Roxas stood in front of The Usual Spot trying to swallow the nostalgia. He longed to step right passed that faded, old curtain to be met with a teary eyed Olette who would run up begging to know where he'd been. But he knew that none of them remembered him. He'd only hung out with digital fabrications after all.

Sora didn't like his negative attitude. This was supposed to be a happy occasion. Just go introduce yourself. They accepted me easily enough.

Roxas smiled at Sora's attempt to cheer him up before taking a deep breath and pushing the red curtain aside.

Pence tilted his head seeing the stranger first. "Hi? Who are you?"

"I'm Roxas. I just thought I'd say hi."

"Hi, Roxas. I'm Olette." The friendliest of the bunch reached out a hand that he readily accepted.

Hayner raised an eyebrow at him. "Do I know you from somewhere?"

Roxas hesitated, unsure of how to answer. He hated lies, but they'd surely never believe him.

You never know till you try, right?

"Actually we have. Well, kind of."

"Wait, I know where I know you from!" Hayner exclaimed as he turned and hurried over to a chest nestled by the far wall. He pulled out a stack of photos.

"Photos?" Olette clapped her hands in realization. "Yes, the photos!"

Pence's brow knit. "Oh, yeah, those photos."

It couldn't be, could it? Roxas' thought. He stood frozen under the expectant stares of the other three.

See for yourself. Sora literally pushed him with force.

Sure enough, in Hayner's hands were the pictures they had taken together in the fake Twilight Town. But how was that even possible? Hadn't that been nothing but a digital reality? He looked at their happy faces and felt nostalgia hitting him like a tidal wave. A part of him wished that he could just have continued to live in that peaceful ignorance forever. But no. Now he had the irreplaceable opportunity to make real memories. Thank you, he whispered silently, and he felt Sora nod in reply.

"You see it's a long story," he began. "You may want to sit down." And so he explained everything without reservation (well maybe some when it came to what he'd done in the Organization).

"Then how did we get the pictures?" Pence asked.

Roxas was about to admit his own unknowing, but Sora held conviction. "Our hearts are connected." He smiled touching the mentioned area of his chest feeling the tiny pitter patter beneath his fingers.

"Yes. That's gotta be it, otherwise we wouldn't have recognized him right away, right?" Olette theorized.

"But the pictures-" Hayner began.

"Shh." She pushed him lightly. "Don't ruin it. I like the other answer. Then, Roxas, what do you want to do first?"

"Huh?"

"You are here to experience life, right? What do you want to do?"

I thought you would have had enough ice cream by now. Sora laughed at the sour face Roxas made at the comment.

Not bothering to reply, Roxas kicked his feet the way he used to back in the Organization. There was a new sense of freedom granted by the height, landscape, and awareness of belonging. Sea salt had tasted as he remembered, though a bit sweeter, and now he had moved on to a new flavor: chocolate vanilla swirl (since Olette had vowed that vanilla was the best while Pence wouldn't shut up about the glory that was chocolate). First, he tried each side separately, then together. One was sweet smoothness, the other deep richness.

"So, what do you think?" Olette asked as Pence looked on with anticipation.

"They are both great in their own way," he answered truthfully, "but I think they work best together."

Like us, Sora thought idly. For some reason this made Roxas' feet stop their playful kicking.

Hayner jumped up. "I know what we should do now!"

"Yeah?" Pence raised an eyebrow.

"We never went on that beach trip, right? Let's do it now." He skipped a little bit, obviously proud of his smart thinking.

Roxas smiled. "Let's."

"Are you sure?" Roxas asked for the tenth time holding the blue swim trunks hesitantly.

Yes. It's not a big deal.

"Okay…" Roxas awkwardly changed into the trunks, surprised to find that they actually fit perfectly.

You are kinda me, you know?

Roxas shot back a nasty retort which only earned a laugh in response. He grabbed a towel before heading out of the Gummi ship.

"Looking good," Olette catcalled good-humoredly making Roxas blush.

"K, hurry up or we'll miss the train," Hayner cautioned leading the way.

Roxas must have looked like a child ogling at the passing scenery. It passed quickly, yet in a beautiful blur that he attempted to memorize. Frankly, from what Sora could see of his reflection in the window, he thought he was pretty cute.

They exited the train in a tumble falling upon the warm sand. Forgetting the clean white towel, Roxas let himself drop to the brown grains, sinking himself into its gritty texture.

"If you think that's nice, just wait till you feel the water," Hayner said running ahead. He entered with a splash and was soon followed by the other two.

Roxas indulged a while longer before walking to the water's edge.

Are you sure you can swim? Sora asked nervously.

Should be fine. I have your memories, right? Taking no precautions, Roxas dived right into the water with a splash. He stretched his arms, curving along the water which was slick and cool to the touch. The feeling of emersion was both trilling and unsettling. The water called of eternal tranquility. He moved quickly and easily, but coming up for air was trickier. His body felt heavier, and kicking his legs only seemed to move him in other directions than up. A hand finally dragged him up.

Hayner looked him over. "Maybe you should stay in the shallow zone."

Roxas glared. "I know how to swim."

"Okay, okay. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't start out easy. Maybe you know how, but can you do it is another question."

"Fine," Roxas pouted but obeyed slinking back closer to shore. Olette gave him a pitying look and joined him. Through some private tutoring from her and Sora he had gotten the hang of actually moving in the water down painlessly.

Finally, Hayner approved of him risking it in the deeper zones, and the four of them began to play friendly games like "Marco Polo," "shark," and "dolphin racing." Roxas even won a few rounds. It was a blast, but also tiring, and after a few hours they crawled to shore beat.

After a small rest, they set upon sandcastle building. Once Roxas got the hang of packing the sand, he set upon making a miniature clock tower and Castle that Never Was. He may not be a great artist, but he was proud of his work nonetheless. The band of friends ogled the castle with interest asking detailed questions about its interior which Roxas excitedly answered.

Do you miss it? Sora asked.

Yes. Or, more like the experiences I had there.

I understand. And Sora did. He had to; he held his memories. But it was more than that; he also missed all the world's he'd visited, if only because of the friendships he'd build in them

Parting ways was hard, but Roxas knew that it wasn't forever. The three friends smiled and waved eagerly forcing him to promise to visit again real soon. It was a promise he was pleased to make.