Kingdom Hearts © to Disney and Square Enix!


Chapter 1: The First Day


Sora vanished.

The light above faded away, leaving those left standing in the Keyblade Graveyard, eyes still fixed on the sky.

Roxas lowered his gaze.

He didn't really have a chance to talk to Sora since he got back. They spoke for a little bit before Xemnas took Kairi, and after that, he'd reconnected… well, mostly just hugged and cried with Axel and Xion.

At least until the sky changed colors and the giant moon appeared.

Today was exhausting…

And he'd literally only been alive again for what… two hours. Maybe three.

But, at least he was alive. And beside him stood Axel and Xion.

"So, what happens now?"

Oh, his look-alike.

Ventus.

Still needed an explanation on that one. But, Ventus seemed nice enough.

The lady with blue hair, he was almost certain was named Aqua, put a hand on Ventus's head with a soft smile. "We go home."

"Yeah!"

Home…

But…

"But what if we don't have one?" Xion mirrored his thoughts and posture.

"You don't have a home?" The tall man with brown hair said. Wasn't his name Terra or something? Yeah, Terra sounded right.

"We don't."

Riku's hand laid on Roxas's shoulder. "I'm sure we can figure something out. You two are not alone."

"Don't worry. I've got it all figured out." Axel wrapped his arms around the two teens' shoulders. "Just leave it to me."

Xion looked up at him. "You do?"

"Of course! I'm not just going to leave my best friends without a place to call home. I've had an idea for a while. We just have to stop by Radiant Garden for me to grab some stuff and then we can get the ball rolling."

Mickey nodded. "Actually, we should all stop by there. We need to let the others know what's happened, and we could all probably use a place to just rest for a little while."

"Agreed."

"To Radiant Garden then."

Roxas saw Riku glance back to where Sora disappeared. "Yeah… Sora and Kairi wouldn't want us to just sit here and wait for them."

"Agreed."

"To the ship then."


Gummi ships look so small on the outside, but they really aren't.

Roxas and Xion's eyes bulged as they walked into the small ship, only to see a large room with plenty of space for the ten of them.

Goofy smiled. "There are a few bedrooms if anyone wants to get some sleep."

"It'll be a while until we reach Radiant Garden." Riku walked toward the cockpit.

"We can rest later. I want to talk." Ventus grinned, looking back at Roxas. "And I want to figure out how I have a double now."

Axel shrugged. "Honestly, wish I knew."

The ship shuddered as it took off. Roxas sat down, quietly. Ventus quickly plopped down beside him, holding out a hand.

"We never were really introduced. I'm Ventus. You can call me Ven!"

"Roxas."

"You know," Aqua narrowed her eyes at the two, "they may look alike, but I can see a difference. Ven's hair is a lighter color. And his voice is a little higher pitched."

"You're right."

Goofy scratched his temple, glancing over at Jiminy who now stood on the table, jotting something down in a physical journal. "Hmm… Ya know, if Ven's heart was inside Sora this whole time, and Roxas came from Sora's heart… maybe that's why they look alike."

"Oh my gosh, you're right!"

Ven looked at Roxas. "You came from Sora's heart?"

"Well, I am… or I guess was, a Nobody."

"Yeah, we read about those."

Axel sighed. "Sora became a Heartless once. When he did, Roxas came into being. And if your heart was inside Sora when that happened, that would probably explain why Roxas looks like you."

Ven smiled. "Wow! And you're not a Nobody anymore now."

Was he?

Placing his hand on his chest, Roxas closed his eyes.

Bu-bump.

Bu-bump.

Bu-bump.

"Yeah… I have a heart of my own. I'm not sure how. All I remember when I woke up was a bunch of voices. People were talking about how my heart was remade and I did catch a few names, like Zexion and Ansem the Wise. But that's it."

Mickey nodded. "We can ask them when we get there."

"What about Xion?"

Axel turned to the quiet girl who'd found a place behind her taller best friend, out of the center of attention. "How did you come back? And you were one of Xehanort's vessels. What happened?"

"I-I don't know. I just remember waking up in a lab. Sïax was there, and I felt a second presence inside me. I guess that was Xehanort's essence. I couldn't really remember anything… I just felt compelled to follow orders. Then I heard your names… and things came back to me." She gently grabbed Axel's coat sleeve. "I don't understand how I'm here… I… I disappeared. I was told that when I did, no one would remember I ever existed."

Axel put a hand on her head. "Xemnas said that records of you existed. So, anything people wrote down was still there. That's probably where they found out how to bring you back. Surprised they wouldn't just make you a blank slate and actually allowed you to have a semblance of your old personality…"

Terra and Aqua glanced between each other. "We're a little confused…"

"Xion was a replica." Riku came back into the room, smiling softly at the girl. "The Organization made her to copy Roxas's powers. Basically, they wanted Sora's power under their thumb one way or another."

"The three of you were in the Organization?"

"That's how we met." Roxas sighed. "We became friends there… but…"

Axel looked down, his hands twitching. "Things went poorly. I made my own share of mistakes, I won't lie. And probably a lot of what happened was on me… I wasn't as honest as I should've been and kept too many secrets. But the Organization… they wanted Sora's power one way or another. So, they wanted one of them, which ever one was the more powerful. And the other one they would dispose of, or let them dispose of each other."

Xion's hands shook. "There was that time they almost tricked us into killing each other. But you stopped us."

"I did… but it didn't matter in the end."

Xion looked at Roxas, eyes misty. "I did what I had to. I… I knew that if I stayed, I'd steal all of Roxas's power and he'd disappear. I couldn't live with myself if that happened, so I provoked Roxas. Fighting him until he struck me down." Tears began to fall down her face. "I-I'm so sorry, Roxas. I'm sorry I put you through that. I-I'm so sorry."

She began to sob as a set of footsteps quickly closed in. A pair of arms wrapped around her as Roxas sobbed. "It's ok. It's ok…"

Axel wiped his eyes, but he could see everyone else… people who really didn't know these two as well as he did.

They all stood there with tears in their eyes.

Aqua's gaze met his own, and he saw a softness.

An understanding.

They'd both tried so hard to save their friends… only to fall short in the end.

But now…

It was over.

He turned, placing a hand on both of his friends' heads. "Well, it's over now. You two are here. And I promise, I won't let anyone ever do anything like that to you again. I'll take care of both of you. I promise."

Looking up at him, they both smiled before leaning into his embrace.

Best friends forever…

No.

More than friends.

Family.


"They look so peaceful." Aqua smiled.

Axel sat on a sofa in the ship's lounge. Roxas on one side and Xion on the other, both asleep, leaning against him.

He smiled. "Yeah. They deserve it after what they've been through."

"Yeah."

Donald, sitting across the room in a chair, kicked his webbed feet a little. "I wish we could've helped them more."

"They've been through a lot." Jiminy sighed as he continued to write. "Poor things…"

Axel looked down at them. He'd never seen them this peaceful before. Not once in all those days of sitting and eating ice cream together.

There'd always been that cloud of work… something not being right.

But no more.

"I'm curious," Mickey piped up from his own seat, "what is your plan?"

"I've got a little cash back home. I'll probably grab it and go rent out a small place in Twilight Town for the three of us. That place is the closest thing to a home they have; we spent a lot of time there, and Roxas spent time in the fake one."

"And he's got friends waiting for him." Added Goofy. "Hayner, Pence, and Olette want to meet him."

Those three.

They didn't know him in real life though…

And…

"You guys might want to come with then… I don't want to have to explain things to them since the last time I saw them, I was not on the good guy side, and they saw me as an enemy."

"What did you do?" Terra smirked.

At least, coming from him, Axel knew it was out of genuine curiosity and not judgmental. You know, since Terra had been possessed by evil for a while.

"I… kinda kidnapped Kairi… right in front of them…"

"No way!"

"Shh, Ven. You'll wake them up."

"Oops, sorry. But seriously!?"

"Really stupid, I know." Axel leaned his head back. "I wanted Roxas back, and I was totally willing to make really stupid decisions. And, I spent a good portion of my time training with Kairi just apologizing to her over and over." He sighed. "I hope she's going to be ok…"

"She will be. Her and Sora."

"Yeah."

The cockpit door opened, and Riku stuck his head out. "We'll be there soon. Might want to wake those two up."

"Ok. Thanks."

As Riku vanished back up into the cockpit, Aqua walked over to Roxas since Axel's arms were currently pinned under the two teens. She gently shook his shoulder. "Roxas, wake up."

The boy shifted a little as his eyes fluttered open. "We there?"

"Just about."

Goofy walked over and gently shook Xion. "Time to wake up, Xion."

The girl fidgeted as her eyes blinked open. "Huh…?"

"We're almost there. Now, do you two mind sitting up. I'm starting to lose feeling in my arms."

They sat up as the ship began to shudder.

"Guess we're landing."

"Guess so."

As the ship came to a soft landing inside the new gummi hanger of the castle, Axel stretched. "Well, let's go say hi to all the people upstairs."

The door opened, with Axel being the first one out. "Hey, you two!"

Coming into the hanger, Dilan and Aeleus looked up. "Good to see you. We assume everything is finished."

"Pretty much. How are things here?"

Aeleus sighed. "A little more chaotic, but not in a bad way."

"Oh?"

"It's easier to show you."

"Fair enough." Axel turned around. "Hey, you two. Come say hi to some familiar faces."

Roxas and Xion followed him out, both pausing as they saw the two men.

As they both saw Xion, a sharp pain struck their minds, but faded in a moment as memories flooded back to them both. Dilan spoke up first. "Xion? You're here… but how?"

"Long story and we still don't know it all."

As everyone else filed off, the teens approached the two. Aeleus averted his eyes as Roxas came closer. "It's good to see you again."

"Good to see you too."

"Roxas, Xion, let me reintroduce you to Dilan and Aeleus. They're a couple of stiffs, but pretty nice regardless."

Dilan eyed the red-haired man. "I don't know if I should be offended or not."

"Take it however you want, man."

"Roxas," Aeleus sighed, "I want to apologize for my actions toward you during my time in the Organization."

"It's alright… all things considered, you knocking me flat was the tamest thing that really happened. So, don't worry about it."

"Alright."

Dilan knelt down, looking Xion in the eyes. "And I owe you an apology. I said some terrible things about you, and while you may not have been there to hear them, I am truly sorry."

The girl smiled softly. "I forgive you."

Smiling softly at them all, Axel stepped past. "Now, why don't we go see this chaos you mentioned?"

"Of course."

Following Dilan and Aeleus up the stairs toward the laboratory, Axel took a deep breath. He'd spent time down here in his brief stint as an apprentice to Ansem the Wise, and to be honest, it felt a little like coming back to an old job.

"WOULD YOU CUT THAT OUT!?"

"I didn't do nothing, man!"

"Get back! Go bother someone else!"

"You asked for my help and now you want me to buzz off!?"

"You're interfering in delicate work!"

"Am not!"

The door ahead stood slightly ajar, at least until Ienzo walked through it, shutting it behind him. His shoulders shook with barely contained mirth as he clutched a clipboard.

"What is going on up there?"

The young man looked up, eyes glistening. "You're back! All of you!"

He eyed the unfamiliar faces with a slight nod before meeting the gaze of Roxas and Xion. He too took a moment as the memories flooded back, but then his gaze brightened even further.

"We were worried when you suddenly disappeared, Roxas. You'd barely had a functional body for two minutes, and then you just vanished. We assumed it was to help Sora and the others, but that didn't do anything to ebb our concern. And Xion… I was told there would be another former member returning, but I wouldn't know who. I assume he meant you."

"He?"

Pointing back toward the door, Ienzo nodded. "Even, or Vexen as some of you know him, said so."

"Even!?"

"I thought he was on Xehanort's side!"

"Well," Ienzo leaned against the wall a little, "apparently, that was all part of some plan that he and someone he won't currently mention came up with. Mostly this other party's plan actually. Thing is… after being recompleted, we all remembered what we did as Nobodies and the guilt sort of consumed all of us. Our actions towards others were not kind… and Even wanted to atone. He, and this other person, came up with a plan to bring back Roxas, Naminé, and one other person, I can only assume was Xion. Even would finish the replicas, making them completely human in every way, and then make sure those who needed to come back got a vessel, but he needed quick resources and support."

"And Xehanort needed vessels."

"Exactly. He joined Xehanort to expedite the process of returning you two and Naminé. Once Xehanort had the vessels he wanted, Even and another were pushed to the sidelines, and they were able to not only find Master Ansem, but were also able to secure a vessel for Roxas and Naminé."

Riku cocked an eyebrow. "This other person wouldn't happen to be Demyx, would it?"

"He did say he ran into you."

"Demyx!?"

"Really?"

Ienzo smiled. "Yes, actually, you probably heard those two bickering upstairs. Demyx is really trying to help, but Even doesn't trust him near the lab materials. Come on, they'll be very excited to see all of you." He opened the door once more, calling in. "They've arrived!"

Everyone stepped into the laboratory.

On a metal table, they saw a blank replica, most likely the one made for Naminé.

Nearby, a man in a lab coat, with blonde hair stood, holding a tray of some sort of medical devices away from another man. This one had a dirty-blonde mullet and wore a familiar black coat.

The younger man grinned, hopping forward a little. "Hey! Good to see you!"

Axel rolled his eyes. "What the heck are you doing here!?"

"Helping! I have been doing top secret missions around here! Ya know, 'cause I'm awesome!"

Even huffed. "I only recruited you because you were the only option!"

"Liar!" Demyx bounced over, smiling at Roxas. He did glance at Xion, shaking his head with a flinch as the memories returned. "And wow! You're both back! I mean, I was here when Roxas came back, but Xion! Good to see you both!"

Xion giggled. She'd always kind of liked Demyx. Compared to members like Xigbar, he was really fun and nice. "Nice to see you too."

Even smirked. "I had a feeling your personality would come back, Xion. Good to see you as well."

"I take this, that your arrival means Xehanort has fallen." Stepping into the room, Ansem the Wise, all dressed back in his lab coat and red scarf, smiled across the group.

"He has."

He nodded. "And there are unfamiliar faces here as well." He scanned the group, pausing for a moment on Terra before looking back at Roxas and Xion. His face flinched as the memories of her returned…

And his smile fell.

He approached the two slowly, seeing them both visibly tense in his presence. Kneeling down, he looked them both in his now misty eyes. "I am so sorry… I will never be able to fully atone for the pain and suffering I've caused you both, but I will try my hardest. I hope, one day, you two can find it in your hearts to forgive this foolish man. But know, I am truly, deeply sorry for everything I did."

Roxas felt his shoulders shudder. He didn't know how to feel. Angry… but also grateful.

"Maybe one day I'll forgive you." He admitted softly.

Xion looked into the old man's eyes with a sad smile. "I think… I think I can forgive you. Lots of people make mistakes." She glanced back at Axel. "And if you're truly sorry, I can forgive you."

Ansem's gaze softened as he wiped tears from his eyes and stood up. "Thank you, both of you." He then glanced over at Terra. "And you, young man, look quite familiar."

Terra bowed his head. "My name is Terra. I'd like to apologize myself. Xehanort possessed my body and used me to hurt you and everyone here."

"You need not apologize. Those deeds were not yours. You are welcome here, Terra. And it is an honor to meet the real you."

Terra smiled, gesturing to his two friends. "Thank you. And these are my friends, Aqua and Ventus."

"A pleasure to meet you both as well."

"Same to you."

Riku walked over toward the blank replica. "This is for Naminé, isn't it?"

"Yes."

The boy's eyes softened. "I don't think you know what was sacrificed for this… but I'll tell you later. I know Axel has something he wants to do."

"Yeah. I need to hit up a bank and see if there's any munny in my or my family's name." Putting his arms around his best friends, he smiled. "I'm planning to find us a place in Twilight Town. Somewhere, we can just have a relatively normal life."

"Twilight Town!" Ienzo smiled, glancing at Ansem. "We should let them know as well."

"Absolutely. They've had as much a hand in this as any of us."

"Who?"

Ansem looked down at Roxas. "Three young people who risked quite a lot to get me away from Xehanort and who were instrumental in helping recreate your heart."

Wait…

"You don't mean…"

The computer screen popped to life in front of Ienzo. "There you are. I hoped I'd be calling at a good hour."

Turning around, Roxas felt his heart jump in his chest.

Three teenagers.

Two boys and a girl.

Familiar faces on the screen.

Pence smiled. "We actually were just about to head home. It's getting late."

"Then we won't keep you long." Ansem stepped into view.

"Hi, Mister Ansem."

"Hello, again. I would just like to say another word of thanks to you three for all your help."

"Oh, it was nothing really."

"We just did what we could."

Hayner leaned closer to the monitor. "By the way, any news? Did you finish remaking Roxas's heart yet?"

Glancing over, Ansem smiled warmly. "Would you like to tell them?"

Roxas's hands shuddered as tears threatened to prick at the corner of his eyes. Slowly, his feet carried him closer, until he stood in front of the computer screen.

The three on the other side gasped.

"Yes!"

"Hey there!"

"It's so good to see you're here!"

Roxas shook as he looked into their faces. "You guys… you helped?"

"Of course! What kind of friends would we be if we didn't? Well, kinda friends… we've never really met you before, but you know us."

Olette nodded. "And we're so excited to meet you!"

"I-I'll be there soon…"

"And not just him." Ienzo added. "He'll be accompanied by two others as well."

Axel, taking a deep breath, walked over, leaning into view. "Um, hi…"

The three teens paused before Hayner pointed at the screen. "You!"

"Yes, yes! I know! Before you go yelling at me for my stupid actions, let me just say… I'm not the same guy as I was then. I'm sorry. And I've already apologized a million times to Kairi."

At the mention of Kairi, Ienzo glanced at the others… his mouth opened slightly, but he held his tongue.

Roxas smiled. "He's ok. Axel's one of my best friends. You can trust him."

The three glanced at each other before Pence sighed. "If you say so. We'll give him a chance to prove it."

"Thanks."

Motioning for Xion to come over, Axel grinned. "And this is Xion. She'll be coming too."

The girl sheepishly made her way over. "Hi."

"Hi!" Olette piped up. "Nice to meet you, Xion!"

"Same to you."

Pence smiled. "Well, we'd love to chat more, but if we're not back by curfew our parents are going to get upset. But we'll see you when you get here!"

"Yeah."

The three waved as the communication cut.

"You have some nice friends…" Xion giggled.

"Um…" Ienzo looked around. "I hate to ruin the mood but… where are Sora and Kairi?"

Everyone paused.

Demyx waved a hand. "Oh I bet they're off somewhere making out or something."

"Demyx!"

"What? It's not like it's a secret that they have a thing for each other."

Riku looked at the floor. "They'll… they'll be back soon." He looked up, meeting eyes with Ansem.

The old man always did have a way of figuring things out.

He knew.

Or at least had a good idea.

"Well then," he spoke softly, "we will congratulate them on the victory when they return."

"Yeah."

Clearing his throat, the old man turned back to Axel. "So, Twilight Town?"

"Yeah. Seems like the best place for these two."

Ansem smiled, walking over to the computer. He typed for a moment before a piece of paper printed out of a slot on the computer. "Then, consider this another step in my atonement." Pulling out the paper, he handed it to Axel. "The deed to the mansion in Twilight Town. It's yours now."

"Wait! What!?"

"I own the mansion. I can give it to whoever I want. It's yours now. A home for all three of you."

Axel stared at the paper before glancing down at the two teenagers. "Thank you… Thank you so much…" He smiled. "Guys, we have a home!"

They smiled back, not entirely sure what to say.

But their eyes said it all.

Home.

A real home!

"I'll grab my things and we'll go!"

"We can loan you the gummi ship."

Axel shook his head. "We still have our coats. We will make one last trip the old-fashioned way. Sound good, you two?"

"Yeah."

"Sounds good."

Putting his hands on their heads, Axel ruffled their hair. "Let's go home."


I've been so excited about this story for a while.

I'm finally trying out the slice of life genre. And with my favorite trio!

Now, I may be a hardcore Rokushi shipper, but I'm going to try my darndest to make this a mostly romance-less fic. There might be some hints at Rokushi throughout, but nothing major.

Hope you all enjoyed the chapter!