Alucard found himself in his master's office.

"Sir Integra?" He implored. Of course, no matter how early in the morning, she was still awake. Integra was standing stoically at the window, a mug in her hand, staring intently outside. Alucard sauntered over.

"Our guest is leaving?" He asked. Integra sighed and sipped her mug.

Outside, running angrily through the pavilions and out towards the city was Squall Leonheart, who had been only hours to late to see his beloved.

"Poor heartsick fellow." An old man walked in, dressed finely, with a small ponytail.

"Walter." Integra greeted as the man bowed, and took her empty mug, filling it.

"Yes, Sir Integra?" Walter implored politely.

"Set Seras and Pip on his trail." Alucard's brow went up in confusion and amusement. "I want details on his movements, and his progress. Walter had the same amused look, but only bowed.

"Of course, sir."

"Roxas!"

The boy turned to see Mari rushing up to him.

"Where's Tidu?" She implored frantically.

"He might already be on the train. You need to go." Roxas ordered. Mari protested.

Just as she did, a piece of the ceiling fell, and Roxas leapt forward, pushing Mari and him out of its way. As if it had proven his point, Roxas stood and nodded towards the train.

Sighing, Mari nodded. "Take care of yourself." She smiled, rushing ahead.

Roxas looked to the front and waved the train off.

Limping outside, Roxas met Auron.

"We can't handle this much longer. We'll lose Twilight Town to darkness." Auron spoke somberly. Roxas grimaced, looking around.

All of a sudden, the foundation of the world Twilight Town began to crack. The area around it turned a sickly color, like a putrid purple ocean. Chasms sprouted up in the ground, and the shocks rushing through the town doubled.

"Shit!" Roxas cursed, running ahead away from the train and towards the waterfall.

"Roxas!" Seifer called, about to run after him, when shadows leapt ahead of his path. With a grimace, the boy continued fighting.

Roxas wasn't sure what he was doing. But he knew, above all else, he had to get to the waterfall, no matter what.

A tremor shook as he dove into the tunnel.

He shouted to no one. "No matter what, don't lose faith in me, Namine!"

Mari gasped as the train entered an ethereal realm amongst the stairs. The tracks shone an eerie green and a tower loomed far ahead.

Of course, between the tower and the coming train, was a trio of people.

"Is that the one the boy is on?" One of the three asked the other.

"Yes, brother. Crive wants the boy dead." The other smirked. "And of course, we must keep Crive happy."

The third looked to the bomb in his hand with a grin. "Yes, we must."

"Mari!" The girl grinned at the sound of his voice.

"Tidu!" She giggled, leaping up and bringing the boy into an embrace. Tidu shook his head playfully, but hugged her in return.

"What's going on? Did Roxas say?" Tidu implored. Mari nervously shook her head.

"I don't know…"

The three in front of the train set the bomb.

"Ready, Kadaj?" The one asked. Kadaj nodded.

"Let's go."

The three disappeared into the stars. And behind them, they left the bomb, ticking away as it counted down the seconds…

"Tidu, what's wrong?"

The boy shook his head, eyes wide.

"I don't know, I … feel something. Something's not right." Mari looked puzzled.

The boy rubbed his temple, groaning. Suddenly, he turned and ran down the aisle.

"Tidu, wait!"

Her call fell on deaf ears. The boy dodged the other passengers, rushing forward. He had to do something, he had to make it stop, this pain in his heart…

The train came around a bend, and the clock read 15…

Roxas kept running in Sunset Terrace, past his apartment, past everything. Where was his heart leading him?

Wait, he didn't have one.

Did he?

Roxas was now trudging through sludge, through darkness that was seeping through the waterfall. It was putrid, a sick scent floating through the air. Roxas rubbed his nose, and looked about.

Someone was sitting by the waterfall.

Roxas walked forward carefully.

"Thirteen. Hey."

The voice was wispy – and sad.

"Who are you?" Roxas asked.

The man stood. He was lean, and a bit tall. His eyes were as sad as his voice.

"Orpheus." He stated, turning towards Roxas fully. Then he smiled – sadly – and walked forward.

Orpheus set a lazy hand on the keyblade.

"Why didn't you use this?" He asked.

Roxas looked at it.

"I tried, but the door wouldn't close. I can't do that – I don't have a heart." Orpheus laughed.

"Free as a bird, locked in a cage…" Roxas looked at him puzzled. This man didn't make any sense.

Orpheus pulled on the edge of the blade, lifting it and Roxas' hand.

"You care about people, right?" Orpheus asked with a playful tone. Roxas thought for a moment, and nodded. "Well, who do you care about most?"

Axel… Sora… Namine… all of my friends…

"Why not just… think of them?" Orpheus asked, backing up. Now, Roxas could see the waterfall.

You're wrong. I would.

You were never meant to exist…

Where's Cid's Onion? Laughter… laughter…

Roxas lifted the keyblade and pointed it at the waterfall. The smog and darkness behind it was menacing, floating nearer and nearer. All around him, Roxas could feel the fear, hear the screams, see the sorrow.

We don't have forever, let's make the best of what we've got…

With a smile, Roxas realized that, when he locked the waterfall, he thought of many people.

The Organization.

The RGRC.

Sora, Kairi, Riku, Axel… Namine.

And Hayner, Pence, and Olette.

He heard a click, and when Roxas opened his eyes, Orpheus was no were to be seen. Suddenly, Roxas felt as if a weight was lifted… as if Orpheus' presence had messed with his mind somehow. Shaking it off, Roxas looked at the waterfall.

In the blink of an eye, everything around him was back to normal. The only difference was that there was no waterfall.

Instead, there was a mural. Roxas laughed. It was a mural of the entire group, of everyone in the Organization and the RGRC, together. That was a picture that had never been taken.

"I'll have to remember to take one like that." Roxas told himself as he closed his eyes and slumped to the ground.

Tidu rushed to the front of the train as the bomb kept going… he felt like something was terribly off, but what could he do? He was only a boy, only Tidu…

A young boy with blonde hair sat in the empty room. It was full of shadows. The only light came from a tall window, and the light was cast over the child as he sat with a blank expression in his chair. He seemed to be brooding.

The door to the room opened quietly, and a woman peered in. The child didn't move, didn't change, he didn't do anything. The woman walked in.

"Tidu?" The girl questioned. The boy didn't move still, just sat there, blanking staring out a light filled window in a room full of dark.

"Tidu, please, come out." The girl walked into the room completely. Her long black hair fell down to the floor, part of it covering her left eye. "You can't stay here forever." The boy looked down to the floor, expression never changing.

He was worthless then, but not anymore.

Tidu came to the front and dove past the frightened engineers, breaking the glass and tumbled out front.

The train driver honked immediately, and Tidu remembered he was just in front of the train. Then, with amazing skill and reflex, the boy leapt into the air, spinning and landing on the top of the train.

Eyes wide, Tidu realized what was going to happen. He could see the bomb. But what could he do? He was…

"I am not worthless." He told himself.

You're different… not in a bad way. I think… you're going to be important someday…

Tidu blinked. And when he did, his usually two toned eyes turned a bright, bright green, and cat like.

Twisting his body, Tidu flung his right arm out ahead of himself. A flash of light came, and he couldn't see, and then an explosion…

Mari leapt to the window, looking outside frantically.

"Wow…" She muttered.

Tidu opened his eyes. Turning to the left, he saw the bomb miles off, exploding in the air with a beautiful display of fire.

Palms shaking the boy looked down. How had he done that? Had he done that?

"What… what am I?" He asked with a trembling voice.

The train continued towards the tower, and as it did, the boy collapsed on top of it, and sobbed himself to sleep.

"Roxas? Roxas?"

Groaning, Roxas groggily opened his eyes.

Standing before him were all three of the fairies, Yuna, Rikku, and Paine, in their usual form.

"Hey, kid." Paine greeted. All three were a bit worse for the wear, but not as badly as Roxas.

Grunting, Roxas stood, leaning back against the wall as he did.

"You did it." Yuna whispered happily. Roxas gave her a pained grin.

Reaching forward, Yuna and Rikku took his hands and pulled him up. When they did, Roxas saw the crowd behind them.

All of the people who were left in Twilight Town were there, and when they saw Roxas, they cheered loudly and happily. Auron and Seifer's gang stood in the front. With a sigh, Roxas realized he had hoped he would see Hayner's gang there instead.

"It's over?" Roxas implored. Paine nodded.

"Everything's back to normal. The train's are bringing everybody back." Roxas smiled and sighed.

"Good."

"Move aside!"

Roxas stood to attention immediately, as he recognized the voice. So did the three treasure hunters.

"Vanguard." Paine moaned.

The general came up front of the crowd, soldiers behind him. Rikku growled, and Yuna elbowed her.

Vanguard looked them over, as Auron came to stand beside them. He grimaced at the sight of the legendary warrior.

"Move aside." He told them, demanding they show him Roxas. They did, however reluctantly, and Roxas stood tall and strong.

Vanguard smirked.

"Such a little boy." He looked Roxas over with precision and cold.

Leaning forward, Vanguard whispered to him something that he thought no one heard, but Auron managed to catch it. Roxas' eyes went wide. The General backed up, smirked, and walked away.

"Move aside! Move aside!" The soldiers broke the crowd apart, but that was unnecessary, as the crowd was scared of Vanguard. Seifer glowered at the man, and then glanced at Roxas. The boy looked shattered.

Auron gave Roxas a chilly, yet sympathetic look.

Roxas clenched his fist.

Did you really think a nobody could play human? You don't have a heart. What right do you have to exist?

"That… bastard!" Roxas glared.

Like a bat out of Hades, Roxas sprinted forward, and the crowd parted for him. He ran through the pavilion, lifting his strong arm, ready to attack… Vanguard heard him coming, and turned. But he wasn't prepared, as he hadn't expected it. Roxas snarled as his fist came crashing down.

Vanguard hit the concrete hard, blood coming from his mouth. Roxas stood over him as the soldiers gawked and pointed their guns at him.

"Don't you ever…" Roxas warned angrily as Vanguard sat up, glaring at him. "Don't ever… play God with me." Roxas choked at the end, almost crying. A single tear came up at the edge of his eye. Vanguard noticed, and his eyes went wide. Before anything could be said, Roxas sped past and ran away.

I walked across an empty land


I knew the pathway like the back of my hand

The soldiers were preparing to go after Roxas, but Vanguard held up a hand.

"Let him go."


I felt the earth beneath my feet


Sat by the river and it made me complete


Oh simple thing where have you gone

Gasping sadly, Roxas ran faster and faster, the world a blur around him. As he past civilians coming home, he barely heard Mari calling his name… he ran… he ran…


I'm getting old and I need something to rely on


So tell me when you're gonna let me in


I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

He wasn't sure where he was going, and that was the third time today, but Roxas ended up running through the tram station, tears stinging his eyes as he sobbed. Why had those words affected him so? Was it because he felt so empty now? But if he was, how could he cry?

Why did he break? Why…

I came across a fallen tree


I felt the branches of it looking at me?

Somehow, he ended up in the forest, running towards the mansion. Perhaps everyone needed to break down once in a while. He never had. But then, he'd never really been real.

Maybe that was why. Maybe he was real now. Or maybe it was all a dream.


Is this the place we used to love?


Is this the place that I've been dreaming of?

Namine huddled in her corner, tears threatening her eyes. For the past few hours, all her friends had done was argue. If Sora had been there, it never would've happened. Ansem was across the room, huddled back just like she was, and his deadened, sad eyes were locked with hers. His had no tears, but they spoke volumes.

Kairi and Riku, and Hinode were still screaming. Kairi's family were trying to calm them, and Tsuki was trying to keep Hinode from killing anyone.

Namine felt like dying. But for some reason, Ansem's calm, sad eyes kept her sane.

Is that what it is to be real? His eyes seemed to ask her. Namine shrugged, sniffling.

"Maybe." She sighed.

Oh simple thing where have you gone


I'm getting old and I need something to rely on


So tell me when you're gonna let me in

Roxas tripped at the end of the forest. Sitting up, he looked around.

It seemed too surreal. He remembered the last time he'd been at the mansion. It was such a terrible memory. But most of his were…

You were never meant to exist…

"No, I wasn't." Roxas mumbled, rubbing his eyes. "But I do. So, what happens next?"


I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

And if you have a minute why don't we go


Talk about it somewhere only we know?

Standing, Roxas stumbled into the mansion, looking at the cobwebs, and the mess. It was the same last time. It had been the same in the fake illusion. Last time, all he had to do to escape the pain was scream.

Hayner! Pence! Olette!

You can't escape this, though. Roxas stumbled forward and fell against the marble in the center, and cried again. Why did he break?

Was he delicate? Or maybe everything breaks over time?


This could be the end of everything


So why don't we go


Somewhere only we know?

Kairi, tears in her eyes, hugged Riku out of the blue. The two had been arguing, and Riku had been very pissed. His eyes went wide when the girl suddenly hugged him.

"Please, let's just stand here, and pretend. Let's pretend it doesn't matter anymore." Riku looked at her in shock.

Sniffling, Namine stood and walked over, and joined there hug. Riku didn't know what to do. Ansem was haunting his thoughts.

The silver haired boy looked back at Ansem and scowled. He then hugged the girls, tears threatening him, and he glared.

"See?" He told Ansem. "You didn't break me."

Oh simple thing where have you gone


I'm getting old and I need something to rely on


So tell me when you're gonna let me in


I'm getting tired and I need somewhere to begin

Roxas trudged up the stairs weakly, and entered the library. There they were, the stairs into the lab. The place where he was watched, he was studied, he was kept. Like a lab rat.

Stomping down the steps, Roxas realized what he was there to do. The boy ran into the lab immediately, wiping away tears.

And if you have a minute why don't we go


Talk about it somewhere only we know?


This could be the end of everything

Keyblade in hand, Roxas entered the control room. There they were… the computers.

"Go away!" He roared, running forward.

It was just like back then. But it wasn't.

Bam. Crash. Crash.

He didn't feel it, but he knew it. He was destroying everything, even more so than last time. Ripping apart cords, bashing in computer screens, destroying everything.

"Go away!" He ripped them to shreds, and then he ran into the hallway.

Roxas destroyed there, too. He ripped the pods apart, obliterating it all.


So why don't we go


So why don't we go

When he was done there, he ran out. He ran, he ran…

There it was. The one pod. Roxas walked forward. When he did, a hiss of steam broke the silence. The pod was opening.

… you are a tool, at best…

He almost expected Sora to be inside. Falling to his knees, Roxas cradled himself. The pod opened.

This could be the end of everything

Sora felt a pang in his heart as he and Aisu floated in their boat back to the island.

"Aisu… they need me." Sora looked at his sister as she looked at him in confusion. Sora clutched his necklace, eyes wide.

"What's wrong?" Aisu implored, leaning forward and setting her hand on his shoulder. She was scared – she'd never seen her brother like this.

Almost angrily, Sora took the gem out of his pocket.

"Please, give me Roxas!"


So why don't we go

And there he was, in the boat. The little wooden dingy rocked back and forth at his arrival, and Roxas looked shocked, sitting up and looking around frantically.

The first person he saw was Aisu. He blinked in confusion; so did Aisu. Who was this boy? Why did he seem so familiar?

The islands were coming into view. Sora turned to Roxas, and set his hand on Roxas' shoulder.

Roxas looked over his shoulder to him. Sora was shocked to see tears, and dark eyes.

Purely exhausted, Roxas fell forward, clasped Aisu by the waist, and fell asleep.


Somewhere only we know?