Journals

I do not own Kingdom Hearts. It is the property of Square Enix and the Walt Disney Studios. This is a creative work that I do not profit off of in any way.

Ah, journal-keeping. A fine and noble endeavor, and perfect for a vignette!

Growing up in Radiant Garden, Axel hadn't been the best student. Sure, school was alright…but who would do homework over exploring the bailey? Or sneaking into the castle? Or playing with frisbees, which were by far the coolest toy ever, no matter what Isa the stick-in-the-mud said.

And this habit of avoiding the mundaneness that was homework, and the consequences that came from it, was thankfully, one that Axel no longer had to worry about after becoming a grown-up. And a Keybearer. Master Aqua didn't even request mission reports the way that ol' Xemnas had. So, one day, when Axel came home from the Land of Departure—Master Aqua thought he'd started growing slack in his technique and insisted he stay being—and found Roxas and Xion hunched over the kitchen table with Olette, he was naturally suspicious.

If Axel hadn't known better, then he would have sworn that Roxas and Xion were doing homework with Olette…who, for some. reason, spent more time with them than any of her other friends. Or at her own house. But he did know better—Roxas and Xion weren't enrolled in any school in Twilight Town and as smart as they were—and make no mistake of that, they were very smart—they were totally clueless about what Olette would have been studying in school.

"Write down everything," Olette said. "That was one thing those people did right. Keep a close record of everything. What you saw, what you heard, what you felt…even smell and taste. If there's something strange being cooked at the bistro, then write it down."

"Even if it's just Little Chef experimenting?"

"Especially if Little Chef is experimenting," Olette said. "I was sick for three days after the chocolate caviar omelet."

Blech. Who in their right mind would order that?

Roxas and Olette jumped and Xion turned bright-red. Oops, had he said that out loud? He was getting rusty. In the old days, he'd have been able to spy on people for hours and they never knew he was there.

"So what's going on here?" Axel asked, strolling over. "It doesn't sound like summer homework."

"It's…um…" Xion hesitated. "Please don't be mad, Axel."

"It was all my idea!" Olette said quickly. "They didn't have anything to do with it! Blame me, it was all me!"

"I'm not gonna get mad," Axel said. He paused for a moment. Okay, maybe he might get a little angry, if they were keeping something from him. "I don't like that you're keeping secrets. So, spill it."

"We're keeping journals again," Roxas said sheepishly. "Olette's been showing us how to write it in ways that we can find the information we need when we want it."

Olette placed a hand on one book Axel hadn't noticed right away. It was small…and burned? Man, someone had really done a number on it. Almost like…he glanced at Xion, who was staring at the little burned book. It was the same size as the little book in front of Roxas. Oh…damn. That was Xion's old journal, wasn't it? When they clashed in front of the Old Mansion a thousand years ago, she must have dropped it. Man it was still around after all this time?

"You're my friends…" Olette mumbled, not meeting Axel's eye. "And I don't want anything to happen to you. And I don't want anything to get forgotten."

"Back in the Organization," Xion said. "Keeping these journals helped us develop our identities because we were always thinking about what had happened."

"This all started a long, long, long time ago. Longer than anyone can remember. There are many worlds, but they used to be one," Axel read aloud. "Wait a second…this is the Keyblade War!"

"When I said I didn't want anything to be forgotten," Olette said. "I meant it. I'm going back to the beginning. I've called Ventus and Master Aqua to hear their stories, and Sora and Kairi called me last night."

"And you're keeping this all in journals?" Axel asked. "This sounds like a lot of work."

"It's not just me," Olette said. "Hayner and Pence are helping too. And Ienzo. We don't want any data to be lost."

"Still…" Axel said. He trailed off. There was determination, almost defiance in Olette's eyes. And Roxas and Xion looked desperate for approval, and more than a little scared. They knew all too well the pain that came with losing memories.

"Alright," Axel said, pulling up a chair. He reached over to ruffle Roxas's hair and brush a lock of Xion's hair behind her ear. "Let's give it a go. Really, I can't believe you left me out of the loop for these journals. Who else could help you get this stuff memorized?"

Once again, I borrow heavily from Rise Above the X. That being said, I definitely think other characters besides Jiminy Cricket would take up journal-keeping after everything that's happened.

Thank you for reading my dear, dear readers. Leave a comment if you're so inclined! I appreciate each and every one of you!