Loud thacks and twanks echoed in an almost empty training facility of the Castle That Never Was. Two nobodies clashed with their weapons—a keyblade and two chakrams—in a dance-like fashion, never trying to let the other have an edge over the situation. Until the keyblade wielder sloppily parried the chakrams from exhaustion, allowing its user to kick Roxas right in the stomach. He backpedalled and used his keyblade as support.

"Again!"

Roxas heaved, his legs were barely able to lift himself up while he stared at Axel, and all he could see was his long spiky crimson hair dripping down the Organization coat. His hands lowered ever so slightly while still holding tightly to the Keyblade, but eventually plopped on his knees with a dull thud.

"I can't," Roxas wheezed, taking in laboured breaths.

"There is no 'can't' here. You and I have to make sure you're prepared for your first mission," Axel stated while fidgeting around with his two red spiky chakrams before hanging them on his shoulders. "The first fight you had didn't leave me much to work with."

Roxas let out a drained sigh. "...Sorry to be such a disappointment."

"Well, you can be sorry, but you are kind of important to the Organization. I don't think I could sleep well at night if they send you immediately without getting prepared," Axel argued, scratching the back of his neck.

"Right, thanks Axel," Roxas said before barely hoisting himself up while Axel glanced up at the ceiling.

"Leave those pleasantries to that Xigbar guy. If he didn't call out your newbie status, you might as well be fighting Heartless right now for dear life." Axel cocked his head up for a split second. "Well, as much as our lives count."

The redhead relaxed his shoulders, letting the two chakrams fall into his hands. "Anyway, you ready for another round?"

"I…" Roxas hesitated, trying his best to lift himself up, but his legs couldn't help him rise, making Axel breathe a sigh.

"Yeah, I thought as much," he said before throwing his weapons away, and they disappeared in a flurry of flames, leaving nothing but a few sparks behind.

He got closer to Roxas before offering him a hand. "Come on, get up. Our boss, if he could, would probably be mad if you'd come late."

Roxas gazed up and gave Axel a nod before taking his hand, quickly hoisting himself up. He brushed off any impurities from his coat, and took a deep breath.

"I'll be off then," he said before taking his leave.

Axel gazed at him with crossed arms, before an idea popped inside his head. "Hey, Roxas?!"

The keyblade wielder stopped in his tracks, and turned back with half-lidded eyes. "Yeah?"

"I've heard where your first mission is taking you. If you do it right, then I'll have a special prize for you," he said with a small smirk. "Think of it as motivation to do your best."

Roxas' face didn't make a single motion and only gave Axel a nod. "Right. I'll see you once I'm finished then."

He reached the exit, looking almost like a doll on strings, making Axel shake his head with a frown. "I guess not everyone starts off feeling like their usual self."

"Eh, I'd say it's understandable. We kind of lack that one important thing after all" Axel tilted his head up at the ceiling, focusing on a single support beam once Roxas was outside the training hall, and his slight smile instantly fell.

"I thought your bones had frozen with how long you sat there, Xigbar," he said up at the perched thief.

"With you here? Please, this place feels like a sauna if anything." Xigbar jumped down. He landed with a soft thud right in front of Axel before he rubbed his hands. "And I just wanted to see how our little Roxas is holding up."

Axel snorted. "Hah, nice one. Now the real reason, if you will."

"The traitor snuffer is at it, huh?" Xigbar remarked, putting one hand on his hip. "And here I thought a guy who likes to play with fire is never cold."

"It's my job, and I'd like to keep a good track record." Axel snapped his fingers, and a single chakram appeared in his hand before he began spinning it.

Xigbar rolled one of his good eyes. "Please, put that thing down. Do I look like I'm about to shoot you or something?"

"You might as well be with what happened to your previous charge," Axel stated, lifting his chin ever so slightly. "You're just lucky that boy was only getting in the way."

"It had to be done, for better or worse." Xigbar flashed Axel a small almost unnoticeable toothy grin. "Who knows, maybe that kid is going to pop up from the dead and will seek out vengeance against me."

Axel let out a pleased huff. "At least I wouldn't have to worry about you in the long run then."

"Oh don't get me wrong, I have plenty of ghosts from the past that want me dead. Too bad I'm ahead of them, eh?"

Axel's lips didn't even twitch, making Xigbar hunch over, his hands being loose. "Seriously?"

He let out a sigh. "This organization is bad for my humour."

"And you're sure that problem isn't just you?" Axel asked. "I don't think making Heartless cringe from your jokes is a way to make them drop their hearts as a tip."

"You know that stuff is reserved for Roxas," Xigbar said before putting a hand on his chin. "And I guess smacking them with a keyblade is much more efficient. My throat would hurt from how many jokes I'd have to tell."

Axel groaned while throwing his weapon away. "What do you want, Xigbar?"

"Oh I've just overheard some words of appreciation from you, and I thought I won you over. Guess I was wrong," Xigbar said breathlessly. "Buuuuut, I got one more thing that I wanted to hand over to you."

Axel raised an eyebrow. "To me? Of all people?"

"Exactly, to you." Xigbar dug into his pocket before pulling an old used ball. He squished it once, and the ball was still able to spring back into shape.

"What is this?" Axel asked tiredly.

"A toy ball. I think it'll serve you as a good stress reliever. Well, besides fuming like a volcano," Xigbar said with a fox-like smile. "It's free of charge, too!"

Axel gazed at the ball for a single moment before swiping it away from Xigbar's hand. "If it'll shut up for once, then sure, whatever."

"That's great! Always a pleasure doing business with you, even if it's our first trade. I might even call you if I'd need some of those ghosts that haunt me dealt with." Xigbar outstretched his hand before a single void portal opened in front of him. "Make sure not to throw it away!"

The thief quickly exited via the portal, leaving Axel alone, gazing at the ball in his hand. He gave it a similar squish but quickly got bored of the sensation.

"Worthless," he stated before throwing the toy away, letting it plop on the ground with only two bounces. Axel opened a portal of his own before leaving the training area himself, not sparing a glance at the ball.

Xigbar, in the meantime, was once again perched on the support, waiting patiently like a predator for his prey. He gazed down at the small speck that was the ball, and once he took a look at the entrance and saw Roxas coming in, his face morphed into a grin.

Score.

"Axel?" Roxas said, looking over the training hall before his shoulders sagged. He turned his back, ready to leave the facility. "I guess he already left."

Xigbar narrowed his gaze. "Come on, kid. You know you want that toy."

Roxas gave one last glance, making sure Axel really wasn't here, but instead laid eyes on a coloured dot in the distance. He squinted his eyes, but couldn't make out what it was. Once he reached the speck, he found the same toy Axel threw away, and curiously bent down to pick it up.

There wasn't much to note about the object. The toy's longevity had long passed, but once he gave it a tight grip, a sudden pang of guilt hit his chest. His eyes widened for a fraction of a moment before gazing down at his person, yet there was no wound similar to what Axel's chakram could do.

He glanced at the ball one last time before stuffing it inside his coat and turning back to where he was supposed to be. He was already pushing Xemnas' patience, he knew that much.

Once he was out of sight, Xigbar plopped on the beam with a satisfied sigh. "What a relief."

He glanced at the entrance before making a finger gun, pointing it at the ceiling. "It's all up to you now to claw your way back, prophet."

{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}

Roxas was never used to travelling through portals. He found them a little darker than he would have liked, but with Axel on his side, he felt secure enough that the darkness didn't bother him much. Once the duo was at the end of their small journey, they found themselves in a town.

Specifically a train station.

The sight of a new place put Roxas in awe, he got used to the white walls splattered across the castle too quickly. He gazed at the station, before noticing a tall clock tower towering over the station like a lone watchman. With two giant bells on each side, he almost didn't notice how pristine the place was.

There were no scraps of paper lying around, nor a speck of dust on the stairs that led to the station. The walls were coloured in a brown hue and the setting sun didn't highlight a single dent.

Once Roxas turned to the sun, he let out a pleasant hum when the sun's rays warmed his body up, a feeling that he never experienced.

"Quite the view, isn't it?" Axel remarked, walking next to Roxas while having an arm on his hip. "Even my own fire doesn't warm as much as that sun."

Roxas paused, tilting his head towards the redhead. "Wait, your flames don't burn?

"Roxas, do you seriously not remember how charred your coat was after every session we had?" Axel asked with a half-lidded look.

Roxas' lips parted ever so slightly before his head sagged. "Ah… yeah."

Axel breathed a sigh. "I know you have trouble memorising things, so let me ask this. Do you remember what you're supposed to do here?"

"Something about… slaying Heartless?" Roxas half-asked, not directly meeting Axel eye to eye.

"Well, at least you know that much." Alex switched his attention to the only alleyway before pointing at it with his finger. "That way you'll reach a street where we located the first batch of Heartless. There, you can do your thing."

Roxas shifted his head, looking down the alleyway. "Alone?"

Axel shook his head. "Don't worry, I'll be on standby if it gets too hairy. This mission is only to make sure you can hold yourself in battle. Do that, and the icing on the cake will be yours."

He playfully smacked Roxas on the back, lightly shoving him forward. "Now hope to it! Heartless are basically mindless anyway, so it shouldn't be a big problem."

Roxas straightened his back before giving Axel a single nod before heading his way down the alleyway and was surprised by how barren the place felt. While the lamps and windows littering both walls that encapsulated him emanated a pleasant yellow light, the only sign of anyone nearby was a stray cat, jumping from one balcony to another. He momentarily stopped to gaze at the cat before it climbed one of the pipes and disappeared on the other side of a roof.

Once he resumed his march, Roxas found himself in the street Axel was talking about, and there wasn't a single thing to note about the place. Granted, he didn't know what he was supposed to be looking for other than his target, but he had no idea where they were.

It didn't take long before Roxas spotted a single moving shadow within the well-lighted street, moving with surprising speed yet there was nothing close by to cast it. It circled around the place as it pleased before eventually stopping in front of Roxas, waiting patiently.

Roxas looked further ahead, and his eyes widened when he saw a dozen similar shadows surging toward the one in front of him. Once they all gathered, Roxas instinctively called his keyblade before taking a wide defensive stance, but the shadows didn't move immediately. They began to shake violently before small dark creatures with beady yellow eyes rose from their spots.

"So these must be Heartless," Roxas whispered, his grip around his keyblade tightening.

Within a single beat, the dozen Heartless switched their gaze at Roxas, making him involuntarily flinch. The one in front opened its mouth and let out a chittering chuckle before rushing towards Roxas with its large feet compared to its actual small body. It jumped in the air to attack him, but Roxas stayed in place, steadily waiting for the right moment to strike.

Once the Heartless was close enough, Roxas swung his keyblade in a wide arc, hitting the dark creature with a satisfying whack. It wasn't launched, instead, it immediately disintegrated into black smoke, leaving behind a heart, glowing in sparkling pink colour. It tried to float away, but instead was captured in a silver bubble, before it disappeared altogether.

Even though Roxas was puzzled by the ordeal, he didn't break his attention to the dozen enemies in front of him. Loosening his grip on the keyblade, he took in a breath before charging against the Heartless.

{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}

With one last swing of Roxas' weapon, he dealt with the last shadowy creature, finally able to take a small break. Even though Axel said these were lesser enemies, it still put a strain on Roxas, making him let go of his keyblade.

Honest claps resonated in Roxas' ears before he looked behind him, and saw Axel applauding him while a small smile graced his features.

"Good job, Roxas. I thought I'd have to intervene eventually, but I'm pleasantly surprised," he said, but Roxas could only let out an approving hum, his head ever lowered.

Axel's smile broke before breathing a sigh. He reached Roxas before putting a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, chin up a little. You did well. It doesn't help you to keep such a sour face all the time."

"I just… I don't know if I can," Roxas whispered, but Axel lifted his head gently, meeting Roxas eye to eye.

"I told you there'd be a reward if you did well," he said, a lop-sided grin appearing on his face. "You've earned the icing on the cake. Follow me."

Axel opened another dark portal in front of him before lightly pushing Roxas inside and the portal quickly engulfed them. However, It was a very short trip, and Roxas found himself staring directly at the setting sun. He saw the long railways crossing the town in a seamless fashion, with houses so far away they were barely bigger than his fingers. Once he looked down, his eyes widened when he recognized the train station from before, and eventually figured out they were on top of the bell tower.

Axel was right behind him before putting on his hips. "This sight never gets old."

He tilted his toward Roxas with a smug smile. "One of the few places that only I know of. I thought it'd be better to spend time here instead of being surrounded by those monotone walls."

"But… why?" Roxas asked, and Axel held a finger in front of him.

"Give me a second." He dug deep into his pocket before Roxas heard a lot of scrunching sounds coming from Axel's coat. Soon enough, Axel pulled out two objects in a very colourful wrapping, a mix of all kinds of blues.

"Here you go." The redhead handed Roxas one of the wraps, crunching under his touch. One side had a surprisingly cold firm block while the other was extremely thin and not as cool, making Roxas take hold of it. He gazed at Axel before seeing him tear away at the thin wrapping, revealing a pale blue ice cream, with the only thing allowing him to hold it being a brown wooden skewer.

"Like I said, the icing on the cake," Axel stated before sitting down, his legs dangling at the edge of the bell tower. He took a big bite out of the block, smiling at the cold, sweet feeling covering his mouth. When he saw Roxas holding the ice cream still wrapped, he said, "come on, don't be shy. It's really good."

Roxas didn't know what to do, as he only stared at the wrapping with a pensive look. He sat down next to Axel before eventually deciding to open the ice cream himself. He took a cautious nibble and his tongue immediately tasted the surprising saltiness of the ice cream, but eventually was rewarded with a sweet taste of vanilla.

"Salty… but sweet," he said, making Axel smirk.

"Right? I was honestly surprised how good it tasted when I first bought it, even if it didn't sound exactly appetising," he remarked before gazing at the scenery in front of them. "So, I think your first mission was a success. Now you could say you're finally pulling your own weight in the Organization."

"The Organization," Roxas parroted, gazing down at the ice cream in his hands. "I just still don't know why I am so important."

"Because you're the only one who can help us collect hearts with that keyblade of yours," Axel said before tapping his head. "I already told you that once already. Get it memorised."

"Right, but… you still haven't told me why we're here?" Roxas asked pointedly, making Axel lean back, staring up at the tinted red sky.

"I want you to remember it here. I'm hoping we can have this time for ourselves and not be pestered by those grumpy higher-ups," he stated. "You can think of this as the place where it all began. And to have this delicious ice cream, of course."

For the first time Axel spent with Roxas, a small hint of a smile finally appeared on his face before switching his gaze at the scenery. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

Axel was a little stunned by the sudden smile before his toothy grin came back. He playfully smacked Roxas on the back, almost threatening him to fall. "Well, that is definitely a first. I honestly thought you were going to keep that thin line forever."

Roxas couldn't help but let out a sheepish chuckle before he felt the ball push against his leg. He dug it out of his pocket and pulled out the used toy before giving it a gentle squeeze, and the same pang of guilt returned. He gazed at the scenery before him, thinking over why the ball was causing him such a feeling.

And to find out who it belonged to.

AN: Alright, that's another chapter done. Excuse me for the longer wait than usual, I was on a very pleasant vacation, so I had little time to actually write. But, at least I was able to pull through.

Anyway, I'd like to thank the Fanfiction Treehouse for helping me get better at writing. They are a very cool bunch of people, and if you are interested in writing your own fic, or just like reading in general, I encourage you to join us. Here is the link to the discord server: u89gs745fn

God's speed.