He could feel each heavy chime reverberating throughout his entire body as he climbed the last set of steps to the top of the clock tower. In his hands, he carried bars of sea salt ice cream. The sun was setting on the horizon, bathing the sky in striking oranges and reds. As he approached the final turn before he'd be standing in front of the huge clock face, he saw a long shadow stretching out across the floor from behind the corner.

Well… seemed someone had beaten him here.

He grinned as he turned the corner. "You're early."

"No," Roxas replied, not turning to face him, eyes instead remaining glued to that glorious sunset. "You're just late," he finished… except, as he spoke, the voice mutated, becoming more high pitched and feminine. The spiky golden hair darkened, slowly shifting to a jet black as it grew and stretched down to the nape of the neck.

Shocked, he halted in his tracks, eyes widening. "What the… Xi-" Whatever he was going to say was lost in a sudden sharp, but mercifully brief pain lashing throughout his skull. He winced, releasing a soft hiss through his teeth, shaking his head.

Wait, what… had he been about to say? He was… having trouble recalling…

"It's strange…" the dark haired girl that had replaced Roxas said. She still wore an Organization coat, but her back was to him, her face remaining a mystery. "I used to be the one who had dreams every night that I didn't understand with you in them… funny how we've swapped places now, it seems."

Looking down at his hands, he blinked. Why was he carrying three ice cream bars? Who was the extra one for? "Do I… know you?"

She giggled, a light breeze rustling a few of her obsidian strands. "So rude! How could you forget? I thought we were best friends!" Her tone was light. Teasing, even.

He frowned, shaking his head again. His brain felt fuzzy. "...best friends?"

"Mhm! The three of us used to sit and watch the sunset together. You, Roxas, and me. Don't you remember?" Her shoulders slumped slightly. "...no… I suppose you wouldn't…"

A tiny twinge of guilt pricked at his chest, though he didn't fully understand why. "I..." he began, but that's all that would come out. With a start, he realized he was carrying only two sea salt ice creams now. There had been a third one a second ago… hadn't there?

With a sigh, she went on, "You said once that we'd never be apart as long as we remembered each other." Did he? It sounded like something he would say, but… ugh, why did his memories seem so damn cloudy all of a sudden? "I guess... we're all apart now then… so very, very far apart."

There was now only one ice cream bar left within his grasp. "Who are you?" he asked quietly.

She ignored his question. "It's for the best, I suppose." She was beginning to vanish where she sat, her form slowly becoming transparent, her voice turning hollow and distant. "I'm back where I belong. Things are as they should be."

"Who are you?" he repeated more forcefully, running forward, grabbing her shoulder, and yanking back. "Who-"

Before he could see her face, the oranges and reds shattered around him like broken glass, falling away to an all consuming darkness. Axel's heart pounded in his ears as his eyes frantically darted about. Sweat coated his temples, his neck, and trickled down his back. His body trembled, which he struggled to suppress as his vision began to adjust and make out shapes in the black.

He was in his room, sitting up in his bed. It was the middle of the night.

...a dream.

Just another dream. Just like all the other ones he had been having lately.

No… actually, there was something different about this one.

This one… he remembered.

"Yeouch!" Axel grunted as Kairi managed to land another hit on him with her keyblade.

That's right, another. This one had been to his hip.

She huffed, flicking her hair. "Keep up, grandpa! What, did someone forget to eat their Wheaties this morning?"

"Shove it, Princess. I got a lot on my mind," he grumbled, though it was half hearted.

Merlin had technically given them the day off from training. However, there wasn't a whole lot to do in this magical little forest in the middle of nowhere and nowhen, so it was hardly noon before the two keyblade wielders were to be found at the Ring, sparring just for the hell of it. Axel had discarded his Organization cloak on a nearby boulder, now training in the black fitted tank top he normally wore underneath along with his slacks and boots. Luckily for him, it seemed his keyblade had decided to take time out of its busy schedule to appear when he had summoned it today.

She snorted, "Clearly." She jabbed her blade at him and this one he deflected. Using her momentum to shift into a spinning swing, she asked, "Like what?"

Like who the blazes that strange girl with the raven hair was in his dream. She had been wearing one of those long dark coats he had become so familiar with, but he didn't remember anyone like that ever being in the Organization. True, in all likelihood it was no one, just a made up person in a half-baked vision conjured from his slumber. His cracked mind had certainly dreamt up weirder stuff in the past. But… he couldn't quite shake the sense that this felt different. This felt real. This felt important. This felt-

Whack!

Score another one for Kairi, this time to the gut. "Oof!" he wheezed, stumbling back a step.

"Quit spacing out, old timer! That's like the twelfth strike I've landed on you, when normally I call one or two a good day." She snerked, poised for another attack. "You losing your touch?" Then she lunged forward, keyblade thrust out in front of her.

Narrowing his eyes, he easily sidestepped her charge, his own keyblade landing a hit on her back as she flew past him. Then she spun on her heel, raising her weapon overhead to strike at him again. His free hand shot out, catching her by the forehead, his palm covering her eyes. She froze for a second, before snarling and blindly swinging her keyblade trying to land some blows, but he had no problem dodging them while his long arm held her at bay.

Kairi was a good fighter, there was no doubt about it. But he had nearly ten years of experience working as the Organization's assassin under his belt. The girl had a ways to go before she'd catch up to him. She'd get there one day though, he was sure of it. Probably sooner than even he would have predicted.

"Better, Princess?" he chuckled.

With another huff, she leapt back and out of his grasp. Putting several steps between them, she glared at him through her mussed up bangs. He answered by sticking his tongue out at her. Smoothing her hair out a bit, she said, "Still haven't answered my question. What's got you so distracted?" She squinted at him, then a sly smirk tugged at her lips. "Oh, I see… fantasizing about a certain lovely pair of eyes you left behind in Radiant Garden? Blue and… icy?"

He blinked. "Wha-?" Then it clicked and he scoffed, turning his head to one side. "You mean the snow queen? Please. You are way off. Like way, way off. Miles off, even. In fact, you're not even in the same solar system anymore."

"You sure?" She tipped her head to one side, humming a soft giggle. "Coulda sworn I spied a little twinkle in your eye when you talked about her."

His left eye twitched. "There wasn't anything even remotely resembling a twinkle." Jeeze, lay off, will ya? This was already bad enough, and he hadn't even mentioned the part about barging in on Her Royal Frostiness in the shower. If that ever got out, Kairi would have never let him live it down.

"Fine, fine, I'll drop it. But something's eating at you. What is it?" She frowned, studying him for a minute. "Is it about those dreams you've been having?"

His head rocked back at that. How did she-?

"It is!" she crowed triumphantly, running up to him. "What is it? Did you have another one? Did you remember it this time?"

Psh, lucky guess. What a pest. Shooing her off with a flick of his hand and looking away, he said, "Buzz off, none of your beeswax."

She gasped, shifting to look him in the eyes again. "You did! Wanna talk about it?"

Criminy, woman, did he look like he wanted to talk about it? Scowling, he dismissed his keyblade and crossed his arms. "Nah. You wouldn't be able to help me anyway." His back stiffened suddenly as a thought struck him. Then he tapped the side of his fist into his palm. "But I can think of a few someones who just might be able to." With that, he jogged over towards where he'd left his coat.

"What are you doing?" Kairi called after him, arching an eyebrow as she rested her keyblade against one shoulder.

"What's it look like I'm doing?" He snatched up the garment and was already slipping one arm into it.

Her brow furrowed. "...putting your cloak back on?" There was a pause. Then, "Wait…" she stared at him hard, the gears visibly turning in her mind. At last, she breathed in sharply. "You're not thinking of using the Corridors of Darkness, are you?! You're crazy!"

"Oh, without a doubt," he deadpanned, shoving his other arm down the second sleeve.

She shook her head. "You know King Mickey hates you using those things! How do you even know it'll work in a place like this?"

He held up a finger, "Only one way to find out."

She made a noise of disgust in her throat. "I'm surprised Merlin never confiscated that coat from you."

"Hey, preaching to the choir, sister."

"And just where do you think you're skipping off to anyway?"

Instead of giving her an answer, he just held a finger up to his lips and winked.

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Merlin's gonna kill you when he finds out, you know."

Zipping the cloak up, he smirked. "He wouldn't do that. Old guy loves me too much."

"Straight. Up. Murder. You," she slowly enunciated every word, giving him a dull stare.

His grin stretched wider. "He'll have to catch me first. See ya!" And with a two fingered salute, he vanished into a dark portal.

"...so let me make sure I fully understand. There is this person."

"Uh huh."

"A teenage girl, to be precise."

"Yup."

"That you saw wearing an Organization XIII coat."

"You're on a roll here."

"...in a dream you had."

"Bingo."

"And you're asking me… if I know her?"

Axel beamed. "By jove, I think he's got it."

Ienzo closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. "You're a buffoon."

Axel snorted and shrugged. "Got me there. So does it ring any bells or not?"

"Go away, my time is important, I can't waste it on your inanity," he waved a hand dismissively, turning his attention back to the large computer screen before him, his fingers returning to furiously typing away at the keyboard. The two former Nobodies were currently in one of the hundreds upon hundreds of rooms that comprised the immense castle of Radiant Garden. This room in particular was a mess, with papers and open books strewn about everywhere. There wasn't even so much as an inch of table space to speak of. Green unintelligible text kept flashing across Ienzo's screen and then disappearing almost as quickly as it had appeared. Axel had to wonder how Ienzo kept up with it all. "I've been working on deciphering Ansem's Code for days now. Still haven't cracked it, but I'm getting close, I can feel it."

"But this is important too!" Axel argued, slamming a hand down on the table, nearly knocking one of the stacks of tomes over. He quickly steadied it before it toppled, shooting the now glowering Ienzo an apologetic grin. "Come on, answer the question."

He let out a long, drawn out sigh and stopped typing. He didn't reply right away however, instead picking up a nearby piece of paper, his eyes quickly scanning the messy writing scrawled all over it before his gaze darted back and forth a couple times between it and his screen. Just when Axel thought he wasn't going to get a response at all, Ienzo muttered, "What does dream-girl look like?"

Visibly perking up, he raised his hand parallel to the ground, stopping it close to the base of his rib cage. "About yeigh high with black, chin-length hair."

He stared at him, silence stretching. "...and?"

"And…" he echoed uncertainly with a frown, "...please and thank you?"

His eyelids drooped. "No," he said flatly, slipping the document back between the pages of the book he had found it in. Grabbing the book, he rose from his computer chair and walked over to a shelf on the other side of the room. "Don't you have any other identifying features? Face? Eye color? Beauty marks? Nose shape?"

Axel opened his mouth, but then blinked and snapped it shut, brow furrowed. "...nose shape?" Shaking his head, he rubbed the back of his neck. "I actually don't know any of that. I kind of, sort of… didn't see her face."

Pausing, Ienzo gave him a blank look with the eye that wasn't hidden beneath long bangs. Once again, silence reigned. Finally, pulling two books off the shelf to accompany the one he was already carrying and tucking them all under one arm, he walked past Axel and out the door into the hallway, saying over his shoulder, "I can't help you."

"Oh, c'mon," he shot back, running after him to catch up and fall in step beside him. "You gotta give me something!"

"I don't know what you expect me to say. That's not a lot of information to go on. Besides, you were in the Organization same as me." He glanced at him out of the corner of his eye as they walked along. "Do you remember any mysterious fourteenth member?"

"Well, no…"

"Precisely. We were called Organization XIII for a reason."

He growled in agitation, his fingers scratching a spot behind his ear. "I dunno. You were a member longer than I was. Could have been someone before my time and didn't last long. Became Heartless chow day two on the job or something."

"I don't recall anyone like that, but then, I was very young when it all began. They kept me out of the loop on a lot of things back then. Maybe you'd have better luck asking Aeleus."

"Been there, done that." His face twisted sourly. "He was even less helpful than you, believe it or not. Hardly got two words out of the big boulder."

For the first time in their conversation, Ienzo cracked a smile, tiny though it was. He was quick to hide it behind his hand. "Then perhaps Dilan could shed some light on this."

"Tch," his lip curled slightly and he scuffed the sole of his boot against the floor as he walked. "Already tried. The ol' windbag blew me off." He shrugged before Interlocking his fingers behind his head. "What about Even? I've searched this place top to bottom but have yet to ferret out his hiding spot. Where's that nerd holing up these days?"

His footsteps came to an abrupt stop. "...you haven't heard?"

One crimson eyebrow quirked up. "Heard what?"

He looked down. "No, I suppose you wouldn't have. I imagine not much news reaches you at those enchanted training grounds Merlin whisked you off to," he muttered before resuming his swift stride. "He's gone missing."

"He's what?!" Now it was Axel's turn for his step to stutter. "How do you go about misplacing a whole frigging scientist?!"

Ienzo rolled his eyes as he turned into another room. Stacked high with more books and documents, it was practically identical to the one they had left behind. If Axel hadn't known any better, he'd almost have the sneaking suspicion Ienzo had just led him in a large circle, possibly in an attempt to lose him. Setting the books down, Ienzo said, "He disappeared shortly after we all awoke as Somebodies once more. We believe he's back with the Organization and continuing his work with the replicas."

"Up to his old tricks again, huh?" A tiny scowl curved Axel's lips. "Shoulda known. Sounds exactly like something that cold hearted jerkface might do. It was always all about his precious research for him, no matter what the cost."

"Let's not be so hasty to jump to conclusions." He looked from one pile of books to the next, reading the spines closely. "It's possible he's been kidnapped and is being forced to help them under duress."

He harrumphed. "Not exactly holding my breath there."

Apparently having located what he was looking for, Ienzo gently pulled a volume from the heap, careful not to overturn the rest. Grabbing one of the books he'd brought with him, he opened it to a bookmarked page before setting it down. He then placed the new book beside it and began thumbing through it rapidly. "Sorry I couldn't be of more assistance. But sometimes a dream is just a dream, nothing more."

"Sometimes," Axel folded his arms beneath his chest. "But this just doesn't feel like one of those times."

"Very well. Enjoy your fool's errand. I've let you squander enough of my valuable time." Apparently landing on the page he was looking for, Ienzo pressed an index finger to one sentence, his eyes flicking back and forth between the two books. Absently waving his free hand over his shoulder, he added, "I trust you'll see yourself out."

Why, Axel did believe he had been dismissed.

With a wry snort, he turned and walked away. "Nice chatting with you too," he muttered under his breath as he slipped out the door.

Dead ends. That's all today had been. Just one right after the other.

Ienzo? Dead end. Aeleus and Dilan? Dead ends. Even? The deadest of ends. Even if the evil genius hadn't flown the coop, Axel suspected he'd only have given the same answer he'd gotten from the other three. Nothing but dead ends. Dead ends as far as the eye could see.

And where was it that Axel could be found at this precise moment? Why, at a dead end, of course! When he had left the castle, he had just took to aimlessly wandering the streets of Radiant Garden. His meandering had eventually brought him here where he had just propped a shoulder against a wall, kicked pebbles, and thought.

Perhaps Ienzo had been right. Sometimes a dream was just a dream, and this had all just been some wild goose chase. This girl probably was just a figment of his imagination. A product of his sleeping mind throwing random ideas at the walls of his brain to see what stuck. She wasn't real.

...but then, why did it feel so wrong thinking that?

She felt real, whoever she was. Like a childhood buddy he hadn't seen in decades. Like a memory he had lost. A face still wasn't coming to mind. Not even a name. Apparently, if his dream was to be believed, they had been friends. Best friends, even. With Roxas too. But that couldn't be right… could it? He sighed heavily through his nose. Too bad he couldn't talk to Roxas about it.

His stomach gave an abrupt gurgle. Placing a hand over it, he recalled he'd skipped lunch. High time he got some snackage. Besides, what use was thinking so hard on an empty stomach? No wonder he was stumped. Once he got some food in him, surely that'd give his brain the jumpstart it desperately needed. And he had just the place in mind too, one that was sure to hit the spot.

Glancing up at the sky, he frowned, noting that the sun was beginning to set. It was getting late. The place might have been closed already. But sometimes they stayed open after hours for a little bit, especially on the hot days. Lots of customers, good for business. It was worth a check. Pushing himself off the wall, he shoved his hands into his pockets and started to head that way.

Axel didn't have to walk far, just a few blocks over. He grinned on seeing their sign was still lit up and some movement beyond the fogged glass of the window. Pushing through the door, he called, "Yo, Mr. McD, I need a metric ton of sea salt ice cream, stat. It's been one hell of a-"

He froze mid-step, blinking a couple times in surprise. For the individual standing on the other side of the counter was not sporting the feathers, bill, and webbed feet that he had expected to see. No, instead the person that greeted his sight was fair skinned with a pale blonde braid and a very familiar pair of icy blue eyes.

A/N: Ahhhhhh, at last those dreams of a certain black haired girl that I mentioned so long ago in my summary start to come into play xD About damn time, huh? Ienzo makes an appearance this chapter too, wheeee! He was such a sweetheart in KH3, but we never saw him interact with Axel - I feel like if we had, he would have had just as little patience for the redhead as I made him have here, especially given that he's distracting him while he's trying to get some damn work done xD And the two stars of this lil fic come crashing back together once more! How will their second (or... third...ish?) meeting go? Only time (and the next chapter) will tell!

MUCH praise and MUCH worship to the wonderful and fantabulous Daughter of Kyne and ScarletEmperor for being amazing betas for this chapter! Also, special thanks to ScarletEmperor, Mad Oni, IanAlphaAxel, Spiderfan626, SoraKairiRikuNamine, and Daughter of Kyne for being so generous as to take some time to leave their reviews! Your support really means the world to me, seriously guys, buckets upon buckets of tears over here. You all make my heart soar, I'm not worthy!

Fun Fact: This chapter fell victim to what is in my opinion the most tragic casualty by far from my revisions. After visiting Ienzo, I originally had a scene where Axel dropped in on Even too - this was of course written before KH3 came out and Even decided to go off and do a silly thing like rejoining the Organization. Yeah yeah, he had his reasons, blah blah blah xD But before KH3, last we'd heard of Even was in DDD and Ienzo (or was it Aeleus? one of the two) said Even was still unstable. In the original version of this chapter, I decided to take that one step further and Even had at last awoken, but he was seriously a few screws short of a hardware store xD Since he'd basically been Xion's creator, I'd decided to have a bit of fun with that - basically he couldn't remember Xion anymore, but he was kind of, sort of remembering... AROUND her, if that makes sense? He kept saying vague cryptic things, stuff that the reader would hopefully be like "oh yeah, that's about Xion" but to other characters not in the know, just sounded like the ramblings of a madman. It was a short scene, but I was rather fond of it and it broke my heart to cut it. But alas, it no longer fit with KH3 canon, so to the trash it was tossed!

Anyhoo, thanks again for reading, I super duper appreciate it! See you at the next update, lovelies, which will be coming at you real soon! Much love, peace out, and keep it real!