Chapter Three: Partner

Secret Report: Axel I

This job got a whole lot more complicated.

Marluxia and Larxene made a power move to bring Roxas along to C.O. Are they going to use him as a hostage, in case I try to attack? Were they going to bring him in on their little plan?

Doesn't matter. Roxas is the Organization's Ace in the Hole. Naminé's powers shouldn't cause a problem for the kid...in the long run at least. But I need him alive. If anything happens to him, my head's on the chopping block.

Dead traitors or not.

Roxas had made his way through Traverse Town, heartless after heartless falling before him. No doubt at the same pace Sora was cutting through the same set of memories. But of the two, Naminé was a bit more interested in the former. Even if the original plan Marluxia and Larxene laid out would have worked, Sora wouldn't see her. He'd just be seeing Kairi with her image laid over. And sooner or later it would fall apart.

But Roxas? He wanted to know if she was okay. Showed concern for her condition. Honestly, he was the only member of the Organization that had shown her any sort of care. Because Roxas was right. Even if she had a transitory existence with illusory feelings, she still felt pain. And his kindness helped to assuage it, even if it was only a little.

So rather than watch the hero who was fighting his way through the castle for his friends, she watched the boy who fought for his life. The one who actually saw her, and not some false reflection.

She gasped as a stray shadow caught Roxas by surprise, knocking him over. She reached out to touch the globe, wishing somehow her hand might pass through to help him to his feet.

A swirl of darkness, "And just what are you doing?"

"Just…" She stiffened at Larxene's voice and retracted her arm, "checking on Roxas." She relaxed as she saw him get to his feet and fight off the creature that had hit him.

Larxene crossed her arms, "Is that really any of your business?"

Fidgeting, Naminé replied, "If he falls, then I need to get back to the old plan."

"Let me be the judge of that." With a wave of her hand, Sora's image replaced Roxas' on the crystal ball, "You just sit right there and work on Sora's memories."

"Yes. Of course." Naminé responded, and began to work on inserting the idea, the concept of a forgotten friend in his head.

As fruitless as the endeavor would eventually be.

Another dark portal, but this time it wasn't Marluxia joining his comrade. Instead, Axel strolled up to the crystal ball, "So, the hero's here? Should I go down and test him? Make sure he's not too messed up"

Larxene shook her head, "No, your job is to stall him." At Axel's raised eyebrow, she continued, "Sora's keeping his powers because if he gets drained, Roxas goes into a coma." With a wave, Larxene brought an image of the boy fighting a man in a black jacket wielding a gunblade into view, "The good news is that the kid was smart enough to come up with a new plan." Roxas got a few hits in on his attacker as Larxene continued, "Use Sora's memories to train him up. Then we see which one's stronger." A slash from the gunblade ripping through the boy's cloak caused her to groan in annoyance, "Ugh...Though from the looks of things."

Axel tapped his chin, as he watched Roxas try to regain the advantage. Breaking his limits, columns of light short forth from the boy to injure his assailant. While some of them hit the target, the man seemed undeterred. Axel shook his head, "He's not doing a great job. This guy is way stronger than he is. If Roxas can't beat someone this early in Sora's—"

Naminé spoke up, "Actually, Sora couldn't beat Leon either at this point."

"Well that would've been nice to know Naminé." Larxene crossed her arms in annoyance and glared at the girl.

At this, Axel smiled as he began to make an offer, "Listen Larxene, How about I look over things from here and you stall Sora. Besides, you look like you could use some stress relief."

As she pondered the suggestion, Larxene slowly began to smile, "You know what? You're right. I could use the fun of beating up a brat." And with that, she vanished into the dark portal.

Axel resumed watching the end of Roxas' duel with Leon. Albeit an anticlimactic one as a final spell from the gunblade knocked the boy unconscious. Stoically, Leon went to sling Roxas over his shoulder. Axel turned to Naminé, "So that's supposed to happen?"

A nod, "Yes, when he woke up Leon and his friends told Sora all about the Keyblade."

"Something we've already covered," Axel rolled his eyes, then began to smile, "Now Naminé, correct me if I'm wrong, but Sora had some help on his journey, right?" She gave a confused nod, "Can you change a few things for when he wakes up? Give us privacy?"

A moment passed as Naminé began to understand the train of thought, then she answered, "Yes, that should be easy."

"Perfect." Axel smirked as he vanished into the dark portal

A moment passed. Naminé reached for the crystal ball, and with a gesture shifted the image to Roxas as he laid in a bed to rest. And with practiced ease, removed the figments of Leon and his friends from the memory Roxas resided in. As Axel set a chair beside the bed to wait, Naminé picked up a notebook from the bottom of blank ones provided to her. On the first sheet behind the cover she began to draw. Sweeping strokes of black crayon became a cloak. Yellow and blue became hair and eyes on a face. And in the drawn Roxas' hand a Keyblade took shape. Looking over her handiwork, Naminé began to smile. But then, she glanced back towards the notepad with Sora's picture.

She sighed. Was there any point in placing her hopes anywhere besides where Marluxia and Larxene dictated?

She slowly re-covered the notebook and shuffled it back into the pile. She turned back to the crystal ball, ready to return to watching Sora.

Although...she could watch Roxas for a little longer.

Dark.

Roxas was fighting before but now…

Dark. Dark all around.

*Ri_ _nd shi_ _as."

Then the sound of waves.

A boy with brown hair. He knew him. Sora.

A boy with silver hair.

A girl with red hair.

"H_, You goin_ _ sleep a_ _y?"

Wait…

Naminé was here?
When was she—

"Wake up Roxas!"

The shout caused him to sit up straight and look all around, until Roxas' eyes fell on a familiar face, "Axel?"

From the chair sat next to his bed, his senior in the Organization chuckled, "Looks like you took a beating. Not to mention you being put in the hot seat."

Roxas pivoted so that he sat on the bed's edge, "Yeah, I guess you heard what happened. Though I don't understand all of it." He furrowed his brow as one particular question came to the forefront of his mind, "Axel...who is Sora, and why is he connected to me?"

Axel winced as he scratched his head, "Yeesh. Give a guy a chance to warm up with some easier questions why dontcha? The short version is that he's the person you originally came from as a Nobody."

Where he was from? Like the person that originally lost their heart?

But everyone talked like Sora was still alive.

Suddenly it felt like the floor was falling away from Roxas. He paled as began to realize, "But if I'm here, and Sora has his body?"

Axel shook his head "I don't know. Nobody knows, not even the people at the top."

His mind began to lurch, "If Nobodies are nothing...and I'm less than that!" Roxas shook, eyes wide, "Why am I here?!"

Axel shrugged. "Hey, the bosses think you're close enough to be one of us. And besides. You've got the Keyblade right?" Roxas gave a shake nod, and in response Axel smiled. "Then that certainly isn't less than nothing, right?"

Roxas' breath began to steady, "Yeah...you're right." He slowly stood up, "It doesn't matter where I came from. I'll fight through Sora's memories and be strong enough that they won't put me under."

"Woah there." Axel held out his hands to calm Roxas, "You sure you want to do this all by yourself? Because Sora had to fight his way through with some help." He held out his hand to the boy, "How about it? Mind if I lend a hand on your journey?"

Roxas was slightly surprised, but soon his eyes narrowed at the offer, "You sure that's not going to make me look bad?"

"Nah. The Organization has a shared goal, remember?" Axel smiled as he reassured him, slowly moving his hand closer as he spoke, "Besides, we're friends, after all."

Roxas looked at the hand, and then reached out to shake it, "Yeah. We're friends." But then he began to realize a slight problem.

He had no idea where to go. "Um...what's next?"

"Well usually a horde of heartless like this has a pretty big leader, and taking it out causes them all to run." Axel jerked a thumb at one of the doors, "Mind taking the lead?"

And so the familiar routine began again. Keyblade in hand he fought the heartless. A few slashes to take out some of the soldiers, magic to fight whatever color heartless was weak to it. But it didn't mean anything. Without taking out the boss, they'd just keep coming. He'd wandered all over town before running into the man with the gunblade.

Well, not exactly. There was one area that had been locked off…

What about now?

"This way!" He called to Axel as he ran across the courtyard to the alleyway. A chakram whizzed by Roxas' ear towards the heartless blocking the way. As they vanished into vapor, Roxas barged into the door once again. But this time it gave way, and he found himself in a well lit plaza, a fountain in the corner. "I think the Heartless we're looking for is somewhere around—"

*SLAM*

"Here." In front of Roxas and Axel, a massive Heartless armor towered over the two of them. Immediately Roxas rolled away from the gauntlet that was being brought down on his head.

Dashing towards the armor's legs, he began to slice at iron boots the torso floated over. But as he hacked away at the Heartless, the opposite leg began to rise.

"Watch it! Back off!" Axel shouted, but it was too late a warning. The shockwave as it slammed into the ground knocked Roxas away from the heartless.

Roxas rose to his feet, injured, but undeterred. This time, he took aim and called out, "Flame!" At his command a fireball shot from the keyblade and took out the Leg he had attacked earlier. As it vanished into dust, Roxas saw one of the other gauntlets hurtling towards him. But a flaming chakram intersected it, knocking the limb away.

"All clear! Now let him have it!"

Nodding to Axel, Roxas rushed toward the deflected part of the heartless, and sliced it till it evaporated as well. Wobbling but undeterred, the Guard armor began to fling it's remaining appendages toward Roxas. This time however, he was ready. He parried the gauntlet away, while rolling from the boot trying to smash him into paste, he rushed towards the main torso and whaled away at it. But then he noticed the limb's move again. Not towards him, but towards Axel. "Not this time! Fire!" Another gout of flame blasted away the gauntlet into nothingness, leaving Axel plenty of room to sidestep the boot and slice it into pieces.

Satisfied, Roxas turned to the trembling torso, and resumed his assault. And before long, it too evaporated, a heart released from its innards.

Dismissing the keyblade Roxas looked at Axel somewhat sheepishly, scratching his head, "So...I lost to someone earlier. But I won here. Is that good enough?"

In response, Axel chuckled, "Hey, from what I hear it was good enough for Sora. I'd say you're fine for today."

Relaxing, Roxas smiled, "Thanks. Want to…" but his cheer vanished as he remembered that what his assignment at Castle Oblivion had denied them access to. "Oh, I don't think there's sea salt ice cream here, is there?"

"Yeah, we're out of luck. Didn't expect you to be here. Otherwise I'd have stocked up." Axel gestured and opened a door to darkness, "Still, dinner should be good."

Roxas nodded, just glad that he was able to survive the first day of Sora's journey.