Surprise! As of this week, I'm changing my posting schedule to every Friday night instead of Saturday mornings. Just because I think that'll get more eyes on the fic (I hope). That's really all I gotta say here so... enjoy!

Chapter 3: One Step At A Time

Yes, let this be a sign,
Let this road be mine,
Let it lead me to my past–
And bring me home at last!

It was a gloomy morning, one that the entire orphanage had been dreading. The other kids piled up against the upstairs windows, more than a few of them in tears as they shouted their last goodbyes. In the yard below, Skye waved back, trying his best to be strong for the younger kids. And trying not to show Ansem just how frightened he really was.

"Shame you have to leave so soon, boy," the patron smirked smugly as he stood at the door to see Skye out. "Usually we don't force anyone out until they reach eighteen. But-"

"But since I'm such a troublemaker, you're kicking me out at sixteen instead," Skye finished with his usual roguish grin. "Yeah, I get it. You've told me about a thousand times by now."

Ansem sneered, stepping forward as Skye continued calling farewells out to the other kids. "I shouldn't have bothered, but I managed to arrange a job for you down at the western dock scraping barnacles off the boats. Go straight down the path until you reach a fork in the road, then go left-"

"Bye!" Skye yelled over him. "Bye, everybody!" He wished he could go back upstairs and comfort the younger kids with one final hug, one final farewell, one final dance before they were torn apart-

"Are you listening, boy?" Ansem brought him back down to earth.

"Ugh, yeah, yeah, something about boats?" Skye shrugged, unconcerned.

The patron's already severe scowl darkened as he grabbed the boy by the arm to drag him off. "You've been a thorn in my side since you were brought here, acting like the king of everything the light touches instead of the nameless nobody you really are! For the last eight years, I've fed you, I've clothed you, I've kept-"

"A roof over my head," Skye cut him off to conclude his usual spiel. Ansem glared back at him, offended.

"How is it that you don't have a clue about who you were before you came here, but you can remember all that?"

"Well, I do have a clue, actually," Skye pointed to his necklace. "It's-"

"Believe me, boy, I know," Ansem grabbed the charm, exasperated. "'Together in Radiant Garden'. Such a sweet sentiment. Unfortunately for you, young Skye," he suddenly yanked the necklace off of the boy, holding it high as Skye tried to reach for it. "You'll never get there. Leaving the Destiny Islands is all but impossible now. So, you might as well let those childish dreams of yours go and take your proper place in life as the worthless waste of space that you are. And be grateful for that."

With this, he tossed the charm into the shallow creek that flowed past the orphanage. Skye raced after it, falling to his knees and soaking his already scrappy clothing to retrieve it before it could float away. He heard the orphanage's gate slam shut behind him as Ansem locked him out once and for all. "Hmph, 'be grateful'," he echoed crossly as he slid the charm back on. "I am grateful. Grateful to get away!"

"Well, we're not grateful to see you go."

Skye turned back to the orphanage, surprised to see Hayner, Pence, and Olette standing on the wrong side of its gates with him. "You guys? But how-"

"We snuck out the back," Olette handed him a small bundle. "Here. We got you some food for your trip."

Inside, there was a small roll of bread and a few pieces of fruit, likely scavenged from the pantry when Ansem and the cook weren't looking. "Thank you," Skye smiled, but he couldn't hide the sadness behind it. "All of you–for everything. I know none of us wanted to be here, but… at least we got to be here together."

"It's just not fair that you're being kicked out," Hayner glared back at the orphanage. "If anyone had to go, it should have been Old Man Ansem, not you, Skye."

"Are you sure you'll be ok out there all on your own?"Pence asked, concerned. "Maybe… maybe we could go with you, so you-"

"No," Skye quickly turned the idea down. "I can't ask you guys to give up having a roof over your heads for me. Besides, I'm good at surviving on my own. I did it for who knows how long before I came here, remember?"

"Uh, didn't you say you almost died right before you came here?" Hayner pointed out.

"...W-well, that was then, and this is now," Skye quickly countered. "Trust me, I'll make it this time. Down at the docks… scrubbing barnacles… for the rest of my life…"

Silence lingered as he looked up at the path ahead. A path that had apparently already been decided for him, without any regard to his opinion at all. He didn't want to take that path–really, he'd rather do anything but waste his days toiling away as a simple dockhand–but what other choice did he have? He was just an orphan, with no connections, no munny, no family, not even an actual name. In fact, the only thing he did have was–

The charm hanging around his neck. And all the dreams that came along with it.

"Skye," Olette spoke up softly. All three of his friends could tell what he was thinking as soon as they saw his hand absently slip around the seashells. "We've talked about this before. Whoever gave you that necklace must have loved you. Don't you think it'd be worth it to find out who they are? Who you are?"

"I want to," Skye gripped the charm just a bit tighter. "You guys know I want to, but… let's be real here. Nobody's even able to leave the islands-"

"C'mon, Skye," Hayner smirked. "We know you; we know how determined–and how stubborn–you can be. If anyone is gonna find a way off the islands, it'd be you."

"Ok, well, even if I did," Skye began pacing, not noticing the ever-growing grins on his friends faces. "Even if I went to Radiant Garden, how would I find them? For all I know, whoever gave me this might not even be around anymore. It would have been all for nothing!"

"Or," Pence countered. "It'll be everything you've spent the past eight years looking for…"

Skye stayed quiet for a long time after that. His eyes didn't stray from the road ahead, one that would lead him to his future, whatever the future might look like. Ansem had mentioned a fork in the road, and as far as Skye was concerned, he was already standing right in front of it. If he went left, he knew–he'd be an orphan, a nobody, alone forever. But if he went right…

He sighed, fixing the brim of his worn black cap. "I must be crazy…" he muttered just loud enough for his friends to hear.

"So you're going?" Hayner asked. "To Radiant Garden?"

"I'm going to try," Skye clarified. Despite his nerves, he still offered them a smile as he shrugged. "I mean… what's the worst that could happen, right?"

All three of them cheered, rushing forward to bury the boy in a messy heap of hugs. Their hopeful joy soon slipped into something far sadder as they slowly parted ways. All too quickly, they realized, it was time for Skye to go.

"I'm really gonna miss you guys," he said, his voice tight.

"We'll miss you too," Olette returned, wiping her eyes.

"But we'll see each other again someday," Pence optimistically offered. "I'm sure of it!"

"Yeah, Skye. If you ever find out what your real name is, you owe it to us to come back here and tell us what it is!" Hayner teased, if only to keep his own tears at bay.

"Don't worry," Skye said, somewhere between a laugh and a sob. "I will."

He waved his last goodbye to them, to the best friends any orphan could have asked for. It took all the strength he had in him to turn away from them, to turn the page on this chapter of his life and start another one entirely.

He'd heard once that every journey began with just a single step. So he mustered his courage, took in a deep breath, and took that step to start a journey of his own. A journey that he hoped would lead him back to who he was, back to who he was supposed to be with, back to where he truly meant to be.

A journey to discover his past… and find his future.

Once, when Skye was somewhere around twelve, he ran away from the orphanage. One too many trips to The Shack had set something inside of him off, made him want to get as far away from that awful place as possible. So he'd slipped out one night when everyone was sleeping, not even saying goodbye to any of his friends. He'd wanted to feel bad about that, but he couldn't. Not when he felt those filthy walls closing in all around him, when he felt the winter air seeping through the cracks in the floor straight down to his bones, when his dreams kept taunting him with voices he didn't recognize, faces he couldn't see.

So he ran, straight out into a thunderstorm, into the thick woods surrounding the orphanage. He ran and ran and ran until exhaustion finally forced him to sleep. Even when he collapsed to the damp forest floor, he wanted to keep running. He'd run all the way to Radiant Garden if he had to, even though he knew that was impossible. Because maybe, if he kept running fast enough, for long enough… he'd finally find them: his family, his memories, his home.

It took him three days to realize he'd been running in a circle.

As soon as he spotted that horrid gray building peeking through the trees, he crashed to his knees, crying. He couldn't escape it, no matter where he went. He couldn't escape what he was now, a word he hated more than anything, even Ansem himself.

An orphan. A sad, forgotten orphan. Poor little orphan Skye, who nobody cared about, who nobody wanted, who nobody knew. Not even himself.

He'd crawled back to the orphanage, starving, sick, and defeated. He didn't even bother dignifying the smug, knowing smirk Ansem sent his way when he saw him return. He didn't even say a single word to any of his worried friends. He just laid down on his bed, clutched his necklace, and cried until he couldn't anymore.

Skye shook the bitter memory out of his mind as he kept a steady pace down the path. He didn't want to think about how quickly he'd given up before, how easily he lost sight of his goal, of his dreams. He couldn't afford to do that now, when he didn't have any other options but to follow them. He couldn't afford to turn left when every part of his heart was screaming at him to turn right.

So, that's exactly what he did.

He all but ran past the fork in the road, not giving himself a second to think twice about what he was doing. The path to the right would lead to the island's east dock; from there, he could take a ferry to the kingdom's capital city. If there was any way for him to get off-world, it'd certainly be there.

After a few hours of walking, Skye cleared the top of the hill overlooking the shore. He stopped, suddenly unsteady, unsure of himself. Sitting on the horizon, he could see the city floating, like a massive barge in the distance. Two castles rose above it; the sinister spires he now knew belonged to King Xehanort and his loyal Organization–and the fading shadow of a palace that had been abandoned a long time ago. The last remaining remnant of a world his friends had still fondly remembered, a world that may as well have never even existed to Skye.

"Oh geez…" A dull ache bloomed to life just behind his eyes. He leaned against the closest tree for support–a tall, sturdy palm. "I'm not seriously about to do this… am I?"

His already-pounding head wasn't helped when something suddenly struck it from above. "Ow!" he yelped, rubbing the sore spot. He looked down to find what had hit him lying at his feet: a fruit from the tree above him. Skye had never seen a fruit quite like it before, bright gold in the shape of a perfect star. Carefully, he picked it up to get a better look, his other hand slowly drifting down to his necklace.

A small hand held his as he ran down a shore, laughing in the summer sun.

He closed his eyes as something stirred inside of him, familiar and warm.

A tiny charm of five small shells rested on his palm.

He raised the fruit to his mouth, curious to taste it. But just before he could take a bite-

"You've gotta promise not to tell anyone, ok?"

"As long as you have that charm with you, you'll always have a piece of me."

"If two people share them, then they'll be part of each other's lives forever."

"You won't forget about me, right, S–"

The fruit fell from his hand as he stumbled back, shaken. His head hurt even worse than it had before, to the point that he almost lost his balance completely. He forced himself upright, wondering why he was suddenly sweating when the air around him was so cold. The blaring of a horn in the distance brought him back down to earth; the ferry would be leaving soon. He'd have to hurry if he wanted to catch it.

Or course, he didn't have any munny for passage, but Skye was nothing if not resourceful. He tucked away inside of a crate filled with fish netting without anyone noticing, only slipping out once the boat was already bound for the next island. Skye emerged onto the main deck, pulling his short-sleeved jacket just a bit tighter to stay warm. The other passengers ignored the boy, paying him no mind as he leaned against the ship's railing. He sighed as he absently fiddled with his necklace, like he so often did when in deep thought. And suffice to say, he had more than enough to be thinking about right now.

He didn't have a plan; he was heading into the thick of the capital city itself without a plan, without any munny, without anything at all really. It didn't help that what he was setting out to do was all but impossible. If there was some secret way to slip off of the islands, whoever knew of it probably wouldn't be too willing to share it. And if he couldn't find a way to leave, then there was far too high of a chance that he'd end up right in the same place he'd been when he was eight: sleeping on the streets without a scrap of food in his stomach or a shred of hope left in his heart. He couldn't help but wonder if it was still too late to turn back, to go to the western dock and begin scraping barnacles off of boats after all. But then-

All around the small ferry, the sea was black, but for once, the sky wasn't completely dark. Every now and then, a few small rays of sunlight would slip through before the constant clouds swallowed them back up. Skye found himself smiling when he realized the rays he was seeing now were resting upon the very city he was heading to.

If that wasn't a sign, he didn't know what was.

After eight years away, Skye quickly remembered just how unfriendly the capital city really was. The town bustled with activity, but none of it was even remotely happy. Everyone he passed by wore a weary frown, exhaustion marking lines into older faces, dirt smearing the younger ones. Poverty and misery hung over the entire city in the same way King Xehanort's castle did: unwanted, unbearable, and utterly inescapable.

Skye knew what he was looking for wouldn't just be lying out in plain sight. So, without any other real ideas to rely on, he decided the only thing he could really do is ask around. "Uh, excuse me?" he walked up to an old street sweeper first. "Do you know, um… how someone could go about, uh…"

"Out with it, kid, I don't have all day," the sweeper interrupted, impatient.

"Do you know how to leave the Destiny Islands?" Skye decided to ask as bluntly as he could.

The sweeper finally looked up from his work, snorting out a laugh. "You're jokin', right?"

"No, I-"

"Don't you know anything, kid?" he pointed the tip of his broom at the boy. "Nobody's left this dump for years now. Not since the 'noble' Organization trashed every last Gummi Ship in sight! I used to have a beauty of a ship myself," his surly scowl slipped as a tear came to his eye. "Until those thugs smashed it to smithereens right in front of me!"

"Ok…" Skye backed away a bit. "But there's gotta be another way to-"

"There ain't no other way!" the old man snapped. "Now beat it, kid. You're muckin' up my street with those dirty feet of yours."

Skye offered the man a scowl as he continued on his way. It didn't take him long to find someone else to ask; they simply laughed in his face the moment he so much as mentioned Radiant Garden. Another woman harshly threatened to report him when he approached her with the same innocent question. On and on it went, with everyone he asked either proving to be no help or outright ignoring him altogether. He was once again on the verge of giving up entirely, when-

A clatter sounded from the far side of the street he was strolling down. People ran past him, dropping whatever they were carrying, crying out in fear. Skye didn't have time to wonder if he should be doing the same before he spotted them: four black coats, coming right his way.

"Move it, out of the way!" There was only one woman among them, with short blonde hair and fierce teal eyes. She waved a handful of knives in the face of a child who made the mistake of staring at her a bit too long. "What are you looking at, runt?"

"Go about your business," another one of them said, much more calmly. His silver hair cascaded over one of his eyes as he carried a book tucked under his arm. "There is no cause for alarm."

"We're merely here on account of some… unsavory inquiries that have been heard popping up around town," an older man with a well-trimmed beard flipped out a deck of cards, shuffling them skillfully. "Someone wants to leave our fair islands, it seems."

The surrounding crowd fell silent, terrified of their longtime tormentors. Skye stiffened when he felt a few eyes drift over to him. He wasn't surprised that the strangers he'd already asked would rat him out so suddenly; still, he couldn't deny it did sting just a bit.

The member at the front of the pack stepped forward. His cobalt eyes were cold, his hair falling over his shoulders in long pink locks that stood out starkly against his ebony coat. The sight of him, let alone all four of them, walking straight toward him was enough to convince Skye to run before anything could escalate. Unfortunately, the pink-haired man caught him by the arm before he could even fully turn away.

"I haven't seen you around here before," he noted smoothly, calmly. "You're not from the city, aren't you? No wonder you've been causing such a stir; the other islands are so little, so lawless. So full of hopeless, helpless dreamers like you."

"Now, now, Marluxia," the older man plucked a few cards from his deck. "Don't be so hard on the poor boy. Certainly, he mustn't have known that even trying to leave the Destiny Islands is expressly forbidden by our beloved king himself."

Skye swallowed hard, deciding to speak up on a burst of sudden bravery. "I was just trying to-"

"To break the law?" the boy with the book raised an eyebrow. "Because you've toed the line dangerously close to doing exactly that."

"What do you mean 'close', Zexion?" the woman put her hands on her hips. "I'd say this brat's already broken plenty of our laws just by sneaking around and asking questions he shouldn't be."

"It's hard to argue with you on that, Larxene," Marluxia mused, cracking a smile. He finally let go of Skye's arm; something told him he'd be in even more trouble if he tried to run again. "But Organization XIII is nothing if not merciful; we're willing to let such a minor infraction go… in exchange for the proper payment."

"But I don't have any-"

"Oh, of course you don't," Larxene rolled her eyes. "A grimy little urchin like you has probably never even seen a single munny before. So instead… why don't take this pretty little trinket off your hands?" She moved fast, far too fast for Skye to anticipate before she ripped his necklace right off his neck. "What do you think, Luxord?" she passed it over to the man with the cards. "Kinda trashy, but I guess it's what the scum of the streets are into these days, huh?"

"I certainly couldn't imagine why anyone would want to wear such a gaudy bauble like this around," Luxord turned his nose up at the charm, tossing it away. "Might as well discard it like the rubbish it so clearly is."

"No!" Skye protested, reaching for the necklace. "Give it back!"

Zexion outright ignored him when he caught the necklace. "Thalassa shells. An extremely common variety–and an utterly worthless one at that."

"Worthless to most, perhaps," Marluxia took the charm next, holding it up high. "But to our young friend here, it's clearly priceless. Certainly even you'd agree," he fixed Skye with a haughty smirk. "That you'd rather see its destruction than be sent to prison, right?"

Skye's heart dropped to his stomach when he saw Marluxia's gloved hand constrict just a bit tighter on the charm. It was an incredibly fragile thing, Skye knew that all too well from all the times he'd accidentally broken it before. But to lose it now, the only clue he had to guide him, the trace he'd ever had of his forgotten past? It was unthinkable.

His voice broke into a wordless, furious cry as any and all fear he might have felt before completely faded from his mind. He lunged forward, barreling into Marluxia with far more force than the Organization member ever could have expected. The charm fell out of his hand as he stumbled back, and before it could even hit the ground, Skye caught it, narrowly saving it from a brutal fate.

If only he could do the same for himself.

Marluxia regained his footing almost immediately. And the very second he did, his boot slammed straight into Skye's side. The crowd winced as they watched the boy roll painfully across the pavement. But not a single one of them stepped forward to help when all four Organization members swept in to surround him.

"You just made the biggest mistake of your life, kid," Larxene chuckled, violence flashing in her eyes.

"What are we to do with such a remorseless rabble-rouser?" Luxord stroked his beard. "It's not worth the king's time to trouble him with such petty affairs-"

"And any prison sentence would be far too lenient for such blatant disrespect," Zexion icily agreed.

"I've got a much better idea," Marluxia leaned down, grabbing a fistful of Skye's shirt. "The Heartless haven't had much to feast on lately. I'm sure they'll be eager to add another heart to their vast collection–and another broken body to their brood."

Skye froze, his breath catching in his throat. He vaguely remembered seeing the Heartless once from a distance, not long after he awakened without his memories eight years ago. They'd been unleashed upon a pack of alleged criminals, tearing their bodies to shreds and stealing their hearts in full view of a terrified crowd. Skye wished he hadn't been part of that crowd for all of the nightmares it had given him in the weeks that followed. It seemed those nightmares were about to come true now. The Organization members were more than ready to drag him away to meet a truly grizzly fate, until-

"Looks like I'm late to the party." A new voice spoke up. "I didn't miss out on all the fun, did I?

The members turned, some of them annoyed, some of them neutral, as another one of their number approached. "Hardly," Luxord said. "We were simply conducting our duty, putting another unruly miscreant in their proper place."

"Yeah," Larxene crossed her arms. "And we were taking care of things just fine without your help, Axel."

"Axel?" Skye gasped softly. The name stirred an old memory, one of the first few he'd ever made after losing any he might have had before. The 'black coat' had been a teenager the first time they'd briefly met; now, he was fully grown, yet he still served the Organization. As different as he seemed to be from the rest of his peers, Skye couldn't even begin to imagine why.

Axel narrowed his eyes at the boy on the ground before him. By now, Marluxia had dropped him, but he was still essentially cornered on all sides by the other members. Skye ignored the others as he desperately searched Axel's face for any signs of recognition. When none appeared, he decided he might as well jog his memory himself.

"Axel, it's me!" he staggered to his feet to approach the red-haired man. "I'm that kid who you-" He didn't get far before Zexion grabbed him by the arm.

"You're already in enough trouble," he hissed. "I'd suggest not making this any worse for yourself than it already is."

Skye didn't listen as he continued trying to break free, something far easier said than done. Zexion didn't look like he was that much older than him, but he was surprisingly strong. "Axel," he resorted to begging. "You've gotta help me, please-"

"What's with this brat?" Larxene asked, eying Axel suspiciously. "He's acting as if he knows you or something."

"Do you know him, Axel?" Marluxia arced an eyebrow at his fellow member.

Axel was silent, only for a moment. And when he spoke, he all but crushed Skye's rising hopes–and whatever chances he might still have at surviving this unscathed–completely. "Nope," he shrugged, looking away. "Never seen him before in my life."

Even though he knew he shouldn't, Skye still tried to protest all the same. "But… no, you said… if I ever needed help-"

"But while we're talking about troublemakers…" Axel turned his back on the despondent boy. A cunning grin found its way to his face as he looked between his fellow members. "I just overheard a few folks down at the black market, scheming up all sorts of ways to keep our cut of their earnings all to themselves."

"They were what?" Larxene practically growled.

"Refusing to pay us our proper dues," Luxord sneered. "Now that simply will not stand."

"Tell me about it," Axel agreed. "So hey, here's an idea. Why don't I take care of this 'dangerous criminal' here," he nodded over at Skye. "While the rest of you take back what's ours?"

Marluxia hesitated, briefly looking back at the boy. In the end, though, the risk of missing out on even a single munny seemed to win out for most of the other members, including him. He nodded, leading his group as he staunchly ordered the spectators to disperse. Zexion passed Skye over to Axel, who held on just as tight when the boy continued trying to pull away. An effort that grew even more frantic when he heard the last thing Marluxia had to say.

"Take him to the pit of Heartless. And," he lowered his voice, glaring at his fellow member. "Make sure this one doesn't get away."

Axel grinned, offering him a sly salute. "You got it."

Marluxia shot him one final distrustful look before continuing on his way. The crowds parted almost as soon as the other members did, none of them interested in watching the torrid punishment that was about to follow. A punishment that Skye was desperate not to face.

"Axel, please, you have to remember me!" he pleaded, nearly to the point of tears. The man was practically dragging him down the street as he clawed and clamored to free himself before it was too late. "Eight years ago, you found me and took me to-"

"Shut up, kid," Axel hissed back at him between his teeth. "Or you're gonna get us both killed."

"But you know me!" Skye persisted nonetheless. "You know you do! You can't just-"

"I said, shut up," Axel suddenly shoved him into an alleyway. He stole a glance out into the street before finally letting go of Skye's arm. "Here's a quick reminder, since you clearly must've forgotten at that orphanage they took you to: around here, you need to keep your mouth shut or else the Heartless will shut it for you–permanently. Got it memorized?"

It took a moment for Skye to register what he'd just said. As soon as he did, a massive wave of relief struck him. "You do remember me!" He would have outright hugged Axel–if some small part of him wasn't still slightly terrified of him.

Axel finally softened into a small, nostalgic smile. "'Course I do. How could anyone forget a mop like that?" he lifted the boy's cap, ruffling his hair just like he had that day at the hospital. "What are you doing back here anyway, kid?"

"It's Skye, now, actually, and-"

"Whoa, hold on," Axel stopped him, intrigued. "You mean… you remembered who you were?"

"Uh… no," Skye rubbed his arm. "Skye's just what I go by–for now. I still don't know my real name or who my family was or… anything about my past, really. That's why I came back. I need to find them. I need to find out who I am. And to do that…"

He trailed off when he remembered who he was talking to here. If he'd gotten in trouble with other members of the Organization for simply asking others how to leave the islands, who knew how Axel would react if he asked him the same thing? But then he remembered, Axel was different; Axel had saved him, twice now, Axel was kind, or at least he hoped he still was. Because in that hospital eight years ago, he remembered; Axel had knelt down to his level, offered him a gentle, genuine smile, and told him he had a friend in Organization XIII.

As far as Skye was concerned, even a friend like that was better than none at all.

"I need to get to Radiant Garden," he said plainly, pulling himself to his full height. Which, admittedly, was still a good deal shorter than Axel's. "Which means I need to leave the Destiny Islands. Can you help me do that?"

Axel stared at him, wide-eyed, before letting out a scoff. "What, are you nuts, kid? Nobody leaves the islands. Nobody."

"But you said if I ever needed anything-"

"Yeah, I meant like food or a few munny or something. Not something that's literally impossible."

"It wouldn't be impossible with a ship," Skye countered. "The Organization has to have kept at least one around when they destroyed the others, right? Just in case?"

"If they have, I've never seen it," Axel said. "If we wanna get off-world, we have our own ways of doing it. And before you ask, no, they aren't ways someone who isn't under the king's protection–like, oh, I dunno, you–can use."

"Well, that… that's just stupid!" Skye scowled, indigent. "What's the king have against letting anyone leave anyway? What, is he scared that everyone's gonna ditch the islands because he's turned them into such a horrible place to live?"

"Watch it, kid," Axel warned sharply. "You may be able to get away with saying that kind of stuff at the orphanage, but not here. How do you think they found out you were asking about leaving in the first place? We've got ears and eyes everywhere, just waiting for someone like you to slip up and say the wrong thing."

"What do you care?" Skye shot back bitterly. "It's not like you're even gonna help me anyway."

"I'm trying to help you survive," Axel grabbed him by the shoulders. His tone was firm, his expression gravely serious in what he had to say next. "Listen to me, kid–Skye. You need to let go of this whole trying to leave thing. It will get you killed. The Organization isn't going to go easy on you just because you're young. Trust me…" he sighed, pulling back. "I would know."

Skye didn't bother asking what that might mean. Instead, he simply echoed Axel's sigh, absently twisting the seashells tied around his neck as he stared down at them sadly. "Who knows?" the Organization member tried to be a bit more encouraging this time. "Your family might still be on the islands after all. It'd be a whole lot safer trying to search for them here instead of risking it all to go somewhere they might not even be, right?"

"Right…" Skye muttered, not looking up.

It wasn't the solution the boy had been looking for, that much was clear. Axel didn't have much else to tell him as he turned to leave, wishing he could do more for him and knowing that he couldn't. "Just… be careful, alright? Lay low and try not to let the other members see you for a while. It won't take them long to forget what happened earlier; it'll all blow over before you know it. And for what it's worth…" he paused just at the edge of the alley, smiling back softly, apologetically. "I still hope you find them. Your family, I mean."

"...Yeah…" Skye held his charm tighter. He fought back tears as Axel left, only letting the first few well their way into his eyes as soon as he was sure he was gone. "Me too."

"Psst… Psst!"

Skye looked up, blinking his tears away. He stepped further back into the alley, realizing that he and Axel hadn't been as alone as they thought. Underneath a pile of what appeared to be rags, was actually an old beggar woman, sitting alone in the back of the alley as a few stray cats curled up next to her. "You there, boy," she looked up from her hood, checking around before she continued. "You said you want to leave the islands…?"

"...Uh… I…" Skye hesitated, deciding to take at least some of Axel's advice to heart. The last thing he wanted was any more close encounters with Organization XIII.

The woman crooked a bony finger in, beckoning him closer as she dropped her voice down to a whisper. "See a young man named Riku. He can help."

"Riku?" Skye repeated softly. A faint ache danced across the back of his head, but he quickly shook it off. Strange, how much that was happening lately, but it was the least of his worries right now. "Where can I find him?"

"At the old palace," the woman grinned slyly. "But you didn't hear it from me."

"Oh…" Skye nodded his thanks to the woman. "Riku…" he said again as he emerged from the alley, a new sense of curiosity rising in him. Something else was too–the oddest sensation as that name rung through his mind like a faint and distant bell. Like the sound of something he could have sworn he'd heard before, and yet…

It didn't matter, he reminded himself; nothing did now other than finding a way to Radiant Garden. He shook his head, clearing his thoughts as squared his shoulders and he turned to the north. To where the old palace's withered towers still stood, where his last and only chance might just be waiting for him to take.

He set out towards it with a renewed spring in his step, with hope slowly finding its way back into his heart. As caught up in that hope as he was, he didn't even see another black-coated figure, stepping out of the shadows of a building not too far behind him.

"The old palace, huh?" he grinned under his drawn hood. "Looks like I'm finally about to catch my first big break." He struck a pose, ignoring the strange looks he caught from passersby. "Look out, Organization XIII!" he proclaimed proudly, eager and ready to finally rise up in the ranks. No matter what he had to do to get there. "It's Demyx time!"

"Crazy kid," Axel muttered, shaking his head. He paid no mind to the townsfolk eyeing him warily, shying away as he passed them by. It was something he was more than used to by now, something that came with the territory of wearing the coat of Organization XIII.

He tensed when he saw someone else in one of their coats standing at the street corner just ahead. He kept his head down, trying to avoid eye contact with the blue-haired man. But of course, Saïx wasn't about to let him pass by so easily.

"Letting another stray go with a mere slap on the wrist, I see?" he asked stoically, knowingly.

Axel stopped just past him, but didn't turn to face him. Even just looking at him anymore reminded him of everything that had come to stand between them over the past several years. "So what if I did?" he shrugged. "It's not like we really need another Heartless running around here–we've already got hundreds of them."

"You know, Axel," Saïx stepped forward, his arms crossed and his voice low as not to catch the attention of any prying ears. "It's only a matter of time before the king catches onto what you've been doing. What are you going to do to get yourself out of trouble then?"

"I'll figure something out," Axel said. It was just another way of saying "I have no idea" and both he and Saïx knew it. "I always do. Besides, it's not like he's even gonna find out," he finally turned to face Saïx, fixing him with the sharpest glare he could muster. "Unless you tell him, Isa."

Saïx was quiet for a beat. The look on his face alone was enough to tell Axel he was treading on dangerous ground with him. But after everything they'd been through and everything that had fallen apart between them, he couldn't really be bothered to care. Not anymore.

"Do as you please," he finally walked past him without sparing a second glance. "I only want to offer you the same advice you just gave that boy, Axel: be careful. If the king senses any trace of weakness in his ranks, he'll make sure to snuff it out." His already soft voice grew even quieter as he walked away. "It'd be a shame to see that happen to you…"

Axel pretended like he didn't catch that, pretended like he didn't care. He didn't spare another word on Saïx as he continued on his way in the opposite direction. Putting any lingering thoughts of his old friend out of his mind always proved to be a challenge, but he managed by the time he reached his secret stash.

Food was scarce for most on the Destiny Islands, but if there was one group that never went hungry, it was Organization XIII. Up in their lifted castle, they feasted each and every night, not sparing a single crumb for any of the ravenous citizens below. While Axel certainly felt sorry for them, there was someone else he felt even sorrier for. Someone who'd been condemned to starve to death a long time ago, someone who was only still alive thanks to his sly smuggling.

Axel hoisted a sack of food over his shoulder, checking to make sure the coast was clear before he headed out. It was a long way back to the castle, but it'd be more than worth it to watch those bright blue eyes light up, to see that rare smile slip onto his face. It'd be more than worth it to give an otherwise hopeless child something to keep him going for one more day.

"Hang tight, Roxas. I'm on my way."

Up next, the old palace! Don't forget to REVIEW please! Until next time!