Ch.20

It all seemed like it would be normal, just like the rest of the days. But as soon as Roxas and Xion went to talk to Axel, that's where things went different. Aside from his usual glare, today he seemed even sharper than before. "Today ends this little charade of you two working together."

"Huh? Why?" Xion asked.

"Cause one; I said so and two; there are some big ugly Heartless in two different worlds. That means we can't be wasting time going to them one by one in your little team up."

"But…" Xion started to say.

Axel leaned over, bringing his face up to hers. "No buts. There is not going to be any of that. Unless…" He narrowed his eyes. "There's some other reason you don't want to be split up."

"Uh no, but-" Roxas started to say, but Axel cut him off.

"No! I am not going to hear any pitiful excuses from either one of you. If you can't manage to take on tasks on your own, then you really have gotten weak and pathetic."

The two teens looked at one another with a worried glance for only the briefest of seconds. Neither of them knew what to say, and it was making them worried. If they were going to be split up and Xion still couldn't use the keyblade… Axel was totally going to find out.

"So you've hiding something from me, have you now?" Axel said as he grabbed onto both Roxas and Xion by their arms, so they wouldn't be able to just easily run away.

"N-No…" Xion stammered. "We just didn't think that-"

"That's what I thought!" Axel grumbled. "Just excuses and more excuses. Well I am sick of it and if you think you and try to bull-"

"Axel," Saix quickly said before the man could go any further.

"Oh what?" Axel sneered. "Are you here to play 'mother' again? Tell me that these two are still such worthless babies that they can't do anything on their own?"

Saix remained calm. He wasn't going to let Axel get to him like this, no matter how badly he wanted to rebuke. He had to keep his cool and not give in to the temptation to react. If Axel was being a bully the worse thing Saix could do was give in to what he wanted. Being calm and collected was the only way he knew to get through this.

"I wasn't saying that. You said there are two major Heartless threats yes? Just where exactly are they?"

"You think you can do something about it? Cause that isn't how it is going to work. If I think these two need to stop working with each other then that's what I say. I am the one that is second in command not you."

"I can still offer advice to what I think is reasonable," Saix countered. "If these Heartless are as big of a threat as you say, it would be unwise to send out the two of them by themselves even with their keyblades. Even keyblade wielders like themselves need back up if the cause is great enough. If you sent them out alone to deal with a big threat and something unexpected happens, how can we be sure that they will be safe?"

Axel moved from his spot, marching right up to Saix until they were meer inches apart. "You think you can do my job for me? Telling me how I should do it? Cause let me tell you mother, I can do what I want and what I say goes."

"Even if it is not beneficial?" Saix said, not even flinching. "What do you think the superior would say if you sent out the only two keyblade wielders separately and one of them got injured because they had no backup support?"

Axel sneered. "You really want to make this difficult then, don't you? I am not letting work together, but," Axel rolled his eyes. "If you are so persistent that the little babies don't get any scratches, you can go with Xion to Agrabah and Roxas can go with…" Axel looked down at his papers. "Luxord is free, so it will be him. There. You happy mother?"

Saix swallowed before taking in a deep breath. "Perfectly fine."

"Good, now get out of my sight and get to the damn mission, I'll go inform Luxord of the change in plans," Axel grumbled before storming out of the Grey Room.

Now that the three were alone, Saix finally faced them. He could see how white and paled their face had become from the argument. It was so unexpected and he knew neither of them could properly process what they had just witnessed.

"Are you two all right?" Saix asked as he knelt down to their eye level. "I wouldn't worry about what he said. You two still are strong and well worthy. We just can't take these risks, understand?"

"Yeah," Xion replied as she nodded. "Thank you, Saix."

"Thanks," Roxas added on.

"All right, then we should get going before Axel returns, we will meet up later as usual," Saix said before heading to the portal to leave.

Xion walked right by his side, but chose not to say a word and it seemed neither did Roxas. No doubt both of them were still mauling over what Axel had said to them. He wasn't going to let them go on any missions together anymore. Not unless there was truly a need for it from what Saix could figure.

As the two of them walked through the portal, Saix could hear Xion sighing quietly to herself. "Is it still bothering you, Xion? You can talk more if you prefer."

"I'm just worried… if we don't find a way for me to summon the keyblade, then we… Axel might-"

"Xion," Saix interrupted. "If Axel has anything more to say on this matter, then I will take the wrath personally."

"But how are we going to defeat the Heartless? I still can't use the keyblade! Axel's going to know… and then he might get even angier."

"If the keyblade does not come to you in this battle, then we will have to back out and tell Axel the Heartless managed to escape before we could defeat it."

Xion gasped. "You mean lie? Wouldn't Axel know?"

"I am sure I can persuade him otherwise to believe it."

"Are you sure? It didn't look like you really wanted to agree to you back there. I've never seen him look so upset before. I didn't know Nobodies could get that angry."

"There are still times where we exhibit those old traits, even if we aren't feeling them," Saix explained as they exited out into Agrabah."It seems that Axel is just more uptight than usual."

"So you really think this is going to work?" Xion asked as they started to look around for the Heartless they needed to take care of.

"Just stay by my side and use whatever magic you are able to. I will do the majority of the fighting."

With a nod they started to keep an eye out for the Heartless that would eventually show up. It did as they expected and Saix lunged into his attacks right away. He made sure to keep and eye on Xion, who tried her best to use magic while also staying out of range of the Heartless's attacks.

It was as big of a threat as Saix would have expected, with many attacks being close calls. But the Heartless eventually was beginning to wear down, but it wouldn't be properly defeated. Not without the keyblade. But that was going to have to be another day, unless by some chance Xion did get to summoning hers, though from the looks of it Saix had a feeling that it wouldn't be happening today.

When the Heartless was weakened enough, it finally retreated away, leaving Xion and Saix alone. He had dismissed his weapon when he turned to face her, she was staring down at the ground. He made his way over to her, but she still refused to look up.

"I'm sorry, Saix…"

"There is nothing to be sorry about, the Heartless was too much for us to handle. It is as simple as that."

"B-But… Axel. He won't like it if we haven't defeated the Heartless. He'll find out I don't have the keyblade. I know he will."

Saix placed his hands firmly on Xion's shoulders. Warranting her to look up at him. "Xion. He will not find out about this. I will make sure of that as I said."

"But then we're going to lie? Wouldn't he find out about that and be even more mad?"

Sighing, Saix lowered his head slightly. "This situation is tricky, I will admit that. But I believe it is better to try and keep it hidden until we can figure out how to get your keyblade back. I fear that Axel would be harsher to know the truth now."

He knew for a fact that he didn't like to lie, but it just came so much easier as a Nobody. Even if it was lying against Axel… Saix knew that it had to be done. He wasn't about to let Xion get hurt by Axel for something that she couldn't control. Though the reason why she couldn't summon her keyblade was still unknown, Saix wasn't going to give up yet.

"Thank you, Saix. I don't know what I would do if you weren't here," Xion whispered.

"You're welcome. Now come, let's head to Twilight Town for the evening."

"Okay," Xion said, some of her damper mood lifting away.

When they got there, Roxas was already waiting for them. "Hey guys, did… everything go okay?"

Saix and Xion took their seats, though now Xion was back to being quiet and reserved. She was staring down at her ice cream but not saying a word. With a sigh, Saix decided to speak up on the matter. "Unfortunately it didn't go as well as we hoped. The Heartless did get away from us."

"And Xion's keyblade… did you…" Roxas turned to Xion who still wouldn't look up.

"Nothing happened…" she answered quietly. "I guess I'm never going to get the keyblade back…"

"No! Don't say that Xion! There has to be a way, right? Right Saix? There has to be something we can do?" Roxas said as he turned to look at Saix with wide eyes.

"There must be something… I do not know the full extent of how a keyblade can work, but I figure there must be some way to recall it. Have…" Saix cut himself off as a thought started to form in his head. "Have you considered the thought of letting Xion use your keyblade for a time?"

Roxas's eyes widened. "No… we didn't actually think about that. Xion! Let's try that!" Roxas stood up and summoned his keyblade, holding it out to Xion.

"But… are you sure? Right now?"

"No time is better than now. If we can figure this out before heading back to the castle, then everything is going to be okay!"

Xion still looked rather hesitant. She pressed her lips together before finally letting out a long exhale. "I guess you have a point."

She stood up and took the keyblade from Roxas, holding it in her hands. She took a few light swings with it and then came to a stop. She closed her eyes and began to concentrate, hoping that would maybe help.

"Well?" Roxas asked. "You feel anything?"

"I don't know…" Xion said as she looked to the keyblade again.

"Is it possible to dismiss the keyblade and re-summon it as if it were your own?" Saix interjected. He still wasn't too sure how keyblades worked, but he had to give it a shot.

"But what if it vanished and I can't summon it back? If I can't bring it back then Roxas can't have his keyblade, and then-"

Saix had his hands on Xion's shoulders before she could continue. "Xion, you must be more confident in yourself. If you are not, then you will make yourself believe you can' you must try to have some faith."

"Hm, right. You're right, Saix. I guess I will try."

Xion took in several deep breaths before she flashed the keyblade away. There seemed to be a glint of hopefulness in her eyes, but she didn't let it grow. She waited shortly before thinking and deeply concentrating. In a flash of light the keyblade was back in her hands.

Sighing, she held it out to inspect it. "I think I did it…"

"Maybe that means you can summon your own now?" Roxas said as he told the keyblade back once Xion handed it to him.

Xion sighed as she looked at her own hand, flexing it slightly. With one more deep breath she closed her eyes tightly and held out her hand. There was nothing at first, but then the flash of light came and the keyblade sat in her hands.

"Look! I did it!"

Saix couldn't help but smile at the sight. "You see? You still had it in you this entire time."

"I guess I really did! Thank you Saix!" Xion said before grinning widely.

"You are welcome, Xion. I am just glad to see that you have the keyblade back.

"I bet all it took was just remembering what it felt like to hold the keyblade," Roxas added as he finally sat back down.

Saix and Xion did the same as Xion gave a nod. "You're right! And now I just need to say thank you so much, to the both of you."

"There's nothing to thank me about," Saix replied. "You did it on your own."

"But you've been helping us! And now if we get sent back to Agrabah we will be able to take care of that Heartless no problem!"

"Yeah, Xion's right. If it wasn't for your smart thinking when talking to Axel, he could have found out otherwise."

Xion nodded happily. "So yeah, that's why I need to thank you, Saix."

"If you must, then you're welcome."

"Should we get some more ice cream to celebrate?" Roxas suddenly asked.

"Oh! Let's do that! To celebrate the moment!"

Xion ran off to get more ice cream and returned shortly after with three new bars of ice cream. She handed them out before going to sit and enjoy another bite of delicious ice cream. After a little bit Roxas laughed lightly before taking a bite into his own ice cream.

"You know, I hope we always have each other."

"Yeah…" Xion agreed softly.

Saix turned to look at him. "Now what makes you say something like that?"

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

Saix could see the hopeful glint in Roxas's eye, and if he was being honest with himself he was truly enjoying these moments. He too wanted them to keep on happening. These were perhaps his most peaceful moments in years. Despite the recent surge of Axel acting harsher, Saix felt much better when he was out here with Roxas and Xion.

But as much as he wanted to hold on to it, he knew the truth of the matter. "I agree, it would be nice. But part of life is change, and change means not everything is going to remain the same. But even with that, we will stand by each other's sides."

"Oh?"

"People may change or events as well, but sometimes all that is needed is having each other. As long as you don't forget the important parts in life."

"Wow," Roxas said. "That sounds really interesting. You mean that?"

"I try my best to convey what I am thinking. If it goes over your heads, I am sorry."

Xion was laughing now. "It's fine, Saix. You're trying your best."

"Thank you," Saix replied in a soft voice.

That night the trio turned in their reports at roughly the same time. Saix wanted to make sure that Axel wouldn't do anything too rash but he seems to have cooled down from the morning. He took the reports without a word from then and that seemed to be all. At least that was what Saix thought until he started to head down the hallway to his room.

Out of nowhere he was shoved into the wall and Axel was glaring at him. "If you think for a single minute I have bought any of your crap, then you're highly mistaken."

Saix gave him an equal glare in return. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh sure you don't. Come on Saix, I know you're keeping something from me. You actually want me to believe that you went out with the other zombie and failed to defeat the Heartless? Honestly you think I am that stupid?"

"It got away from us before we could do anything about it," Saix replied calmly.

"You're really trying to be full of it aren't you? Whatever you are trying to hide, don't bother. I'll find out eventually and then you'll really be in for it."

"Lea," Saix hissed quickly. He was trying his best to restrain himself, he just let a little slip. "I fear that you are letting your power as second in command get to your head."

"I've been doing this for years, I know what I am doing. You are the one who is hiding things and acting differently. I'm just trying to keep order with how things are run."

"But why does it matter what I do? What reason do you have to jump at me like this?"

"Because!" Axel grumbled. His eyes narrowed more and he barely even blinked. He gritted his teeth before finally letting go of Saix and backed off. Now standing a few inches away he let out a long exhale. "Just don't think you can get away with any secrets."

He stormed off before Saix could even find something to reply with. Now left alone Saix let out his own long exhale, not truly knowing what to make of it. It was so out of nowhere and had ended just as fast. As always like everything else with Axel, it just left Saix with more and more unanswered questions.

Roxas's Diary Entry: Day 96

Today's mission was a bit odd at first. Xion and I got separated cause Axel said so. But Saix managed to convince him to let him go with Xion. At the clock tower at least we finally solve the issue of Xion's keyblade. Now we don't have to worry about Axel finding out, and we wouldn't be in any trouble. We got to have double the ice cream today because of the big moment. It was really nice.

Secret Report: Saix

Despite a disruption in plans from Axel, by the end of the day Xion was able to regain her ability to wield the keyblade. I don't know if honestly what I suggested actually helped, but maybe it did do some good after all. But there are still many more questions I have about the keybalde, maybe ones I will find out for one day.

But on a different note, Axel almost could have gone too far. He never got to that point, but I was sure he could have if I had not stepped in. But with his outlandish behavior I have never felt more distant from him than ever before. There was already that gap from all these years, but today it felt even wider. I actually feel closer with the time that I spend with Roxas and Xion than what I remember with Lea… The old days of friendship I thought were so long gone, but I think I am remembering what that is like.

Oh wow I finally did it again! A new chapter and just taking my time to get through it, but I managed to figure out how to get around this. Hope you all enjoyed!