know.

He snorted. "How so like Saix."

"What's Saix doing in your universe?"

"Oh, he's dead."

The other Axel blanched. His nose twitched. His eyebrows twitched. He coughed.

"Well then."

"Yeah, the darkness got to him."

"As a Nobody?"

"As a Somebody. I'm warning you now, don't get on Sora's bad side."

"Nah, here it's don't get on Riku's bad side."

"I've gotta ask. Roxas?"

"Replica. Mistake by Saix's standards. Think about it."

Axel growled.

"Yeah. I yelled at him for that one. I'm probably going to yell at him again."

"I wish you the best of luck with getting through his thick skull."

"Thanks. I'm hoping that this little incursion into Saix's computer will be enough of a blow. I'm the one that got them the darn key!"

Axel laughed. "Nice one, man."

He shrugged. "I like Joseph. He's a funny kid. Pity Saix had to go and scare 29 to the Rebellion's side. I liked having him around."

"I think I've met Joseph."

"Oh really now?"

"Yeah, he showed up in our Twilight Town. Bought me and my friends ice cream."

"That's Joseph, all right."

Axel was about to respond when he was interrupted by the sound of one of the Larxene Replica's shrieks.

"It's one of those stupid kids! Get him out of here! Get him out of here!"

The other Axel hauled himself off of his bed. "Speaking of the little devil. That's Joseph. He's the only kid still around." He shook his head. "The way she's screaming, you'd think she was talking about a cockroach."

The two Axel's stuck their heads out of the door and they looked down the hallway. Joseph was parading up the hallway with a wooden sword on his shoulder. No one else was around at the moment. They were probably all still in the Grey Area.

"Oh, don't mind me," he called. "I'm only creating a distraction."

"Joseph!" the other Axel hissed. "Do you want them to know that you're a distraction?"

Joseph looked over at the two of them.

"Hi!" he said. "Nah, it doesn't really matter. The one person whose name I can't mention here for reasons just said that I need to make a whole bunch of noise. I haven't even gotten to the chandelier yet!"

"The giant one in the Grey Area?" Axel asked.

"Yup! That's the one!"

Axel gave the kid a thumbs up.

"Hey!" someone else said. "Since when are there two of you!"

It was Xigbar. Or, well, someone that looked like Xigbar. Axel would not have been surprised if there were replicas of him too.

"Don't worry about it," the other Axel said. "Or, rather, shouldn't you be worrying about whatever it is Larxene H is screaming her head off about."

"How do you tell them apart?" Xigbar asked. "I'm a replica same as they are and I have no clue."

"Each Larxene has a different level of annoying. Or, maybe it just helps that I spent enough time with the real one." He shrugged.

"So, since when do you have a clone? I thought I was special!"

Axel wasn't sure if he could trust this Xigbar Replica. Himself, he could tell about parallel universes and whatnot. Xigbar… well, he never had trusted Xigbar. Replica of one or not.

"Oh, he's my friend," Joseph said. "I bought him ice cream once. And I never forget the people I buy ice cream for!"

This seemed to be enough to satisfy the Xigbar Replica. He pulled out his guns and started going to the Grey Area.

"Sure, so he walks towards the screaming Larxenes," the other Axel muttered.

"I should to back out there," Joseph mused. "I was causing way more of a distraction there."

"You go do that," Axel said.

Joseph marched off.

Axel took one look at his doppelganger. They exchanged a curt nod, then each of them pulled their hoods up.

"So, can you tell the difference of people in their cloaks?" Axel asked.

"Can you?"

He nodded.

"Must be an Axel thing." He tapped his forehead. "Got it memorized?"

They both laughed and made their way after Xigbar's Clone and Joseph.