Watching Xion cheerfully wave her keyblade around the Grey Area, even showing it to Demyx— who found it lame it looked like Roxas— Axel crosses his arms, quirking a smile at the sight. "She sure seems happy, now that she got her keyblade back." He remarks amused to Saix, who, pretends he hasn't noticed and busier with his papers, but Axel can see that the almost teal eyes are shifting to her once and a while. Axel eyes his blue-haired friend. "Been waving it around like a victory flag since yesterday."

Saix act that he does not care drops for just a moment, his eyes soften at the girl waving happily to them with her keyblade. Axel finds it cute in how much Xion seems to matter for his friend, and eyeing Xion, he can see she looks at Saix with admiration. "it's like watching a younger sibling."

"Don't be ridicules," Saix brushes that remark off, "we can't feel such bonds."

"Whatever you say." Axel smirks to his friend.

Resisting the urge to huff and roll his eyes at Axel, Saix decides to do his actual job and barks at the others. "Alright, enough playing around. get off your butts and get to work!"

Demyx, Xigbar and Xaldin all give him annoyed looks but does head out on their missions. Roxas seems a little annoyed too but has the air he understands Saix's action and Axel merely rolls his eyes, chuckling and both heads out. Xion is the only one showing enthusiasm for doing her job.

"Yes sir!" and she runs out to whack some Heartless with her keyblade.

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After missions, the group meets up at the clock tower, here Roxas makes an off comment that he wants to do this all the time. This actually made Axel snort a laugh and asks the kid amused. "Hang out all the time? That's so out of the blue."

"I know it's kind of sudden, but then we could eat ice cream like this forever!" Roxas says.

Chewing lazily at the cleaned stick, Saix tries to imagine them being up here all the time, and honestly, he thinks it will get boring if that's all they did. "Sounds like so much fun." He speaks sarcastically.

Roxas smile drops, he recognizes that tone and knows Saix didn't mean those words positively. He frowns and disgruntled at Saix has stopped that cheerful thought. "Well, I think it sounds awesome…" He grumbles, chewing on his ice cream.

"You guys…" Axel smiles at Roxas, like Saix, seeing the issue in Roxas so-called logic. "is eating ice cream together forever really the only thing you want to do?"

Xion and Roxas look at one another and at the same time replies: "Yes."

Resisting the urge to facepalm, Axel tries again, "Come on you two. Don't you think we'll get kinda bored if we did this all the time?"

Now that he mentions it, "Hmm, I guess it would…" Roxas muses, still he enjoys doing this and would like to do it more often, but he guesses it will get boring if that's all they did.

"It's a nice dream, but it's kinda hopeless," Axel takes a big chunk of his ice cream. "cuz we're Nobodies, remember? We could disappear at any time; leaving nothing behind and it sucks—" A sudden jag from Saix makes him turn and Axel stares into the horrified and sad looks of the two keyblade wielders. It takes him more than a little off guard. "Hey, what's with those looks?" He asks them dumbfounded, it's like he kicked their puppy or something. "I'm not trying to be cruel, that's just how it is for a bunch of Nobodies like us!"

"Might become real if we manage to get our hearts back," Saix speaks up, but like Axel, is starting to lose hope on that dream. "if it's even possible." He would like to have a heart again, feel genuine emotions instead of these ghost sensations.

But it has been ten years for them, so keeping up hope has become very difficult. "A silly dream, that's what it is." Axel shrugs, Saix nods in agreement.

"Well, maybe it's silly and just a dream, but…" Roxas smiles in this simple thought he wants to become a reality, "I will want to just be able to hang out with you guys forever." Xion nods in agreement.

Neither saw the strange look the two adults give them, for when Roxas turns to them, the look is gone. "What's your dream?" Followed by another question, "Is hanging out with us that bad?"

The look those two give them is adorable and so genuine it is impossible to resist. "…Of course not, dummy." Axel smiles, he turns to Saix when his oldest friend sits up, a face that reminds him of the first time Lea and Isa proclaimed each other as best friends.

Hanging out with Axel again, being around Roxas and Xion, both displaying such genuine emotions that one should think they both have hearts. It makes him feel like having one himself, hanging out with them like this; "I think it's the best idea I've heard all day." Saix says, turning his no longer yellow eyes up to the sky. Axel does the same and Saix finds himself in an old scene, back when they were kids and looking to the sky while eating the same brand of ice cream.

This time, Xion and Roxas are in this picture as well. That's where Saix thinks of something Axel said back when they were still humans. "As long we keep each other in our thoughts, we won't be apart. In a way," Saix turns slightly so his eyes can properly meet the two's, "we live in each other's memories." it does not go unnoticed for him that Axel remembers where this came from and his friend scratches his head.

Roxas titles his head at what Saix said; even if he didn't fully understand it, it does make sense. "So, as long we think about our friends, we won't be apart?"

"Exactly," Axel nods, tapping the sides of his temple with a smile. "got it memorized?"

"Hard to forget you; trust me, I've tried for years by now." Saix remark deadpan and gets shoved by Axel: "Hey!" the two kids laugh at the whole thing and after exchanging a look with one another, the two adults start laughing as well.

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"So, what now?" Axel asks, leaning up against the wall, watching Saix lazily but has full attention on him. "If what you're saying is true, there's really no use for us to play after Xemnas fiddle." They only went along because of the promise the Organization will help them regain their hearts, but if that's just a fat lie... "We could just leave, try to make the best out of this pitiful existsene."

"We could," Saix agrees quitely, however, "but you know as well as I that betraying the Organization is not tolerated," Saix points out, gesturing at the scar on his forehead, adding. "otherwise, we might end up as those in Castle Oblivion."

Axel drops his gaze at the two reminders. Marluxia and Larxene were eliminated because they were planning to overthrow Xemnas, hence why he was sent to remove them. The senior staff was just in the way for– the back then, cold and cruel Saix's plans. And back when he and Saix were still new, They were still two rascals, didn't listen to the older Nobodies command and Saix especially held no sense of obedience towards Xemnas command. That got them into their share of beatings, never kept Saix down for long though, but after one too many disloyal stunts, Xemnas put his friend up to show and tore that x-shaped mark into his forehead. Saix was never the same person after that, well now he is, but it was one hell of a long wait before his friend would return. "We're stronger this time around. I mean, I can easily measure up to Luxord and Demyx, and I'm certain you're in the same league as Xaldin and Xigbar."

"What about Xemnas?" Saix demands, he is strong but does not think he can defeat Xemnas. Not to mention: "and if we turn against the Organization, every dusk— thousands must I remind you, will be chasing us down. There won't be any rest for us." His eyes narrow at the thoughts of their dark situation. "There's nowhere to run…"

Axel drops his head at the reminder, well aware that there is no place safe for them. The sound of chatter makes him look up, Xion and Roxas come walking, both smiling at whatever they are talking about. The conversation from yesterday pops to mind, seeing them show the same light he and Saix did before they became Nobodies, "They don't deserve this…" and this gives him an idea, a crazy one but it might work. "What if we took Roxas and Xion with us?"

He wants to say that it's a stupid idea; it is but what Axel said does make him realize. "Xemnas needs keyblade wielders to whatever plan he has. I do not fully believe he is going to use Kingdom Hearts for our benefit and with them, we might gain the upper hand."

Quickly catching on what Saix is indicating, "Is that all you see them? Tools for our own agenda?" Axel asks and so glad neither of the twoise in earshot.

Saix shakes his head. "No, I don't see them as tools, but I won't deny their usefulness for us either."

Axel crosses his arms, "So we're going to keep them close?"

Saix nods, "Yes, make them trust us above anyone else; so if the day arrives, they will side with us over the Organization." having Xion and Roxas as allies will be incredibly useful. More so when they both have keyblades, something Xemnas desperately needs. Saix turns his gaze to Kingdom Hearts, Xemnas promise for them to become whole, but Saix is starting to get the sense that's not Xemnas agenda. The members of the Organization are mere tools and Saix is getting tired of being used as one. "With them, we hold the power of the flow of hearts."

Axel can see Saix point, Xion and Roxas are the most important members of the Organization and if those two sides with them, Xemnas has lost the keys that form the promise of gaining a heart. And the task of keeping the two on their side, yeah, it's not that hard. It's as simple as being their friend. "We already have them on our side. Xion and Roxas consider us both as friends."

"But knowing Xemnas, he will do something to split us apart." Saix points out, Xemnas has hinted in using Xion to keep Sora from ever waking again. Saix is not sure how exactly that works, only that he does not care about Sora's fate. As long this plan won't harm Xion or Roxas, then he will go along, for now at least.

Noticing the other members are arriving, Saix signs to Axel that they can't be seen conversing together. His friend gets the hint and walks off.

Pretending he never had the conversation with Axel, Saix sends each member off on their mission. With them out, he returns to his room and begins working on reports. The silence is eerie, and it does not make it better that his mind is constantly wandering back to his childhood.


I find it incredibly cute and fun in how naive Roxas and Xion are at times, but it does make sense as they both have no memories on how to act, so they depend on Axel and Saix to explain to them how things work.

Axel and Saix are making up their own plans, this time around as equals and not superior and grunt. It does make Axel way more cooperative towards what Saix is telling him.

Comments are always welcome, I will respond to them in the next chapter.