[At Home Here]

[Ven and Roxas interaction, can be Roxas X Sora or Ventus X Roxas if you wish]

I feel at home here. I know that I should be someplace else – I know that there is something missing – and yet, I can't bring myself to care all that much. From where I'm resting, this place is my home. It has a soft glow to it, warm and full of light. It's peaceful here, and in this place, I feel no pain, no sorrow.

Memories are thrown into the mix here and there; scattered memories of island beaches, children laughing, and star-shaped fruits hanging high above in palm trees. There are memories of races and wooden sword fights, and memories of finding a girl washed up on the beach. Memories, I know, that do not belong to me.

My own memories are growing hazy. I remember the simple things: my name, my friends' faces, the taste of ice cream and the feeling of my hair being ruffled. But as for my friend's names, where I come from, and who I used to be in personality…

Well, those things are fuzzier.

I can't recall the name of the tall brunet who protected me from a man with a weapon. I can, however, recall the brunet's voice, and how he would tell me that he has to leave, and that I can't come with, but that he knows I'll be there when he needs me.

I can't recall the girl's name, but I remember her soft smile and charming laughter and motherly affection. I remember her voice and how she always smelled of clean water and lightly of vanilla, but not her name. For the life of me, I can't think of the blunette's name. I remember her promising me something, but I can't remember what it was about.

And time. Time is skewed here, in this warm, bright place. I don't know how long I've been here. I don't know when I'll return to the world outside.

I am well aware, however, of another presence.

There is someone else here with me, someone who dwells a bit more in the shadows than I.

I meet him on occasion, when our paths in this place cross. He calls himself Roxas, and he looks exactly like me.

We are mirror images of one another, and we both reside in the same place: Sora's heart. Roxas explains to me that he is a Nobody, and that Nobodies are creatures born of a strong-willed heart that can sometimes take human form, as he had, and are devoid of hearts and true emotions. It reminds me of the Unversed, only less animalistic in nature, and more capable of conscious thought.

"Why do you look like me?" I ask him, and touch my hand to his face, my other hand on my own face. We are perfectly identical; nothing is different, not even our voices. We are one and the same in appearance, down to even the style of our clothing.

Roxas shrugs. "How should I know?" he replies as he gently brushes my hand off. "Maybe it's because you were here in Sora's heart before I was created. Maybe it's because you and Sora are so similar. Who knows?"

He makes fine points. I nod, but don't fully understand. Still, it's interesting. I smile at him. "Do you like it here? I mean, do you miss being your own person?"

Roxas frowns and looks away. "I'm not sure. Honestly, I don't think I was ever my own person to begin with. But Sora… he's kind, and loving, and noble. He might act like a doofus at times, but he's reliable. So, I suppose I don't mind it here, even if I miss having my own friends."

"You had friends?" I ask distantly, the brunet and blunette popping up in my mind.

Roxas nods and smiles. "Yeah. Axel. And for some reason, I can picture a black-haired girl, too, but I can't remember her name. Something makes me forget who she is, and sometimes I wonder if I made her up. But no, she's too prominent in my memories to be made up." He shrugs. "And Naminé. She's technically my friend, too, even if we don't get to spend a whole lot of time together."

I nod, listening. I don't know these people, but then again, I barely remember many people at all. It's strange, but for some reason, I can't recall much more than images. I can see snippets of my memories, but I can't piece together information along with them. Scattered sounds, glimpses of events – but nothing more. Perhaps it's because I have no body of my own? I'm not sure. But I don't mind being this way; for some reason, it doesn't bother me a great deal. It's nearly like being in heaven, if such a place exists.

I feel myself falling in and out of sleep, as per usual. I prod Roxas onward with a question, in order to have his voice (my voice) lull me into complete sleep. "What did Axel look like, and how did he act? Describe him to me. I want to see why you two were friends."

Even with my drooping eyes, I could see Roxas smiling. "Axel was tall; a lot taller than me. He was older, I think, but I'm not sure by how much. Age doesn't really matter to Nobodies. Anyway, he was built lean and fit, with strong arms and legs and hips that I teased were more like a girl's than a boy's." He chuckles. "He had flaming red hair stuck up in various spikes, and emerald green eyes. There were two little black triangular tattoos, one under each of his eyes. He had fire element powers, and chakram." Suddenly, a frown creeps into Roxas's tone. "I'm not sure why we were friends, really. He teased a lot and was one of the assassins of the Organization, but… he was always nice to me. He took care of me when I was a zombie during my early days of creation, and he stuck by me. He was there for me when I was confused and seeking answers. He even tried to protect me from the Organization's wrath by talking me into staying, but I couldn't take it. I left."

I hum a quick 'mm-hmm' and wait for him to continue. He nudges me.

"Hey, don't fall asleep on me, Ven. I'm talking to you," Roxas remarks only half-seriously. "You asked, so I'm answering."

"I know, I know," I yawn. "But it's hard to stay awake all the time when I feel so comfortable here."

Roxas hums in agreement. "Hmm, yeah. It is. But I manage," he retorts with a slight smile. He reclines backward – surfaces aren't in this place; we are free-floating here – and folds his hands behind his head. "Hey, Ventus?"

"Yeah?" I reply lazily.

"Is this all we're ever going to be?" he murmurs with a tone that can only be described as fearful. "Reduced to presences inside a common heart?"

"I sure hope not," I answer. "I want to be able to return to my proper body and find my friends."

"Then… what about me? Or Sora, for that matter? What will happen to us if you leave?" Roxas asks, his voice tense.

My eyes fly open and I ponder that. What would become of them? Did I give Sora the ability to wield the Keyblade? Did I give him the ability to create Roxas? Without me, would he lose these things? It's difficult to tell. For all I know, both would have occurred even without me inside his heart since he was a child. Still, it's something to worry about.

"I'm not sure, Roxas," I answer truthfully. I turn and look over at him, our blue eyes piercing each other. "But I promise you that if I ruin anything by leaving, I'll take responsibility for it. I'll mend whatever I break."

Roxas reaches out to touch my forearm. "Thanks, Ven. Because, in all honesty…" He pauses, hesitating, the silence building up between us.

"What?" I murmur.

Roxas sighs and tears his gaze away from mine. "I never want to leave Sora. I like being with him, even if I don't have a body of my own. Maybe it's because he's my Somebody, but… I feel like I'd be incomplete without him. And if having you here means I get to 'exist' and stay with Sora, then please, Ven, don't hurry off just yet. Okay?"

I swallow, his words drying out my throat. I croak, "I'm not going anywhere just yet, Roxas. Don't worry."