If We Had Hearts: After Sora had selflessly sacrificed herself for Kairi and became a heartless, a nobody was created. Solitary, wandering, not sure how she became or where to go her Nobody walked the streets of Twilight Town only to be found by the Leader of Organization XIII. He gave her a purpose, he gave her a name: Roxas.

Author's Note: This story centers on Roxas and her life with Organization XIII and while Xion will make an appearance I'm focusing more on our two favorite nobodies Roxas and Axel.

Chapter 4: Two friends, and a Keyblade

The Town was surprisingly quiet today. The usual gang Roxas would see roaming around were nowhere in sight… in fact Roxas didn't really see anybody. She looked to Xion who was wandering beside her, his eyes wide and taking in everything. He'd been to the town several times before, but this was the first time Roxas remembered seeing him really observe anything but her. She smiled.

"It's quiet, but a nice town all in all don't you think?"

"Huh? Oh, yes," he looked to her confused at first but then nodded in agreement. "Very nice town." He repeated flushing a little and looking down at his hand. He still hadn't quite recovered from her gentle grip. It was just a small touch but it triggered so many things inside him.

They met a few smaller heartless along their walk

"Saix said that there was supposed to be a large heartless somewhere in the town. I don't see a huge heartless, or even any people."

"Which direction do you think we should go?" Xion wondered aloud.

"I say let's go high, from the station we'll be able to see the whole town. We'll be sure to spot it." Roxas cut through another small heartless as it leapt from the shadows. "Let's go!"

As they climbed the hill to the station, Roxas immediately saw their target. The massive black form stood tall and menacing, and it must have been his influence that had scared off the locals. Roxas let her keyblade form in hand and eyed Xion who was poised for attack.

"You ready Xion?"

"Yeah!"

"Then let's get him!" Roxas leaped up, the form wasn't fast, but he had incredible strength. He could summon smaller heartless that leapt up from the darkness. They scratched and clawed at her legs, Xion let loose magic keeping them off her while she concentrated on the large mass.

Still the fight wasn't easy, the hits weren't quite doing the trick, it was only wearing the creature down. She needed to get higher, needed to slice across the chest. She jumped up gasping as its arm shoved at her, batting her away like a fly. Her keyblade went flying. She skidded to the ground rolling until she got to her feet.

She lifted her head just in time to see Xion summon the blade into his hand, he made the jump and slice the black mass clean through to finish it off. Her eyes went wide and she stood up running over to him laughing.

"Xion! I didn't know you could use the keyblade!"

Xion glanced down at the blade, his eyes wary and he smiled.

"You know, neither did I."

The two shared a laugh together, and with this bond created Roxas decided he'd earned a reward.

"You've earned, the icing on the cake." Sora took his hand again. They wandered back into town, things running normal with the presence of the black mass gone. She bought two ice creams keeping her hand in Xion's until they made the climb up the station tower.

"This is such a great spot, how did you find it?" Xion sat beside her watching the sunset. He clutched his hands in his lap rubbing the palm that had been clasped in Roxas' and tried to make sense of what was going on inside him. He looked to the side and Roxas held out the blue ice cream she'd bought out to him.

"Here yah go… Sea Salt Ice Cream… go on, try it."

Xion looked down at the ice cream, his eyes blinking and he opened his mouth taking a nibble.

"Mmmph, it's sweet… and salty."

"It's good right?" Roxas' smile was bright and happy as she bit into her own ice cream. "Axel and I always meet here for ice cream after work. This flavor," she held out the blue bar smiling at it affectionately. "It's Axel's favorite."

"Sounds like it's yours too." Xion commented watching Roxas smile and talk. She looked like she was enjoying herself, and there was a contentment there that he'd never seen on any of the others in the organization. It was that look that had drawn him in the first time they'd met, and made him study her, watch her, and want to interact with her.

"Axel took me here on my first day with the organization, and then again after my first mission. He called it the icing on the cake."

"Like you just did for me…"

"Yeah!"

"You and Axel," Xion looked back at the sunset his ice cream melting in his hand. "You guys must be really close."

"Well yeah," Roxas thought about it… and had to nod in agreement. She was closer to him than anyone else. Wasn't that the reason she'd been so churned up since he'd left. Why his kiss had both delighted and confused her to the point of keeping her up at night? She couldn't wait to see him again, she wanted desperately to see him, to ask him why he'd done that… and why it suddenly felt like she had someone banging drums in her chest whenever she thought about it. "We're friends."

"Friends…" He turned towards her, watching her face, and sparkling eyes. "Do you think I could be a friend?"

"Of course…" Roxas' eyes lit up as an idea hit. "Hey when Axel gets back, we can all have ice cream together!"

"I'd like that." Xion agreed and the two turned their heads back to the sunset, and ate ice cream.

~Castle Oblivion~

Sora ran into the next room and stopped dead in her tracks. Her eyes went wide and her heart galloped at the sight of Riku walking straight to her.

"Riku!" She ran to him, "it is you! What are you doing here?" She held out her arms and engulfed him in a hug. She buried her face in his shoulder shaking a bit.

Riku's replica stood still as a statue, his eyes narrowed as he glanced down and pulled back from the trembling female. He saw the tears, saw the relief, and had to snarl a bit.

"Spare the tears, Sora. I'm pretty sure you'd all but forgotten about me."

"What? That's not true. I came all this way looking for you!" Sora wiped at her tears.

"That's not the reason anymore though is it? He growled. "Now it's only Namine that you're concerned about." He crossed his arms. "You don't care about me… just like you never cared at all about her feelings."

"Namine's feelings?"

Axel watched from the viewing globe as Riku's replica twisted and manipulated Sora's heart. Vexen's experiment was doing well to cause her confusion, letting her emotions run hot and heavy, making her easier to control. Marluxia's plan was working… but at what cost?

Sora was a keyblade wielder. The ins and outs of her heart could be the clue they all needed to become real again. If this deception kept up they may damage Sora's heart beyond repair.

He looked back at the globe, Sora had continued the chase cornering Riku again forcing him to look at her.

"Don't you remember what you did when we closed the door? Don't you remember what you said to me?"

"I remember… but you never shared my feelings. I realized that when I came here. All those faces on the island, I've forgotten them all, and remembered only what's important." He pushed her back and clutched the star shape around his neck, Sora eyed it and something triggered.

"That…"

"Thanks for finding it for me, Namine gave this to me before she left the island… and you gave it back to me at the door. I said those words to you... but they weren't for you, they were for her. I love Namine!"

"That's not true!" Panic raced through Sora's mind and heart. She'd said it so suddenly it'd shocked even her. The disbelief in her voice frightening and motivating. "You and I both care about Namine, but our bond is special Riku. It always has been." She remembered them as kids, fighting each other with wooden swords, laughing and playing. She hadn't forgotten anything about him. Her fingers reached up to hold the stars clinking on her braid. "It's not true, none of it is. You only forgot… I'll prove it. I'll jog your memory." She let her keyblade free and the two battled.

Axel touched the globe, seeing the look on Sora's face as she fought. It was time, he thought, time to finish this, and go back to who he cared about. He returned to the group, watching, calculating on how he could finish his mission. He needed Marluxia to admit his treason, but how?

It was Vexen who gave him his opportunity. Like him, Vexen saw through Marluxia's plan, and decided to tip off the keyblade master. While battling her, Vexen formed a card of Twilight Town, not her memory, but one from Roxas who resided on the other side of Sora's heart. The two were connected, and the memory far more real than any facade's Namine was feeding Sora. They all knew if Sora became too aware of what was going on, she could disappear into the lanes between, and out of the organization's grasp.

"If Sora disappears," Axel casually commented. "That would mess up the organization's plans."

"I trust you know what to do." Marluxia scowled, furious with Vexen for butting into his master plan.

"Haven't a clue, really, perhaps you should spell it out for me."

"Vexen has clearly committed a treasonous act against the organization. You must eliminate the traitor."

"No taking that back later." Axel smirked and vanished into the dark.

Sora stood in front of the old haunted mansion, her eyes wide with wonder as this trembling in her heart caused stirrings and emotions racing. There was something, nostalgic about this place, about the grounds, and the old gate. She swear she could hear whispers of voices from the past, see shadows in front of her… and a name that was just on the tip of her tongue. R...R...Rox-

"So! Feeling nostalgic?" Vexen appeared and startled her. She whirled around to face Vexen her eyes hard and teeth set in a snarl.

"Sora, a question, your memories of Namine, or you feelings here, which of the two are more real? I wonder."

"Namine, of course!" Sora was convinced, and on full alert. No way she would trust anything these people handed to her. The longer she talked to Vexen, however, the more her heart began to waver. The things he was saying her were making a sickening sense, and left her trembling with anger and confusion.

"It is your heart that remembers." Vexen said coolly, confidently.

"You're wrong!" Denial, and frustration swelled up, fueling Sora's anger. "I don't know this place!"

"If you remain bound by the chain of memories, and refuse to see what is truly in your memories, then throw them away. You're not a keyblade master, just a slave to twisted memories. Yes… exactly like my Riku. Your existence is worth nothing!"

"Like your Riku… worth nothing?" That did it. Convinced, Sora growled between grit teeth. Trembling with fury she let her blade loose. "That's enough! You're the one who changed Riku! Every word you said is a lie!"

Sora clutched her chest feeling the beat and response. "I'd never throw away my heart. I'm going to beat you, and save Riku and Namine. That's what's in my heart!"

Such a passionate girl, Axel mused watching from the shadows. Her fight with Vexen was filled with such hate and personal vendetta. It was a sight worthy of the icky reason for him being here. Then again he'd never been a big fan of Vexen to begin with. The guy was pompous, arrogant, so proud of his number and status in the organization when really he was a throw away. His research and experiments did nothing to further the Organization's ideals, and it was clear by his orders, that everyone here in Castle Oblivion, including himself, was expendable.

His own anger swelled at the thought of being so easily tossed aside. He'd show the higher ups that he was worthy of keeping around! He watched Vexen collapse and waited for just the right time to make his entrance. Just as Vexen got to his feet he let his Chakram fly, the fire blazing along the blades and scorching the already crumbling scientist.

Sora gasped and whirled around, her long braid twisting over her neck and whipping into her face. "Axel!"

"Yo, Sora!" Axel greeted cheerfully. "Did I catch you at a bad time?"

"Axel... Why?" Vexen slowly got to his feet, his body shaking, his voice gruff and filled with pain from the attack. Sora looked between the two men, caught in the middle and thoroughly confused.

"I came to stop you from talking too much…" Axel explained. Unlike Vexen who was shaken up, Axel seemed calm and cool. He stared at Vexen with a look that sent chills running through Sora's blood. "...by eliminating your existence."

"What?" Vexen gasped, and Sora stood shocked. "No, don't do it!"

"We are just nobodies who have no one to be, and yet we still are. Now you can be just nothing instead of just a nobody. " He smirked. "You're off the hook."

"No, please, don't do it!" Vexen backed into the gate, no where to run, no where to go. He tried calling the darkness to escape but he could already feel the pull of death.

"Goodbye." Snapping his fingers Axel set Vexen's body aflame, scorching him from the inside out. Sora's eyes went wide and she shook with disbelief at what just happened.

"What…. WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE?!" Sora whirled around again to face Axel, gasping a little when she found he'd closed the distance and was admiring her face closely. She backed up a few steps and grunted when he grasped her chin.

"You know…" He stared into her eyes.. The same beautiful blue her and Roxas shared. He leaned in tempted to kiss those lips, much as he had done to Roxas… but couldn't find the heart...heh… to do it. "I wonder about that myself."

He let the black rise up and around him, phasing away from Sora and back to the meeting. With his initiation complete, Axel now had it in with the true traitors of the Organization. Whether by his hand, or whether by the keyblade master's... Marluxia and Larxene would meet their ends. Once he had a moment alone he sent a message to Saix and slipped back into his role as spy.

Yay! Another chapter up! This took me awhile to edit out, i thought I was including too much Chain of Memories, but I really wanted to combine the two and get a better grasp of the timeline between the games.

Next Chapter: First Taste of Grief