Archive of Our Own

*CLANG*

The sound of steel meeting steel rang through my ears, and I grimaced as the impact reverberated up my arms. Dust filled the air as I skidded back several feet, slamming the jagged orange tip of my Keyblade into the ground. I leapt backwards, black cloak fluttering through the air as I quickly scanned the battlefield, taking in allies and enemies alike.

It…wasn’t looking good. Sure, at first glance, we seemed to be doing just fine. Three of us, three of them. Simple enough, right? Unfortunately, even a quick look showed the cracks already beginning to form. Sure, I’ve faced bigger numbers than this before, but that felt like a lifetime ago, and I’m not exactly the person I was back then. And even though I know Sora’s no slouch in the ass-kicking department, I still couldn’t help but shake the feeling that if Roxas was here, this’d all be wrapped up by now. And then there was the third member of our little group. ‘To be fair, she’s not doing badly or anything…especially compared to me,’ I thought with just a touch of bitterness, my eyes darting over to Kairi, fire streaming from the tip of her keyblade as she danced along the battlefield. ‘But even with all of Master Yen Sid’s training, she’s just…not as experienced as the rest of us.’

And then, of course, there was who we were fighting. The girl with the hood was mostly focusing on Kairi and Sora, so I hadn’t really gotten her measure yet, but from the look of intense focus on Kairis face, she was no pushover. And even if she was, Isa was more than capable of pulling her weight, if his last blow was anything to go by. And then there was him.

My eyes fell on Xemnas for a brief moment, as a powerful swipe from Interdiction sent Sora flying through the air. He turned slightly, his gleaming yellow eyes locking with mine, and he shot forward, blades dragging against the ground as he covered the gap between us in mere moments.

My eyes widened in shock, and I threw Flame Liberator forward, my Keyblade flying downward in the nick of time. Xemnas grunted in exertion as Interdiction’s twin blades struck against mine, sending me sliding along the hard, rocky ground of the Keyblade Graveyard. Panting heavily, I rested the tip of my Keyblade against the ground for a moment to catch my breath. ‘When did I become so weak?’ I asked myself angrily, glaring up at Xemnas as he strode purposefully towards me. ‘Sure, I wouldn’t have ever given myself good odds against Xemnas, but I figured I’d at least be able to make him sweat a little. And I know I used to be a match for Isa. What the hell changed?’

“AXEL, LOOK OUT!”

I moved without thinking, throwing myself into a roll as Xemnas' blades swung through the air, flying right through where my head had been a moment prior. ‘Come on Axel, keep your head in the game,’ I thought, springing to my feet and counter-attacking. ‘If Sora hadn’t been there, then It’d be all over for me. And I wouldn’t get a re-do this time, either.’ I glowered angrily at Xemnas, swinging Flame Liberator with reckless abandon, trying to break through his guard.

“Is this it?” Xemnas asked, sounding almost disinterested as he batted my Keyblade effortlessly to one side. “After all the problems you’ve caused me, I’d honestly expected more of a challenge. Or is this some sort of joke?”

My eyes narrowed, and I swung Flame Liberator with both hands. “I’LL SHOW YOU A JOKE!”

“Would you look at that,” Xemnas replied flatly, Interdiction vanishing as he reached up, hand gripping tightly around my Keyblade. “You actually managed to follow through on something. That is surprising. This is without a doubt the biggest joke of a Keyblade I’ve ever seen. Still,” his lip curled slightly as he stared down at me. “I suppose that’s no surprise, considering the state of its wielder.”

‘Who am I kidding?’ I thought as I struggled in vain against Xemnas' grip. ‘He’s right. I know what the problem here is. Master Yen Sid said it himself. Keyblades are weapons of the Heart. A strong Heart begets a strong Keyblade. May your Heart be your guiding key, and all that jazz. And if a strong Heart makes a strong Keyblade…

Then a weak Heart makes a weak Keyblade. 

And that’s the gospel truth.

I’m just…not as strong as the others. Even Xemnas can see it. All my experience working for the Organization, all that training I did with Kairi under Master Yen Sid. None of it means anything if my Heart’s not in it.’ My eyes darted over Xemnas' shoulder as Kairi traded powerful blows with the hooded figure. ‘I’ve got a full decade on her, and she’s still doing more heavy lifting than me. Even now, with the fate of the world, of all the worlds at stake, I still can’t bring myself to give a damn.’

“DON’T LISTEN TO HIM, AXEL!” Sora yelled, Keyblade slicing through the air towards Xemnas. “Don’t let him drag you down like that. I know how strong you are. We all do!”

I let out a small, derisive huff as I leapt away from Xemnas, leaving him to Sora as I threw my Keyblade up just in time to block a particularly nasty blow from Isa. “What’s the matter…Isa?” I grunted between strikes. “Not gonna take it easy on your old pal?”

Isa’s yellow eyes narrowed, his grip tightening on his claymore. ‘Oh, this one’s gonna hurt,’ I thought to myself as Isa swung Lunatic with both hands.

“Axel, are you okay?” Kairi called over her shoulder as I skipped across the hard, dusty ground towards her like a stone across a lake.

“Just…catching up with an old friend,” I groaned as I pulled myself to my feet, dusting my coat off as I glared over at Isa. “Otherwise, just peachy. How about you? You holdin’ up alright?”

“Better than you, by the looks of things,” Kairi shot back playfully, even as her eyes radiated concern. Without turning away, a large jet of water spiralled out the tip of her Keyblade, lancing towards a charging Isa.

“If you wanted mercy from me, Axel, then you shouldn’t have betrayed the Organization!” he spat, Lunatic carving a deadly trail through the air as he stormed through Kairi’s magical barrage.

The three of us moved quickly to avoid a particularly reckless swipe from Isa, Kairi and I ducking to our right, while the hooded figure rolled backwards. Kairi took the brief respite opened up by Isa’s attack to cast a quick healing spell on us, and I let out a sigh of relief as the various aches and pains I’d gathered during the fight began to fade. 

“...Axel?”

I froze as the soft, almost imperceptible voice of the hooded stranger rang through my ears. My eyes locked with hers for a moment, and a sense of eerie familiarity washed over me. It was like remembering something I knew I’d never known before. Even though I’d never heard the girl speak before in my life, something about her voice just…resonated with me, in a way very few things had since I’d lost Roxas.

And then she turned towards Kairi, and the moment was gone, lost in the harsh chaos of battle as weapons continued to rage, and magic surged across the battlefield. 

“LOOK OUT!”

Kairi’s scream pulled me firmly back to reality, and I took several rapid steps back, Flame Liberator a blur in my hands as I frantically blocked Isa’s steady, consistent stream of powerful sword swings. “Did all our years together mean NOTHING to you?” Isa raged, my Keyblade slowly losing ground as Lunatic’s swings grew wilder and more powerful. “Our dreams for the future? Our plans? OUR FRIEND‽”

“THEY MEANT THE WORLD TO ME!”

Isa froze mid-swing, eyes narrowed as he held his sword unerringly towards my throat. “All of that…it meant the world to me,” I repeat, my voice brimming with fury. “That never changed, Isa.”

“Then why do all of this?” 

I paused for a moment, anger dwindling at Isa’s plaintive tone. Slowly, I rested Flame Liberator against the ground, and stared sadly across at my oldest friend. “I never stopped caring, Isa. Roxas and the others may have joined you both in my heart…but they never replaced you.” I shook my head, memories of evenings spent on the Clock Tower with Roxas filling my head. “The world ends with you, you know? If you want to enjoy life, expand your world. Mine just…grew bigger, that’s all.”

Isa stared back for a second, the sound of Kairi’s battle next to us fading for a few moments as we locked eyes. Eventually, Isa shook his head, tilting his head towards the others as he hoisted Lunatic sadly over one shoulder. “All this, for someone who’s already long gone,” he replied somberly. “Last chance to walk away, Axel. Roxas is dead. You have to know that this won’t bring him back, right?”

I sighed, hoisting Flame Liberator up over my shoulder. ‘You didn’t need to tell me that, Isa,’ I thought to myself as our blades locked once more. ‘I already know. No matter what happens here, the odds of Roxas coming back are pretty slim. Even if the good guys win, I’m not gonna get my own perfect ending.’ My eyes fell on Sora as he weaved between Xemnas' powerful blows, Keyblade lashing out whenever an opening presented itself. ‘And that’s part of the problem, isn’t it? Don’t get me wrong, Sora’s nice and all, and after all the time I’ve spent with Kairi, I’d be pretty pissed if something happened to her. And I know Xehanort has to be stopped, otherwise it’s bye-bye everything.

But it’s like I said earlier. I’m just not as strong as they are. And I’ve already lost everything that really matters to me.’

My thoughts were interrupted by a loud yell of pain, followed by a heavy impact as Sora slammed heavily into the ground next to me. I lashed out quickly at Isa with Flame Liberator, striking several blows that forced him back for a few moments. “You okay, Sora?” I asked, using the quick reprieve to spin around and pull Sora to his feet.

“Yeah, I’m alright,” Sora replied, fingers clenching around his Keyblade. “Thanks for the save, Ax-KAIRI, LOOK OUT!”

My eyes snapped open, and before Sora could even finish saying her name, I whirled to face Kairi, too caught up in her duel with the mysterious third party to notice Xemnas as he shot towards her. Murder flashed in his bright yellow eyes as he dashed low against the ground, the tips of his blades carving thick, heavy gouges through the earth.

Before I could fully process what was happening, I was moving, my feet pounding heavily against the hard earth of the Keyblade Graveyard, Sora’s yell still ringing in my ears. I barely had time to process the sound of Isa locking blades with Sora, or Kairi slowly turning to face her new attacker. All I knew was that my friend was in danger. And it was up to me to protect her.

So I ran. The wind whistled through my hair as I moved faster than I could remember in any life. Faster than Lea, faster than my training with Kairi, faster even than my time as a member of Organization XIII. ‘Not this time, Xemnas,’ I found myself thinking. ‘Kairi’s a good kid, she’s got her whole life ahead of her. I’m not letting her down again.’

But as Xemnas loomed ominously over Kairi, her big blue eyes widening in shock, the truth hit me like a blow from Isa.

I wasn’t going to be fast enough to stop his attack. And even though Destiny’s Embrace rose up to meet her attacker, everyone knew it was just too late to make a difference. If I was going to save her from Xemnas, then I had only one option.

So I charged bodily into Kairi, sending her flying across the Keyblade Graveyard, well out of harm’s way.

And leaving me directly in the path of Xemnas' strike. 

‘Well,’ I thought to myself as I threw Flame Liberator forward with every ounce of strength I had left. ‘If I’m gonna go down, then I’d rather go down swinging. Who knows, I might even give Xemnas a paper cut on my way out.’ My eyes flicked over to Kairi for a brief moment. ‘And besides, I had a pretty good run. Survived dying…twice, which is more than most people can say. And the kids have got so much to live for. Better someone like me than them.’

“AXEL, NO!”

“AXEL!”

Sora and Kairi’s screams rang in my ears as Xemnas sent my Keyblade flying through the air. “Any final words?” My former boss asked as he lined up the killing blow.

“Try all you like, but I'm not gonna die here,” I replied, glaring up at him. “As long as people remember me, I’m immortal.”

‘Sora, Kairi, I guess this is it for me. Sorry guys,’ I thought, my eyes resting on the duo one last time. ‘And Roxas…for the first time in my life, I wish there really was something more after we die, so I could apologise to you for everything in the afterlife. But I guess I’ll just have to settle for this. I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough to save you.’

‘Who says you didn’t?’

My eyes widened for a brief moment, as a voice I never thought I’d be lucky enough to hear again resonated from somewhere deep inside me. “Roxas?” I breathed softly, not quite believing it myself.

Xemnas' eyes widened, throwing themselves up to a spot far above me. “That’s…impossible,” he said, all thoughts of my imminent death forgotten.

‘You might wanna move,’ the voice said. ‘This is gonna get messy.’

Without pausing to think, I obeyed, throwing myself to one side. A small rush flooded through me at the look of shock on Xemnas' usually unflappable face. ‘If he's reacting like that then maybe…’ I thought, still not fully believing what was happening. ‘There’s no way, right?’

The instant I was clear of harm's way, a ray of pure golden light landed down from the skies, crashing right into Xemnas' crossed swords. I threw a hand over my eyes to shield them from the light, squinting as I watched Xemnas skid across the dirt. “How…is this…happening?” He forced through gritted teeth, grunting in pain as he slammed back against the wall. “How are you…here? You shouldn't exist.”

“I had help,” the voice from earlier answered, the golden light around him beginning to fade. A short, hooded figure emerged from within, a familiar black cloak flapping in the breeze.

What little doubt still remained inside me died as the figure charged towards Xemnas. A person’s voice and personality could be mimicked, but if there was one thing I’d learned under Yen Sid, it was that the Heart was unique.

And there was no mistaking the weapons held in the figures hands.

Oathkeepers silver blade shone in the evening twilight, its brightness seeming to cut the very air itself as it swung powerfully towards Xemnas. Xemnas let out a pained grunt as it carved through his defences effortlessly, pinning him against the hard, earthen wall. The figure thrust Oblivion forward with his free hand, the ebony blades mere presence seeming to darken the world around it as it pressed itself against Xemnas' throat.

His enemy secured, the figure tilted its head towards me, tossing the hood back with a light shrug. My breath caught in my throat as a few strands of light brown hair waved gently at me in the breeze, and a pair of deep blue eyes met mine.

“R-Roxas?” I whispered quietly, as if saying his name would cause him to vanish just as quickly as he’d arrived. “Is…Is that really you?”

Roxas smirked back at me, his eyes twinkling with the familiar playfulness I remembered so well. “You've gotten rusty, Axel,” he responded, eyes hardening as he turned back to Xemnas. “Just hang back and let me take care of this, alright?”

The cocky, playful jab was all I needed to hear. Just like that, I was back on the clock tower with my friends, whiling away the precious few moments of freedom Xemnas granted us. Evenings spent mocking the strange people we met on our travels, our co-workers, even each other. Our pealing laughter mixed with the bells of Twilight Town in perfect harmony, creating my favorite sound in all the worlds I’d ever visited.

I practically leapt to my feet, the slowness from moments ago already a distant memory. The sight of Roxas, alive and well, filled me with confidence as I summoned Flame Liberator, my Keyblade returning to its resting position over my shoulder. “Sorry about the slow start, everyone,” I grinned, grip tightening around my Keyblade, “but don't worry. I'm all fired up and ready to go now.”

“Give me a second to add ‘Axel having jokes’ to the list of things Xemnas is wrong about,” Kairi glowered playfully at me for a moment, before her gaze lightened, and she flashed me a gentle, radiant smile. “It's really good to have you back though. I was worried for a minute there.” She turned towards Sora, her grin taking on a playful edge. “You go help out your other half, Sora. We can handle these two, right Axel?”

I snorted. “Please,” I shot back with a confident grin. “The way I'm feeling right now, I could take on old Baldy himself.”

Kairi let out a small chuckle as we turned back to our opponents. “Oh, I'd pay to see that,” she chuckled as we charged forwards, her Keyblade carving a graceful arc through the air.

Isa turned his gaze away from Roxas, staring across at me and Kairi, his weapon raised defensively. “Well, it seems like you’ve managed to achieve one miracle,” he remarked, seemingly unfazed by Roxas’ return. Which I suppose wasn’t really much of a surprise. Isa was pretty good at keeping his emotions under control...most of the time. “I don’t suppose there’s anything else you’ve got hidden away?” His eyes flicked across to his co-worker as she raised her Keyblade, preparing to leap forward and attack Kairi. “Any other friends you’ve neglected to tell me about?”

“Oh please,” Kairi scoffed, raising Destiny’s Embrace to block the hooded girl again. “You really think we’d tell you anything? I don’t care how friendly you and Axel were, you’re the enemy now. Got it?”

“Axel really didn't tell you about her, did he?” Isa scoffed, slamming Lunatic into the ground as I charged towards him. “Otherwise you wouldn't be so quick to judge. Still, I suppose that’s hardly surprising.” His eyes hardened, and he glowered at me from behind the safety of his oversized claymore. “Keeping secrets from those you claim to care about is hardly new behaviour for you, is it?”

A low guttural snarl tore its way out of my throat. “I don’t need to hear that from you ,” I shot back angrily as I sprinted towards Isa. Gritting my teeth, I gripped Flame Liberator with both hands, pulling it back behind my head. The instant I was within reach of Isa I pivoted, spinning counter-clockwise on my left foot. The jagged teeth of my Keyblade scraped against the dirt as I swung it forwards in a low arc, slamming a foot against the ground as my blade crashed against Isa’s.

And carved through his defences like a hot knife through butter. 

My eyes widened as my Keyblade sent Lunatic flying through the air behind Isa, who’s eyes widened in shock at the force of my swing. Not that I could blame him. I don’t think any of us, myself included, had expected my attack to be as powerful as it was. Sure, I’d expected a bit of a boost from seeing Roxas again. Enough that I could actually prove a match for Isa like I used to. But that was it, really. A simple return to how I used to be.

Instead, what I was greeted with was the sight of Isa’s weapon soaring helplessly through the air, followed immediately by my erstwhile friend, who literally folded around Flame Liberator’s strike, the air forcibly ejecting itself from his lungs as he arced through the air after his sword, crashing against the ground some distance away with a heavy thud. 

“FORE!”

I shook my head, unable to hide my smile as I turned towards Roxas, chuckling at his own remark as he stared off into the distance, hand shading his eyes as he squinted towards Isa’s still prone body. “So, how was that?” I asked, grinning confidently. “Still think I’ve gotten rusty?”

Roxas smirked back, waving a hand in the air. “It was alright. I’d give it a seven outta ten. I bet you I coulda launched him further than that.”

“Somehow, I doubt you’ll get the chance to,” I said, turning back to watch Isa gingerly pull himself off the ground. “I don’t think Isa’s gonna give us an opening like that again. Man, is he gonna be mad when he gets back.”

“If he gets back,” Roxas snorted. “Besides, I wouldn’t call Saïx being mad news.”

I opened my mouth to retort, a playful response on the tip of my tongue as Roxas and I slipped effortlessly back into our old routine, before an aggrieved voice yelled from behind us both. “Guys, I’m happy Roxas is back too, BUT A LITTLE HELP WOULD BE NICE!”

Roxas and I whirled around to see Kairi caught firmly on the back foot, her breaths coming in loose, ragged bursts as a series of wild, desperate swings from her steely-eyed opponent sent her careening towards us. “Right,” Roxas replied, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “Forgot why I came here. My bad.” Roxas sprang towards Kairi, Oathkeeper and Oblivion manifesting in his hands as he deflected the hooded girl’s wild swings with casual ease. “Sorry about that,” Roxas called to Kairi over his shoulder. “Just haven’t seen Axel in a while, that’s all.”

“It’s…fine,” Kairi wheezed, resting against the pommel of her Keyblade. A corona of soft green light washed momentarily over her, and she pulled herself shakily to her feet. “Just…catch up later. Fight now. Okay?”

“Whatever you say,” Roxas laughed, deflecting three more wild Keyblade swings. “Don’t worry about a thing,” Roxas continued, as he tightly ducked and wove between his enemies' strikes. “I’m almost done here.” With that, Roxas turned all his attention back to his opponent, blocking and deflecting her blows with practiced ease.

My eyes narrowed as I watched the pair duel for a few moments. This…wasn’t like Roxas. The Roxas I remembered preferred an all-out offense, striking down his opponent with powerful crushing blows. But this Roxas wasn’t even counter-attacking.

“What’s he doing?” Kairi asked. “He’s just…taking it. I thought he said he had this under control?” 

“Roxas knows what he’s doing,” I replied, trying to keep the bewilderment out of my voice. ‘Although that makes one of us,’ I thought. ‘I know Roxas is better than this. He could have finished her off dozens of times over by now. So what’s his angle?’

I turned my gaze on Roxas' opponent, watching intently for a few seconds. ‘Something’s not right here,’ I thought, as I watched her strikes deteriorate. ‘Whoever this girl is, she was knocking Sora and Kairi around like ragdolls earlier. But now she can barely land a hit on Roxas. And sure, that might just be because he’s Roxas, but even then, I figured she’d at least hit him once. She can’t have just run out of steam though.’  

‘A*e*? *ou* **m* ** *x**, r**h*?’

My head snapped towards the girl as, like Roxas, her voice rang out from somewhere deep inside me. But where Roxas' voice had been as clear as the bells from the Clock Tower, her voice was…fuzzy. Like trying to call somebody on one of those fancy new Gummiphone gizmos.

And yet…I still knew it was her instantly. Even if I didn’t know how.

A possibility occurred to me, the moment the two of us shared earlier springing to mind. ‘Maybe…she’s like I was for some reason. Maybe…Maybe her Heart’s not in it either. But if that is the case…why?’

“Are we…supposed to know you or something?” I muttered to myself, eyes narrowing at the girl.

As soon as the words left my mouth, the girl froze, her eyes darting over to me. As soon as we locked eyes, the same strange familiarity from earlier washed over me. “...Axel.” She said slowly. “We’re…friends?” Her eyes turned back to Roxas, Keyblade shaking in her trembling hands. “And R…Roxas. Your name…it’s…Roxas, isn’t it?”

As the girl stared at him, tears welling up in the corner of her piercing amber eyes, Roxas made his move. Oathkeeper spun nimbly between his fingers as he reversed his grip on the blade, the teeth of his Keyblade sliding through the golden guard of her weapon. “And…there we go,” Roxas said, his usually cocky tone sounding flat and subdued. He flipped Oathkeeper back around, ripping the Keyblade from the girl’s grip with casual ease. She barely responded to her weapon being ripped from her hands, still staring tearfully over at us. 

Without looking away, Roxas tossed her Keyblade in my direction, Oathkeeper and Oblivion disappearing as easily as he’d summoned them. “Look after those for us, would you Axel?” Roxas asked quietly, as he began to walk calmly to the now-disarmed young girl, who’s eyes had drifted down to her now empty hands.

“Roxas and…and Axel? I…know those names. But…how?” Soft, choked sobs began to fill the air as tears began to drip out from underneath the girl's hood, pooling in her empty hands. “I don’t…I don’t understand. I don’t remember you. So why do I feel like I know you?” She looked around fearfully, eyes darting in every possible direction. “Saïx? Xemnas?” She called plaintively. “Anyone? I don’t understand what’s going on.

…I’m scared.”

Roxas didn’t respond. He kept walking towards the girl, the same look of stony resolve on his face. ‘Oh, this isn’t gonna be pretty,’ I thought. ‘Last time I saw that look, Roxas was ready to fight the entire Organization single-handed.’

“Roxas, hold up a second,” Kairi said, suspicious eyes still fixed on the girl as she stepped towards Roxas, hand outstretched. “This could be a trick.”

“It’s fine,” Roxas replied, still not turning to face us. “She won’t hurt me and Axel. Don’t tell me you haven’t noticed yet.”

“...He’s right,” I said, eyes widening as the realization struck me. “This entire time, she’s never actually attacked me. Only you and Sora. And even now, when she was fighting Roxas…she was never close to laying a finger on him.”

‘Just what the hell is going on here?’

Roxas stopped in front of the girl, a gloved hand reaching up to gently slide back her hood. “Oh you’ve gotta be kidding me,” Kairi muttered incredulously under her breath, as the girl's face was revealed to us. “There’s another one?”

My mouth hung open as Roxas pulled the girl's hood back, short dark hair tumbling down to frame an impossibly familiar face to us. Familiar not just because she bore more than a passing resemblance to Kairi (Naminé’s mere existence made that far less of a shock than it would have been otherwise), but because I knew this girl. I just…didn’t know how I knew her, or who she even was. The only thing that didn’t resonate with me in some way were the girls burning yellow eyes, currently staring at me and Roxas in obvious confusion. Otherwise, I would swear up and down that I knew this girl from somewhere. I just…didn’t know where.

“Are you, Xion?”

And then Roxas spoke, and all questions about how I knew the girl were gone, replaced instead by one thing, and one thing only. 

Pain.

As if a switch had been flicked, the mere mention of the girl’s name was all either of us needed. Xion’s screams of agony echoed throughout the battlefield as she collapsed to the ground, clutching her head.

And I was right behind her.

Moments after Xion’s knees buckled against the ground, I followed suit, fingers digging into my scalp as I collapsed to the floor, writhing in pain. It was like somebody had carved my skull open with delicate, painstaking precision, only to immediately take a sledgehammer to the brain inside it. A painful throbbing reverberated through my entire body for a few moments, before I dimly noticed the telltale green corona of Kairi’s healing magic surrounding me.

And as her magic coursed through my system, slowly reducing the pain I felt from an unstoppable inferno to just a blazing wildfire, I began to remember Xion. Truly remember her.

‘So…Axel, does that mean you and I can be friends?’

‘Please don’t hold back, Axel. Promise.’

‘I’d like to dedicate this Keyblade summoning to my good friends, Roxas and Axel.’

‘Pfft, me? I didn’t do anything.’

‘Sure you did. If you hadn’t spoken up this morning, me and Roxas would’ve had to split up.’

‘Exactly. It’s because of you two and the Keyblade that we’re finally making some progress. We might finally get hearts of our own.’

‘I can’t…I can’t use the Keyblade anymore. And without it, I can’t do my job.’

Something’s wrong with Roxas. I thought you might know what’s up. He says the Keyblade wears him out now when he goes to use it.’

‘Wow. The sun sure is beautiful. I know we’ve seen a lot of sunsets, but today’s puts them all to shame. If only things stayed like this.’

‘Thanks, Axel. You and Roxas are the best.

‘WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM? You both…think you can do whatever you want. Well, I’m sick of it!’

‘Axel, I’m remembering things…About who I was.’

‘I guess the closest thing we Nobodies have got is our past. You know, memories of the stuff we couldn’t bear to lose, back when we couldn’t bear to lose it.’

‘I owe it all to you and Axel.’

‘Eat your ice cream before it melts.’

‘Hah, look at Axel! He’s bright red!’

‘You wanna know why I do? Because you’re my best friends. The three of us…we’re inseparable.’

‘Go on, you just keep running. But I’ll always be there to BRING YOU BACK.’

‘I’ll have these moments memorized for a long time. Forever, I hope.’

Memories, good and bad alike, flooded my brain in a constant deluge as I lay helpless against the ground. Tears ran down my cheeks as I stared up at the orange twilight of the Keyblade Graveyard. ‘Xion,’ I thought to myself, as the gaps in my memory finally stitched themselves together. ‘How…how could I have done that to you?

How could I have just forgotten you like that?’

With agonising slowness, I turn my head towards Xion, squinting blearily at her through puffy, red eyes. “Xion,” I mutter, watching in horror as a faint black shape thrashed wildly against the ground, screams still filling the air as the black-cloaked figure of Roxas knelt beside her. “Please…Please forgive me.”

Another wave of green light washed over me, and the last of the pain finally died. I felt Kairi’s hand take me gently by the shoulder, and with some assistance, I found myself slowly stumbling to my feet. “Axel, are you okay?” Kairi asked frantically. “What the hell’s going on? Who is this girl? And how do you and Roxas know her? And how does she also look like me?”

“I’m…fine,” I reply, as I step shakily towards Xion. “But Xion…she needs help. Please.”

To her credit, Kairi barely hesitated. She spared me a quick, cautious glance, before nodding, hand running through her hair as she sprinted towards Xion and Roxas, Keyblade dancing between her free hand as she unleashed another wave of light towards them. Xion’s screams softened slightly as the healing light washed over her, and her movements began to steady.

I made my way shakily over, wincing with every step as I began to fully process just how much had been taken from me. ‘I just…forgot her,’ I thought to myself, despondently. ‘She was one of my best friends. Me, her and Roxas…the three of us were supposed to be together forever.’ I laughed bitterly as a particularly painful memory chose that moment to resurface. ‘Or not, I guess. But even then…I thought I’d at least have my memories of them both. How…How could something like this have happened?’

I didn’t have to think very hard, or for very long, before the answer came to me. Not just because it was obvious (although it was), but because a deep, menacing voice rang out across the battlefield, making his presence immediately known. 

“BEGONE!”

A loud yell followed Xemnas' declaration as Sora flew through the air towards us, skidding across the ground, until he ended up sprawled in a heap next to Xion.

“SORA!”

For just a brief moment, Xion’s dwindling screams were overpowered as Kairi rushed towards Sora with a panicked yell. “Are you okay?” She asked, another healing spell streaming from her Keyblade.

“Y-Yeah,” Sora wheezed, pulling himself to a sitting position. “I’m…good now. Thanks for the help, Kairi.”

Kairi let out a long sigh of relief, running a free hand through her hair as another wave of green light streamed out from her Keyblade. “Don’t worry about it,” she replied, glaring angrily towards Xemnas. “Just give me a second to feed Xemnas his teeth, and I’ll get back to making sure you and the others are okay, alright?”

“No. Xemnas is mine.”

It took a second for me to realise that the words I’d just heard had been my own, slipping out of my mouth before I could stop them. I mean, it’s not like I would have, but the chance woulda been nice. I took a deep, steadying breath, as I turned around to face Xemnas, Flame Liberator appearing over my shoulder with a flick of the wrist. As I stared up at my former boss, hovering above us with seeming indifference, a look of cold confidence on his face, I felt something stirring deep inside me. It wasn’t exactly an unfamiliar feeling, but it was definitely one I’d never felt so intensely before that moment.

Rage.

A burning, white-hot fury filled my veins as I glowered up at Xemnas, my teeth bared in a ferocious snarl. ‘Of course it was Xemnas,’ I thought to myself. ‘Why wouldn’t it have been? He’s the one who made me forget Xion. Who made EVERYONE forget her.

He’s going to burn for it.’

“Yeah, to hell with that!”

Apparently I wasn’t the only one surprised by my little outburst, as I saw three shocked pairs of eyes staring up at me. Only Kairi’s were different, her blue eyes narrowed indignantly, gleaming with the same resolve I’d seen in Xion countless times during our brief friendship. “You really think I’m just gonna stand on the sidelines again and watch you fight the bad guy? What the hell was all that training we did together for? What kinda sense does that make?”

I ran a gloved hand through my hair as I stared down at the indignant teenager, her arms crossed angrily across her chest as she glowered up at me. “Look, Kairi,” I sighed, holding a hand up to pacify her. “It’s not like that, okay?” My eyes flickered over to Roxas and Xion for a moment, before returning to hers. “It’s just…it’s personal for me.”

For a brief moment, Kairi faltered, her look of frustration momentarily overwritten by her unending well of empathy. “I get that,” she acknowledged, her gaze sliding towards Roxas and Xion. “But…you don’t have a monopoly on pain, Axel. Xemnas has hurt all of us, in more ways than I think we’ll ever even know. We all want a piece of him too. It’s not fair for you to just stand there and say he’s yours, you know? Besides, what if something happens to you?” Kairi gestured pointedly towards Roxas and Xion, still seated on the ground in an awkward embrace. “You just got them back, Axel. Please, don’t throw it away doing something stupid like this.”

Kairi and I stared at each other for a second, before I spoke. “I…just don’t want you to see me like this,” I replied quietly, unwanted memories playing on loop in my head. “Any of you.”

“Like what?” Kairi replied, brow furrowed in confusion.

But now you can be nothing, instead of being a Nobody. You’re off the hook.’

‘No…Please don’t! I don’t want to-’

‘Goodbye.’

I tore my gaze away from Kairi’s curious stare, my eyes drifting to my right hand. The sound of my own fingers snapping rang in my ears, followed immediately by Vexen’s anguished screams as he burned out of nonexistence at Castle Oblivion.

But as haunting as that sound was, it wasn’t even the worst part. No, the worst part was what came next.

‘What are you? WHAT ARE YOU PEOPLE?’

Sora’s face glared at me from inside my memory, anger and horror warring for dominance on his face as Vexen collapsed on the ground behind him.

My gaze flicked over to Sora, the naked concern on his face a stark contrast to the sheer fury rolling off him in my memory. A hand rested protectively on the Kingdom Key, ready to defend any one of us at a moment’s notice. ‘I count myself lucky every day that Sora doesn’t have to remember that,’ I thought to myself. ‘And if I have it my way, it’ll stay like that.’

“Axel?”

I turned to face Kairi, her hand resting supportively on my shoulder. “It’s okay,” she said, concern leaking into her voice. “We’re your friends. You can tell us anything. You know that, right? We’re here for you.”

‘If only you knew,’ I thought to myself bitterly as I shook my head. ‘I’d hoped that Axel would be dead and gone after I came back. But then…’ I looked towards Xemnas, the anger bubbling away under my skin, as I thought back to everything he’d taken from us.

Taken from her.

“Yeah,” I replied, my tone noncommittal. “But I’m angrier than I think I’ve ever been in my entire existence. And I don’t want the first thing Roxas and Xion see right after coming back to be what I’m about to do to Xemnas.”

Kairi stared up at me for a few seconds, before she sighed. “I’m not happy about this, Axel,” she admitted, running a hand through her hair. “But…I get it. It’s your call. BUT!” She jabbed a finger into my shoulder, glowering up at me. “If I think for even a second that you’re in trouble, then I’m coming in, and screw the consequences. You know what, if that happens, I’m gonna heal you, just so I can kick your ass myself for making us all worry. You got that?”

I let out a soft huff of amusement, still glaring up at Xemnas. “Yeah, I hear you. Don’t worry. I got this.”

“Good,” Kairi nodded, her gaze softening. “Just…be careful, alright Axel? Don’t underestimate Xemnas. It took both Sora and Riku to take him down last time.”

I nodded wordlessly, my grip tightening on Flame Liberator, taking comfort in my weapon’s presence. “Have you finally made a decision? Or were you perhaps hoping for old age to take me?” Xemnas remarked cooly, twin blades springing from the palms of his hands as he slowly lowered himself to the ground.

“And let something else kill you? Hell no,” I snarled under my breath, wisps of flame spouting from the tip of my Keyblade. A few beads of sweat ran down my face as I felt the temperature steadily begin to rise around me. “I’m going to make you beg for death for what you did to her.”

Xemnas raised an eyebrow, the usual look of smug condescension on his face. “You’d really throw everything away over a mere puppet?”

“You SON OF A-”

“A-Axel?”

A soft voice from behind me pulled me out of my anger like a bucket of ice cold water. ‘I can’t let them all see me like that,’ I thought to myself, Vexen’s screams ringing in my ears once more. ‘Need to keep a lid on it.

At least until it’s just me and him. Then I won’t have to hold back.’

With the thought of finally cutting loose and making Xemnas pay comforting me, I took one last, deep breath in, before forcing the anger I was feeling back down. And as the final touch, I plastered an exaggerated, jovial smile on my face, whirling around to face the kids. “You rang?” I asked, grinning playfully towards Xion.

Thankfully, my efforts were rewarded, as Xion smiled weakly at me, amusement flickering in the corner of her bright blue eyes. My heart almost skipped a beat as our gazes locked, and my grin widened as I realized Xion’s true eyes were staring back at me.

“Are you…going to be okay?” Xion asked weakly, pulling herself shakily to her feet. Roxas was beside her in an instant, resting her supportively against his shoulder. “I can help if you need it?”

For just a brief moment, I felt my control slip, my temper rising slightly at the situation Xemnas had put my best friends into. ‘Just a little longer,’ I told myself.

“Please,” I replied, waving a hand easily into the air. “I’m the grownup here. That means I’m supposed to handle all the icky jobs so you guys don’t have to.” I leaned in, my voice dropping to an exaggerated whisper. “And what’s ickier than Xemnas, right?” I pulled myself upright, mentally patting myself on the back as I was rewarded with a faint giggle from Xion. “So don’t you go worrying about a thing. I got this. I just need a little Axle grease, and Xemnas'll be done for. Trust me.”

Xion’s giggles grew, the air around us filling with full-blown laughs for a brief second, before she doubled over, coughing painfully into her hand. Another stream of healing spouted from Destiny’s Embrace towards Xion, as Kairi rolled her eyes at me. Whether it was my cheesy jokes, or Sora’s exuberant burst of laughter that followed each one, I had no idea. Not that it mattered anyway. It made Xion laugh, so I was gonna make them until I was dead and buried.

Roxas was the only one who wasn’t laughing, or playing along like Kairi. He clenched and unclenched his fists, glaring angrily up at Xemnas. “Are you sure you can take him?” He asked, without looking at me. 

“Please,” I replied, with the same casual tone I’d used with Xion and the others. “Do you have any idea how strong I am now? I mean, I’ve even got a Keyblade and everything.” I twirled Flame Liberator playfully between my fingers, the shimmering orange body of my weapon drawing Roxas' eye. “By the time I’m done with him, Xemnas'll be wishing he stayed gone.”

A soft smile graced Roxas' face at the mention of my Keyblade. “Yeah, I guess that’s true.” The smile grew bittersweet as his gaze drifted down to his own Keyblades. “Guess you don’t really need me looking out for you anymore, huh?”

I hesitated for a second, all anger forgotten at the forlorn look on Roxas' face. “Hey, c’mon, you know it’s not like that, right?” I reached out with my free hand, resting it reassuringly on Roxas' shoulder. “Just because I don’t need your help with something, that doesn’t make you less important to me. We’re friends, remember? I mean, without you and Xion, who else am I gonna eat ice cream with?” A thought occurred to me, and I reached into the pocket of my hood cloak, rummaging blindly for something. “And hey, if you are feeling a little left out, there are a few things I could use your help with.”

Roxas' face lit up, and he nodded eagerly. “Anything,” he replied instantly. “What do you need, Axel?”

“Look after Xion for me, alright?” I nodded towards Xion as she pulled herself free of the others, leaning heavily on her Keyblade as she tried to stand under her own power. “She’s been through the ringer pretty badly, and I reckon a familiar face would be good for her right now.”

Roxas followed my gaze, nodding. “Yeah. I can do that. She’ll be fine.”

“That’s right,” I nodded. “She’s a tough girl, and with you watching her back, I know that by the time I’m done with Xemnas, she’ll be fighting fit again.” My fingers finally closed around the small wooden object I’d been searching for, and I held it triumphantly in the air. “Secondly, there’s this.”

“Axel, that’s a stick,” Roxas replied flatly.

I shook my head, wagging a finger in the air, before tossing the stick towards him. “To the uninitiated, it might appear that way, but to those of us in the know, it is so much more than a mere stick.”

Roxas' hand closed around the stick, and his eyes widened as he realised what he was looking at. “You…still have this?” He asked. “After all this time?”

“Of course I do,” I replied softly. “This was a gift from someone very dear to me. No way I’d just throw it away.”

Roxas stared at the small, wooden stick he’d given me before he turned on the Organization, small tears filling the corners of his eyes. “Axel…I’m sorry. For what I said back then.”

“Don’t you worry about that right now,” I said, dismissing his apology with a shake of the head. “I’ve got my own share of crow to eat, after all. We can untangle all that stuff later, alright? For now, I just need you to hang onto that for me, and look after Xion.” I spotted movement out of the corner of my eye, and bit my lip to hold back a grin. “Scratch that. There’s one more thing I need from you, Roxas.”

“What’s that?”

A loud roar cut in before I could answer, and I grinned, jerking a thumb in its direction.

“I CALL ON THE MOON’S PALE LIGHT!”

“Isa has a butt that looks like it needs kicking. Reckon you can handle that for me?”

A savage grin spread across Roxas' face, his grip tightening on Oathkeeper and Oblivion. “I think I can manage that,” he replied, eyes narrowing as he turned in Isa’s direction. Isa roared, Lunatic flying through the air as he threw it bodily to the ground in front of Roxas. Shockwaves erupted from the point of impact, a sea of blue slamming into Roxas and the others, sending them all reeling backwards. Our eyes locked for a brief instant as Isa continued his mad dash forward, and I spotted something lurking behind his fury that I’d never expected to see again.

Understanding.

‘I want everybody I meet to remember me. Inside people’s memories, I can live forever.’

The words I’d shared with Isa all those years ago rang in my ears as our eyes met, and the long-dormant connection we used to share reforged itself.

‘Whatever you’re going to do,’ Isa’s voice resonated from within me. ‘Do it fast, and make it count.’

And then the moment was gone, as Isa‘s eyes slid away from mine, and he charged into Roxas and the others. “BACK TO DUST WITH YOU!” He roared, wild frenzied swings of Lunatic forcing Roxas and the others to retreat. A sea of blue flames trailed in his wake, spreading across the entire Keyblade Graveyard, and within moments, a blazing inferno separated myself and Xemnas from the others.

Perfect.

Xemnas seemed unbothered as I walked over to him, my hands clenched into angry fists. “Oh? You’re approaching me?” He asked dryly, his piercing eyes locked unerringly on my own. “Does this mean you’re finally ready to embrace oblivion? Or did you have more of my time you wished to waste?”

I ignored him, and kept walking. The anger I’d been carefully suppressing began to resurface, memories of Xion playing on loop through my head with each step.

Step

The look of quiet joy on Xion’s face as she pulled her hood back, showing her face to me for the first time.

Step

Roxas and Xion sharing a quiet moment together in the shadow of the clock tower. Her head resting lazily on his shoulder, a stick of sea-salt ice cream slowly melting between her fingers.

Step

A look of determination on Xion’s face, her hair fluttering in the wind as she dashed through the air towards the small army of Heartless surrounding Roxas.

Step

Tears cascading down Xion’s cheeks as she charged recklessly towards me, swinging her Keyblade with wild abandon.

Each and every step, punctuated by another memory of Xion. It didn’t matter whether those memories were good or bad.

What mattered was they were mine. And they were of Xion.

And Xemnas took them from me.

My eyes narrowed as the gap between us shrank, and I felt beads of sweat slowly begin to run down my face. Not because I was nervous, but because the area around me was growing hotter and hotter with every step. Xemnas tilted his head slightly, a hint of curiosity in his eyes as the ground began to crack underneath my feet. “Now that is interesting,” he said. “All this pointless anger, this…sturm und drang over a mere puppet? How…fascinating.”

That was the last straw. The temperature spiked around me as I shot forward, covering the ground between us in an instant. “DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU TOOK FROM HER?” I howled, hand clenched behind me in a tight fist. “WHAT YOU TOOK FROM ME?”

Xemnas raised an eyebrow as he noticed my fist flying through the air towards his face. “What exactly are you hoping to accomplish with-”

WHAM!

My fist connected with Xemnas' cheek, interrupting whatever inane bullshit he’d been spouting. He stumbled back a few steps, hand flying up to his cheek. It was probably more out of surprise that I’d just clocked him one, instead of any actual pain. But I didn’t care. Punching him just felt good. “Do you. Have any idea. What you took from her?” I repeated, my voice a furious snarl.

Xemnas ignored my question, running a hand down his cheek almost contemplatively. “How…infuriating,” he said, more to himself than anything. “A lifeless shell, and yet she still manages to forge connections strong enough that they exist past the erasure of her entire being.” He glowered at me, eyes narrowing in anger. “I can only assume this is your doing, Axel. What is it about that girl that drives you to such extremes?”

“You really don’t get it, do you?” I shot back, tightening my grip on Flame Liberator. “Fine then. I guess I’ll just have to BEAT IT INTO YOU!” I leapt forward, shooting myself towards Xemnas faster than he’d ever seen me move.

Xemnas' eyes snapped open, and he threw his weapons upwards with infuriating speed, crossing them defensively over his head. A harsh screech rang out across the battlefield as I brought my Keyblade down on Xemnas' crossed blades. 

And then another.

And another.

Again and again I lashed out with Flame Liberator, bringing it down on Interdiction with powerful, crushing strikes. Dirt began to gather behind Xemnas' feet as he was slowly pushed backwards, his arms beginning to tremble under the strain of my blows.

But for all that Xemnas might have bent under my ferocious assault, he never once broke. His guard was still too powerful.

‘A strong Heart begets a strong Keyblade,’ I reminded myself as I landed gently on the ground. ‘Remember why you’re doing this. What they mean to you, and what that bastard did to them.’

I gripped Flame Liberator with both hands, and charged forward, my mind filled with thoughts of Roxas and Xion.

‘Well, you heard the man. Starting today, I’m your babysitter.’

‘I can’t make that decision for you. You’re no puppet in my book. You’re my best friend. Mine and Roxas'. Got it memorized?’

As thoughts of the pair filled my head, I felt something stir deep inside me, my Keyblade resonating with my Heart in a way I’d never felt before. ‘Is this…’ I thought to myself, before a name rose up from deep inside me.

Bond of the Blaze.

Without pausing to think what it meant, I moved, tossing my Keyblade into the air, weaving between Xemnas' swift, deadly blows with ease. His eyes flicked up towards it, and he leapt after it, blades pulsing as they swung towards Flame Liberator.

And met air.

I grinned up at him, power like I’d never known coursing through me as I threw my hands outwards. Twin gouts of flame burst into life between my hands, and my Heart sang as a pair of familiar chakrams emerged from the fire.

I’d actually done it. I’d Formchanged my Keyblade.

Kairi and I had spent what felt like weeks together trying to unlock this during our training. But while she’d taken to Destiny’s Embrace quickly, unlocking Reign of Light with almost insulting ease, we’d never managed to figure out how to Formchange Flame Liberator.

Until now.

Without pausing to think, I hurled Bond of the Blaze at Xemnas, flame spewing from my chakrams as they spun dangerously through the air. Xemnas threw Interdiction forward to meet them, and our weapons clashed in the air once more.

This time, however, my Keyblade carved through Xemnas' defenses like they weren’t even there. A loud yell of pain was wrested from Xemnas' lips as Bond of the Blaze sent his weapons careening to one side, continuing their path to slam painfully into his chest.

My grin grew wide and feral as Xemnas stumbled backwards, glowering hatefully as he pulled himself to his full height, a hand still clutched around his stomach. I shot forwards, Bond of the Blaze returning to my hands with a thought, and I struck Xemnas twice with my Formchanged Keyblade before he could recover. ‘I’m not giving you a moment to catch your breath, you son of a bitch,’ I thought as I swung low, slamming my Keyblade into Xemnas' ankle. Xemnas grunted in pain, dropping to one knee as I stopped in front of him, Keyblade dangling loosely between my fingers.

“All I ever wanted in life was to be REMEMBERED,” I roared, bringing Bond of the Blaze down on Xemnas' shoulder. “THAT’S ALL ANYONE CAN ASK FOR!” I struck Xemnas across the cheek with another wild swing of my Keyblade, and was rewarded with a grunt of pain as he skidded across the ground. “To be remembered by the people we care about! To prove that we meant something to the world around us.” A flicker of realization crossed Xemnas' face as he pulled himself to his feet, stumbling backwards as he deflected another throw of my Keyblade. “You beginning to get it memorized, Xemnas?” I hissed, the temperature climbing higher and higher as I continued to trade blows with my former boss. “One day, I’ll be dead and gone, for real. No do-overs, no second chances. I’ll just be dead and buried. And the only thing I leave behind, that any of us leave behind, are the memories of the people who knew us.”

Bond of the Blaze faded from view, Flame Liberator reappearing over my shoulder as Xemnas tried and failed to pull himself to his feet. “But not her,” I said as I lashed out, seizing the opportunity to rain blow after blow after blow down on his defenseless body. “Not Xion. And it’s all your fault. Because you TOOK THAT FROM HER!” I leapt backwards, jets of flame erupting from my Keyblade, hurtling towards Xemnas faster than I could even process. “Just killing her would have been bad enough,” I spat, the flames growing larger and hotter with my anger. “But that wasn’t enough for you, was it?” I tightened my grip on Flame Liberator, flames slowly shifting to an ethereal, otherworldly blue as they washed over Xemnas. “YOU ROBBED XION OF HER RIGHT TO BE REMEMBERED!” I took a few slow steps towards Xemnas, voice rising to be heard over the roar of Flame Liberator. “THOSE MEMORIES WERE ALL SHE HAD! PROOF THAT SHE EXISTED! THAT SHE MATTERED TO PEOPLE! THEY WERE PROOF THAT WE LOVED HER!”

I gritted my teeth as wisps of steam began to trail off my cheeks, my tears evaporating as soon as they could form. “And you used me to do it,” I whispered, Flame Liberator glowing white as a pillar of blinding white flame erupted in front of me, Xemnas burning somewhere in the middle of it. “You made me an accomplice to the desecration of my friends death. And now, Xemnas? Now, when I’m done with you...you’re going to beg to be forgotten.”

The only response was the howl of flames as they burst forward from my Keyblade, spiralling towards the heavens. “How does it feel, Xemnas?” I asked, utterly devoid of mercy. “This is nothing compared to what you put Xion through. So how. Does. It. Feel?”

“I…HAVE HAD…ENOUGH OF THIS!”

Xemnas' bellow echoed, drowning out the furious howling of my flames as he scattered them to the winds with a wave of his hand. His black cloak hung in tatters off one shoulder as he took several slow, limping steps forward. “Time after time, you prove a constant thorn in my side,” he snarled, one hand hanging limply at his side, his now uncovered chest a mess of mottled bruises and patchy burns. “And now…I find what little patience I had for your incessant meddling has finally run dry.” Xemnas wheezed, his breath coming in short, uneven bursts as he raised his sole working hand angrily in my direction. “Your failure to…secure Naminé at Castle Oblivion,” he began, Interdiction slamming ferociously against Flame Liberator. “Your foolish, pointless friendships, giving puppets like them ideas above their station!” Our blades clashed again and again, Xemnas punctuating his statements with powerful swings from his one working blade. A brief, glancing blow landed across my chest, and I stumbled, wincing in pain. It wasn’t much, on its own. But it was all the opening Xemnas needed. 

“AGAIN AND AGAIN, YOU INTERFERED!” He roared, his sole remaining blade slamming painfully into my ankle. “You prevented them from eliminating one another, pointlessly delaying that which was inevitable!” He charged forward, knee rising to meet my stomach as I fell forwards, knee giving way from Xemnas' blow. I coughed, slumping against his leg, blood spraying across the ground beneath us as I keeled over.

“And after everything, still you persisted,” Xemnas spat, his voice barely legible over my yell of pain as his blade slammed into my shoulder. “Allowing Roxas to run free, disobeying yet another set of orders!” Xemnas stared down at me, eyes blazing with fury as he struck me backhanded across the face with one of Interdiction’s blades.

Even as I collapsed against the ground, groaning in pain, I still held Flame Liberator aloft, angling the tip of my Keyblade towards Xemnas. Fire streamed from its tip, washing pointlessly over Xemnas as he limped calmly over to me. As he did so, the sky lit up around him, dozens upon hundreds upon thousands of gleaming orange pinpricks slowly surrounding us. “And then,” Xemnas whispered, as I pulled myself shakily to my feet, Keyblade in hand, “your latest and greatest betrayal of all.” Xemnas' eyes flickered to the other end of the arena, the muted sounds of battle indicating Sora’s presence. “The eve of our triumph, with a perfect vessel ready to be inducted as our thirteenth.” His eyes turned back to me, and on some unseen command, the gleaming orange lights began to rain from the sky. My eyes widened, and I threw myself shakily to one side, a dozen pulsing blades of light penetrating the ground where I had stood mere moments ago. “And then who should make his untimely entrance, ruining our plans at the last possible minute?” Xemnas mused, eyes dancing with malice as I threw my Keyblade up in a hasty guard, deflecting several more beams of light.

I rolled backwards, Keyblade flying around me as I spun, ducking and weaving through Xemnas' onslaught. ‘How long has he been hiding something like this from me?’ I thought, quickly raising my Keyblade to block a powerful strike from Xemnas himself. I quickly filled my head with thoughts of my friends, the bittersweet memories that defined our friendship, our triumphs and failures alike, and Formchanged my Keyblade. Bond of the Blaze erupted to life in my hands, twin chakrams dancing as I rotated them around my body, deflecting as much of Xemnas' unending assault as I could.

And it still wasn’t enough.

All it took was a single hit to slip through my guard, clipping my wrist as I spun desperately to avoid it. I grimaced, hand flying back on reflex to my injured arm, and in that moment, three more beams of light struck against my legs and back. I let loose a fresh yell of pain as they hit me, stumbling forward from the impact.

Directly into a powerful overhand strike from Xemnas.

And just like that, it was over. Hell rained down on me from above as I jerked back and forth, each impact carrying me into two more. I stumbled blindly back and forward, Keyblade flying desperately around me, deflecting what little it could as I was bombarded from all sides. Eventually, even that failed me, and I was finally overwhelmed, hundreds of beams of light cascading down on me in unison.

I slumped to the floor, blood and tears mixing as they streamed down my cheeks. ‘Dammit,’ I thought, as I heard the faint sounds of footsteps stopping in front of me. ‘I thought I had him for a second there.’  

“And so, it ends,” Xemnas said, a hint of satisfaction colouring his tone, as his hand gripped my hair roughly. My scalp joined the rest of my body, screaming in agony as he pulled me painfully to my knees. “I think…no, I know I am going to take an inordinate amount of pleasure in killing you.” His blade snapped back into existence from his one working arm, pointed squarely between my eyes. “Any final words for your superior?”

I gazed blearily up at Xemnas for a moment, taking far longer than normal to process his question. I blinked for a few seconds, before the enormity of my situation struck me.

I was going to die.

With that knowledge, came a sense of…clarity. I had nothing left in me. Unless a miracle happened, Xemnas was going to kill me.

And if Xemnas was going to kill me, I was going to make damn sure he remembered it.

So I channeled every ounce of willpower I had left, narrowing my eyes as I glared up at him. “You…were never…my superior,” I spat.

Xemnas ran his eyes up and down my broken, battered frame for a moment, before snorting in derision. “I suppose I can allow you one last delusion,” he said, drawing his hand back. “Farewell, traitor.”

And then, just before Xemnas thrust his blade forward, it happened.

A miracle.

“AXELLLLL!”

Three voices rang out in unison across the battlefield, as Roxas, Xion and Kairi all charged across the arena towards Xemnas. Roxas dashed low against the ground, Oathkeeper and Oblivion carving deep furrows in the ground as he closed the gap between himself and Xemnas with powerful, confident strides. Xion hovered right behind him, flitting in and out of my hazy vision as a gleaming ball of pure light bounded across the battlefield. Whenever the orb touched the ground, Xion staggered back into existence for a brief instant, a pillar of light launching itself towards Xemnas from her spot.

Behind them, Kairi brought up the rear, torrents of magic streaming from her Keyblade as she launched an all-out assault on Xemnas.

“Insects!” Xemnas scowled at the kids, before his gaze flicked back over to me. “Very well then. I suppose I’ll have to make this quick.” Without any further preamble, Xemnas thrust his hand forward, pulsing blade flying right towards my head.

*CLANG*

And collided firmly with the gleaming orange shaft of Destiny’s Embrace as it hovered protectively in front of me. Xemnas' eyes narrowed for a moment, before he struck, angrily swinging his arm down towards me once more.

This time, Kairi was there, glowering up at Xemnas as her Keyblade rose to meet his attack. Water surged forth as their blades locked, flowing protectively around us as she counterattacked, striking Xemnas three times across the chest. “H-How?” I wheezed, partly to myself as I stumbled shakily to my feet. How had Kairi moved like that? She’d always been fast on her feet, but this was on another level compared to anything she’d shown me.

Kairi tilted her head slightly to face me, eyes softening as she took in my bruised and battered form. “Trick I picked up while you weren’t looking. You just rest up, Axel, and let us handle things from here. I need you in good shape for when I beat your ass later, remember?”

I let out a small snort, which rapidly dissolved into agonizing coughs as I tried in vain to pull myself to my full height. The sound of footsteps rushing towards me met my ears, and I whirled clumsily around, Flame Liberator in hand. I wasn’t gonna let anyone take me without a fight.

My Keyblade froze in the air, as I found Xion’s worried face staring up at me. “Axel, are you alright?” She asked faintly, stretching a hand cautiously towards me.

I swiftly pulled Flame Liberator back, grimacing in pain as I forced myself to stand up straight. “Pretty sure that’s my line,” I replied, forcing a grin on my face as I nodded gently towards Xion’s swollen red eyes and running nose. “You need anything, kiddo?”

“For you to be okay,” Xion whispered, resting a hand against my chest. A wave of healing washed over me, and I couldn’t stop the groan of relief from leaving my lips as the bone-deep aching that permeated every fibre of my being began to recede. “I don’t want you to die, Axel. I…just got you and Roxas back. I don’t want to lose you so quickly.”

I rubbed the back of my head stiffly, my arm making its displeasure at being moved known. “Hey, it’s not so bad,” I began. “You should see the other guy.”

“I don’t CARE about the other guy,” Xion snapped, her voice rising for a second, before she devolved into coughs. “I don’t care what happens to him,” she repeated softly. “I’d let Xemnas walk away, if it meant you and Roxas didn’t have to die.”

I froze for a second, before slumping my shoulders. “Sorry for making you worry,” I whispered, as I collapsed against the ground again. “I just…didn’t want him to get away with what he did to you.”

“I forgive you, Axel,” Xion smiled down at me, tears dripping from her cheeks even as a second healing spell streaming from her hands. “For everything.” Xion pulled herself back up, Keyblade in her hands as she turned towards Xemnas. “You can leave Xemnas to us, Axel. Just rest. For me?”

I hesitated for a second as Xion began to walk away. “Are you sure?” I asked. “I’m still good to-” 

“We’ve got this, Axel,” Xion replied, a tinge of steel colouring her voice. “Just watch.”

I gingerly shuffled myself around as Xion walked away, Keyblade held firmly in my hand as she entered the fight. Although calling it a fight was probably being too kind to Xemnas.

What I was witnessing was a thrashing.

Kairi was dancing between Xemnas' strikes, lashing out with surgical precision as Destiny’s Embrace cracked against Xemnas' elbows, knees, even the side of his jaw at one point. Whenever Xemnas' raw might threatened to overcome her, Roxas charged forth, slamming Oathkeeper and Oblivion into Xemnas with all the subtlety of a motorized sledgehammer, overwhelming him with sheer force. Even then, Kairi refused to remain a bystander, leaping into the air and firing a veritable sea of magic towards Xemnas. 

And then Xion joined in, and what had begun as a mere thrashing transformed into an outright slaughter. She flickered in and out of view as she darted towards Xemnas, pillars of light shooting across the ground with every move she made. Then, she collided with Xemnas like a freight train, and it was all over for him. Xion’s Keyblade tore through the air, slamming into Xemnas again and again and again , sending him careening backwards under the sheer weight of Xion’s devastating assault. Xemnas' knees buckled for a moment, before he collapsed to the floor, his final blade flickering out of existence as he fell. The minute his blade disappeared, Roxas, Xion and Kairi were on him, Xemnas stumbling back and forth as the trio descended on him like hungry sharks. Dust erupted into the air as they made mincemeat of Xemnas, to the point where it became impossible to actually make out what was happening. 

‘So that’s Xemnas taken care of,’ I thought as I slowly pulled myself back to my feet. ‘Maybe I’ll go see if Sora needs a hand or something.’ I turned towards where I’d last seen Sora, still locked in battle with Isa, and my jaw dropped. ‘Is that…supposed to be Sora?’  

At first glance, the figure looked absolutely nothing like Sora. A pair of pitch black shoes tore deep grooves into the ground as it charged across the battlefield, wisps of Darkness trailing in its wake. Dark hair waved in the breeze as the figure raced towards Isa, its deep, burning orange eyes remaining fixed on his bruised and battered form, blazing with hatred as it tackled him into the nearest wall. A shadowed, ebony Keyblade swung through the air, deep, booming cracks ringing out with every strike, as blow after blow landed on Isa’s now defenseless form.

But then I looked closer, and the truth hit me like one of those ruthless, unhinged strikes.

‘Keyblades are weapons of the Heart,’ I reminded myself. ‘And even with the extreme makeover, there’s no mistaking that Keyblade.’

Finally, Isa slumped to the ground, and Sora slowly pulled himself away from my now defeated friend. The wisps of darkness that had been leaking off his body intensified, and he looked around urgently, as colour slowly returned to his frame. His grin widened as we locked eyes, before he spotted Kairi and the others, still locked in battle behind me. 

And just like that, he was gone.

I grinned, a feeling of lightness that I hadn’t felt in a long time taking over me. “Jeez,” I laughed as I let myself sink down onto the cold, dusty floor of the Keyblade Graveyard, hands resting leisurely behind my head. “And I thought Dark Rescue was supposed to be my middle name.”