Axel shivered as he trudged in knee-deep snow. The last part of his mission meant coming to Arendelle and eliminating a swarm of Winterhorn and Frost Serpents that should be congregating around some kind of ice-castle thing.

Truthfully, when he and Xion were exploring the world, he hadn't paid much attention to the inhabitants or the buildings around—after all, most of what he saw was snow. And what kind of people would live in an ice castle? he tutted.

But now his failure to thoroughly investigate the area proved to be a problem. How was he supposed to find these Heartless when the whole world seemed to look the same? Ice, snow, wind—Was there anything at all on this world that could help him mark his path? He lifted a hand to his pounding head. Maybe the cause of his headache was the frustration of wandering around aimlessly in this blasted snowy world. His lungs burned with the need to cough. Axel relived them, covering his mouth with his elbow.

"I just know she has to be around here somewhere. . ." The voice that drifted toward him on the wind held a sweet quality to it.

A deeper voice answered, "But what if you're wrong? Besides, she ran away. She obviously doesn't want to be found."

The first person laughed but couldn't hide the twinge of sadness in her voice when she said, "I know her. She's hurting… but if she'll just let me in, I can help her. Come on, Kristoff."

Axel could hear the crunching sound of footsteps in the snow. Ugh. They're coming closer! He ducked behind a tree and froze. It wouldn't do for an Organization member to be seen in this world. With the black coat, Axel knew he would be easy enough to spot in the snow. His nose began to itch. Wouldn't that just be great, to have a sneeze give me away? He rolled his eyes.

Brushing aside the branches of trees, two people walked into the clearing where Axel was hidden. The woman grabbed Kristoff's hand. "I know she's this way. I can feel it. Maybe at the top of the mountain."

Kristoff shrugged. "I'd say we check out that ice castle. You said she's the one who froze Arendelle, right? Then that's where she has to be." He turned and stared into the snowy abyss behind him.

The world seemed to spin. Axel sucked in a breath. This was it. This was the moment they discovered him. He flexed his hands, readying them in the case of needing his Chakrams. He swallowed, trying to ignore the thick feeling in his throat.

Instead of confronting Axel, the man whistled. A massive reindeer trotted in from the expanse of trees. He nickered and nuzzled Kristoff.

"Aww! Sven, why were you so far behind us?" The woman grinned and scratched the reindeer underneath the chin.

"Well, Anna, I just got distracted by all the pretty icicles!" Kristoff distorted his voice into what he thought sounded like an appropriate tone for a reindeer.

Anna laughed.

Axel was not impressed. He rubbed his sore throat absently. Still, it meant that he could probably escape while the others were distracted. He slowly backed up and—

"Ow! There went my nose!"

Something pointy poked his back. Axel rolled his eyes. Apparently, it was just his luck today to get caught. He racked his brain to see what he could've done that karma would be after him. Surely taping Zexion's Lexicon shut wasn't bad enough for him to deserve this. Maybe it was that combined with his slipping a tiny bit of weedkiller into Marluxia's plant food. A coughing fit overtook him then. He coughed until black spots swam over his vision. When he could breathe again, he took in great gasps of air.

"Oh! Who are you talking to, Olaf?" Anna waved at the figure behind Axel.

The redhead turned to face the one creature hindering him from leaving… who was a snowman?! Axel blinked. Maybe there was more to this weakness than he'd thought. Can Nobodies really get sick?

Olaf grinned. "Just my new friend!" he said cheekily. "His name is…" Olaf's face fell at the realization that he didn't know who this person was. He leaned in and whispered loudly, "What's your name?"

Well, I'm already sunk anyway. Guess there's no harm in telling him my name, Axel grumbled to himself. After clearing his throat, he mumbled, "…The name's Axel. Got it memorized?" And he had seen this snowman before... when he was doing recon with Xion. Why wasn't his brain working well enough to remind him?

The snowman giggled, "What a funny name! And I'm Olaf!"

"Right…" Axel sighed. At least they might be able to help him find the ice castle.

~\*/~

"Oh, Roxas! I can't wait!" Xion grabbed the boy's hands and grinned. "Just think! We get to explore a new world together!"

Roxas's eyes twinkled with excitement. "I wonder what it'll look like?"

"Do you think there'll be castles?" Xion buzzed with energy, eyes wide and fingers wiggling.

Roxas laughed, "Well, Xi, the only way to find out is to go!"

Arm outstretched, she opened a Corridor of Darkness.

A voice cried out, "Roxas, I need your help!"

Zexion turned the corner. "Roxas, before you go, I must know your reaction to the heat from Agrabah. I appear to have emerged unscathed. However, Demyx still has a minor fever. If I can examine you for a moment, I'll be able to determine if—"

"But, Zexion, we finished cleaning and were given a mission. We have a job to do."

Zexion bit his lip. "I am aware of that. However, this will take mere minutes to complete, and I need the data. Since it is a duo mission, perhaps Xion could leave immediately, and you could join her after my examination?"

Roxas looked at Xion. Her eyes were downcast, but she shrugged in response. He sighed, "Okay, fine. But I have to leave in five minutes."

"Excellent!"

As he followed Zexion into the laboratory, Roxas noted dully that whoever said Nobodies don't have feelings had never seen a Nobody's eyes ablaze with a passion for knowledge.

~\*/~

Xion gazed up at the tower. "Whoa," she breathed. Since stepping out of the Corridor of Darkness, she had been struck by the sheer beauty of this place. The grass was such a vivid shade of green that the sight made Xion want to take off her boots and run in it, just to feel its softness between her toes. With much effort, she resisted taking off her gloves to splash the nearby river. It seemed to sparkle with the sunlight. The sound of birds chirping drew her attention back to the tower, on top of which the birds had made their home.

"All right. Let's explore!" Eyes alight with excitement and a grin overtaking her face, Xion stepped forward.

I'm back!~ Life's been crazy, but I'll get more time to write soon! Summer break is almost upon us, and as much as I love my kiddos, I'm very happy! :3 As always, I proofread it before I posted it, but I tend to get too excited and miss things. I'll reread it after school to make sure it's done more thoroughly.

Edit: I live! School's out, but we've had to stay and clean stuff. . . But the last day is tomorrow!~

Edit: As of 4/15/24, I have reread and edited all of the chapters. Here's hoping for a new chapter soon! Thank you for your patience. :)

Soli Deo gloria!

~LHDD