"I guess the closest thing we Nobodies have got is our past. You know, memories of the stuff we couldn't bear to lose, back when we couldn't bear to lose it."

Axel slouched lazily, letting his legs dangle off the edge of the clock tower, watching the sunset as he did nearly every day. The sky was bright as a painted canvas, as shades of red, pink, and orange shimmered over the city. The cool breeze blew his hair about, but he was so lost in thought that he didn't flinch even when it fell onto his face.

"Hey, Axel."

Axel jumped at the sound of Roxas' voice, quickly recovering his composure to avoid arousing suspicion. "Hey, Roxas. How are you feeling?"

"Better." Roxas answered as he sat down next to him. He handed him one of the sea salt ice creams he had brought with him. "It feels like forever since I had one of these."

Axel stared at his ice cream, glistening in the light of the sunset. "Yeah… you were asleep for a long time."

They sat in silence for awhile, watching the clouds roll by, neither of them knowing what to say. Roxas studied his ice cream, trying to remember how it tasted, yet having no real appetite. He looked over at Axel to find he hadn't started eating his either, instead just staring into space.

"So… I got a mission briefing today. The mission is supposed to be really important."

Axel turned to his friend, grateful that he initiated some small talk to break the awkward silence.

"Oh? What's the mission?"

Roxas hesitated before responding. "You're going to think it's crazy."

Axel chuckled, "Try me."

Roxas collected his thoughts and took a deep breath. "Well, they're going to put something inside me that's going to help get my memories back."

Axel stared at him, ready to be appalled that this was all Roxas was told about what they were going to do to him. Thankfully, he continued his explanation.

"I guess Vexen created some sort of empty replica. It absorbs memories. So they're going to just stick it in me and it should be able to get back the memories I lost when I got kidnapped."

Roxas stared back at the sunset. He could feel the gaps in his mind, but it was a peculiar sensation to know he'd lost something without knowing exactly what he'd lost.

"There's more… they said that the Organization is looking for some lost heart… a really powerful one that they think is just floating around somewhere. They said this vessel they're putting in me is gonna find it."

"What did they say they'd do with it after it's found?"

Roxas paused, lacking a real answer. "They were sort of vague on that. I didn't think to ask; it was all kind of overwhelming…"

Roxas' sentence trailed off and he stared down at the ground far below them. He watched as tiny people darted this way and that, scurrying around the station plaza. Axel continued staring into space, watching the clouds roll through, their shapes ever-changing. Neither of them spoke for several minutes, having run out of things to say once again. Finally, Roxas spoke up with the question they had both been avoiding.

"Axel… who is Ventus?"

Axel froze, unsure of how to answer him. "Where did you hear that name?"

"I heard Saïx and Xemnas talking."

Axel scratched his head and looked away, feeling that stabbing sensation in his chest come back. He hated lying to Roxas more than anything.

"He was… a very powerful Keyblade wielder. His heart is the one we're looking for."

Roxas thought for a moment. It made sense that the Organization would want more members who could wield a Keyblade, since a Keyblade was the only weapon that could collect hearts. Their previous attempts at making a copy of one ended in disaster. Replicating real people with real hearts and real feelings, but no real freedoms. Then replicating Nobodies, half-people with no hearts and no feelings, but who had found a sense of purpose other than the one laid out for them. As far as Roxas was concerned, they were all tragedies. Real lives were destroyed, and real people were sacrificed for the sake of achieving the Organization's goals. It made him nauseous to know that he was helping them. He should never have agreed to this, but it was the only way that he might get his memories back. Besides, what would Xemnas have done had he refused?

"So… they're looking for Ventus… because he can collect hearts."

Axel didn't look at Roxas at all. "That's right. Two Keyblade wielders are better than one."

They sat in uncomfortable silence, unable to even touch their ice creams. Roxas didn't understand why this topic was so sensitive for Axel, but he needed answers and pressed his friend for them.

"Why was I chosen for this?"

Axel rubbed his chest in a feeble attempt to quell the sharp pains he felt there. "Well… since you're a Keyblade wielder yourself, you were the most compatible candidate. You'd be most likely to find his heart. Besides, don't you want to get your memories back?"

Roxas took a moment to process this response. It was understandable enough, but the explanation was full of holes. He stared intently at Axel, waiting for him to spill the missing information. Axel sighed heavily and turned toward his friend.

"You remember we talked about the replica program before, right? Vexen made a lot of replicas, but they were all broken… so flawed that some of them had to be destroyed. It was a nightmare for all of us."

Axel paused, trying to come up with a suitable explanation for this grievous plot. "Vexen thinks his new, perfected replica design will be safer inside you. Since it's just an empty vessel, it's less likely to fail."

Roxas read Axel's face like a book. "Do you believe that?"

Axel scratched his head and averted his eyes. "I'm not sure what I believe." He spoke softly, masking the sound of worry in his voice. "If he's right, it's a major leap for us toward reaching our ultimate goal. If he's wrong…"

Axel let the sentence trail off, unwilling to even entertain the idea of losing Roxas again.

They sat in silence again, their ice creams melting into their hands. Roxas had been warned of the risks of this procedure, but hadn't considered the possibility of the worst case scenario. He felt a tightness in his throat and a fluttering sensation inside him. He turned to his friend and guessed he was deep in thought as Roxas was. Axel repeatedly clenched his hand into a fist, then released it, occasionally stopping to rub a spot on his chest with a subtle grimace on his face.

"Axel?"

Roxas' voice jolted Axel back into the present. "Hmm?"

"... I'm scared."

Axel turned to meet Roxas' gaze, seeing clearly the fear in his friend's eyes. He would swear he was being impaled through the chest if he didn't know better. His breathing came to a sudden halt, unsure of how to respond. After a couple of seconds, he regained some of his composure and patted Roxas on the back.

"Come on, silly. You know us Nobodies can't feel scared."

Roxas smiled weakly at him, finally deciding to take a bite of his ice cream. The sweet but salty taste instantly caused a rush of memories to spring to the forefront of his mind. In a split second, he re-lived every evening he had spent here with Axel, having ice cream together and laughing. The memories were pleasant and warm. Soon, the images began to fade from view, and holes began to appear. Roxas had the distinct sense that something was missing from these memories but could not place what it was. The holes grew bigger, and his head started to ache as his mind searched for the missing information. He pressed his finger tips to his temples, wincing as he waited for the pressure to go away.

"Roxas? What's the matter? Brain freeze?"

Roxas closed his eyes, willing the spinning to end. His body wavered back and forth until he felt the ground drop from under him. Time seemed to stop. His eyes sprang open but the world was all dark. His breathing halted as he succumbed to the sensation of falling.

Suddenly, he felt a pair of arms grab him out of the air, tightly wrapping around his torso and tossing him backward onto the safety of the clock tower ledge. Light returned to his vision, blurry and foggy, but gradually becoming more clear. He could just barely make out the features on Axel's face, and the bright red color of his hair.

"Roxas! Are you all right?!"

Roxas blinked several times, trying to sharpen the image of his friend's expression hovering over him. "I'm sorry… I guess I just got dizzy."

"You might not be fully recovered yet. We should go back so you can rest."

"Right. Thank you for catching me."

Axel chuckled with relief, "Don't mention it."

He pulled Roxas to his feet and, keeping an arm around him for balance, slowly walked him down the steps and back to the castle. Neither of them spoke during the journey, too lost in their own thoughts to make conversation. Once they had reached Roxas' bedroom door, they bid each other good night and parted ways for the evening.

Axel remained in front of Roxas' closed door for a long time, staring at his reflection on the surface. He pressed his forehead into the cold metal, eyes closed, absentmindedly clenching his fists. He began to feel nauseated again, regretting the ice cream he foolishly put into his empty stomach. He sighed, fogging the surface of the door. He welcomed these few seconds wherein he did not have to look himself in the face. In time, the nausea had passed, and he finally decided to meander off to his own room, hoping he wouldn't see anyone on his way there.

Axel lost track of the hours as he stood outside the door to the lab, leaned against the wall, trying to keep from falling asleep on his feet. They started the procedure at dawn, and Axel woke up very early just to be here. Roxas was afraid, but had spent most of the trip down trying to calm Axel's nerves. Zexion tried to suggest that Axel wait in the common area and relax, but Axel insisted that he would wait right outside.

He began to wonder why it was taking so long, forcing away the thoughts that something may have happened. He spent the hours switching between pacing the floor and supporting the wall. He was just considering knocking on the door when it finally opened. Zexion walked out, mopping his forehead with a small towel.

"You can see him, now. The procedure was successful."

Axel barely waited for him to finish his sentence before barreling past him and through the doorway. The room had an entire wall dedicated to computer controls and display screens. There were odd-looking pieces of equipment scattered throughout the room. Roxas was lying on a table under bright lights, surrounded by monitors and other devices Axel couldn't identify. His eyes were closed, but fluttering. Axel approached the table cautiously, too nervous to say anything to him. As he drew nearer to him, Roxas began to stir, shifting his limbs and blinking his eyes.

"He's coming around." Zexion had followed Axel into the room, typing into his notepad as he observed the computer displays.

"Excellent. Keep him under observation for the next two hours. I'll be back then to re-evaluate."

Vexen entered from a doorway off to the other side of the room, closely studying a small electronic device he was carrying. He glanced up at Axel as he passed by him. "Ah, good morning, Axel. Zexion, I'm off to deliver the initial report. They'll want the full one tomorrow morning."

"Yes, sir."

Vexen grabbed a few materials on his way to the door and left the room. Roxas began to moan softly as he regained consciousness, opening his eyes and scanning the room around him.

"Roxas did quite well. There were no complications with the procedure at all. He should recover very quickly."

Axel heaved a sigh of relief at Zexion's words as he watched Roxas awaken further. Roxas had now opened his eyes all the way, occasionally blinking them into focus. His gaze settled on Axel, and he smiled as he began to recognize him.

"'Morning, Roxas. Sleep well?"

Roxas yawned, squinting as he looked at Axel.

"I suppose so… how did it go? Did it work?"

Zexion, who had been pressing some buttons on the computer panel, returned to the table and began inspecting Roxas. "Yes, it worked." He shined a small light into Roxas' eyes, ears, and mouth. "How do you feel, Roxas? Are you in any pain?" He asked as he patted down Roxas' entire torso.

"No… I feel fine… just tired."

"Good. You shouldn't feel any discomfort. The fatigue should subside in the next day or two."

Axel let himself bask in the warmth of his relief. He felt the same way he did when Roxas woke up, and again when Roxas remembered him. It was refreshing to finally let the storm cloud that seemed to hang over his head for the past several weeks be blown away. Everything seemed to look a little brighter these days, and he could certainly get used to the view.

"You look cheerful, Axel."

Roxas smiled at Axel when he caught him staring. Axel chuckled nervously, scratching his head and averting his eyes.

"Do I? Heh… I guess I just woke up on the right side of the bed today."

Roxas tried to sit up but his arms could not bear his weight. He fell back onto the table, feeling weak and dizzy.

"Whoa, buddy. Don't try to get up just yet. You should rest. Anyway, I have a mission. I'll come visit you when I get done, okay?"

"Okay… I'll see you later, Axel."

"See ya, Roxas."

Axel gave Zexion a wave on his way out of the lab and made his way toward the common area with a spring in his step. Right now, it didn't matter what kind of mind-numbing mission Saïx would give him — nothing could kill this good mood today.

"Looks like someone had his coffee this morning."

Right on cue, the sound of Saïx's voice stopped him dead in his tracks. Axel swiveled around to see him meandering casually in his direction, clearly having nothing better to do than bother him.

"Saïx! Hello! Have you come to ruin my day?"

"I make it a point not to ruin anyone's day before noon."

"How considerate of you. So, did you need something from me?"

Saïx stole a glance at the lab door, "How is Roxas?"

Axel squinted at him suspiciously as he answered. "He's fine. Didn't Vexen give you a report?"

"Yes. A lengthy description of the procedure without one detail missed, followed by a clinical rundown of design specifications. May as well have been gibberish. He didn't include any information on Roxas' physical health. At least not in any language I can understand."

Axel crossed his arms, still eyeing Saïx with a skeptical glare. "He's awake and talking. He's not sickly and he's not in pain."

Saïx's stone face didn't shift at all, as if he didn't even hear Axel's update. He acknowledged him in his usual flat tone. "That's good to hear."

Axel would have liked to question him on why he cared about Roxas' condition, but it was more important that he get his mission done quickly so he could come back and visit his friend. He'd have to pick Saïx's brain later.

"Anyway, where are you sending me today?"

"Agrabah. Supposedly, there is another sandstorm on its way. I want you to do a preliminary survey of its magnitude and trajectory. Clear out any Heartless you see while you're at it."

"You got it, Sir. I'll get my sunscreen."

"And take Demyx with you. Give him something to do other than keeping the sofa warm."

"Sunscreen and ear plugs. Got it."

"Proceed at your convenience."