Kingdom Hearts 358-2 Days

by Tomoco Kanemaki

  Axel said it’s just the memories of being human that make us act like we have emotions. But is that really true…? Xion and I don’t even have our memories…

  “It was one of those little pet projects,” Xigbar supplied. “The Replica Program.”

  Demyx squinted in confusion. “The what now?”

  Roxas had assumed everyone but him knew what was going on. Apparently, he was wrong.

  “Would you care to enlighten us about this project?” Xaldin said to Xemnas, and all eyes focused on their leader.

  “The goal was to duplicate the Keyblade wielder’s powers through pieces of his memory, and thus make those powers our own. This was one of the projects underway at Castle Oblivion—however, our efforts were severely curtailed by Vexen’s demise.”

  Everyone listened in silence to Xemnas’s account.

  But why were they all staying quiet?

  Puppet? Duplicating pieces of memory? All of that was making sense to the others? Was Roxas the only one who didn’t get it?

  Axel took in the news with his arms folded and his eyes closed. Roxas remembered what he’d said the night before.

  “She’s a puppet. Created to duplicate your powers.”

  Those words echoed in his head over the revelations from Xemnas.

  “Losing Vexen was an unexpected blow to the plan—but even more unexpected is how this particular replica came to form its own identity as Xion.”

  Xemnas paused there, and Saïx filled the silence. “That did catch us off guard. If anything like that happened in Castle Oblivion, it was never reported. Was it, Axel?”

  Despite being addressed by name, Axel managed to ignore this entirely.

  Had Axel been involved in the Replica Program at Castle Oblivion? And if so…how long had he known about Xion?

  Roxas gave him a hard stare. Axel didn’t even flinch.

  “Fortunately, the puppet has no means of interfering with our plans now, even if she’s learned to pull her own strings,” said Xemnas. “Still, she knows our secrets. We can’t very well allow her to roam free.”

  At that Roxas leaned forward, nearly jumping out of his chair. “Hey, you don’t mean—”

  “Axel.” Xemnas cut Roxas off without so much as a glance his way.

  Axel opened his eyes and looked expectantly at Xemnas.

  “Considering that she escaped on your watch, the onus is on you to capture and retrieve her,” Xemnas told him. “Nicks and scratches will be overlooked—just make sure that the puppet still functions.”

  He’s horrible! Roxas thought. Axel said nothing at all.

  “Why would you allow a deserter back under our roof?! She should be eradicated!” Xaldin all but bellowed.

  “Deserter? You’re giving it too much credit,” Saïx said with a pointed look at Xaldin. “It’s a flawed specimen to be collected for study.”

  “You have your orders, Axel,” Xemnas prompted.

  Axel still made no reply.

  That gave Roxas a shred of hope. Maybe he’s going to refuse…

  But Axel only looked back at Xemnas, obediently silent.

  “Dismissed.” With that, Xemnas promptly vanished.

  Axel stared at the empty high seat, apparently deep in thought.

  He won’t follow an order like that…will he?

  “Bring her back? It’s sheer madness,” Xaldin muttered, and then he was gone.

  “All this time, we’ve been talking to a puppet… Crazy,” Demyx remarked. “Hey, Roxas, did you know?”

  Roxas shook his head.

  “Our leader does play his cards close to his chest,” said Luxord, perhaps in reply to Demyx, and disappeared.

  Demyx shrugged and followed suit.

  “Well, this is a nice dumpster fire.” Xigbar left as well.

  Only Roxas, Axel, and Saïx remained.

  “Axel. There is no refusing orders,” Saïx reminded him bluntly.

  Axel’s mouth twitched—almost a smile or a smirk—and then he vanished, too.

  Roxas wanted to say something, but what could he say? He was still reeling from the revelation that Xion was a puppet.

  “What is it, Roxas? You have a mission to complete. You’ve spent enough time worrying about a puppet.”

  That word again. Roxas turned a furious glare on Saïx. “Xion is one of us!”

  Saïx broke into a low chuckle, the first time Roxas had seen him so much as smile. “One of us? Don’t be absurd. Just count the chairs. When have we ever been more than thirteen?”

  Roxas scanned the Round Room. There were thirteen, and when Xion came to the Organization, all of them had been full.

  She had never once had a place to call her own.

  Saïx left while Roxas sat stunned by the realization.

  He stared in shock at the middle of the floor, remembering the day when Xion first stood there, hooded and silent.

  I do want to talk to Axel… I have to.

  Because we’re best friends.

  Think. Think. What am I supposed to do?

  Axel went briskly down the halls to the Grey Area. He’d been asking himself what to do for so long.

  “Axel!” Roxas called, out of breath from sprinting after him.

  He stopped and glanced at Roxas over his shoulder, but he said nothing. He didn’t know where to begin. Trust me? I won’t hurt her? How would trusting him even help?

  It was almost funny how lost he was.

  “I don’t…think Xion’s going to be safe if she comes back here.” Roxas looked away, his voice small and hesitant.

  So that was his conclusion. Axel had arrived at the same one yesterday. The situation, however, had changed since then.

  I promised Xion. I have to keep my word, don’t I?

  What Xion really wants—and what Roxas wants, too—is for the three of us to stay together. But there’s nothing I can do now to make that happen. So if I can at least keep my promise to her…that’s what I’ll do.

  Axel didn’t let any of it show as he waited for Roxas to continue.

  “You’re not really gonna do what Xemnas says…are you?” Roxas asked, still staring at the floor.

  A tiny sigh escaped Axel. “I have to. Or else I won’t be safe, either.”

  That was the harsh truth. And if he was gone, too, who would keep Roxas safe?

  “Well…can you at least try not to hurt her this time?” Roxas pleaded.

  “That’s up to her.” Axel breathed an even bigger sigh. “Roxas, listen…”

  He looked up.

  “Xion is dangerous.”

  “Dangerous how?” said Roxas.

  Even after all this, he still didn’t understand about Xion.

  “Has all your strength come back?”

  “Not yet…” Roxas shook his head and then stood up straight with sudden realization. “Axel, how long have you known about her?”

  There it was, the question Axel had been bracing for. He’d hoped maybe Roxas wouldn’t think hard enough to ask it; he knew Roxas would push him away when he found out.

  “You knew all this time, and you didn’t tell me?!” Roxas cried.

  Axel couldn’t bear to answer him. But even if this did end their friendship, he would still find a way to protect Roxas—he wanted to. After all, he’d promised Xion.

  No matter what it does to Xion, I’ll take care of Roxas. Even if my way and her way don’t mix.

  Axel turned his back on Roxas and walked away.

  Chapter 7

  Breakout

  THE KEYBLADE ARCED THROUGH THE AIR.

  I can’t keep doing this. I have to talk to Xion.

  Roxas searched Agrabah for her, destroying every Heartless he saw in the meantime, fighting utterly alone.

  He hated everything. He couldn’t trust anyone, and he didn’t want to try.

  Axel must have known about Xion all that time. He didn’t deny it. Why…? Why didn’t he tell me?

  Because it would just cause trouble if I knew?

  Roxas he
aded deeper into the Cave of Wonders, plowing through Heartless. He’d been here with Xion before, and it seemed like she’d remembered something.

  Now, though, there was some kind of weird device in the middle of the chamber. Roxas stared up at it. “What is that…?”

  Heartless began to cluster around it, and before they could surround him, too, he went on the offensive.

  He had to catch his breath as the hearts drifted up from the dissipating Heartless. Whether or not those hearts joined with Kingdom Hearts, Roxas didn’t care anymore.

  What was Organization XIII even trying to do? He had no clue whatsoever, and he was tired of wondering. But it wasn’t just the Organization—he didn’t know what Axel and Xion were thinking, either.

  Why am I part of this stupid Organization? Because I’m a special Nobody? Do special Nobodies have to join the Organization? Can’t we do something else?

  I don’t even really understand what a Nobody is. Or who I am.

  Roxas kept attacking, trying to cut through his confusion with the Keyblade.

  “Is the device functioning properly?” Xemnas inquired. He and Saïx were the only ones in the Round Room.

  “Yes, sir. Luxord and Demyx have been placing them in various worlds before Roxas visits.”

  Whether they would actually work was questionable, but ostensibly, the devices would collect scattered memories—his memories, littered here and there across the worlds.

  Xemnas’s motivations for planting these things were still more unclear. At some point, he had mentioned complementary memories that would fill in the gaps and perfect Xion—or Roxas. It made sense that they would be able to garner more hearts with a perfected Keyblade wielder. But was that really what he was after?

  Saïx couldn’t fathom what Xemnas’s true objective might be.

  “Sora or Xion—it matters not. But we need one of them under our control. Bear that in mind.”

  Saïx nodded, and a serene smile came to Xemnas’s face.

  If that smile meant anything, it was beyond him.

  The time was drawing near.

  Riku stood alone in the forest outside Twilight Town’s haunted mansion. Xion was already inside.

  Taking a few deep breaths, he waited. As he pulled the blindfold from his face, his appearance changed into the form of someone else—of Ansem.

  He pulled up the hood to cover his altered face and sprang into action.

  He leaped between the trees, slashing out with his sword Soul Eater.

  Not bad. He could handle this.

  Riku had been searching for so long for a way to work with the darkness inside him. It was so easy to fall all the way in unless he fought to hold it back.

  The darkness living in his heart was Ansem, yet, it was also entirely his own. Was anyone’s heart truly free of darkness?

  If Sora had a Nobody, didn’t that mean even Sora had some darkness in him? Only the Princesses of Heart had none—that was what made them so exceptional.

  And everyone else had to deal with the darkness inside them and keep a firm grip on it. There was no point in pretending it wasn’t there. Face the ugliest parts of yourself head-on, and it would make you stronger.

  Ansem’s power lingered inside him. He might as well use it.

  Soon it would be time for the battle, and unless he made this power his own, he would never win.

  He wasn’t certain that victory was truly necessary. But all this was for Sora…

  Then Riku noticed someone in the forest—someone very familiar. He touched down on the ground and waited.

  Coming toward him was a silhouette he knew well, in a black cloak just like his, but with the distinguishing feature of two big round ears. King Mickey.

  Facing him, Riku slowly lowered his hood.

  The moment he glimpsed Riku’s face, Mickey jumped back, preparing for a fight. Unfazed, Riku covered his eyes again with the blindfold, and his appearance returned to normal.

  “Riku…?! Am I glad to see you!” Mickey ran to him.

  A bit of warmth spread through Riku’s heart. “Your Majesty.”

  Mickey was a good friend and one he hadn’t seen for almost a year—Riku was more or less avoiding him.

  “You had me worried. Where have you been all this time?” Mickey looked up at him.

  “Searching for a way to conquer the darkness within me—while I wait for Sora to awaken.”

  Riku wanted to rein in the darkness in him before Sora awakened. He couldn’t eliminate it, but he might at least wield it with his own volition.

  “For a second there, you looked just like…well…” Mickey trailed off anxiously. He knew what he’d seen—of course he would be wondering if Riku had completely succumbed to Ansem’s influence.

  “You don’t need to worry,” said Riku, facing him squarely through the blindfold. “I’m getting the hang of keeping the darkness under control.”

  “Wait… Sora isn’t awake yet? Did something go wrong with fixing his memories?”

  Riku nodded, and Mickey could tell what he really meant: It’s not me you need to worry about.

  “There’s a reason the Organization’s been quiet since the battle at Castle Oblivion. And it’s not that thinning out their ranks made them weak. Taking apart Sora’s memory was only the first step of what they wanted to do there. They needed time to absorb it while it’s restored.”

  “You know, I’ve been trying to see what they’re up to myself,” said Mickey. “It didn’t look like much. But that’d make sense, if all they were doing was buying time…”

  “Right. What they’re really after is Sora’s memory. And all this time they’ve been picking up pieces of it.”

  The Organization was taking Sora’s memory, but what exactly they intended to do with it was an open question. Riku only knew how it was happening: through Xion.

  And Xion was a girl Roxas cared about, which made her like the girl Sora cared about. She was a reflection of Sora’s memories.

  “That’s why his recovery is stalling,” Riku went on. “They have the part that’s most precious to him—his memories of Kairi.”

  Mickey looked down in dismay but only for a moment. “Then you’ve gotta let me help! Maybe I can get the memories back!”

  Riku shook his head. “Leave that to me, Your Maj— Mickey. Although…you could do me a favor,” he said quietly.

  “Sure. Just tell me what.”

  “I have to face one of the Organization’s members soon. It’s a fight I won’t necessarily win, and whether I do or not, the darkness might overtake me.”

  He felt so uneasy.

  The day was drawing near when he would have to fight a member of the Organization—most likely Roxas. And a victory against Sora’s Nobody was by no means assured.

  If he wanted any chance at all, he would have to release the power shut away inside him. Darkness itself. But Riku was still uncertain that he could keep the darkness from swallowing him.

  He held Mickey’s gaze. “If I don’t make it, you’ll be the only one there for Sora…and Donald, and Goofy. The only one who can guide them when they wake up.”

  “Riku… Don’t say that.”

  “Please, Mickey? Just tell me you’ll be there for our friends.”

  Riku wasn’t sure he could trust DiZ, nor could he guess what he might do if Sora awoke. He just wanted someone else around to help without DiZ knowing.

  “Of course, Riku. I will.” The king—his friend Mickey—gave him an emphatic nod.

  Xion… The Replica Program…

  Roxas flopped over in his bed. His sleep was troubled again but not in the same way. He didn’t feel all slow and heavy waking up. He was well rested rather than exhausted.

  He stared blankly at the white walls.

  He hadn’t believed that Xion was a puppet built to duplicate his powers. He refused to believe it.

  But now, it was beginning to make sense. In the three days since Xion had left, he could feel the strength coming back to him. And if her
absence was the cause…well, it was consistent.

  He still couldn’t accept that explanation.

  Xion had left them, and Axel hadn’t stopped her. Axel had known about her hidden powers all this time and kept it a secret.

  He felt like both of them had betrayed him.

  He kept thinking about Xion. She and Roxas were both elite Nobodies, Xigbar said. Different.

  But Xion was a replica.

  So what did that make him? If they were alike…was he a replica, too?

  “Sora is what makes you and Xion part of each other’s lives.”

  That was what Xemnas had told him.

  What’s this “Sora”?

  Am I different from Xion? Who is my somebody?

  Who am I?

  Roxas sat up and stared at his hands.

  Maybe Axel knows more about who I am, just like he knew about Xion.

  I could ask him. But…what if he just lies to me again?

  Why am I here…?

  Roxas climbed out of bed and left his room.

  Things were spiraling out of control, but Axel didn’t know what move to make in response. All he had were doubts and confusion. A sense of urgency, too, set in as he strode down the halls to the lobby.

  “Axel,” Roxas called. There was an agitated note in his voice Axel had never heard before.

  It brought him to a halt. He turned, trying to relax his shoulders. “Hey, Roxas.”

  When he forced a smile, Roxas looked away. These past few days, every time they crossed paths, their conversations turned harsh. Roxas looked gloomier each time Axel saw him. Just like someone with a heart, Axel thought, strangely calm.

  “Did you…find Xion?” Roxas refused to meet Axel’s eyes.

  “Well, it’s not gonna be that easy.” Axel shrugged.

  “Yeah. I know…,” Roxas mumbled faintly.

  They were avoiding the real topic of conversation. The question Roxas asked was barely even rhetorical—he was trying to gauge whether the time was right.

  So Axel waited for him to speak.

  He knew there were a good deal of questions Roxas wanted to ask—or, at least, a good deal of things he wanted to know. And Axel didn’t have the answers to all of them, but he wanted to tell Roxas as much as he could.