Hello! If you've stumbled upon this story and haven't yet read A Tale of Two Hearts, wait! This is a sequel to my novelization of the Kingdom Hearts series, and a lot of things are built off plot points set up in the first story, so I highly encourage checking that out first! Of course you don't have to, and please enjoy if you decide to continue onward regardless, but I had to put that disclaimer out there!

Speaking of disclaimers:

1. This story is a novelization, meaning I take the game, flesh it out, trim some stuff out, and add in my own special flare. This mainly includes the addition of my OC Akira, but also my own mythos I've created surrounding the origin of Keyblades, Kingdom Hearts, and the forces of Light and Darkness (which we'll delve further into in this story!)

2. This is a Sora/OC story with a dash of Riku/Kairi to the side.

3. This story is rated [T] for usage of strong language, violence, and occasional depictions of distressing themes.

Still interested? Good!

I'm actually gonna try something new, and that's making sure chapters in this story don't exceed my usual 10,000+ word count. That way, there will be a quicker turn around between chapters (and also a lot more chapters lol). This decision also comes from the fact I'm being a little ambitious and combining Chain of Memories, 358/2 Days, and KHUX into one whole shebang. Let's see how that turns out, shall we? Starting with a small prologue to get things going.

Prologue: Icing on the Cake

"Where will I find peace other than in oblivion?"

– Sorin Cerin

If anyone were to take time away from their own personal world and gaze up towards the Clock Tower in the midst of Twilight Town, they might become concerned. The sight of two figures languidly kicking their legs off the ledge, flirting with the deadly drop, would be enough to put a pit in the stomach of anyone watching.

Luckily for the two perched precariously on the edge, humans tended to never venture far outside their own sphere of existence.

Silence existed between the two, who seemed quite content to simply eat their ice cream bars and watch the sun in its perpetual state of setting. Being this high up left an amazingly beautiful view that would have stirred the hearts of any...if they had hearts to be stirred, that is.

"I'm leaving for Castle Oblivion tomorrow."

The silence was broken. The blonde boy looked towards his older companion with a tilt of his head, lowering the blue popsicle from his lips.

"Castle...Oblivion…?"

The other took a large bite of ice cream, answering with his mouth full, "Yeah, it's a second headquarters for us. Think of it like…a business trip."

"Oh…" The boy lowered his head, clearly not following the analogy. "Well, what's your mission? How long will you be gone?"

"The mission? Hmm… Vexen has a buncha science stuff there, so I imagine we're on guard duty while he does some crappy experiments," The older man laughed to himself, but the sound was hollow. "Stuff about memories probably. That Castle messes with your head."

"You don't even know what you're doing?" The boy's brows furrowed in a show of concern. He made it look so easily to replicate emotions.

The man reached out, ruffling the boy's hair affectionately. "Chill out, Roxas! We'll show up, do whatever, and I'll be back before you even realize I'm gone."

"Axel, quit!" Roxas smacked his hand away, smoothing his hair back into place with a huff. "Chill out– That means calm down, right? I am calm!"

Axel let out a snicker at the boy's expression. "That face you're makin'… I don't know how you show you're so worried without a heart."

"Is that what I am? Worried?"

Another small puff of hollowed laughter escaped from his lips. Roxas' inability to recall even little details about life made hanging out with him so refreshing. Explaining these topics was like a fun game for Axel, one that pushed him to recall what it was like being whole. "You look it at least. But like I said, I'll be back. Try not to eat this town's entire supply of sea salt ice cream while I'm gone, okay? It's my favorite flavor."

Axel swung a leg over the ledge, raising an empty hand to pull together a swirling corridor of Darkness from the shadows of the tower. "I gotta prep before we leave, so I'm headin' back."

Roxas watched him silently, his uneaten ice cream beginning to melt onto his leather cloak without notice.

"See ya on the other side," Axel gave a two fingered salute before stepping through, popping the ice cream back into his mouth. The end of the portal brought him back to the world he considered home– or as close to home as a Nobody could get.

Black boots clicked against the white tiled floors, sending a satisfying echo through the vast halls. His leather cloak swished around his legs, keeping tune with his pace. The hood that so often covered his features during reconnaissance was laid back, letting his long, red hair spike out as it so pleased.

He may have looked like he was simply meandering alongside the walls of the Castle That Never Was, but the reality of the situation was far from it. Bright green eyes met with the gleaming yellow of the approaching comrade in arms, both noting each other's arrival with a curt nod.

"Saix."

"Axel."

Axel slowed as Saix approached, placing a hand on his shoulder in passing. "I have a message from Lord Xemnas. There are traitors among those who were assigned to Castle Oblivion."

"Oh?" Axel's thin brow arched in a false show of interest. So, this is why he was being sent.

Saix's gaze remained impartial as he continued, "You are to find out who they are, and dispose of them."

Axel let out a sigh, taking the popsicle stick from his mouth and propping his hands against his hips. "Boy, I shoulda guessed. I'm always stuck with the icky jobs."

Saix's eyes narrowed, darting across Axel's face as if he were trying to draw out some hidden information. Then his hand dropped, and he resumed his purposeful walk forward.

"Orders from Lord Xemnas, huh?" Axel muttered to himself, not convinced his old friend was being entirely truthful about this particular statement. Not that it mattered though. An order from a superior was an order.

"Sorry, Roxas. Looks like I'll be gone longer than I thought..."