Xemnas stood in the Altar of Naught, looking up at the great moon. His arms were lifted as if he were praying.

The Program approaches completion. Through Roxas, Xion is assembling a copy of the hero of the Keyblade. As proof, she sometimes appears to take on his form to my eyes.

Naminé must be with Sora, trying to repair his memories. And if Naminé has realized that his memories are being diverted into a third party, she is no doubt influencing Xion, causing her to question herself. And if Xion is being influenced by Naminé, she'll be led straight to Sora. Then she—or rather, it—can fulfill its true purpose as a Replica and become...complete.

"Get up."

"Just five more minutes…" Axel mumbled.

"No. Get up—now." The voice was distinctly annoyed.

Axel relented and opened his eyes. "What are you even doing in here?"

Saïx was standing next to his bed, as irritated as one might have guessed from his voice.

I haven't been this rudely awakened since before turning into a Nobody.

"Xion ran away."

Axel sat up. "Ran away…?" No. She deserted Organization XIII. Xion… He climbed out of bed and started to freshen up.

"That was a quick reaction. You seem to be wide awake now," Saïx remarked.

Axel leaned back and stretched. "I'm guessing you're gonna tell me to go find her."

"Good guess. Xion is probably heading to Castle Oblivion."

"…What would that mean?"

"Of the two of us, I imagine you must know Xion better by now. Weren't you looking into that?"

Axel was stunned into silence. Guess Saïx wasn't really fooled by my lying back then.

"What Xion does has no impact on us," Saïx went on. "But we can't have it poking around there. You're to go and destroy the facilities. That is my only order. After that, do what you like."

Axel nodded and left his room.

Well, this is pretty bad. Xion may seem like a normal girl. But I've seen what Replicas really are. If she finds out she's a fake, she might react like the Riku Replica did. The organization can't afford to lose control of a being that powerful. I'll probably be ordered to destroy her. I can't let that happen.

Don't do anything stupid, Xion.

In the Round Room, with Xemnas and Xigbar in attendance, Saïx carried on his report of Xion's desertion. "I sent Axel to Castle Oblivion on short notice last night to address the matter. I also instructed him to clear out our facilities there. He should be returning soon."

The question from Xemnas surprised him. "And where is Naminé?"

Why Xemnas would be inquiring about Naminé rather than Xion, Saïx couldn't fathom, but he had to answer anyway. "Still missing, sir."

"Ha-ha! Where, oh where she be?" Xigbar snorted with laughter.

"Why, Xigbar, it almost sounds as if you know," Saïx said.

Xigbar just stared at him with a taunting smirk. "Hee hee."

Xigbar's intentions were even more opaque than Xemnas's. Saïx didn't like it one bit and gave him an icy harsh glare.

"Continue the report," Xemnas prompted him, interrupting the tension.

"I found records of an unauthorized access to our main computer," said Saïx.

"And you expect us to believe you really don't know who it was? As if." Xigbar pressed. A nasty smirk twisted his mouth at Saïx's silence. "Our little Poppet's turning into a problem. The resemblance is striking, isn't it?"

Poppet…? Apparently, that meant Xion. But what resemblance was he referring to? Xion was just as much a puppet as ever. Saïx had no time for all these deliberately oblique remarks from Xigbar. "Nonsense. I see no problem whatsoever."

Xigbar only laughed louder. "Pa-ha-ha! Well, no, apparently you don't!"

"Something you find amusing?"

"Ah, the things you hear from a guy with no heart," Xigbar said through his hilarity.

None of us have hearts, Saïx was about to remind him, when Xemnas spoke again.

"No matter what unfolds, our plans remain unchanged. Axel, Roxas, and Xion will play the roles Kingdom Hearts has chosen for them."

"But, sir, Xion…" Apparently, Saïx was the only one in Organization XIII who had misgivings about what Xion meant to do. "If we don't—"

"Leave it be. How can you not see how perfect this is? In truth, this is more than perfect." said Xemnas.

Saïx averted his eyes, unable to follow.

"Xion is marching right into the arms of destiny, but to destiny's own time," Xemnas told him. "We need not take any more steps. All we must do is watch with caution and patience."

What is that supposed to mean? Saïx hesitated to draw any conclusions from it at all.

By the time Axel opened Castle Oblivion's large front doors, Xion was already there, on her knees.

She turned to face him. "Axel… What are you doing here?"

Looking down at her, he scratched his head uncertainly. "I had orders, that's all. Nothing to do with you. I don't know what you thought you'd find in an empty place like this, but there's nothing for you to see here."

"Don't lie to me!" Xion cried. "I know this is where I come from! The answers are here."

Axel shook his head, unruffled by her shouts. "Don't be selfish. You can't just throw orders to the wind and do whatever you want."

"Or else what? They'll turn me into a Dusk?"

"Worse than that. They'll skip right to destroying you."

Xion looked at the cold white floor. "Because I'm useless?"

"I didn't say that." Axel shook his head again and took her arm, pulling her to her feet. "Just go home, Xion."

This time she shook her head. "I'm remembering things. About who I was as a human."

"Well, stop remembering. Nothing good will come of it," he immediately snapped back.

Xion didn't understand how he could say that. She'd just put all her effort into explaining, and all he did was shoot her down. "I've been having dreams every night! You're in them, too, Axel!"

"Then they sure ain't memories. How could I be part of your past? They're just dreams, that's all. Use your head, Xion."

"No they aren't! You can't fool me!" Xion shouted. "We've met before, Axel, right here in this castle!"

She must be remembering what Sora experienced. "No, we haven't." Axel put his hands on her shoulders to peer into her eyes. "Xion, just go back. Roxas is gonna be wondering where you are. Don't keep him waiting."

"Axel, please—just listen to me! I need to know who I am!" She wriggled away from his patronizing attempts. She had to know. So she ran.

"Xion, don't! Stay out of there!" He started to chase her, but Xion opened the door at the end of the hall.

And someone was blocking Axel's path—another young man in a black cloak. Riku. As Xion closed the door, Riku stared steadily at Axel. Or he faced Axel anyway. His eyes were covered by a strip of black fabric.

"…Riku," Axel muttered, readying his chakrams. It hadn't quite been a year since Axel had last seen him, and yet, Riku had grown into a completely different person. "Out of my way! I don't have time for you right now."

"Let her do what she likes," said Riku.

"I said get out of my way," Axel demanded. He summoned his weapons.

"Stop it. I have no intention of fighting you."

"Oh, you don't huh? Then maybe you shouldn't meddle in the affairs of others!" Axel hurled his chakrams.

Riku smoothly dodged. "Like I said, I don't want to fight."

"Then do me a favor and drop dead!" Axel's chakrams clashed against Soul Eater.

"Hn!" Riku took a hit and his weapon was flung into the air.

Axel swiftly grabbed his arm and pinned him to the floor. "You should learn not to mess with grown-ups."

"She's already decided where she wants to go," Riku said resolutely. "There's nothing you can do to stop her."

Axel had no heart. So why did those words cut life a knife? "What the hell do you know!?" He raised his chakram to Riku's head, planning to finish him off right then and there.

Riku quickly lifted his blindfold and peeked out. Suddenly a huge blast sprung forth, sending Axel crashing against the wall.

"...Wha—!? Hgck!" Axel groaned in pain. What happened? He stared at the now blindfolded Riku, who was about to leave. "W-Wait! What do you want with Xion?"

Without answering the question, Riku vanished into a dark portal without a trace.

Axel was left tending to his injury. "Wow...That hurts. Damn it."

It was just Xemnas and Xigbar in the Round Room now.

"It seems Saïx doesn't truly 'see' her," Xigbar said.

"Indeed," Xemnas responded. "Xion's appearance should vary based on the relation of the viewer to her. But Saïx sees her simply as a puppet."

"How interesting."

Xemnas thought back to a conversation he had with his 'friend'.

"Aqua, listen. I promise this is me. But I'm not myself."

"What do you mean?"

"You're using the name 'Terra'. That means you're seeing me the way you remember me. But your heart is just painting the picture that it so wants to see. The real me is lost in shadow."

"Then you're here, trapped in the realm of darkness."

"No. My heart has ties to the dark. That must be why we can talk. But I can't see anything, Aqua. If you say Ven is there, then he's like me—an illusion created by your heart."

Just like Saïx, Terra could not see anything, either. His heart was lost to the void, the world of nothingness. But Xehanort's heart was still present in Xemnas, allowing him to see Xion. On the other hand, Saïx no longer had a heart of his own.

"Xion's appearance is an illusion," Xemnas said. "What we are seeing is Kairi the way Sora remembers her. Sora's heart is merely painting the picture he so desperately wishes to see. Saïx has no heart with which to see, because it has returned to the void."

"Haha! I guess he's the only one of us who's truly a Nobody." Xigbar continued laughing. "Man, oh man! I'm not sure what Axel sees in that guy."

Xemnas's expression didn't change. He almost seemed to have pity in his voice. "Whatever Axel sees in Saïx is merely an illusion. His heart is blinding him to the truth, causing him to only see things the way he remembers them. It's painting the picture he so desperately wishes to see. No different than Xion."

Axel arrived on Destiny Island. He was quite familiar with this world, but it was his first time coming here in person.

"Not here either," he said quietly to himself. "Xion...where are you?"

Xion wanted to know who she really was. So, I figured maybe she came here to Destiny Island. But so far there's been so sign of her.

Axel walked across the upper tier of the wooden boardwalk, overlooking the pier and the boats. Suddenly he heard voices.

"Uh-oh. Locals." Fortunately, they were down on the beach and didn't see him.

"It's finally summer!" Tidus stretched. "Maaan, I can't wait for summer vacation to start! We'll get to come out here every day!"

Wakka looked over at Selphie. "So, Kairi said she doesn't wanna come out to the island at all?"

Selphie shook her head. "Mm-mm."

Tidus sighed. "She used to come. But all she'd ever do is stand by the shore and stare out at the sunset. I figured she'd have cheered up by now, but she always seems so sad."

"I hope she feels better soon..."

The three played ball for a bit, then left. It was getting late. Axel approached the pier and sat down, watching the sunset. The horizon began to glow, almost like it was on fire. The way the sun reflected on the sea was so pretty.

If Xion is supposed to be a Replica of Sora, I wonder why she looks like Naminé. No. Like Kairi. I know the Riku Replica was created when Vexen sampled his memories. And Xion was born in Castle Oblivion. She told me she remembers meeting me there.

"I'm remembering things. About who I was as a human."

It was Sora's memories of Kairi that we took from him. His most precious memories. Those of Kairi. Maybe...she absorbed Sora's memories while he was there.

"Hey, Axel."

"Hmm?"

"You know how you were talking the other day about how we all have pasts? When I sit here watching the sunset with you guys, I get the strangest feeling…like I used to watch the sunset with someone else a long time ago. …I get the same feeling when I look at the sea."

"So you mean that...you have memories of your past?"

"No, not quite… Well, I dunno. Maybe it is a memory."

"Hey, don't ask me."

"But you have memories, don't you?"

"Yeah. Not that they've ever really done me any good."

Xion told me that she used to watch the sunset with someone else. She was no doubt remembering one of Sora's most precious memories of Kairi. They used to sit in the same spot I'm sitting now.

"You know, Riku has changed."

"What do you mean?"

"Well..."

"You okay?"

"Sora, let's take the raft and go—just the two of us!"

"Huh?"

"Hee hee. Just kidding."

"What's gotten into you? You're the one that's changed, Kairi."

"Maybe... You know, I was a little afraid at first, but now I'm ready. No matter where I go or what I see, I know I can always come back here. Right?"

"Yeah, of course!"

"That's good... Sora, don't ever change."

As we get older... there's a distance that grows between us and our close friends. Riku was growing up so fast. He got bored of doing the same thing every single day. He wanted things to change.

But Kairi. She was afraid. Afraid of growing up. Afraid of things changing.

She's originally from Radiant Garden, too. Xehanort experimented on her and then she wound up here. She lost everything she ever knew, then she met Sora. But now, he's gone away and left her behind. She must be lonely. All she can do is look out at the sunset and wait for him to return.

Axel stared out at the sea and listened to the sound of the waves. The sun seemed to just linger there in the sky.

"I just...want these days to last forever. Hanging out, the ice cream, the sunsets..."

"Nothing lasts forever, man. Least of all for a bunch of Nobodies. But you know, we'll still have each other...even if things change and we can't do this anymore."

"Yeah?"

"As long as we keep each other in our thoughts, none of us will ever have to be apart. Got it memorized?"

Everything...always changes. Nothing stays the same forever. I knew that. But...I don't know if I can bring myself to tell Roxas.

Axel slowly ascended the stairs of the clock tower. The gulls could be heard cawing in the distance.

I couldn't find her anywhere.

As he got to the top, he saw Roxas sitting there by himself. He stared at his back for a few seconds. He took a deep breath and put on his mask. He always wore this mask. For Xion and Roxas's sake. For his own sake. It was the facade of the easygoing, happy-go-lucky guy. Nothing ever fazed this Axel. But...it wasn't the real him. This Axel was a fake—just a persona he adopted.

"Hey, you're early."

Roxas turned with a grin. "No, you're just late."

This will be the last day everything will be normal between me and Roxas. Axel smiled, though only faintly, and sat down beside him. The sinking sun drenched them in light.

The sound of the breeze was a little loud. "Today makes two hundred fifty-five…" Roxas murmured.

Chewing on his stick, Axel cocked his head at him. "What's that about?"

"It's been that many days since I joined the Organization. Man, time flies."

"So, you got the number memorized, do you?"

"Yeah. Have to hang on to something, right? It's not like I have memories from before the Organization. Don't you remember? I acted like a zombie." Roxas clasped his hands and looked down at his lap. "I don't remember anything about my first week, so I wanted to make sure I remembered everything after that."

Axel stared deeply at his face as if trying to figure something out. He thought back to Roxas's first week.

"I could've done that blindfolded."

Out of nowhere, Roxas had given him a very human reaction. It had been completely different from anything else at that point. It was the first time he displayed a sense of self. It gave Axel a strange sensation. It felt so...familiar. But he had never felt that way before. Or at least he couldn't remember feeling that way before.

Until now.

Axel was now grinning and he clapped Roxas on the shoulder. "Right, that first week you could barely form a sentence. But come on, you're still kind of a zombie."

"Oh, thanks!" Roxas huffed, and they laughed.

Then they fell quiet and watched the sunset.

That's right. That's what I was trying so hard to remember. One of my most precious memories. That was...the first day we ever watched the sunset together here at this spot.

Even though he had no memories at all, in his heart, he still remembered me.

The sunset here never changes. It's still the same as it was back then...

Lea led Isa back up to the top of the clock tower. He had taken a liking to that spot. It was his own little hideaway. For the last seven days, he had been bringing Isa here with him after work.

"Finally. Ugh. I'm exhausted." Lea plopped down on the ledge. He spent the entire day doing odd jobs around town to make munny so they could stay in a hotel. He always took Isa with him so he wouldn't be left alone. But he had no idea what his long term plans were.

Following his lead, Isa silently sat down beside him and stared blankly.

The clock tower's bells chimed the hour, signifying the end of another day. There were a bunch of kids playing down below. It was summer now.

I wonder how everything is gonna be from now on. What am I going to do?

After a few minutes of silence, Lea glanced over at Isa, still as expressionless as ever.

For the entire day, Isa didn't respond to anything Lea said and Lea didn't expect him to. He wasn't sure if he would ever respond to him again. The very thought usually made his chest tighten with worry. But strangely, today, all he felt was a sense of peace and tranquility.

If anyone else were to look at him, they'd see a broken shell of a person. But when Lea looked at him, he saw Isa, his best friend; the same person he always was. Maybe that was just his heart was painting the picture it so desperately wanted to see. But Lea didn't care. Even though most of the other test subjects lost their hearts, Isa didn't. Isa was still Isa deep down. And that was all that mattered.

Lea smiled gently at him. "Don't worry. I'll always take care of you. No matter what, I'll work really, really hard and make enough munny for us both to have everything we need."

It felt kind of relaxing talking to Isa like this. Lea knew he probably wasn't aware of what he was saying. But just thinking out loud, voicing his thoughts to another person; it felt nice. He could say whatever he wanted to, without holding anything back.

"Now that I think about it, I guess this what adulthood feels like, huh?"

The sound of sea gulls could be heard cawing in the distance.

"You know what? It's scary. To tell you the truth, I never wanted to be an adult. When you grow up, things always change. You barely have any time to have fun. You can't do whatever you want anymore."

His eyes narrowed as he gazed up at the sky vacantly. It was a bright red tapestry of clouds. The entire city could be seen from this clock tower and it was painted with the same hue.

"And...worst of all, when people grow up...they grow apart. Everyone usually goes off to live their own lives. You don't get to spend every day with your friends any more. Eventually...they forget all about each other. It's... pretty lonely if you ask me."

Lea grimaced for a moment, then looked over at Isa once again, patting him on the shoulder.

"But it's all right. 'Cause I'll always have you here with me. Right?"

After pouring his heart out, Lea turned toward the sun again and leaned his head back a bit. He could feel its gentle warmth on his face. He couldn't tear his gaze from it. It was so beautiful. Everything in that moment feel so vivid and full of life because of it. He closed his eyes.

If you stare at the sunset, the image sticks on the back of your eyelids, and it feels like you can still see it, even with your eyes shut. A phantom sun.

With his eyes shut, Lea made a wish.

Whether Isa wakes up or not, it doesn't matter. I just want us to always be together. That's it. That's all I want.

Lea opened his eyes and continued absentmindedly talking to Isa—or probably more to himself. He was still gazing out at the sunset. "The sun sure is out late today, huh? I figured it'd be dark by now. Oh yeah, it's the first day of summer, so I guess that's why. They say it's the longest day of the year."

As Isa sat beside Lea on that midsummer's night, his consciousness slowly came into focus, like he was waking up from a dream. The haze was being lifted and the dawning light of self-awareness fell upon him. The first thing he saw was the glowing red light of the sunset. It was so bright he squinted under its brilliance. At the same time, he heard someone beside him talking.

"Ya know, I never really noticed it before, but the sunset... It makes everything look red. I wonder why that is. Why the sunset is red..."

"It's because light is made up of lots of colors. And out of all those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest."

Lea jolted his head towards the owner of the unexpected voice that just responded to him. He stared at him in disbelief. He didn't even know what to say. "Y-you just...! How did...?" He couldn't help but fumble over his words. "Th-that was incredible!"

Seeing his astonishment, Isa looked at him with a boastful grin. He may have been out of his element fighting Heartless, but he was always very confident about his studies.

At that moment, Lea was speechless. But then he began to chuckle loudly. All the tension he had been feeling melted away instantly. He couldn't stop laughing as his chest swelled with happiness. He felt like it was about to burst. Soon Isa began to laugh along with him. They both laughed and laughed as it echoed through the station plaza.

Isa. That freakin' know-it-all. It's just like him to brag like that. He...hasn't changed a bit. I bet that was part of the summer homework I slacked off on or something.

Lea wiped his eyes with his sleeve. He stuck his hand in his pocket, dug out a little bit of the munny he had earned, and counted it. 400 munny.

"All right, smart aleck. That was pretty impressive. For that, you deserve a little something extra. Wait here, I'll be right back."

Isa watched as Lea raced down the stairs and darted off in the direction of the Tram Common. A few minutes later, he returned from the Sweets Shop with two sea-salt ice creams in hand. He handed one to Isa.

"Here ya go. Your reward. You definitely earned it."

Isa looked at the ice cream for a few moments. It seemed like he had never seen one before. He slowly took a bite out of it. Then he turned his head and looked directly into Lea's eyes, wearing a soft warm smile. "Thank you."

Seeing that smile again after so long, it felt like nothing else in the world mattered. Lea knew without a doubt that he would never forget this day.

I feel so happy right now. Yeah... Everything is okay. I can handle anything, as long as we're together.

While Isa was slowly eating his ice cream, Lea looked over at the profile of his face. He was gazing at the sunset, his features enveloped in a warm crimson glow. It almost looked as though he had a red aura. Everything in that moment looked so beautiful.

I wish this moment could last forever...

"Our most precious memories lie so deep within our hearts that they're out of reach."

This past year, I've remembered a lot of things while talking to Roxas. A lot of precious memories. But I could never share them. Ever since I went to Castle Oblivion last time, I knew there was something I was supposed to remember. I couldn't remember it, and I couldn't remember why I couldn't remember it. Well today, I finally remembered it. I think it's all right to share this precious memory with Roxas.

Axel gazed out at the sunset and smiled. "Hey, Roxas…"

"Hmm?"

Axel's face was limned with the sunset's glow, his red hair shining crimson. "Bet you don't know why the sun sets red." He eyed Roxas mischievously. "You see, light is made up of lots of colors. And out of all those colors, red is the one that travels the farthest." He finished with a boastful grin.

"Like I asked! Know-it-all," Roxas retorted, and Axel let out a low laugh. He wasn't quite himself today, though Roxas couldn't have said exactly what had changed about him. Still, it wasn't a bad thing. Roxas laughed, too.

Some time passed and Axel found himself reclining backwards, resting his head on his hands. I can't believe I forgot about that day.

"Seriously, where is she?" Roxas thought aloud.

Just like that, Axel was snapped back from his nostalgia into the grim reality of the present. Roxas couldn't see his expression darken.

Xion is never coming back. She remembered who she used to be. She has a new purpose now... there's no going back... I can't bring myself to tell him that things will never be the same again. Roxas is going to feel the same pain I felt. The last time I sat here and watched the sunset all those years ago with Isa...

Isa's purpose was being needed by me. All he ever wanted was to help me. He was never that good at fighting. There wasn't much he thought he could do. He overexerted himself to the point of exhaustion, for my sake.

In time, he awakened to a new purpose. He realized he could become stronger. That was when he changed. It all happened the day we got our new names. The day all his memories returned. And now...he's a totally different person. I'm sure he doesn't think about any of these memories like I do. He's grown apart from me.

He sat upwards and turned away from Roxas so he couldn't see his face. "Roxas… I'm not sure she's gonna show today," said Axel.

Roxas shifted his head. "Did she collapse again?"

"…Oh, didn't you hear?" said Axel. "She got sent on a really important mission. Pretty cool, huh?"

The way he said it didn't quite sound natural. Like maybe he was trying to keep Roxas from worrying. "Oh…" Roxas sighed. "So when's she coming back?"

"Well, I guess that depends on how well she does her job, right?"

"Fair enough…" Roxas looked out at the red sky and bit into his ice cream. "I hope we get a day off soon…so the three of us can go to the beach."

The last rays of the sun cast him in their brilliant red hues.

It was the 256th day.

How many days had it been since he was last summoned to the Round Room?

Axel sat in his usual seat, waiting for Xemnas's arrival. His arms were folded sullenly and he couldn't bring himself to make eye contact with Roxas.

The air trembled, and Xemnas appeared. "Xion is gone."

Roxas stared at him in shock. The other members of the Organization looked startled as well.

"What?! Whoa, whoa, time out…" Demyx hunched his shoulders. "You mean she, like, flew the coop?"

"Preposterous," said Xaldin. "What would drive her to choose her own demise?"

Xemnas interrupted them. "No one is to go looking for Xion."

"What do you mean!?" Roxas was immediately on the defensive.

Xemnas briefly glanced at him but offered no answers.

Saïx spoke instead. "It simply means that it's best left alone. Is there something you find dissatisfying?"

"Shouldn't someone go and bring her back?!" Roxas shouted.

Those words. Bring her back. Axel felt a sharp sensation burning in his chest.

The answer from Saïx was but one cold line. "Why bring it back?"

Roxas didn't know how to answer that cold, flat question. He just wanted things to stay the way they were. But Saïx wouldn't understand that.

As Roxas hesitated, Xemnas turned to him slowly, almost admonishing. "All will be revealed when the time comes."

Axel finally stopped sulking with his arms crossed and looked up. "Which means, if the time doesn't come, things can stay as they are."

Saïx glared at him, then stared at some imaginary point on the floor. "Lord Xemnas has spoken. Obey or face your end."

After Saïx's warning on his behalf, Xemnas vanished from the room. The others followed suit. Soon, only Roxas and Axel remained.

"Axel…?"

"Time to get to work. I'm heading off now." He disappeared into a dark portal.

I didn't know what to say. I couldn't even look at Roxas.

He left of his mission as soon as possible to avoid dealing with it all. Today he was simply ordered to find Riku again. Wherever he was, Xion was sure to be there, too. But so far, he'd had no luck. Maybe they were right under his nose.

Xion might still have doubts about everything, so maybe she's still here in Twilight Town somewhere. Plus, it's the last place anyone would think to look.

He searched everywhere, but no Xion or Riku.

I had better talk to Roxas. I can't just leave him hanging forever.

He sighed deeply as he passed the Sweets Shop, heading in the direction of the station plaza. In front of him he saw three kids. He'd seen them out and about plenty of times before.

"Ah. This must be what they mean about simple pleasures," Pence said as he happily bit into his bar. "You know, hanging out with friends, munching on ice cream."

"Oh, come on, Pence—you're happy any time you're eating," Hayner butted in.

"Hey!"

Olette giggled. "He is right, though. It's nice to just hang out and eat ice cream."

"Yeah, I guess." Hayner sounded a bit dissatisfied. "But I wanna do something fun this summer vacation."

"Hayner, it hasn't even started yet," Olette reminded him.

"I know that! But I'm bored of doing the same thing every day. I'm sure we'll have plenty of time to sit and do nothing once we're adults. But we're kids! We need to do something fun!"

Pence and Olette exchanged a glance.

"Hey, there's that Struggle tournament coming up," Olette suggested.

"Now you're speakin' my language!"

"You'll have to take on Seifer," she reminded him.

"Hah! Lemme at him."

"But the tournament isn't until the end of summer, Olette."

"Wha—?" Hayner's joy deflated at Pence's words. "Sheesh! There's gotta be something fun we can do before that."

"Like what?"

"Oh! Oh! How about the beach!?"

"Can't. No munny." Pence shut him down quickly. "But at least we have this beach flavored ice cream. It tastes the same as the sea." He took another bite.

"Gimme a break, Pence! That is so not the same! We're just gonna have to take on part time jobs."

They all laughed as they walked away.

Axel walked quietly up the stairs of the station tower. When he got to the top, he saw Roxas waiting, staring out at the sunset. He stopped dead in his tracks. He simply watched Roxas for a few minutes from behind the corner.

"Axel could've shown up at least," Roxas muttered to himself.

I just can't do it. I can't face Roxas.

He never did sit down. He just stood there with his arms folded, lost in thought.

Ever since he delved into the depths of Xehanort's heart, Ansem had a bad feeling and put a stop to his research. Then, Kairi disappeared and the meteor shower happened. Ansem had a sinking feeling that his apprentices hadn't left things alone, after all.

So, one night, he decided to take a look at the underground lab. And what he found there horrified him. Unbeknownst to him, his six apprentices had collected a large number of subjects on which to perform dangerous experiments into the darkness of the heart. As soon as he found out, he called his apprentices together and ordered them not only to cease their studies immediately, but to destroy the results of the research they had compiled thus far.

On top of that, he also ordered the release of all the remaining subjects. However, there was one particular prisoner who caught his attention. A young boy with blue hair and a large "X" carved onto his face. This subject exhibited signs of profound amnesia and all conversations with him were less than lucid. Outraged, Ansem picked him up and carried him away. He was in no condition to be released. Not before he could find a way to help him.

"Where is Subject X now?" Xehanort asked Braig who was standing beside him.

"Gone."

"I see. 'Wise' Master Ansem must have hidden him away somewhere."

Braig approached Lea's cell and spoke loudly. "Rise and shine, Red!"

Lea opened his eyes at the rude awakening. He hadn't been ordered to do anything ever since the experiment at the Heartless Manufactory. He didn't sleep during the long nights. But he was only human. At some point, he must have fallen asleep without realizing.

"Well, kiddo, today's your lucky day. All prisoners are to be released."

"Huh?" It took several seconds for Braig's words to compute.

"The experiments are officially over. As of today, all prisoners are free to go now wherever they want." It appeared that he was serious.

"What? ...Free...to go?" Lea could barely string a sentence together, which seemed to amuse Braig.

"Yep." Braig was grinning ear to ear.

His casual demeanor annoyed Lea. "So after everything, you're just gonna release us now? Why?"

"Got no choice. Orders are orders."

Lea had no idea what he was talking about, but now wasn't exactly the time to argue. If all prisoners were being set free, then that meant Isa would be set free, too. He wasn't about to push his luck. This whole ordeal was actually over. Now he could go home. Things could finally go back to normal again.

He was marched outside the doors of the castle. His eyes squinted in response to the sunlight. It was his first time outside in so long. But where was Isa?

Seven days passed.

Lea went to the little ice cream stand in the Marketplace and waited. He was hoping that maybe, just maybe, today would finally be the day. But as expected, Isa didn't show. He never did.

Had he turned into a Heartless? Lea didn't know. All he knew was that everything felt empty. Like the entire world around him was covered in an ash-colored haze.

Free, huh? No, I'm not.

As he did every day, he waited until it was almost sunset, dug into his nearly empty pocket, and handed the munny to the Moogle shopkeeper.

"One sea-salt ice cream."

"Here ya go, kupo! Are you okay? You seem sad."

"Nah...It's nothing."

He stood on the side of the shop and looked at his hand. The melted ice cream made it all sticky. If he'd gone back home, he'd probably be back in school right now. Back in his uniform. Everything would be back to normal. Back to the way it used to be. For the first time in his life, he actually yearned for that simple boring life.

But not without Isa.

Lea never went home. Every day, he chose to stay there by the ice cream shop in his black robe. He couldn't bring himself to take it off. He sat in the same spot. Nobody really paid much attention to him there.

Until one day.

On the seventh day, someone unfamiliar was passing by. It was a large yellow dog with a green collar. "Arf!" It approached Lea, wagging its tail.

"Huh?" Lea shooed it away and continued sulking. "Look, I'm not in the mood to play with you. Sorry."

The dog looked up at him. It almost looked sad, as if it could tell that he was in pain. The dog whimpered and brushed its head against his lap.

Lea stared at it for a minute. Then he gave the dog—whose name was Pluto—a good hug and pressed his cheek against his fur. For some reason, holding this dog close made it seem like everything would be okay. "Thanks, buddy."

Pluto woofed once more, then darted off in the direction of the castle, where his owner was headed.