I'm glad that people seem happy that Aqua got her proper Keyblade and armor back. And that you enjoyed having Riku and Kairi interact. They are friends, after all. But yeah, I'm happy to hear that you liked the previous chapter.

I hope that you don't mind the quick update. It's been a busy time of the year for me, but somehow I'm making pretty good progress. I hope that everyone is enjoying this and that you'll like what happens in this chapter.

Roxas was fighting, his Keyblade flashing through the air. He was at Twilight Town, near the train station. Near the clocktower. And his opponent was an armored figure. Strong, but not strong enough to stop him. Each of his strikes were fast and vicious. He put as much power into each blow as possible.

He wanted to stop. He needed to stop.

This was wrong.

He couldn't stop. His body kept moving automatically, moving through the combos instinctively. He needed to stop, but Roxas couldn't make himself stop.

Then his opponent, the armored and inhuman figure, shattered apart. Roxas glimpsed Xion in the center. Why her? Why did he fight her? She smiled sadly at him before falling, dissolving into light before she hit the ground. Roxas could only stare in horror, dropping the Keyblade.

No, no, no… He didn't mean it. He didn't want to hurt her. She was his best friend.

"Xion. I'm sorry. Please. Don't leave me."

Come back. He had to get her back.

His chest ached, like something was wrapped around and squeezing his ribs. It hurt. Why did it hurt so much? He wasn't the one that faded away without a trace. He was fine. She was the one who…

But he wasn't fine. So many things seemed to be swirling in his head and twisting in his chest. He couldn't identify them all. He didn't have the words to describe the sensations. He felt awful and he couldn't even explain it in his head.

Colors seemed to melt and blur around him, like his horrified tears were washing away his surroundings. The train station and clocktower disappeared like smoke. Twilight Town became Betwixt and Between.

Abruptly Axel materialized in front of Roxas. But something was wrong. He was…

Sprawled on the ground. Weak. Exhausted. Hurt.

Fading.

Roxas saw blood and he saw Axel slowly dissolving into nothingness.

Horror, guilt, and worry choked Roxas as he collapsed to his knees. Not him. He couldn't lose both of them. He couldn't lose his best friends.

It hurt. It hurt so much.

Roxas reached for Axel, trying to stop the bleeding. Trying to stop the way he was fading away. But right before he could touch him, something slammed Roxas back and away.

The warmth and light wrapped around him, protectively and yet trapping him. He realized that it was a heart. Roxas was inside someone else's heart.

But he couldn't be there. He needed out. He needed to help his friend. Please.

He could still see Axel. Outside. Roxas was separated like there was a glass wall between him and the world, but he could still see his best friend.

His fading and bleeding best friend.

Were there always knives in Axel's chest? Did he see them before? He couldn't remember.

"I just wanted to see Roxas," said Axel quietly.

"I'm here, Axel. I'm right here," he screamed, trying to reach him.

Trying to be heard. Trying to let Axel know that he was there. Trying to help his best friend.

But no one could see or hear him. Roxas was useless. Powerless. He couldn't do anything except watch.

And Axel was fading because of Roxas. That thought screamed through his head. It was his fault. All of this was his fault.

"Axel! Xion! Please," he begged. "I didn't mean it. I'm sorry."

But Xion was gone. Gone because of Roxas. Gone because Roxas destroyed her. Gone forever and it hurt. It felt like something sharp kept stabbing his chest.

And Axel was disappearing too. It was Roxas's fault. He was disappearing because of Roxas and he was helpless to stop it.

"I'm sorry. I'm here, Axel. Please hear me. Just hold on. I'm here. You can't go. Don't go. I'm right here. I'm sorry."

Words tumbled out of Roxas, desperate and frantic. But no one could hear him. He was safe and warm in Sora's heart, protected even as everything that he cared about was taken away. And he couldn't change what was happening. He couldn't stop it.

Axel's eyes closed.

He couldn't stop it.

Roxas couldn't catch his breath. His throat and chest felt so tight. It hurt. Everything hurt.

He couldn't stop it.

And, the last bits of strength that was holding him together snapping like threads, Axel vanished and—

Roxas's eyes snapped open as a wordless cry tore out of his throat. Breathing hard and his chest pounding, he didn't know what was happening or where he was. His wide eyes darted around. Not the white walls of the World That Never Was. Not his room in Twilight Town— not his room, not his, never his, fake, fake, it was fake—

But the disorientation and confusion gradually faded as his breathing finally began to slow and even out, the pounding in his chest and head easing. He blinked rapidly, trying to stop the burning in his eyes as he ignored the slight dampness on his face. And with extreme effort, Roxas forced his fingers to loosen their tight grip on the blanket.

He was in the castle at Radiant Garden. In the room that they said he could use while they were on the world. He and Xion ended up making use of the rooms early, weariness forcing them. It was still dark, so it was still the middle of the night.

Xion was safe. She was a couple rooms away, sleeping and alive. And Axel was in the castle too. He… He wasn't… He wasn't all right exactly, but he wasn't gone.

Both of them were alive.

Roxas reluctantly closed his eyes. It was the middle of the night. Exhaustion weighed him down. He should sleep. He would force himself to sleep.

At least until morning. It would only be a few more hours. Hopefully the nightmares would stay at bay at least that long.

Lea was breathing hard and his head was swimming by the time he stumbled onto the new platform. He hadn't put all his strength into his attacks; he wasn't that desperate yet. He wasn't on the verge of fading away. But he was exhausted.

Burning his way through that many enemies wasn't easy. Not without something to channel his power through, something to focus, control, and direct the magic more efficiently than what the normal human body could manage alone. There was a reason that magicians like that duck used wands and most of the Keybearers used their Keyblades. And why even as Axel, he didn't normally burn someone alive with a snap of his fingers unless they were already weakened and he had plenty of energy to spare on a little showmanship. It took a lot of power and was wasteful to do it that way. Maybe some people could manipulate magic on their own, especially for more delicate and intricate spellcasting, but he needed his weapons to do the job right.

He would be fine though. He just needed a minute to recuperate a little. He could handle this.

At least the Shadows and Dusks were gone.

As he managed to catch his breath and the feeling of being drained began to ease, he started examining the stained-glass. Once again, Lea found himself looking at a picture of himself. He had his Keyblade slung over his shoulder, his body sitting in a relaxed position with his free arm resting on his knee. But his eyes were closed and his head leaned forward, indicating that he was asleep in the picture. The background faintly resembled the face of a red-tinted clock. But there were no hands on the clock image and instead of numbers, there were circles with familiar faces arranged around the edges of the platform. Isa, Roxas, Xion, a slightly lighter-haired version of Roxas that he recognized as Ventus from years ago, Sora, Kairi, Riku, and a girl that he once knew when she was hidden deep below the castle in Radiant Garden.

Okay, maybe there were only eight circles rather than twelve, but the design still reminded him of a clock more than anything.

Waiting to find out what the deal would be for this platform since apparently all of them had a gimmick, Lea slowly walked towards the center. He still felt exhausted though. Not just from the fight up the path. He'd been growing tired the higher that he'd climbed since the moment he arrived. He wasn't certain how much farther he could go without rest. And this didn't seem like a smart place to take a nap.

"What are you willing to give up to reclaim something lost?"

A transparent figure rose up from the stained-glass. The black coat suggested that he was looking at Saïx, but his eyes were a warm green shade and his expression seemed too relaxed and at ease. The image was Isa. Lea knew it without a doubt.

"Would you sacrifice your heart to bring back someone without one?"

Another ghostly figure formed in front of him. A smaller shape, but dressed the same. The sandy blond hair, a shade between Ventus's blond and Sora's darker brown, and his blue eyes made Lea's chest ache. Even transparent, it was good to see Roxas again.

"Would you sacrifice your body to bring back someone without one?"

Something about that question felt wrong, tugging at his recent foggy memories, but Lea was distracted by the arrival of a third transparent figure. Black hair and blue eyes, Xion looked exactly the way that he remembered.

He remembered her. Lea still couldn't forgive himself for forgetting her for even a moment.

"Would you sacrifice your life to bring back someone without one?"

Lea stiffened as the questions truly sank in. What would he give up to get back something that he lost? They were asking him to choose. He could bring back one of his friends. But at a steep cost.

If he based his decision on what he could afford to lose, none of the options were good.

Surrendering his heart terrified him, but it would be the easiest in some ways. He'd dealt with it before. The empty numbness and the loss of emotions were familiar. And Nobodies could form new hearts over time. He knew that now. And at least as a Nobody, he would be around.

Losing his body would leave him as a Heartless, a mindless and instinctive creature who would blindly attack any heart it could find. He wouldn't be like Sora or Xehanort's Heartless. He wouldn't remember anything. There would be nothing left of his identity.

And losing his life… Well, that was self-explanatory.

But if the question was who to bring back rather than what he would prefer to give up…

"I can't choose between them." Lea shook his head. "Don't make me choose."

He promised to bring them back. He yelled the words at Xion, but he meant the promise for all his friends.

Isa, his oldest friend from childhood and practically family growing up. Roxas, his first friend in over a decade and the person who made him feel again when he thought it was impossible. Xion, the person who made him admit that he had best friends again and who was important enough that he missed her even without those memories.

He couldn't choose between them. How could he? How could he bring back one while condemning the other two to be left behind?

Wait… The voice didn't ask him to choose. It only asked what he was willing to sacrifice to bring them back.

And for them… It wasn't even a real question.

"Everything," he said, his voice steady and firm. "My heart. My body. My life. If it brings back Isa, Roxas, and Xion, I would sacrifice everything. I want my best friends to be safe and whole again. Even if I'm not there… with them…" His hands tightened into fists at his side, his resolve hardening. "Losing them hurt more than fading. More than losing my heart in the first place. More than anything else that's happened to me. I know what's important now. I know what matters. If this is what it takes, then fine. I accept. I'll fight for them with all my heart, face any threat, and pay any price for their sakes. And if I have to give up every piece of myself to bring them back, then that's what I'll do. I may not have the strongest heart. But for my friends? I'll be strong enough!"

A solid shape materialized in his fist, his fingers wrapped around it as the Keyblade appeared without warning. Lea startled back. He didn't mean to summon it. And… it felt different than before. Sturdier. More solid. And for the first time, the heft and balance felt right in his hand. Natural. Like it was a part of him. Like the Keyblade—

—Flame Liberator—

—belonged with him.

Wait? What was… Was that its name? The knowledge was suddenly in his head as abruptly as the weapon had appeared in his hand. Now he understood what Kairi and Sora meant when they said that they just knew the names of Destiny's Embrace and Kingdom Key. And why they laughed when he suggested giving their Keyblades cooler names.

They didn't pick the names. The Keyblades already had them. His just apparently decided to wait until a more dramatic moment before sharing that little tidbit with him.

The transparent figures of his friends wavered like a guttering candle. Then they dissolved into sparks of light and floated upwards. Lea could only stare as they disappeared into the darkness above.

"It isn't a real trade, you know. You can't get them back that way. It's a test, the answer reflecting the limits of your resolve."

Lea's head snapped around. Walking calmly across the stained-glass, Axel grinned. Chakrams in hand, his expression was that of a man looking for a fight.

"But at least you finally got your head straightened out," continued Axel. "Well, your head and your heart. Kind of hard to wield a Keyblade properly when you spend half your energy fighting yourself. No wonder you had issues." Tightening his grip on the chakrams, Axel said, "Though about that 'fighting yourself' thing—"

Lea threw himself to the left as the chakram flew through the air, nearly taking off his head. No warning. But then again, fights were never fair.

Axel moved blindingly fast, closing the distance between them, but Lea was just as fast. The Keyblade parried the second chakram before twisting into a sharp strike to the Nobody's side. He pushed forward the attack, moving into an aggressive combo that left Flame Liberator as a glowing blur.

Despite his weariness, Lea didn't stop. He shifted between strikes and blocks and back again, twisting and dodging the round weapons that spun and sliced around him. As vicious and brutal as Axel might be in combat, Lea knew every move intimately. He knew exactly how to avoid the attack and how to counter his opponent. There was nothing that Axel could do that Lea hadn't tried a thousand times himself.

And for the first time, wielding his Keyblade felt natural and right. Every movement was precise and controlled. Lea fought instinctively, without conscious thought of how he held or swung Flame Liberator. He didn't have to concentrate to remember that his weapon was different than what he'd spent decades learning. It was an extension of himself, Flame Liberator spinning and flashing through the air with each swing. This was how a Keyblade wielder was meant to fight.

Metal clanged as they clashed, each impact jolting up his arms. Even though he was using his Keyblade more effectively and knew how his opponent would fight, Lea had to pay close attention. Axel possessed two weapons and could block with one while using the second to strike. And Axel's strikes had a decent amount of power behind them.

But he was making progress. Whenever Lea managed to get past Axel's defense, the doppelganger grunted in pain. Lea aimed for this opponent's sides, the upper arms, and as close to the wrists as possible. He knew from experience that hitting those spots hard enough could disarm or at least hinder someone's ability to use those chakrams in a fight. And the more damage that Axel suffered, the better chance that Lea had at taking advantage and winning this fight.

He could do this. He could wear Axel down and injure him enough to beat him. Even with his increased strength and durability as a Nobody, Axel had his limit. Lea knew that better than anyone.

Lea didn't have the energy to spare for any fire-based attacks, not after his efforts against the Heartless and Nobodies on the way up, but he was strong enough to keep fighting. Axel wouldn't kill him. Lea would get past him and go back to retrieving his friends somehow.

But why wasn't Axel using fire with his own attacks?

Leaning back to avoid a chakram nearly slicing his throat, Lea twisted his Keyblade into a slightly different grip. He faked a swing at Axel's face before Lea spun low, his boot shooting out to meet the side of his opponent's knee. With a snarl of pain, Axel hit the ground. Then, to make certain that he stayed down, Lea brought his Keyblade overhead and slammed it on Axel's chest.

Breathing hard, Lea stared for a moment at his opponent in case he still tried to get up. Unlikely, but he wasn't taking any chances. Then Lea stumbled back a couple steps before collapsing to one knee. His Keyblade dematerialized as his strength seemed to pour out of his body.

"What's going on?" he muttered, trying to catch his breath.

Coughing briefly, Axel raised his head a little and said, "What did you expect? You were fighting yourself."

Well, when you put it that way, it made sense. No wonder he felt completely exhausted and his body was starting to ache. He'd essentially beat up himself. Lea wobbled slightly in his crouched position, but managed not to fall.

"You still don't get it. You don't get what I am," continued Axel.

"Me," he said, letting out a slow breath. "All of my mistakes. Everything that I've done wrong."

"Not quite. I am you. But a specific part." Axel pushed himself up to a sitting position, giving Lea a surprisingly sympathetic look. "Yes, I'm the part of you that laughed at the idea of manipulating everyone in Castle Oblivion to suit your needs. But I'm also the part that continuously compelled you to join Roxas and Xion on the clocktower every sunset. And the part that made you go out of your way to protect and help them. I'm the source of the subtle pain, the guilt, that came from each lie to them, each secret that you hid from them, and every time you broke their trust 'for their own good.' I'm the reason it hurt to see Saïx drift away. I'm why it hurt when Xion ran away, intending to sacrifice her existence to return to Sora and save Roxas from what her presence was doing to him. And I'm why it hurt so much when Roxas looked at his best friend and didn't know you. Good or bad, I'm the part of you that felt."

He gave a breathless chuckle. Then he shook his head, Axel's expression one of clear bemusement.

"Don't you see?" he said. "I'm the part of you that used to be Axel's forming heart before you were recompleted."

"You sure that we're not like Roxas and Sora then?" asked Lea.

"There's no 'we.' Not really. Axel's heart joined yours, the one that you lost originally over a decade ago. Axel and Lea were never separate people with separate memories and experiences the way Roxas and Naminé were, so the two hearts didn't stay separate. They combined seamlessly when you reformed. Otherwise you would have ended up with emotional maturity of a teenager. Same deal with the others, which is why Ienzo doesn't have the emotional responses of a little kid."

Lea considered making a comment, some snarky remark about maturity or something. But he was too tired to bother. Unable to maintain his balance, he let his exhausted body lean back until he was sitting on the stained-glass surface.

"The only reason I'm here," continued Axel, "is because you needed to accept a few important facts. And the only way you were going to do it was if someone literally told you to your face. Besides, you do better when the problem is something that you can physically face and fight. You're so stubborn that you needed yourself to show up and literally knock some sense into your thick head."

Lea tried to chuckle, but it came out as a series of coughs. One hand covered his mouth through coughing fit while the other went to the floor, bracing him and keeping him upright. He was so tired. Where did all his energy go?

"You messed up. You were selfish and hurt your friends," said Axel. "Over and over again. You lost almost everyone because of your selfishness and mistakes." Axel smiled, drawing one leg up so he could rest his hands on his knee. "But, despite everything, you also managed to love them even as a Nobody."

Something about Lea's expression startled a moment of laughter out of his doppelganger. It took a moment for him to compose himself again, but Axel eventually shook his head.

"Even if you're out of practice with emotions, you know there's a difference between loving someone and being in love with someone. And you loved those two half-pints enough to grow a heart. And yes, a decade of being a manipulative, ruthless, and scheming assassin for the Organization meant you didn't always do the right thing. But you love Xion and Roxas. And even after everything, you care about Isa wherever he is buried under what Saïx has become."

Axel stood up, acting as if the fight never happened. That was completely unfair.

"You have a second chance though. Your Keyblade and your heart are on the same page now. You're strong enough to survive what's happened. You know what you want and you have the resolve to go after them. It's time to go back. It's time to see your friends again." Giving Lea a glare, he added, "Just make sure that you don't mess up your second chance. You can't be selfish this time around."

Lea's exhaustion began hitting him harder. His limbs felt heavy, pulling him down. His arm slid along the floor against his will, causing Lea to slowly collapse until he was lying on the ground. He should do something; he should get back up. But he could already tell that wasn't going to happen. His muscles might as well be made of jelly and his body ached too much to try moving. He could barely keep his eyes open. What was wrong with him?

"Just drop the riddles and tell me," said Lea, struggling to keep his eyes open. "What am I supposed to do? How do I get them back? What do… I…need to…?"

Axel smirked as he started to glow. Sparks floated off his figure, the doppelganger slowly dissolving away. The bits of light sank into Lea, warm and soft.

"Follow your heart back to them," said Axel as he blurred and faded. "And open your eyes."

Lea wanted to argue that his eyes were already open, but exhaustion was doing its best to take care of that issue. As one final attempt at resistance, he managed to briefly lift his head and push himself up with one arm. Then, as consciousness attempted to abandon him entirely, Lea collapsed again. But the stained-glass didn't catch him. The surface vanished beneath his body and… he… fell…

Not as long as some of the chapters, but this was the best stopping point. And I'm going to be very busy in the immediate future, so I tried my best to hurry with this update.