"So, what do I do, Axel? I can't destroy ALL the Heartless because it causes imbalance. But then I can't leave the Heartless alone because they'll cause an imbalance by stealing more hearts!"

"Quite a predicament, huh? It's a shame you don't know someone with more knowledge about darkness. Someone with orange hair, a slightly cocky attitude, and IRRESISTABLE looks."

Asher rolled his eyes. "Vanity is Demyx's thing, Axel, not yours."

Axel laughed. "True, true. Anyway, we're getting off track. So, you're sure you wanna learn about this, Asher? I mean, it would be just as easy to destroy almost all the Heartless now and leave the cleanup to the NEXT Keyblade Masters."

"No, Axel. This ends here."

Axel smiled. "I was hoping you'd say that."

"And once the worlds of dark and light are back into balance, I'll get you back your body, mind, soul, and heart."

Axel adopted a sarcastic tone. "So, you really do care about me, don't you, Asher?" He raised his voice. "I'm SO FLATTERED! But you're too late! I'm as good as dead; once I've helped you, it's off into darkness I go."

Asher decided to press the subject. "It was too late for one friend, but not for you, Axel. He was gone, completely gone. But you're right here, right in front of me. You're more than just a memory—you're a living, breathing representation of yourself, trapped in my memories. You remember things about yourself that I never knew. Were you just a memory, you'd only know what I knew about you. The simple fact that you're self-aware means that you're still in a position to be saved."

Axel sighed. "You can't save everyone, Asher. Sooner or later a few of the people you try to help will end up falling through the cracks. Sure, you can try. But in the end, if the situation looks hopeless for someone," he said, frowning and looking blankly at the ground, "then it probably is."

"Axel, it can be done."

Axel shook his head. "Maybe. But you know as well as I do what it would take."

"I'm willing to take that risk, Axel."

"No, Asher. You've got the WORLDS to think about, remember? And your precious…what was her name? Trista?"

"Yeah."

"Yeah, you got your girlfriend to worry about. Don't waste your time on me."

"I made a PROMISE, Axel."

"Promises, commitments. Hmph. I made my career in the Organization to root out troublemakers that broke their commitments. In fact, I violated my own because of a little…change of heart. Figuratively speaking, of course. A promise is worth only as much as how easy it is to keep. Yours wasn't easy to keep, and you didn't. In the end, it didn't matter anyway."

"I'm going to help you whether you want it or not, Axel. I've already lost one friend, and I'm not about to lose another."

"You do what you like, but just remember what's important."

"I KNOW what's important, Axel. Besides, what you imply that I'd need to restore your life? I have more than a hunch it's what I need to restore balance to the worlds, too."

"Really, now? And what would that thing be?"

"I'd say it's pretty obvious that it's Kingdom Hearts."

"Well, bravo. A point for you, then. But consider this…which one?"

"Huh?"

"Well? Think about it. There are currently TWO Kingdom Hearts. One….the original. Two….Xemnas' Kingdom Hearts, which had that nice chunk blown off it, from what I can tell from your memories of accounts of Sora's battle. So you have two choices, and you don't know which one would even work. You can try the incomplete one….or the one you don't know how to get to. Which sounds better to you?"

"I know how to get to the original."

Axel snuffed. "I don't think Remnant will be that easy to find, now. If he's REALLY Xemnas, he won't be stupid enough to follow you around now that you're human again, especially with you carrying that Keyblade."

"Maybe he won't look for me, but I'll look for him. Someone that powerful looking for Nobodies to absorb for more power? Someone with a mind as maniacal as Xemnas'? He'll leave a nice, obvious trail is my guess."

Axel smiled. "Probably right. Another point for you, then."

"I think it'd be best to go for the original first, then. That way, if it's a bust, I can still kill Remnant."

"Damn, Asher. You're on fire here." Axel snapped his forefinger, middle finger, and thumb in order to create a small flame that flickered for a short duration above his hand.

"Don't patronize me, Axel."

"Fine, whatever you say. Anyway, Asher…HOW exactly do you plan on using Kingdom Hearts to create balance between the worlds?"

"I don't quite know yet. But, I'll think of something."

"So you're just gonna rush in headfirst without a plan? Asher, Asher, Asher. That's what got Sora in such trouble, remember? It's how he ended up in Castle Oblivion. Or…perhaps you've forgotten YOUR battle with him?"

---

Xanthas took a step back. Was he really stupid enough to think he could beat the Keyblade Master? Of course not. But Xemnas was the boss, for now. If Xemnas said to fight Sora, then he'd fight Sora. He didn't even WANT to kill Sora, actually. Sora was fighting for his friends…and for something else. Xanthas could tell. This kid in front of him—because, that's what he was, nothing more than a child, even to Xanthas—had something else on the line besides friendship. "What do you say we end this right here, Sora? We can even say you win. There's really no need to continue anyway."

But Sora was determined. "No! I won't let your Organization do whatever it's planning to do!"

Xanthas sighed. "Kid, the Organization will do whatever it wants, with or without me. I'm just a lackey here."

"I don't care! You won't get away that easy!"

Again, Xanthas sighed. The kid wasn't getting it. He had to admire his spirit, but definitely not his intellect. Xanthas was only Sora's first battle. A test. Once Xanthas was done with Sora…well, he didn't quite know. Marluxia hadn't told him that much about the plan. In fact…did Marluxia even say the plan was given by Xemnas in the first place? He shook his head. No sense thinking about that. Xemnas knew what he was doing, and if Marluxia didn't want to say that Xemnas made up the plan, it was probably because Xemnas didn't want his name to do something strange, like trigger back some of the memories that Sora lost while entering the Castle. But still…

"What's wrong? Scared of a little kid with a Keyblade?"

If Xanthas had had the ability, he would have gotten very angry at that remark. It almost seemed like a crack at Roxas. Roxas…what was going to happen if HE met Sora? Was he in the Castle? Did Xemnas have him out of the Castle temporarily, off on some sort of mission? "Kid, I'm gonna make you regret that."

Sora smirked and held out a card. Strange. He'd been fighting the whole battle with cards. Why was…Xanthas froze. When Marluxia was explaining the plan to get Sora, he had cards in his hands. Cards that belonged to Luxord. Luxord would never lend Marluxia his cards. Xemnas knew better than to command the Organization to swap weapons around, too. "Where did you get those cards?"

"Huh? Oh, these cards. Someone else from your Organization gave 'em to me."

Suddenly, Xanthas knew. Sora had no idea what he was in the middle of. "I see. Well, it's been fun, kid, but I really must be going. So long."

Xanthas disappeared through a dark portal. In the darkness, he searched for a moment. "Axel?"

"Xanthas…what is it? I'm looking for Roxas."

"We've got a problem. Sora's in the Castle."

"I know."

"It wasn't a part of Xemnas' plans!"

"I know."

"But…Marluxia is…"

"I KNOW, Xanthas. I already know. If you must know, I'm a part of it, too."

"You're going to overthrow the Organization? You?"

"No, don't be stupid. But if I infiltrate them…"

"Then you'll bring them down from the inside?"

"Yeah."

"Did you know about them using me to test him?"

"Yes. Actually, I suggested it."

Xanthas fought back a grunt of displeasure. "So are you going to kill me for cooperating with them?"

Axel smiled. "Nah, of course not. I chose you because you're the only one here besides Roxas that I could trust not to join them after he figured it out."

"So…Xemnas still hasn't given me a mission?"

"Nope. Sorry."

"I'm beginning to think he never will."

"Oh, he will. He'll have to make his promise to you worth HIS while, too."

With that, Axel vanished in search of Roxas again.

---

"No, Axel, I haven't forgotten. But what does that have to do with my lack of a plan?"

"Obviously the battle itself doesn't have much to do with it at all. But you remember Sora, right?"

"Yeah. Poor bastard just kept charging forward. He had no idea what he was getting himself into."

"Exactly."

"I'm not like Sora."

"Maybe you WEREN'T, but you sure sound like it now. 'Look at me, I'm Asher, and I'm gonna find Kingdom Hearts and bring people back from an infinite abyss!' If you ask me," Axel said, touching his hands to his chest for emphasis, "you're not any more ready for the responsibility of being a Keyblade Master than Sora. And your little friend Star, well…she's cute, but that's about all. Even worse than you, actually. She's a little show-off. Honestly, you might end up a Heartless, but her…she'll end up dead. Just like your other friend."

"Shut up, Axel."

"Ooooooh," Axel mocked, the word turning into a chuckle. "Looks like I've struck a chord. What's the matter? Still can't accept the fact that he's gone?"

"SHUT UP, AXEL!"

"Hm. Like I said, you're not ready. Keyblade Masters…they lose things, and people. Comes with the territory. You shouldn't pick up that nifty little blade unless you're prepared to sacrifice someone else for the 'greater good'. Not that it really IS good, you know? What is GOOD, anyway? Good, evil…they're just…words."

"Spare me the philosophy, Axel. I'm ready to be a Keyblade Master. I wouldn't HAVE a Keyblade if I wasn't ready."

"Still as clueless as ever."

"What do you mean by that?" Asher demanded.

"Ah, so you DIDN'T ever figure it out."

"Figure what out?"

Axel smirked. "The reason Xemnas wanted you to be a part of the Organization so badly. The reason he kept you secret from the outside. The reason you were never given a mission."

"It was about getting the Nothing Blade back, I thought."

Axel laughed. "No. He didn't want it back. He was looking for someone that could use it. It takes a powerful Nobody to use it right. A powerful Nobody means a powerful Other. A powerful full, complete being. Xemnas was worried that Sora might not have been able to perform the tasks we gave him, or that he might refuse. So, he made a backup plan. He looked for another person that could use the Keyblade. But he couldn't risk allowing a person he was trying to corrupt to get a Keyblade, or else he might end up in over his head. So, he did the next best thing. He had some Heartless go around and steal people's hearts, but, instead of giving them to the darkness, they gave the hearts to him for safekeeping. Then, he'd visit the victims and purposely lost his Nothing Blade to them. If they worked it, they were strong enough to use the Keyblade when whole. If they didn't, they were discarded. You were the lucky one, Asher. You could use it."

"So, what was he going to do to me if Sora didn't cooperate?" Asher asked, fighting back anger.

"Simple. He'd have you agree to help him if he gave you your heart back. He just felt he wouldn't mention that he knew where your heart was until he was sure of your loyalty and the fact that you were needed."

"So I wasn't really useful after all? I was just some sort of insurance policy?"

"What, with the way he treated the rest of us, you were surprised? None of us were really important to him in the end. We all knew. But we all figured he would supply us with Kingdom Hearts, and Kingdom Hearts would supply us with our hearts and make us whole again. Hard to argue against that."

"True."

Axel laughed remorsefully. "In retrospect, I guess the only one of us that really had any chance of getting his heart back was YOU, Asher. Xemnas probably never planned to help us at all."

"I've had enough of this little chat, Axel. Do you want my help to make you whole again, or not? Because I made a promise, and I wanna make good on it."

"Hardheaded AND noble. What an annoying combination. Well, if that's all you want to talk about, I guess I should just let you get to work."

"You can ditch the tough-guy act, Axel."

Axel looked down at the ground. "Just…be careful, okay?"

"You don't have to worry about me. By the way, when you're back…you'll want to find Sora, right? To talk to Roxas?"

That raised Axel's head. He was smiling. "Why? You know where to find him?"

Asher nodded. "Yeah. Word is Sora's living in Tempest Town now, running an inn with his two friends. My hometown."

Axel was still smiling. Maybe everything would turn out alright after all.

---

Star was kneeling, gasping for breath. "Dad?"

Xander shook his head. "Star, you're relying too much on your own skills. You have Pokemon, don't you? USE them!"

Star knew this was just an illusion, a thought brought to life. Still, her muscles ached. There's a lesson here, she thought to herself. Just remember, there's a lesson here.

She pulled Arcanine's Pokeball off her belt and summoned him. Arcanine pounced toward Xander, who simply sidestepped and drove two fingers into the side of Arcanine's neck, just above the shoulder. Howling, Arcanine fell to the ground. Frustrated, she reached for Milotic's Pokeball, but fumbled. Her hand passed the part of her belt that housed Milotic's Pokeball, and brushed over the top of Onix's. Not realizing her mistake, she grasped the next ball she felt and tossed it into the air. Misdreavus emerged from the ball. "Miiis?"

She froze. Misdreavus…that was Brandon's Pokemon.

Xander smiled. "A ghost type…good choice. Now, have it attack me. Let's see if you can beat me."

Star's feet were glued to the floor, her eyes glued to the confused-looking purple ghost. Misdreavus spoke, its voice riddled with concern. "Mis…mismis…Dreavus?"

Somehow, Star knew what it was saying. Where's Brandon? What's going on?

The Xander doppelganger disappeared, leaving Star alone to confront Misdreavus on the dark, barren, rocky plain. The light breeze caused her hair to flow gently above her shoulders. The smell of salt and the deep grey color of the rocks indicated that there was an ocean nearby. With the full moon rising in the background, its reflected rays showing dozens of hidden colors in gemstones among the rocks, the scene had a certain eerie beauty. But, Star didn't notice any of that. Her eyes were still fixed on the floating Pokemon, its questioning gaze tearing through her heart like a newly forged katana. Star, where is Brandon? she knew it was saying. Just tell me where he is.

She choked on her words as she spoke. "Misdreavus…Brandon's dead."

She heard Misdreavus' distraught cries, but also an echo of a voice. It was a voice she'd never heard before: a personless, empty one. What do you mean, dead? That's impossible.

"I'm sorry, Misdreavus…he's gone."

More panicked utterances. Gone? He can't be gone. This is all just some sort of bad dream, that's it. I'll wake up tomorrow and he'll be right there, calling me to battle in some gym to win some badge. That's the life of a Pokemon, you know.

Star broke down. "Misdreavus, he's DEAD! Don't you get it? D-E-A-D: dead. He's not coming back."

Misdreavus' voice was angry now, but the English voice remained the same. How could you let this happen? Weren't you two supposed to look out for one another? What were you thinking?

"Misdreavus, I…"

Even the echo became enraged. HOW COULD YOU LET HIM DIE!?

With that, Misdreavus vanished. On her knees, weeping, Star felt a hand lightly press itself onto her shoulder. It was her father again. "I know you feel partially responsible, sweetheart. I know it's tough. But you can't blame yourself any more than your friend tried to blame himself. These things happen."

"But Dad, WHY did it happen?"

The figure of Xander looked solemnly at her. "I don't know. I'm just a personification of something from your consciousness."

That was her father. Even when he wasn't real, he wouldn't give her a euphemistic run-around. She frowned.

As if in response, Xander sighed. "The truth is, I don't think we can know why people go away like Brandon did, honey. Maybe it's some higher power, bringing them back to their beginnings. Maybe dying is kinda like going home. But, you can't let the thought control you, Star. You can't let yourself shut down, or break down. You know, you'll have to answer that question again. Brandon's parents will ask. His friends will, too. You're going to have to be strong. You're going to have to answer."

"I just feel so helpless."

"I know, Star. I know."

The Xander doppelganger held Star in his arms as she cried, one hand running through her hair. He frowned. A solidified memory was no replacement for a real father.