Rhiannon: Hello! And welcome to the last chapter of the week...

-)-

Chapter 24—Without Darkness

For Axel, Roxas and Demyx returning to Radiant Garden was the beginning of their upheaval. While in actuality none of their powers had diminished. It had been more of less, redirected. Each had found in their own way, that now, without the darkness that their powers stemmed from their hearts. A collectively amazing thing to each of them. But after the novelty wore off, and things had gotten back to semi-normal. Roxas had found himself without Axel's companionship as he had expected. In fact, if he were to really think about it and categorize it, the red head former nobody was avoiding him.

He climbed up onto one of the many abandon buildings in the second district. He hadn't quite gotten back into utilizing his light to enhance his abilities and had steadfastly avoided the third district. He was about to sit, realizing that he couldn't very well sleep here when he head noises. He shifted slowly, towards the back of the building and saw a tall ugly figure. It seemed to be a woman by the sound of the voice, her robes were black with a purple undertone and her skin was… green. Not to mention the 'horns' that made up her headdress. This freaky creature was speaking to what looked like a large cat or dog that was as wide as he was tall. They seemed to be conspiring and the Heartless were more of less milling around them instead of attacking. Like they were awaiting orders.

"…this place is completely destroyed." The woman spoke as she glared around the broken remains of the Second District. "I had hoped they'd given a bit more of a fight. Then again, more Heartless for my Kingdom Hearts."

Roxas resisted the urge to snort at her grand words. She was obviously another pawn of Xemnas. The superior had had more pawns then followers if he remembered correctly. Everything from great leaders to warriors… To princes with untold amounts of power. He shifted again, ears open wide to receive any information that might be important to the people of the First District… or to Sora.

"Then… then what are we going to do?" The cat/dog thing asked.

"We'll have to find another world. Or maybe find where the keyblade master is. Because it is obvious that he is not here." She raised a hand to her forehead and squeezed. "Pete, I want you to go to Halloween Town…. Surely you can convince Oogie Boogie to attempt to take over again."

"All right Maleficent… Whatever you say." He turned to leave.

"Wait… Give him this." She handed her henchmen some kind of talisman and then he was gone. "Oh the fools I suffer." The witch spoke under her breath. "Maybe Oogie Boogie isn't enough of a distraction. Hades would come up with the perfect trap." She disappeared in a whorl of darkness.

"That… can't be good." Roxas muttered as he looked at where they'd been. He remembered the whispers he'd heard around the Castle That Never Was about Maleficent. None of what he'd heard was good. He had a feeling that they were in for quite a trip with her around.

He jumped down from the building and then jumped backwards in surprise at the red headed boy standing before him, hands on his skinny boy hips. Axel had finally gotten around to taking off the Organization issued cloak and now wore dark jeans and a random looking shirt that he probably dug out of an abandoned thrift store. It fit him well, Roxas thought as he regained his wits. It was what he would have imagined Axel as if they'd meet in another life.

"So… how goes the wandering and the killing?" Axel asked as he leaned against half of a left over light post.

"It goes." Roxas shrugged and brushed his spiky blond hair. "I'm still a little nervous about hitting up the third district though."

"Don't blame you. I just uh… I came to say thanks. For not giving up on me." Axel scratched the back of his head nervously. "I guess I should go." He turned to walk away.

"Was it love at first sight?" Roxas blurted and then wished a defender or something would choose that moment to attack.

"Was what?" The taller of the two boys about faced, his mouth still hanging open as he responded to the question with another question.

"You once told me… that if you had a heart… it would have been love at first sight… So…" Roxas felt helplessly embarrassed, but Axel wasn't about to help him out at all it seemed. "So when you first looked at me… when you got your heart. Was it… Was it love at first sight?"

"I… I don't think that it qualifies…" Axel rubbed at his nose with a knuckle. "But hey… I just call it like I see it."

"But you do love me… don't you?" Roxas looked up at him, impossibly blue eyes staring into liquid green and the elder nodded slightly.

"I do… Roxas Miryoko." Axel stepped closer and stared down into the luminous blue eyes. "I was never good at shit like this. You don't need me anymore… You know that right? No more power plays in the Organization. No more protecting you from Xemnas. No more—" His words were cut off by Roxas' hand over his mouth.

"I don't need you to protect me Axel." He stated firmly and stepped closer and lifted up on his toes and replaced his hand with his lips. "With a heart comes other things… like love… and trust." He pulled away. "My shift's over."

Axel pressed a hand to his lips as he watched Roxas head back towards the first district. "So what are we now!" He called after him.

Roxas turned with a sardonic smile and a hand on his hip. "You're supposed to be the one with the answers. Now come on before we get attacked!"

-)-

Demyx leaned back in his chair as he watched Laguna talk to the King about his progress with keeping the first district safe. He seemed to be happy about all this and commend Laguna for his brave works. Demyx on the other hand was just bored. He wished it was his turn to go on patrol but no, he'd been assigned to Laguna and the king incase what was left of the Organization decided to do something.

"If I may have a conversation with Demyx?" The King asked and Demyx sighed in annoyance.

"But of course." Laguna smiled and while Demyx liked the fatherly man, he really wondered how the hell he and Leon managed to deal with each other. He left them in privacy because Laguna was always very polite.

"Why are you here?" The mouse was went straight to the point.

"Because." Demyx shrugged, he didn't see why it was any of his business, he was Sora's prisoner… well, friend at this point.

"I gave you to Sora so that he would have added protection!"

"You gave me to Sora in the hopes that I would die while being forced to defend him. Well, guess what Kingy… the benefits went both ways! I have a heart, friends and a home! Fuck the Organization and screw you!" Demyx felt guilty, he was just so angry. Angry at the Organization. Angry at the person who'd separated him from his heart. Angry at this stupid mouse in front of him who'd tried to get him killed.

"You have a… how is that possible!" The king's eyes widened and Demyx couldn't resist a superior smile.

"Because I was a good little boy this year, so Santa brought me what I asked." He turned and walked towards the door. "And next time… leave me the hell alone." Demyx felt a distinct thrill of satisfaction at the angry look on the mouse king's face. Let 'im be pissed. He thought to himself. No difference to me.

-)-

Yuffie Kisaragi-Loire paused outside of the third district. She'd been tempted to go there many times, to look around. To see if she could find some hint of what had happened to Yuna—but each time common sense had kicked in and she'd just given up. She could hear the scratchy walking sounds of heartless, knowing they were attracted to her happily beating heart.

She about faced to head back when she heard the sound of soft laughter. She paused and inched slowly towards the source and found something she wasn't exactly expecting. A young girl stood there with shaggy black hair looking around a sad look on her face. It suddenly occurred to her who she was seeing.

"Olette?" She asked as she stepped forward.

"Not exactly…" The girl whispered with a sad smile. "I belong to DiZ… My name is Olette and I am a program based on Olette the Oracle of Memory."

"You're… data?" Yuffie asked quietly her hand unconsciously reaching behind her to press against her shuriken.

"I'm afraid so." She shrugged her shoulder idly. "Due to the heart that I am based off of, I am able to travel between worlds."

"What about Pence?" Yuffie asked, this troubled her more then she wanted to show.

"I don't know… to be honest. I don't think I'm supposed to know that I'm data… let alone how to escape." She scratched her arm idly. "You see… I'm looking for someone. Roxas."

"Why?" She wrapped a hand around it, her palms had started to sweat.

"To bring him home of course. DiZ created out world just for him."

"You can't have him."

"Can't? Who are you to disobey the word of DiZ? He is your king after all! He is your Ansem the Wise!" The younger girl shouted.

"Ansem the Wise is dead! He did in his castle researching hearts! And fuck what you say! Roxas is allowed to have his own destiny!" She threw her shuriken and watched as it passed through the young girl only for her to turn into pixel like squares as if she were a highly magnified picture on a computer before she regained her form.

"We can't harm each other Yuffie." Olette murmured. "I'm not on your plane of existence and you aren't on mine."

"Then you can't harm Roxas either!" Yuffie shouted.

"Why would I want to harm him? I just want to bring him home."

"And why would he want to go with you! He has friends and a family here!"

"So? What could possibly be better for him then a whole world created just for him?" Her grin was superior and Yuffie wished that she could wipe it off. "Of course he'll want to come with me."