I'm Nobody

by free man writer

He didn't have anything when he was born. Just a name and number. But over time, what he had grew. He, with his friends began to understand that there was more to their existence then just their name and number. They will prove that they were meant to be real. To exist. To become something more than just a Nobody. Co-written and created with Jebest4781. Fem Shepard. Now on Ao3.

48. Elapse

Thanks to all who read and leave reviews, means a lot for this extremely niche story.

And Bucio, to answer your questions, if you recall at the very start of this story, this takes place immediately after the events of Kingdom Hearts 1. It began around the start of 358/2 days which was averted and later on, Chain of Memories was also averted due to Roxas' intervention. Essentially, what should have been 358/2 days and Chain Of Memories, the events of this story took place instead.

13, I see you my guy, I see you.

And like before, whenever we work on an I'm Nobody chapter, Jeb and I just enter into this flow state where it just all comes together.

A unique feeling, let me tell ya.

Rate, Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.

I'm Nobody Chapter 48: Elapse.

It's rather strange.

After some time working with a number of friends and colleagues for a while, one working alone feels off.

It varies from person to person with how one can do what they do best.

Others often feel better to work with others to get things done accordingly. Others think otherwise.

It's a complicated thought process.

It's something a certain redhead Nobody feels conflicted with.

Having gone through the "lone-wolf" approach for a while on his solo missions for the Organization was something he'd grown used to for as long as he could remember. Even for a time before his present existence, he'd been an apprentice alongside several others. However, when he started to look after the two Keybearers, things began to shift.

Then came Roxas' disappearance which in turn led to No. XIII's discovery of Xemnas' lies. What Axel viewed as a shocking betrayal became something unexpected.

Roxas took him and Xion to an entirely different galaxy and introduced them to the Normandy crew. And from there, life just seemed all the better.

Because of certain circumstances, he experienced true comradery. Not simple bickering with potential backstabbing when in the Organization but genuine teamwork.

It was… strange, but rather inviting.

Over time, he enjoyed how great it felt. How it was in knowing one had his back and returning in kind. Sharing good laughs and sorrow when needed.

What he didn't expect in this period of time was feeling something he never thought to experience. Something he… wanted to… explore.

Sadly, such an opportunity was now beyond his reach.

And now… here he was.

Alone atop the clock tower of Twilight Town.

Axel released an overdramatic sigh, head hung low with his finished ice cream stick dangling between his fingers.

"I'm going insane." He said to himself.

He began to remember that in his past life, just like what he's experiencing now, Axel was not a guy who liked to be alone for long. Sure he enjoyed solitude like anyone would every now and then, he needed to be alone sometimes to gather his thoughts.

But prolonged exposure causes his thoughts to be a trap and it can be annoying to deal with when having so many.

Especially someone like him.

After working with others for nearly a constant basis for a while, it was odd for him to work alone once again.

Holding up the ice cream stick between his fingers, Axel scoffed, quickly applying his fiery powers to turn the stick into ash. The flakes blew away in the wind as he pulled out another bar and took it out of its wrapper, munching on it immediately.

The usual salty, but sweet taste didn't feel quite the same. He thought it would be better to have this with others.

It honestly was better with others.

Axel released a groan now, spitting out the ice cream and exerting his fire to turn the creamy treat into steam and the stick into ash.

'Such a waste.' He thought bitterly.

Wanting to distract himself, he needed to get stuff done.

He needed to help prepare for when Sora, Roxas and Xion woke up.

Hearing the usual ping from his Omni-tool, Axel whipped it out to answer a call.

"Heya Axel." King Mickey's voice greeted him through the Omni-Tool, and the Redhead was blandly staring at the device on his wrist.

"Your royal mousiness," He greeted dully. "What can I do for ya?"

Undeterred by the nickname, the King of Disney Castle went on.

"I actually have a favor to ask of ya, if ya have the time."

"Mick, I got nothin' but time." Axel admitted. "What do you need me to do?"

There was a moment of hesitation but after a few seconds…

"Well, I wanted to check up on Leon and his friends. I last spoke with him before I went into the Realm of Darkness. I know Sora told me they returned home but I wanted to see how they were because last I knew, their home wasn't in the best of states."

"And where would they be exactly?"

"Hollow Bastion."

Axel stared at his Omni-Tool in silence until he snorted. "...Huh, okay then."

"I know this might be asking a lo-"

"Don't worry, I'll do it." Axel interjected. "Besides, figured I'd have to do so eventually after everything we talked about."

"I'm sorry, Axel. I don't want you to think I'm forcing you or anything. I'm only asking, not demanding."

"And it's cuz you're so damn polite that I'll do it. Plus you're a friend. So you have that going for you as well."

Mickey laughed bashfully. "Thanks, Axel."

"Yeah, yeah, don't mention it." He wistfully said, ending the connection as he gazed out at Twilight Town.

"Hollow Bastion, huh?" The Redhead said to himself, taking one final look at the sunset.

Time to return home.

Standing up with a slight stretch, the fiery Nobody flicked his hand, opening up a Dark Corridor. He walked through it and disappeared from the present world.

From Axel's point of view, he was surrounded by swirling darkness and when it subsided, he was greeted by the sight of a castle of broken-down contraptions in the middle of an area of floating platforms within a crater surrounded by water that flowed upwards.

'Been a long time since being here.' Were his immediate thoughts, his mind flashing to a time when the castle before him was far more intact, architecturally sound and not so broken or sinister.

Last time he recalled being here, not in memory, this place was rather wrecked. Scratch that, it was annihilated. Everything he once knew was destroyed and he had woken up as a Nobody.

Now here he was after so long.

What was the genesis of so much pain and suffering across the Worlds.

He narrowed his eyes at the rundown castle when he caught something out of the corner of his sight.

Off to the side, a good distance away from the castle were several thin lines of smoke, wafting up into the air.

Letting out an intrigued hum, Axel made his way to a more elevated position and spotted a large clearing with huts and houses and other structures. Eyes widening, Axel practically ran to the place.

He got there in less than a minute, using his power to speed over and found himself standing squarely in the center of this new town.

There was construction equipment all about with relative sounds filling the air. People were milling about, taking breaks, eating or working on other houses and structures. A stone wall was being built along with who knows what else. Some kids ran by, laughing and playing with one another, passing by a booth being manned by a Moogle.

'And like that, here comes the nostalgia.' Axel internally mused. 'Damn, is it powerful.'

It appeared that the inhabitants of this world were indeed rebuilding. He didn't know when they started, but he knew it'd take a long time to have it back to its former glory.

Still, seeing it all happen… he'd be teary-eyed if he wasn't so heartless.

The redhead was broken out of his thoughts at the sound of some clattering nearby, followed by exclamations and a laugh that made the man pause.

"Oh for god sake, again?"

"Now, now, Yuffie, yelling won't solve our problems."

"You baby him way too much."

"It's only because he's such a sweetheart. Aren't you?" The soft voice of Aerith cooed and some incoherent laughter and rabble came in response.

It took No. VIII a few seconds but the dots soon connected and the Nobody walked over to the two girls bickering over what had just happened.

Hearing the all too familiar babbling, Axel smirked a little and let out a chuckle that caused the three before him to stop what they were doing and look at him.

"So this was where you've been hiding." Axel commented, shooting a wide grin at the blue-furred menace in the arms of the brown-haired woman.

Blue ears perked up and a toothy grin greeted the sight of the redhead only for his sight to be obscured a second later as the furball pounced onto his face, hugging him tightly.

"Hello, Stitch." Axel's muffled voice came through, appearing to be unbothered by Stitch's smothering hug.

"Axel!" Stitch cried out in joy, rubbing his nogging against Axel's spiky red hair.

"Oi, oi, don't mess with the hair, Stitch." Axel pried him off, holding him by the back of his neck. "Remember what I gotta do to keep it like this."

"Bleh~~~" Was Stitch's response, sticking his tongue out and then licking Axel's face a moment later.

Axel gave the little critter a deadpan, making Stitch laugh with the other two girls unable to help themselves.

"You get one." No. VIII drably said, pointing at the blue experiment, dropping him.

Stitch landed on his feet and instantly moved to crawl up Axel's body. He rested on his shoulder and hugged his head again.

Despite being slobbered, Axel couldn't fight the smirk that wormed its way onto his face and patted Stitch's back.

"Yeah, it's good to see you too, Bud."

Stitch babbled like he always did.

"Easy for you to say." Axel retorted. "We've been wondering where you ran off to. You've practically ignored us."

Stitch held up his right arm and pointed to it making the redhead stare.

"Where'd your Omni-Tool go?"

Stitch hung his head with a depressed sigh.

"Well… I'm here now and found ya. Don't worry, we'll get ya a new one. Preferably one that's indestructible and likely surgically attached to your arm."

Despite the grotesque suggestion, Stitch nodded all the same.

"Um… Excuse me."

Axel looked up to see the ones called Aerith and Yuffie focusing on him.

"Oh," No. VIII awkwardly said. "Hey there, sorry 'bout that."

"No worries," The one in pink kindly said. "It's not hard to see you two are friends."

"Yeah," The ravenette remarked, squinting her eyes slightly at Axel. "Friends…"

He gave her a look, raising a brow at her.

"Got a problem with me?"

"No, it's just… you look familiar… have we met before?" Yuffie muttered, leaning in now.

"I wouldn't know, Yuffie. You tell me."

The ninja pointed an accusing finger at him. "How'd you know my name, mister!? You a spy or somethin'?!"

"I overheard it not long ago."

Honestly, he was not gonna bring up the details of the memory floor at Castle Oblivion in knowing how he knows the names of her and the others. That is a whole can of worms he didn't want to open up anytime soon.

"Oh yeah?" Yuffie challenged. "When was this "long ago" you speak of?"

Axel's mind worked rapidly to answer her and he glanced at the blue furball resting on his shoulder.

"Just now, like a few seconds ago." He gestured to Stitch. "A commotion tends to draw attention, ya know?"

Yuffie stared at Stitch who barked out a laugh and she 'hmphed', turning away in a petulant manner.

Aerith chuckled softly. "It's a pleasure to meet you. You already know Yuffie, it seems. I'm Aerith."

He grinned, taking the chance to make his own, favorite kind of introduction. "The name's Axel, A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?"

Yuffie blinked slightly, frowning to herself momentarily. That phrase… where had she heard it before?

She wasn't able to ask as Aerith had gone on.

"A pleasure to meet you, Axel." The pink-garbed woman pleasantly said. "Is there a reason why you're here?"

"Somewhat pleasure, but more here on business." Axel remarked, picking Stitch up from his shoulder and casually tossing it into Yuffies face.

"BRMPH!" She dramatically cried out, the blue menace slobbering her face.

Aerith ignored this instead remaining focused on Axel. "Being for what exactly?"

"Mickey wanted to see how things were going here, but he's busy." No. VIII said with a shrug. "So he sent me instead."

Her eyes widened in surprise. "The king?"

"Yeah. Basically thought of having a status report."

"Ah, I understand then. I'm glad to hear he sent someone to check on us. We're mostly spread out doing our own thing." Aerith begins with. "Reconstruction is at a decent pace."

Yuffie managed to get Stitch off her face long enough to convey her own contributions to the conversation. "Would be a bit faster if it weren't for the Heartless."

"They're still popping up, huh?" Axel rhetorically asked with a grimace.

"Small intervals, but enough to halt our progression efforts."

"Though we do know they're more camped out in the outskirts." Yuffie tacked on, having freed herself of Stitch threw him back at Axel.

The Nobody casually held out his arm, Stitch latching onto it in a spin, the experiment hanging upside down now. "Outskirts?"

Seeing the gesture to follow, Axel complied.

Ending up at the under-construction Bailey, Axel looked at the distance and saw it.

It was a large dilapidated castle with the Heartless emblem practically plastered on the central tower. A small set of ruins surrounded it. And looking down below the surrounding hill appeared to be a massive moat of some black liquid. However, it wasn't as such as Axel could see very faint specks of yellow splashing about.

"They're swarmed over there." Aerith said in an unusually grim voice.

"Whoa…" Was Axel's response. "Ok, yeah, that's a problem."

"Got that right." Yuffie wryly said, resting her hands on her hips. "We're trying to restore Hollow Bastion to what it used to be, but that will be in the way of making it happen."

Axel snorted humorlessly. "No kidding."

"There's still a lot to do, but nothing we can't handle." Aerith said in determination. "We've survived the Heartless before and we'll do it again."

"Except for that."

"Obviously. This is a team effort." Yuffie proclaimed. "And every team has a team name."

Axel raised a brow at the hyperactive ninja.

"And what are you guys calling yourselves?"

"The Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee." The Ravenette proudly declared.

"...How original."

"What's wrong with it?"

"It's a literal mouthful."

"Restoration Committee is meant to sound inviting and confident." Aerith argued.

"Oh yeah? Try saying that three times fast. Come on, I dare you."

Stitch began to try, tripping over his words while Axel leaned his hands upon the stone windowsill, looking out at the dark pillars in the distance.

"At least you guys aren't trying to label yourselves as PSICOM."

"We wish." Says Yuffie.

Prior to this world becoming a cesspool for the Heartless and rebranded to its present name, there was a guardian force keeping the World safe called PSICOM, short for Public Safety and Intelligence Command. It was mostly focused on taking care of the extremely dangerous wildlife their world originally had on top of any civil unrest and disturbances.

That started to change a little over a decade ago when something that was akin to Heartless began causing havoc. Members of PSICOM worked hard to take them down and keep everything under control. After that one threat was no longer around, everything seemed like it was going back to normal.

Once again, problems arose some years later when people were disappearing left and right, both citizens and PSICOM members alike. It was later revealed that a far more dangerous threat emerged in the form of Heartless, all due to the actions of the fake Ansem -i.e. the real Ansem's apprentice, Xehanort- with his dangerous and unorthodox experiments.

As of right now, Axel saw this Restoration Committee as PSICOM's shadow as they're trying to rebuild their strength and numbers in hopes that the downfall of this world doesn't happen ever again.

"So if you guys are a "Committee", where's the rest of your troupe?"

"They're all back at Cid's place." Yuffie said.

"Come on, we'll take you there. You'll see Leon as well and you can tell him the King sent you." Aerith spoke up.

"Lead the way."

Aerith nodded and the quartet departed the Bailey, heading back into town.

Axel was silent for the most part, absorbed in his thoughts as the notion of being back in his homeworld was still a surreal feeling to be sure.

He hadn't been here for so long and to see what it had turned into after he first became a Nobody was a strangely difficult sight despite also holding a level of apathetic indifference. The Nobody had been so absorbed in his thoughts, he missed Yuffie appearing alongside him, giving him the most scrutinizing gaze until they slowly began to widen and after a moment…

"Lea…"

Axel froze, stopping in his tracks as his head snapped in her direction, his eyes locking with Yuffie's and the young ninja's own eyes widened even more.

"Lea?" She said once more, her voice barely above a whisper. "Is it… is it really you?"

No. VIII's mouth opened and closed several times until he released a sigh and gave her a strained smile.

"Ok, yeah, it's me Yuff. Should've figured you'd recognize me."

"Lea," Yuffie breathlessly laughed, her eyes becoming a bit glossy. "It's been so long."

"That's one way of putting it."

"And Isa?" Axel seized up again. "And where's Isa?"

The redhead flinched, looking away from the girl. "...He's… Things with him are complicated."

Yuffie squinted her eyes at him. "Define complicated."

An exasperated sigh was let out. "He's around but we ain't on speaking terms at the moment."

The Ninja blinked at that. "What? How? Ain't he your best friend?"

"Yuffie?"

Both stopped talking and turned to see a confused Aerith looking at them both.

"Do you know Axel here? As in, know him?"

"Well yeah, of course I do." Yuffie instantly said. "He's from this World too."

Aerith gaped slightly. "He is?"

Sensing what might happen, Axel threw his hand up to halt the conversation from going any further.

"Ok, let's not delve into all that right now." He quickly said. "Yeah, I know, a lot of questions but let's save it for later. I'm here on a mission. Much as I'd like to catch Yuffie up on since I possibly last saw her, duty before pleasure."

Yuffie and Aerith shared a look, a brief silent conversation before they acquiesced to Axel's request and they resumed their walk to the Committee's HQ.

The Ninja led the way, practically barging into the house, the door flinging itself wide open.

"We're Hoooome~~" Yuffie announced in a sing-song voice.

Aerith walked in after her followed by Axel and Stitch, the latter of whom jumped above the door and crawled up the ceiling.

"Oi, what'd I tell you 'bout that critter scratchin' up the wall?" Complained an elder voice.

"Just drop it, Cid, you know you're never gonna win with him." Replied a cool, mature voice with a pinch of amusement.

"Easy for you to say, Leon. You're not the one the old coot complains to about all that crap up there."

"I see you guys are as lively as ever." Yuffie cheerfully said.

"Yer the one that brought the hoopla back into the house."

Sitting at the main console of the space was Cid.

And standing right beside him was who Axel assumed to be Leon The Gunblade wielder, who regarded the arrivals before looking at the redhead.

"Who's this?" The brown-haired man inquired, shooting Axel a suspicious look that faltered slightly. "Have we met before?"

"He's from this World, Leon." Yuffie quickly chimed in. "From before the World fell."

Leon's eyes widened slightly, giving Axel a scrutinizing look.

"I do recognize the hair." He said after several seconds. "But not your name."

"It's Axel." The Nobody stated before Yuffie could say anything. "Get it memorized."

"Since when is it that?" The ninja couldn't help but ask.

"Since for a while. It's a long story." Axel dismissively said.

"If you're from this World, where have you been all this time?" Leon asked.

"Around." Was the vague response.

"That's not an answer." Yuffie deadpanned.

"Leon," Aerith chimed in. "King Mickey sent for him. He wanted to make sure we were fine."

"The King?" Leon's slightly tense form slackened somewhat yet he retained a guarded air. "The King sent you? You have any proof?"

Axel wordlessly held up his arm, his Omni-Tool appearing, ignoring the looks of surprise and wonder from the others. He sent out a ping and a moment later, the King of Disney Castle responded.

"Heya Axel, you called."

"Your majesty!" Leon and his friends all said in unison.

"Oh golly, Leon, Aerith, Yuffie, Cid!" The King listed off happily. "Gosh, am I glad to hear you all again. Guess that means Axel found you guys. Hope everything is well with you all."

"We're doing what we can to rebuild our World, your Majesty." Aerith kindly said. "Things are coming along but we still have our own Challenges."

"But what about you, Mickey?" Leon spoke up. "We've been so busy with our own problems here, we haven't been able to reach out to you or anyone else for that matter. How is everything? How's Sora, Donald and Goofy? All the stars are back so Ansem was beaten, right? Where are they?"

"They're all safe and sound, Leon." Mickey assured. "Axel here is a friend of theirs. I sent him to check up on you guys and bring you all up to speed. A lot's been happening as of late and figure you guys should also be informed of what's been going on as of late."

"I can imagine." Leon remarked. "We've got our own set of issues I know you'll want to hear as well."

"Oh boy, exposition dump." No. VIII grumbled. "This is gonna take a while."

"We got time." Aerith kindly said.

"You with me on this one, Mick?" Axel asked through the Omni-Tool.

"You betcha."

Somewhat getting comfortable, Axel informs the Restoration Committee on the specifics.

"It starts off like this…"

-Scene Cut-

Over at the Milky Way Galaxy…

On the Citadel Station, the bustling center point of galactic civilization gently floated through space, the eternal glow of its arms as a beacon for many ships to fly in and out of.

Upon the surface of the station, nearly all the species of the Milky Way went about their business from shop owners to the C-Sec officers patrolling the many sectors and levels of the station.

And away from all this, in their own isolated pocket of sorts were three members of the famed, or rather, once famed Normandy.

The crew itself was still famous but their activity had dwindled since the team had separated.

Their leader had perished in a surprise attack, three had left the galaxy altogether and three more were scattered across the galaxy doing their own thing, primarily for the sake of their own species. That left the more military-oriented members of the team to stick together for the time being, having remained on the Citadel, under the personal tutelage of newly promoted Vice-Admiral Anderson.

They had been conducting missions and ops for weeks now all with one express purpose.

Said purpose was the topic of their discussion at this very moment.

"Oh man, I still can't believe it." Major Ashley Williams shook her head, nursing a bottle of liquor. "Imagine, the three of us being Spectres."

"Yeah, it feels unreal." Lieutenant-Commander Kaidan Alenko blankly said, staring off into the distance. "Spectres… god, just saying that in association with us still doesn't feel real."

Garrus Vakarian remained silent, his rifle on the table with several of its components removed and currently being worked on.

"When my old man heard this the first time," The Turian scoffed. "The earful I got that day. Couldn't hear out of my right side for days."

Ashley snorted, a fond smile on display. "Heh, when I told my family, they gave me a similar treatment."

"Oh? Did they practically say the downfalls of it all?" Vakarian inquired.

"Eh, no. They were practically celebrating." Ashley eyed the sharpshooter. "Your old man wasn't happy on the prospect, huh."

"Never liked them, remember?" He retorted. "My Old Man is the playbook for stubborn Turian to the extreme. Hated the autonomy and lack of accountability the Spectres had and when he heard his only "beloved" son was pegged to be a Spectre, well, I heard how you humans have wills that's all about leaving stuff behind for your loved ones after you die. Suffice it to say, I've either been removed or am dangling dangerously close to it."

"That's a shame." Kaidan said, shaking his head. "At the very least, he could at least support you, ya know? Like any dad should."

Garrus slapped his rifle back together, his gun briefly whirring with energy before it subsided. Several sections of it then folded and inserted itself towards the center mass of the rifle, shrinking it down into a rectangular device that Garrus clipped onto his left arm.

"Well, whether or not he's proud of my choices, can't really dwell on it when I'm not gonna be here for it."

Kaidan and Ash both paused in what they were doing and turned to the Turian who had placed his scanner back on the left side of his head.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" The latter slowly asked.

All they got was a silent sigh as the detective leaned back into his seat and gave the pair an apologetic look.

Kaidan soon realized just what Vakarian was insinuating.

"Garrus, you… you're dropping out?"

Ashley's eyes widened and her expression fell slightly. It became worse upon seeing her friend hang his head with a small sigh, nodding a moment later.

"Yeah…"

There was a lump in her throat as she mustered the words to speak for a moment. "But why, Garrus?"

He leaned on the table, letting out a sad breath, shooting them both an apologetic expression. "Without Shepard around, it… doesn't feel the same. Without everyone around, it just doesn't feel complete or worth it. Don't get me wrong, being with you two has been keepin' me going but… you know we all miss it. Brief as it was. When it was all of us, we were invincible."

Ashley raised a brow at that.

"Ok, not that but you know what I mean." Garrus amended. "Just… I wish we were all back together again. Liara is still on Mars, Tali and Wrex are back with their people, Axel is off doing whatever and Roxas and Xion are snoozing to do… whatever magic nonsense that'll help… I'm not even gonna try to understand it. They've explained it to us a whole bunch of times now and I still don't get it."

"I doubt we ever will." Williams dryly said, getting the two guys to snort in agreement.

There was a moment of silence with Garrus grunting.

"Great," The detective grumbled. "Now it feels like I'm letting you guys down by just up and leaving like this."

"Ah, come on, Garrus, don't think like that." Ashley tried to assuage, the Turian mumbling under his breath.

"Garrus, don't be too hard on yourself for doing what you think is right, even though the right choices have consequences." Kaidan remarked getting a strange look from his friend.

"I'm not sure that makes me feel any better."

"It's not meant to be, even when I learned that the first time."

"And where'd you get that from?"

"My father. He said it after an incident I went through at BAaT as I may not have another 'next time' if I screwed up all because I was helping out a classmate of mine." A small reminiscing smile was present on the Marine's face. "However, he stated he had faith in me in finding something bigger beyond my comprehension if I kept taking the path I was on." Kaidan smiled even further. "Now look at us. We've experienced things so many could never believe to occur. We've been to other galaxies, faced impossible odds, even meeting people who are considered fictional. Hell, you've seen a supernova -up close and personal- and survived a black hole of all things. And that's just the start of everything ahead of you. Sure you're giving up on an opportunity such as this with the Spectres, but do you consider it a mistake that perhaps you're worth something greater? I say, and dear God this is tacky, follow your Heart, Garrus. Follow your gut, your instincts, whatever, just do what you believe to be your course in life. Don't let others dictate it for ya, even us."

Both his friends stared at him in prolonged silence, making him shift in his seat.

"What?"

"Wow, that was almost philosophical, Alenko." Ashley commented. "I didn't know you had that kinda intellect in ya."

"We all have our moments, Williams." Came the remark. "Some more than others."

Ash jokingly narrowed her eyes threateningly at him. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"Take a guess, jarhead."

"You're also a marine."

"A marine who outranks you."

"Once we're Spectres, we're gonna be the same."

"But will we really, Major Williams? Will we?"

"Oh, you asshole! How dare you use rank?!"

Garrus chuckled at this banter, cutting in after a few moments. "I'd appreciate a sendoff before I go. It's gonna be later today."

"Ah come on, really?" Ashley bemoaned. "You could have at least given us a day or two."

He could only give an apologetic look in response, making his two human friends sigh.

"Alright, so where is it?"

The trio departed from their isolated spot, heading to a docking bay for departures from the Citadel.

Garrus bade farewell to the pair who both looked on with sad smiles. They knew this wasn't the last time they would see each other or communicate but it was still a bittersweet moment as the Normandy crew splintered further apart.

The now former C-Sec detective was on his transport to who knows where as he didn't actually bother to check, just taking the first ship away from the Citadel.

Wherever it stops, he'll go from there.

Trouble's always bound to occur and frankly, it's sorta sad in a funny way that Garrus expects to find his pathway via fire and fistfights.

Still, he at least had a lot to occupy his time with his thoughts and reflecting on his life.

Some of the earliest memories he could recall were his time on Palaven and training under his father. It was difficult to hit the targets and he wasn't getting any better, but his father wouldn't let him stop until he hit 'em. It was there that he got one of life's greatest lessons, which is that one needs to try harder to get better. How you need to pull yourself together and you do it. Because if you stop now- if you give up on something when it gets hard- you're never going to make it anywhere in life.

However, it sometimes felt somewhat contradictory when reflecting on that lesson.

There were times he worked hard in achieving what he desired when growing up. He sought to have a different life and be his own man. However, he had to drop such desires -his dreams- when he needed to take care of his mother and sister on Palaven when his father was working on the Citadel.

Garrus knew his father would support him in whatever he wanted to do. But he really meant as long as it was what he wanted him to do. It soon made him face the fact he was an officer's son.

As such, he eventually joined C-Sec and eventually rose to the rank of Detective.

Things were… relatively decent. Yet working under his father was difficult. Arguments slowly became a daily or weekly basis to the point where they steered clear from each other.

He got more breathing room when his father retired and moved back to Palaven. Even then, he could feel his father's influence on him when he was at C-Sec.

Then everything changed when he eventually joined the Normandy.

Worldview and norms began to shift. It was arguably hard to move forward with so many things changing. And clearly, it was honestly scary to see how his life could return to normal from the strange series of events he experienced.

Cut to now, Garrus wanted to get away from the Citadel for a while. The red tape was getting to him and things were getting to the edge at C-Sec, prompting him to hand in his resignation on top of his time with Spectre training.

He may regret his decision at some point in the future. He may not. Who's to say what the future will have in store for him.

He then reflected on his recent conversations with his friends; none more than Kaidan's words which rattled in his head. And he had to admit the Alliance officer was right.

All Garrus Vakarian could do at this time is commit and face whatever consequences there may be when the time comes.

It's the only path-

He abruptly twitched his head to the side.

What was that familiar gut feeling that just came over him right now?

After a moment, out of the corner of his eye, the Turian saw a shimmer in the air, one he was becoming a bit too accustomed to seeing.

The Turian then rolled his eyes, relaxing in his seat and reclining back.

"Stalking me now, huh?" He casually said, not facing the shimmer yet still sensing an invisible pout all the same. "You know, being a C-Sec officer, that's a law you're breaking. I could have you arrested."

The invisible being was now seated right beside him.

"Oh please." A form soon revealed itself after a brief shimmer. "We ain't on private property. And you ain't a C-Sec officer anymore. So you can't do a thing, last time I checked. Besides, I'm not here to steal anything."

He could only sigh in faux annoyance.

"What do you want, Kasumi?" Garrus dryly asked.

"And what kind of greeting is that?" Was her petulant retort. "Can't a gal say hi to her friend?"

"Friend is debatable." He shot back, now turning to face her, seeing the mischievous smirk beneath her hood he had grown accustomed to seeing. "We keep running into each other to the point where I'm considering it's no longer a coincidence."

"Maybe it was fate?" Goto cheekily said. "After all, you made such an impression the first time you caught me. You held me oh-so tightly and possessively. And I've never been so enraptured by another man's eyes. You do know that mystery and intrigue is one of the many ways into a girl's heart."

Said eyes merely rolled.

Ever since their first encounter of him catching her snooping around C-Sec, he's been spotting her around the Citadel whenever he was doing cases for his job. He can thank his magic and tech for that. However, he seemed to have grown to "hate it" on the instance as now she won't seem to leave him alone.

Their encounters had become a near-weekly rendezvous, Kasumi always somehow managing to "bump" into him. Several times were downright intentional, much as she tried to deny it.

When asked why, all he ever got was some half-assed response he knew wasn't truthful in the slightest.

"Our paths just crossed" or "it was just a coincidence" was the biggest load of varrenshit Garrus had ever heard.

It's gonna become ridiculous with the near obsessiveness of her showing up. And she wasn't even trying this time around… maybe. A little hard to tell with his recent set of skills and tech.

"So~ where are you off to?" Kasumi conversationally asked.

"None of your business."

"Ah, come on Spike, is that any way to talk to a lady?" She whined playfully.

Garrus opened his mouth to retort only to clamp it shut and look at her in bewilderment. "Spike?"

"Yeah, Spike," She patted the back of his fringe/head. "Right there."

"I got friends with hair that defies gravity with more spikes than what I got." Garrus jokingly argued.

"Well, theirs is plural and yours is singular. So, therefore, Spike."

He gave her a very bland look. "That feels like a stretch. A really, really long stretch."

"So~ where ya goin'?" Kasumi asked, leaning toward him with the Turian not making any effort to push her off. "This seems a bit random for ya? What, got tired of your friends?"

"You really are stalking me."

"That's beside the point."

"Spirits, you're weird. Scratch that, you're creepy."

"What else is new? Now come on, out with it. What's got you all up on this sudden journey out of the Citadel?"

Garrus snorted, knowing she wasn't gonna drop it, bothering and pestering him till he would answer.

"Let's just say I've been hit with a sense of wanderlust." He said and left it at that, smirking to himself at the look of anticipation from the kleptomaniac.

"What? That's it?" Kasumi said, realizing he wasn't answering any further. "What am I supposed to do with that?"

"Use your imagination. Fairly certain you have a hyperactive one." Garrus responded, leaning back in his seat, extending his visor over his other eye and it blacked out.

"Hey! Don't you fall asleep on me!"

The Turian was already snoring, getting a squawk of indignation from the master thief.

-Scene Cut-

Over on Mars, Liara was relaxing at her quarters after a long day of assisting and researching.

Or rather, she had been forced to.

Admiral Hackett had been at the research site of the spire for a checkup on things and found the Asari passed out at her station after two days of nonstop study. The Admiral all but ordered her to take two days to recover properly and restricted any form of new data to be sent to her quarters by the rest of the team on-site for her to focus only on relaxing.

So here she was… resting… on her bed with her Omni-Tool, going over more data she had managed to get her hands on after bribing another Asari she befriended to send her the latest findings.

And she wasn't alone.

Physically she was but via transmission…

"I'd say you should be resting but I've come to realize that would make me far more hypocritical than I once assumed myself to be." Said a chipper, slightly filtered voice.

"Yes, but your actions were far more selfless, Tali. I can't exactly categorize what I'm doing as selfless."

"If it'll help people in the future, selfless selfishness. Just tell 'em that." A male voice gruffly stated.

"Good point Wrex, you should go along with that idea, Liara." The chipper voice tacked on.

Liara shook her head, smiling at the holo-transmissions of Tali'Zorah and Urdnot Wrex. Other than the occasional conversations and checkups from Garrus, Ashley and Kaidan, Liara had been in contact with her Quarian and Krogan friends rather frequently as of late.

The duo had been dealing with their own matters but had went out of their way as often as they could to check on her. When Liara asked if they did the same for the others, Tali said that she conversed with Roxas as often as she could but also knew that she didn't have to worry as much for Garrus, Ash and Kaidan as they were always together. The Asari of the team was the most isolated of the Normandy crew compared to the rest as she was more isolated to everyone else.

Tali was with her people as was Wrex, Garrus, Ashley and Kaidan were still on the Citadel and their friends from another galaxy were in the company of literal world saving heroes. Liara being all alone on Mars just doing some science research, while up her alley, was the one who was the most separate from everyone figuratively speaking.

And speaking of their friends…

"What has Axel told you about Roxas and Xion?" Liara abruptly asked, remembering that it's been a week since their friends had entered into their apparent slumber of… whatever it was that involved magic and science beyond their comprehension.

"They're asleep." Wrex bluntly said with a shrug. "What else is new?"

Tali and Liara both shot the Krogan battlemaster a bland look getting the 700-year old lizard too look at them defensively.

"What? You know I'm right. What're you guys gonna expect to hear out of Axel then some long-winded varrenshit version of them still sleeping?"

"Yes, but must you say it in such a manner?" Liara dryly asked.

"No." Wrex retorted with a 'humph'.

The Asari shook her head at his attitude, turning to Tali and giving her a sympathetic smile.

"It's probably best to stop asking of 'when' so they'll wake up sooner. Lest we trouble ourselves more than it already has."

"Yeah, it's probably more agonizing for Tali than the rest of us." Wrex butted in. "I mean look at our lovestruck Quarian, all jittery and nervous for her boytoy."

"WREX!" Tali squeaked, getting a boisterous laugh from the warlord.

"Ha, like a lovestruck pup, even after all these months."

"Wrex." Liara chided, wishing Tali was there in person to give her a protective hug.

"What? You know it's true."

She rolled her eyes at him, opting to change the topic now.

"How are things on Tuchanka? Any tensions or concerns we should know about?"

Wrex's mood shifted, more serious and focused. "More clans are joining. Some being difficult than the rest. I'm expecting some fighting sooner or later but for now, there's been a truce so to speak."

"What kind of truce?" Tali inquired.

"The kind that won't end in all of us killing each other like we usually do." Wrex growled, a clear anger at his people's attitude.

"What's keeping the peace?" Liara couldn't help but ask.

"Me." The Leader of Clan Urdnot deadpanned with an annoyed huff, patting his tailor-made gravity hammer magnetized to his back. "It's not every day you have a Krogan that's intergalactic that can also swing a hammer that'll send you hurtling into space."

"Is that figurative or have you already done so?" Tali said.

"Take your pick."

"Oh dear. How many?" Liara asked with a frown.

Wrex glanced up, eyes squinting as he replayed those who stepped up to challenge him. "Three? No, four dozen."

"Four dozen?!" Both girls parroted.

"Old school clan zealots." Wrex waved off. "They had it coming. Dumb Pyjack shit slingers."

"Are they really that stupid?" Tali found herself asking, making the Krogan guffaw.

"Seems like it, yeah. Actually, I've been keeping track of the distance of my hits." A thoughtful look marred the Krogan's features. "Is this what humans are like with golf? Eh, at least I ain't keeping track of my strokes."

"...Seriously?"

"Reach my age and jaded experience, then you find humor in a lot of things."

Tali looked at Liara who pouted.

"Tali, at least have faith that I won't end up like that." She whined.

"What's wrong with growing up to be like me?" Wrex retorted childishly.

Both girls glanced at him before turning back to each other, ignoring his squawk of indignation.

"What else is happening on your end, Liara?" Tali asked, the pair continuing to tune out Wrex's annoyed rambling.

Liara held up her Omni-Tool, bringing up a holo-screen of what she had been looking over prior to getting contacted by her two friends.

"More information from the Ilos data packet is cleared up, thanks to the Mars archive and the RemTech tower. But I'm hitting a definite block now."

"And that would be what exactly?"

"Something which needs a far more advanced VI or perhaps an AI can clean up."

"Ah, I see."

With VI, it's hard to tell how advanced it would need to be before it ends up crossing AI territory. As a result, it would cause all sorts of issues.

"Lovely."

"So are we just ignoring the Krogan now?"

"I don't know Wrex, do you have anything useful to contribute to our discussion?" Tali retorted.

"Ya know, a few months ago, you were shivering in your boots whenever ya stood next to me," Wrex grumbled bitterly. "And now, here you are, all full of yourself and not batting an eye."

The Krogan proceeded to make a joking sniffle, wiping a false tear from his eye. "Shit, they grow up so fast. Makes any Krogan proud to see it."

Tali shook her head, smiling beneath her helmet at the Krogan's behavior, refocusing on Liara.

"Things have been relatively quiet on my end." She remarked. "After the whole attack from Cerberus, we've doubled up on guard duty and our repairs have been completed. We don't think they managed to get anything from us when trying to get their initial target but I wouldn't be surprised if those Bosh'tets managed to get something out of us. Just have to find out what."

"Feh, feckless Pyjacks." Wrex growled. "Ya sure you don't want me to send a pack of hounds on 'em, Tali? It'll be quick, bloody and public."

Tali snorted at the offer, giving the Battlemaster a good natured smile that was conveyed with her eyes.

"Thanks Wrex, but I figure you need your boys more at home keeping the peace then worrying about lil' old me. Besides, I'm fairly certain Axel and Kaidan would likely wish to do the same."

Wrex huffed in amusement. "Quads knows what Roxas would have done."

"Quite." Liara commented, pausing in thought as she had been idly perusing through her Omni-Tool, momentarily stopping at some messages that she had yet to read.

Her momentary pause wasn't missed by her friends, the pair giving her a look.

"What's wrong, Liara?" Tali spoke up, jerking the Asari out of her thoughts.

"Nothing really. Just… I've been reaching out to a number of contacts my mother knew." She revealed with a somewhat uncertain look. "And they've responded and…"

The Quarian and Krogan shared a look, glancing back at Liara, both leaning forward expectantly.

"And~?" They both said.

"And… it's complicated." Liara finished with an uncomfortable expression now for the pair to see.

"How is it complicated?" Tali asked what she and Wrex were thinking.

Liara kept her eyes on her Omni-Tool, a heavy frown now marrying her face as she dwelled on these replies and messages and what they entailed.

"Well… they reached out to me first," Liara slowly began. "At first I was nervous and all after everything that happened with my mother, Saren and such. But then they told me about who they were and just what they did for my mother. And how she had left it all behind for… for me."

Wrex held an indiscernible look whilst Tali shifted about uncomfortably.

"What… what kind of stuff did she leave behind?"

"I don't know." Liara admitted. "I haven't checked. It's just been… there. In my Omni-Tool. And in my messages. I don't know what to make of it. My last interaction with my mother was, well… I don't need to talk to either of you about it. I don't know what my mother had been up to in the last years of her life nor what she had done when working under Saren's sway."

"Uncovering a lot of skeletons from your mother's closet is clearly unpleasant." Wrex calmly said, seeing the Asari nod.

"It can't be that bad," Tali wrung her fingers together. "Can't it?"

Liara kept her eyes on her Omni-Tool, glancing up at her friends and then back down before making a decision.

"No time like the present." She said, opting to open some of the messages.

Tali and Wrex tilted their heads up in anticipation, silently watching and waiting as Liara sifted through all the messages with furrowed brows as she read up on all of them.

"Well?" Tali anxiously said. "What do they say?"

"It's… a whole hodgepodge of things. Wealth and resources, investments, information." Liara honed in on that last one. "Especially information. A whole treasure trove of it."

"What kind of information?" Wrex asked with narrowed eyes.

"The kind that can sway elections, predict economic boons and recessions, start or prevent wars, the allocation of resources…" Liara listed off, eyes widening with every message she looked over.

"And they just sent all that to you?" Wrex questioned, clearly suspicious of it all.

"Yeah, how can you trust them?" Tali voiced in agreement, picking up on her friend's underlying query.

"It's because of how they sent it to me." Liara answered, bringing up the image of an avian creature native to Thessia. "Little Bird. That's what my mother called me and… I don't know."

"So are ya gonna respond to them?" Tali asked.

"Planning on leaving Mars?" Wrex tacked on.

Liara was silent for a few moments, nodding after going over everything she had read up on in her mind.

"For a time, though I don't know when."

"Are you sure about this, Liara?" Tali asked, a bit nervous at the idea.

The archaeologist sighed, shaking her head. "Not entirely, no."

"Then why go?"

"I… believe that maybe I can make something of this." Liara slowly said, her mind beginning to process everything she just read. "My mother left this all behind for me to use. And maybe, just maybe, I can do more good with this than most others if given the opportunity."

Once more, Tali and Wrex shared a look with the latter giving a slightly intrigued glance now at the Asari.

"Trading in your archaeological expertise for data brokering, huh?"

"That… may not be my intention, Wrex."

"I'd consider it rather boring."

Liara practically rolled her eyes, figuring that would be the Krogan's response.

"If you do this," Tali spoke up, making Liara turn to her. "What would you do?"

The blue-skinned woman frowned in thought, gazing intently at her friend, then at Wrex and wordlessly, she pulled out a physical photo.

It was a picture of the Normandy team after their victory over Saren, their first great adventure together, a celebration with all of them.

In the front row was Ashley smirking confidently, Tali leaning on Roxas who had thrown up peace signs with his hands, Xion laughing happily beside him and Wrex on the far right smiling broadly.

Behind them was Kaidan, smiling contentedly, Axel with his own cheeky, cocky smile, resting one arm on Alenko's shoulder and his other hand atop Liara's head. She herself was completely unbothered by this, smiling cheerfully and joyfully with Commander Shepard right beside her and Garrus makin' his own attempt at a laugh on the right. None of it was bothered, even with Stitch practically hanging off of them.

She smiled fondly, tearfully even, at this photo, clutching it tightly.

"I'd do it for us." Liara softly answered. "For Shepard. For our friends… the galaxy. The Reapers are coming, we know that. And despite what we've done, I know we're still not prepared for it. With this, I can start to make a greater difference. You two are already doing what you need to for both your species and the rest of the galaxy. Garrus, Kaidan and Ashley are doing the same their way. And our friends who are far away also in their own way. Roxas already got Septimus Oraka to pledge his own support and influence and with this, maybe I can do even more. Send you two help and information as well."

"Whoa, whoa, easy there, Liara." Tali cut in good-naturedly. "Let's not get to gung ho. One step at a time."

"Weird hearing that coming from you of all people." Says Wrex.

"What? Do as I say, not as I do."

"That line isn't you, Tali." Liara said in good humor. "Besides, you're not the only one who buries herself in her work to the point of exhaustion."

"And at least we know one other who's starting to feel such effects."

Wrex rolled his eyes. "I know that's directed towards me, but mine is more physical than just standing or sitting around all day. Besides, I actually know what a nap is. You two pyjacks passing out where you work doesn't count."

The girls couldn't really rebuke such a statement since they knew it to be true.

"So," Tali held a slight air of uncertainty, debating on whether she should ask this next question. "What are you gonna do now?"

Liara sat on her bed in her makeshift "office", gazing between her Omni-Tool and her friends, mind awhirl with thoughts and ideas until she came to the only conclusion she could think of.

"You have brought gifts to your people, Tali." She said, confusing the Quarian as to why she focused on her. "Because of your journey, everything you gained, the Quarians now have a brighter future, a true tomorrow to strive towards. Wrex, you're doing the same, uniting the Krogan once more, fighting for your future. Shepard did her part. Garrus, Kaidan and Ashley are doing what they can as well. Roxas, Xion and Axel introduced us to so much more. And now…"

Liara stood, an air of confidence and conviction in her eyes and posture.

"Now I need to do the same." She declared. "Researching all this technology is one thing and I know good can come about from this. But right now, I'm being presented with my own chance to do real good, instigate actual change."

Tali hummed aloud, nodding along to what Liara was saying.

"Might as well take it if the opportunity is there. You may not get another chance."

Wrex grunted, musing to himself momentarily before nodding to his internal decision.

"Depending on when you leave, message me."

Liara blinked at him. "Why?"

"I'll get some of my people to guard you."

"Excuse me?" The Asari wasn't quite sure what he meant.

"You heard me."

"But why?"

"One can see it as me paying back a favor. Another viewing it as me protecting a valuable resource. But also," Wrex's eyes glinted. "The type of good that you want to do comes with consequences. Not everyone is gonna agree or allow it. And in this galaxy, we all know how some people are more than willing to eliminate those that they deem a threat to their power."

"How can you be so sure?" Tali asked and Wrex gave her a look that truly reflected his age.

"First-hand experience." Was his answer, making the Quarian shudder slightly.

He turned back to Liara.

"Right now, there is a lot going on where shit is gonna get real. Cerberus may go after you, given your expertise and relation to us. Same with the Organization. Wouldn't know of the Heartless appearing on your end, but best be prepared for anything. People's minds work weird when it comes to new players, new changes and the galaxy shifting. Some see it coming, others blatantly ignore it till it's too late and others who you wouldn't even consider will recognize your immediate potential and threat and they will either take you out right away, try to make an alliance with you, or both, though in the latter terms, take you out at their best convenience."

Liara squirmed at this, clearly troubled by everything she was hearing.

"You're gonna be stepping into some wild shit, Liara." Wrex warned. "I know you can handle yourself, fuck, you wouldn't be here if you couldn't. But you'll be helping your Uncle Wrex sleep a lot better if I can send ya some help whenever you're doin' your work."

T'Soni cracked a small, appreciative laugh, one shared by Tali with the Battlemaster smirking at them both.

"Well then," Liara clenched her fist and nodded. "It's time I get to work then."

-Scene Cut-

.

.

.

.

.

Where…?

.

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.

.

.

Where was this?

.

.

.

.

A voice… there is a voice.

She is… familiar.

"...as."

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.

.

Concentrate… you know that voice.

"...oxas."

"Xion."

"Roxas!"

"It's you." The Sandy-blond dreamily said.

"What happened?" Xion's voice was the same as his as if both were awake and asleep at the same time. "Where are we?"

"I don't… know." He whispered in turn.

The duo drifted through an endless void, an ambient wind passing between them.

"Darkness…" Both said at the same time.

They were drifting through darkness.

Why?

Why were they here?

Were they not asleep?

Were they not…

.

.

.

.

.

Who is that?

There is… someone else.

In the distance.

They could feel it.

.

.

.

.

The person was… alone? Yes, alone.

Walking alone.

Were they lost?

Or rather unsure…

One could not tell.

How can one be lost if they do not know where they are or even where they are going?

.

.

.

.

Wait… they see… someone. The person… they… no… she was walking alone.

Where was she…

… that… armor… the hair…

"Shepard?" Roxas whispered.

The person kept on walking… but she looked up and around.

"Shepard?" Xion now said, her sleepy tone clearing up as the pair began to focus.

The woman now stopped.

They kept flying towards her yet she remained so far, so out of reach.

That was until she turned back.

And they saw her face.

"SHEPARD!"

Commander Jane Shepard's expression was one of blank confusion, gazing out at them yet also past them.

As if they were there and they were not.

She was right there.

Their subdued disposition evaporated and they were now flailing, breathing heavily, hyperventilating almost.

"SHEP-"

"Roxas…?" Her voice was a magnified echo as if a sonic boom of sound. "Xion…?"

Before they could speak any further, their vision began to fade by light.

AN

And with that, another chapter notched in the books.

That's right, lots that was done here and more so towards the tail end but at the same time, as a whole, time elapses and everything remains in motion.

We're almost there folks, almost at the start of KH2 and ME2.

Just gotta do a few more things, hopefully in as minimal chapters as possible.

Arcane Season 2 was good. But we'll address that more in Age of Remnant.

But really, not much needed to be said. We just gotta get through one or two more before we start kicking up the notch again.

So until that time…

Rate, Read and Review and as Always Have Nice Day.