It took a few days for Ven to recover. In that time, Kairi had gone with Donald and Goofy on a mission to Neverland to check how it was doing. There were people whirling in and out of their headquarters always with new information. Worlds that had fallen or were coming close to it, Heartless sighting in new worlds, updates on figures and calculations what went over Sora's head. He tried to keep up, desperately asking what he could do while Aqua was with Ven. They all kept telling him to lay low. That there wasn't much he could do. He didn't know enough about the situation to make a difference just yet.

This was beyond frustrating. Everyone had something to do. Everyone had a job except for him. Even Aqua, who was multitasking, was sent out to retrieve people from other worlds that could help with their fight. The Princesses of Light were all gathered from their worlds for the sake of protection and even they were put to work fortifying the light within this world's Keyhole.

Sora found someone much like him in this regard: Ventus. Ven and Sora sat side by side in the headquarters, watching people bustle around, shouting orders, both of them being told they would only get in the way if they. Sora pursed his lips, swinging his bare feet against the box they sat on, watching Cid pace back and forth, going on about Gummy ship mechanics.

Ven leaned back against the wall, his arms folded, pouting. Aqua had gone to investigate just how badly the darkness was spreading for herself. She took the information given and braved to go further than anyone else. Sure, Sora knew she had a job to do. He knew she would come back safely because she was Aqua. Aqua always knew what she was doing.

Ven wasn't happy about her leaving. Neither was Sora. Since she started going out on missions, he felt alone. Sora was sure Ven wasn't happy for entirely different reasons, but Sora had been with DiZ and Aqua for as long as he could remember. DiZ already left him and now Aqua? Logically, Sora knew Aqua was coming back. He knew he wasn't alone. But he was still terrified she'd leave for good. He didn't like being away from her for so long.

"Hey," Riku walked up to the two of them. In unison, they looked up at him. For a moment, he froze, his eyebrows shooting into his silver hair. He shook himself out, brushing his hair back. "Let's walk." They eagerly jumped to their feet, desperate for something to do. "And, please, stop doing that. It's creepy."

"Doing what?" they asked at once in the same tone. When they realized what happened, the boys smirked at each other. Riku's discomfort was hilarious.

"That." Riku sighed.

It didn't take long for the boys to discover that Ven's heart was still very much connected to Sora's. Neither minded all that much. It proved for a lot of amusement since the two were virtually useless to this task force. Yes, Sora had all this power. But nobody took him seriously. They acted like he was a child. They hadn't given him a chance to prove himself.

Riku took them down the ramp into the middle of the third district. It was so quiet. It was early, yet. None of them had a normal sleep schedule. It was impossible to if they were going to get anything done. Time in the other worlds was incredibly relative. What was a week in Traverse Town could have been an hour on Olympus. It took Sora forever to get behind the idea that there was a day and a night. That a clock was twelve hours and there were twenty-four in a day.

Riku turned to them. "You guys are in charge of keeping this place safe. You both have Keyblades which means you can get rid of the Heartless." Riku shook his long hair out of his face. Maybe he should get a hair cut. "Sora. How far does your… 'radar' go?"

Sora shrugged. He hadn't really thought about how far he could sense a creature of darkness. "I don't know… maybe three districts? Give or take half a district?" From what Sora noticed here anyway. It was easier to measure the distance through districts. He still wasn't sure about meters or miles or how accurate it was. "The bigger it is, the easier it is for me to detect it. The more darkness, the stronger it gets."

"So, quite a distance." Riku nodded. "If you guys could patrol even for a few hours a day, that would be great. We can't afford to keep more Keyblade wielders here when the worlds need our help."

"Then let us go out." Ven urged. "We can help."

"Ventus, you're still recovering. Master Aqua would kill us if we let you off this world." Riku folded his arms. "Yesterday, you could barely fend off a Shadow."

"I'm a bit rusty," Ven rubbed the back of his head uncertainly. "Send me out there, I'll get better."

"No," Riku replied flatly. There was no changing his mind. They both knew it. Riku turned to Sora. "And you've only been to one other world. You don't understand the rules of travel or the worlds. At least Ventus has had experience. You're a wild card. Don't worry. We'll use you when we need you guys."

Sora frowned. "This is just busy work, isn't it?"

"For now." Riku said. "Maybe you guys can practice. Sora, learn to reel it in believably. Ventus, loosen up." Riku turned to go back, then snapped as if he remembers something. "Oh, right. Sora, don't let Ventus go off on his own. Master Aqua's orders."

The boys glanced at each other before turning to watch Riku walk off. Sora desperately wished Kairi or Aqua were here. Riku was a bit of an… what was the word… uncompromising person to put it nicely. Kairi would have given them at least a useful job.

"Geeze, Aqua, I don't need a babysitter." Ven sighed.

"It's not that," Sora shrugged as they set off to walk some rounds. "She cares about you, you know? She doesn't want you to push yourself too hard. She'd be devastated if anything happened to you. She knows she can be overbearing. She knows she might hold you back. She means well. She just doesn't want a repeat of last time. She's been through more than enough after losing you and Terra and spending so long in the Realm of Darkness." Sora eyed the other. "She missed you so much, that she saw you in me when nobody else could."

Ven frowned. Sora knew he didn't understand. He thought Aqua was taking her power as a Keyblade Master too seriously. He only remembered her as she was so many years ago. He felt like she hadn't changed at all. Sora hoped one day he would see she was only looking out for him.

Their job was boring to say the least. They came across small hoards of lesser Heartless and Nobodies. Sora let Ven have at it, only stepping in when he struggled to move. His body was still stiff from sleep, his joints locked up. Ven needed to take frequent breaks, refusing to concede to Riku's accusations of not being ready. Sora let him, knowing better than to antagonize him about it.

Ven was kind of like a brother he never had. They got along so easily it was as if they had been friends for eternity. There wasn't a lot they needed to talk about, yet both found it hard to stop talking. Ven's stories of his journey were fascinating. Sora's story of his growth and power took Ven in.

Ven, the boy that had been in Sora's heart and would know it better than anybody, had no idea why Sora was like that. They knew Ven was the reason he was able to use the Keyblade, which was something at least. Ven didn't remember much from his time with Sora. Bits and pieces mostly. The most recent memory was fighting against the Organization.

There hadn't been much sighting of them since then. Sora wasn't hopeful. They were biding their time; they all knew it. They were trying to build Kingdom Hearts to gain hearts of their own, that much they knew. How they were going to do it. Sora had no idea.

Outside of the Flick Rush Arena, Sora and Ven watched people mill in and out of the entrance for a while. Sora and Ven exchanged battle stories and friendships made along the way. They laughed at each other expense, reflected on mistakes, acknowledged pigheadedness.

"I still can't believe you and Riku used to be friends," Ven finally said.

"Yeah," Sora ruffled his hair, a bit frustrated. "Well, we were kids. I looked up to him. He pushed me to be better. He and I faced everything together. You know, up until I was five. We both changed, though." Sora leaned back, holding onto the wall they were sitting on. "I wonder if we would have still been friends if I had never been thrown into the Realm of Darkness."

"Who knows?" Ven shrugged. "Maybe you would have shown him how to have fun."

Sora snickered. "Maybe."

That was when Sora felt it. Something big was here. Sora slid off the wall, slowly walking towards it. It felt familiar. It was definitely a Nobody, that's for sure. Maybe… No. "The Organization's here."

"Hm?" Ven followed him.

"Come on!" Sora beckoned, running towards the fifth district. It was so close—out of nowhere! Poof! It existed! How did they find them? What were they planning to do? Sora could not let them get back to their world (The World that Never Was wasn't exactly a secret). Their only option was capture or destroy.

Sora didn't like the idea of destroy. They were way too human. The thought made him uncomfortable, but it was one of their only two options.

Sora stumbled to a halt in the garden, Ven right behind him. Looking around, he couldn't see anything. There were some teenagers in the upper terraces, admiring the plants. Well, maybe not. Maybe they were just hanging out in a quiet place. Sora didn't blame them. This place was really peaceful.

Sora didn't expect it to be for long. "Hey!" Sora shouted. It alarmed the teens who leaned over the railing to look at them. "We know you're here!" Sora summoned Kingdom Key. "Come on out!"

"Heh, you're good, kid." A tall figure slinked out from behind a tree. That spiky hair was unmistakable.

"Ax—"

"Lea?!" Sora turned to Ven whose smile stretched wide. "Lea, is that you?" He rushed forward to get a better look. "Wow, you got tall!"

The man stumbled back as if he had been hit in the face with a rock. Dazed and confused he stared at Ven. Did… did Ven know Axel? How? When? What? Who was Lea? Sora felt his grip on the blade slack. What was even going on?

"I thought it was you, but… Jeeze," Axel scratched his temple. "You haven't changed a bit."

They definitely knew each other.

"Unlike you. Wow. You got old, didn't you?" Ven gave a Cheshire grin.

"Hey!" Axel grabbed him by the shoulder, rubbing his knuckles into his head. "I'm bigger than you and stronger than you. You can't talk to me like that."

"Wanna bet on it?" Ven asked, summoning his Keyblade.

This was so bizarre. Axel, the Nobody who tried to kill them, was actually… friendly? Sora wasn't sure what to think of it. He hung back ready to make a move if Axel tried anything funny. He didn't trust the Nobody.

"You sure you wanna go?" Axel stepped back, fire bursting in his hands to reveal his chakrams.

Ven jumped back, twirling Wayward Wind. He seemed plenty ready. Sora was sure his muscles didn't agree. He could practically hear them screaming. Yet, the blonde bounced between the balls of his feet, itching to fight with this guy. Sora was ready to have his back if Axel turned on him.

"Don't hold back."

It was so clear to Sora that Axel was holding back. No fire. No heat. All chakrams and strength. Ven gave it all he could, which wasn't much. His frustration at his lack of mobility showed, yet he continued to smile. Weapons clashed, hits were landed yet no skin was broken or bruised. Sora stepped back actually finding he preferred this side of Axel. He was playful and fun and Sora found himself smiling in spite of Axel being the enemy.

Ven fell to the ground, holding a hand up. "Had… enough yet?" he laughed breathlessly. "Because I'm willing to call it a draw if you are."

Axel held out a hand to help him up. "You're worse than I could have imagined."

Ven laughed. "What do you expect? I've been sleeping for the past ten years."

"A little over eleven," Sora pointed out.

"Yeah, that." Ven struggled to stay on his feet, brushing himself off. "What have you been up to, Lea?"

"Well," Axel stepped back, giving himself a moment to try and explain. "My name isn't Lea anymore. It's Axel. Got it memorized?"

"No," Ven replied without hesitation. "It's Lea. You told me to memorize that so I did."

"Ven… Do me a favor and forget it." Axel waved his hand as if he were waving away the name. "Lea's gone. He's been gone for a long time. Almost as long as you've been asleep. I'm Axel now."

Ven frowned, looking him up and down, taking in his appearance. Sora could see the gears working, even if they weren't up to speed. Ven wasn't dumb. Sora didn't have to explain anything to him. "You're in Organization XIII, aren't you?"

"Yeah."

"They're the bad guys, you know."

Axel shrugged. "It's complicated."

"They aren't going to help, you know!" Ven insisted. "Xemnas is only in it for his own gain!"

"You don't think I don't know that?" Axel half shouted. "I've been playing my own game since… It doesn't matter. I'm not any anyone's side but my own."

Sora chewed his lip. Could Axel maybe become a double agent? He wasn't the one to ask him to do that. Ven was the one that was his friend. Sora doubted Axel would even consider, especially considering the serious butt kicking he got last time. And maybe they couldn't really trust him. Sora wasn't exactly the expert on judging people. He'd only been around two people his whole life. He was just lucky they were the good guys.

"Axel," Sora said carefully, stepping forward. "Who else knows we're here?"

"Hm?" He was clearly distracted by his argument with Ven. He barely noticed Sora, which the boy wasn't used to. He wasn't exactly one to ask for attention, he was just sort of used to being acknowledged at least. "Oh. You're base isn't exactly secret. You guys just haven't proved enough of a threat to bother with. Annoying? Yes. A threat? Nah."

He needed to go back. He needed to tell Riku and the other. They needed to know how little their greatest enemy thought of them. They've been working so hard for so long and they were just an annoyance? Sora couldn't believe it. The power his friends had. The strength they carried in their hearts. It wasn't nearly enough to even be put on the Organization's radar.

"Lea…" His tone was that of hurt, like he had been physically wounded by Axel's words.

"Lea's gone… at least until he get's his heart back." Axel straightened, looking Ven right in the eye. "I won't tell if you won't."

Ven looked back at Sora. They had to tell the others about this. Especially Aqua. She needed to know. She would know what to do. She always knows what to do. She has a clear and level head, so unlike Sora and so very clearly unlike Ven. Ven was impulsive, never giving a second thought to his decisions. Like this one.

"We won't."

Ven and Sora are bros, but Ven likes to be bros with everyone.