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Chapter One - A Second Chance


Feeling the life leaving his body, Axel felt little sadness over his own, imminent death. His only regret was that he would never see Roxas again.

"No! What's happening?" Sora asked, rushing to his side.

"I put the last of my strength into that attack. I have nothing left," Axel replied.

Sora tried to cast a Cure spell on Axel, but it had no affect. "...Dammit! Isn't there any way to save you?"

"Nope. But it's no loss; I wasn't really alive anyway. No heart, you know?"

"Don't give up! After what you did for us, I can't just watch you die," Sora said. He knelt down, pulled Axel's arm over his shoulder, and struggled to his feet.

"Don't you get it? It's hopeless, so don't waste your time on me! Hey, I don't even want to live!" Axel cried.

"Because you don't have a heart, right? Well, maybe once this is all over, I could help you get your heart back. It has to be out there somewhere, right? Whether it's in a Heartless, or it ended up in Kingdom Hearts, you have to have hope that you'll find it!"

Axel froze. Was it really possible? Could Sora help him to get his heart back? Could he become whole? He shook his head. It didn't matter. He only had seconds left; there was no way he could be saved.

Sora, unwilling to give up, walked slowly towards the dark portal, hindered by the extra weight. Then, he felt some of the weight was relieved. Looking over, he saw Goofy taking Axel's other arm.

"Goofy...," Sora said gratefully.

"We have to hurry!" Donald said, walking ahead of them.

"But, uh, what can we do?" Goofy asked.

"Maybe I can help," a female voice said. Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked around for the source, and saw a portal open in mid-air. A blonde girl, wearing a white dress, stepped out. She looked at Axel.

Sora felt the fire user stiffen at his side. Glancing over, he saw that Axel was frozen: his chest stopped in mid-breath, his face fixed into an expression of mild surprise, and the wisps of darkness around him suspended in th air.

"What did you do to him?" Sora demanded, looking at the girl.

"I froze him in time, so you'll have the chance to save him," the girl replied.

"You can change him back, right?" The girl nodded. Sora looked satisfied with that. "Okay... Who are you, anyway?"

Her expression saddened. "So you don't remember me after all. I couldn't have expected you to. ...I'm Naminé."

Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at each other. Jiminy popped onto the scene and pulled out his journal, and they all looked at it.

"'Thank Naminé...," they said in unison.

"I guess we already had something to thank you for, and now you're helping us again. So...thanks!" Sora said.

Naminé smiled. "You're welcome. I'm always glad to help you."

"But...now what do we do?" Sora asked.

"Well, the problem is that he used up all of his energy, right?" Sora nodded, and she continued. "Then, he needs someone to lend him some strength."

"I will," Sora said immediately.

"But Sora, we need all the strength we have to fight the Organization!" Donald cut in.

"Don't worry; you don't have to give him a lot of your strength," Naminé explained. "The less you give him, the longer it'll take for him to recover. That's all."

"Fine. How do I do it?" Sora asked, ignoring Donald's annoyed glare.

"Use the Keyblade," Naminé replied.

Sora laid Axel on the floor of the pathway and stepped back. He held out his hand, called the Keyblade, and then he pointed it at Axel's chest. He then looked at Naminé questioningly.

"That's right. Now concentrate your power into the Keyblade, and send it out to Axel," she said.

Sora closed his eyes. He put a little of his power into his weapon, and it shot out at Axel's body. As light flashed from the end of the Keyblade, Naminé started Axel's time again. Sora opened his eyes and saw Axel's chest begin to slowly rise and fall.

"It...worked?" Sora asked, sounding both surprised and happy.

"Yes. He'll need a lot of rest, but he'll be okay," Naminé replied. Sora sighed in relief.

"We need to get going, Sora," Donald reminded him.

"Oh, right! Let's take Axel back to Twilight Town, then we'll go rescue Kairi!" Sora said.

.o.

Axel found himself surrounded by something very familiar to him - darkness.

So is this what death is like? Or is it just what happens to a Nobody? he wondered. Is this it - the end of existence? Am I less than a Nobody now? Am I just...nothing?

He suddenly realized that the could hear faint voices.

"...Yeah, it is the guy who took Kairi, isn't it? Why the heck did Sora bring him back here?"

"I don't know, but I guess we should do like he said. He seems to know what he's doing, while we don't even know what's going on..."

What the hell is this? Axel silently asked. Are those the voices of other dead Nobodies? I don't get it...

----- End of Chapter -----

Chapter Two – Friends, Old and New

"I wonder if he'll wake up anytime soon?" Pence said, poking Axel in the side. The Nobody didn't react; he was still out cold.

"What I'm more worried about is Sora. I mean, he's been gone a while...," Hayner replied.

"I hope he's alright. Donald, Goofy, and Kairi, too," Olette added.

"It seems like they're fighting some battle that we don't know about... I wish we could help...," Hayner said.

.O.

Okay, getting really bored now..., Axel thought, his eye (did he have eyes anymore?) twitching.

He could still faintly hear the conversation, and had realized it was the three kids from Twilight Town - the ones who had tried to protect Kairi. By the sounds of it, Sora and the others weren't back yet. He had listened to their conversation for a while, being interested in Sora's situation, as well as his own. But, they hadn't really said anything new for a while now, and so, he was losing his interest...

.O.

...La la la la la "La la la...la...la?"

Axel suddenly realized that he was singing his I'm-going-insane-from-boredom song aloud, instead of in his head. He slowly opened his eyes, gave an over-dramatic cry of pain, and shut them again. Back in blessed darkness, he heard footsteps running towards him and stopping at his bedside.

Sora ran into the room and looked down to see Axel lying there with his eyes squeezed tightly shut. He hoped that the redhead was finally awake.

"Hey, Axel? Can you hear me?" he asked.

"Loud and clear, Sora," Axel replied.

"How do you feel?"

"Well, I'm alive, which is a surprise. Despite what I said, I'm grateful. I owe you one," Axel said. He opened his eyes a crack, and winced as the light streamed in. He'd gotten so used to the darkness...

"How long was I out?" he asked.

"A little over three weeks now..."

"Wow. I guess that's what happens when you're brought back from the brink of death. So, what happened with Xemnas and the others? ...Duh, you wouldn't be here like this if you had lost..."

"Yeah, we won. I found Kairi and Riku, and we're all back home. That's where you are now."

Axel opened his eyes wider, finally adjusting to the light. "So, what do we do now?"

"I'll help you find your heart, like I promised," Sora said.

"Do you really think that's possible?"

"Anything's possible, and it makes sense that your heart would end up somewhere once you lost it... Whether we can be sure of it or not, I gave you my word, so I plan to keep it."

"You don't have to do that, Sora. You've already done a ton for me. I could try to get it back on my own..."

Sora shook his head. "I never want to break a promise. Besides, you might need me and my Keyblade at some point."

Axel closed his eyes, feeling tired already. His body was still weak, after all. As his consciousness slipped away, he mumbled two words:

"Thanks, Sora..."

.O.

"Did he fall asleep again?" Kairi asked from the couch.

"Yeah. I wonder how long it will take for him to fully recover...," Sora said, plopping down beside her.

She took his hand. "I hope it's soon. Maybe you won't be so worried once he's up and about. You're always leaving to check on him, taking time away from the rest of us."

He looked her in the eye. "I'm sorry, Kairi. We've just been reunited and I'm not giving you and Riku my full attention. And soon, I might have to leave again... But, Axel needs my help. I owe him, and not just that, I feel like he's my friend, even though I hardly know him."

Kairi nodded, smiling sadly. "I understand. You've always made friends easily, and you're the type to help out anyone in need. You couldn't stay here when he was wandering without a heart, and without a purpose."

Sora touched his forehead to hers, his hand still in hers. "Thank you, Kairi. I promise, I'll come back as soon as I can."

.O.

Axel grew stronger with each passing day, being able to stay conscious longer and longer. In a week, he was starting to walk around, with some help from his caretaker. A few weeks after that, and he was almost back to normal.

Sora took him outside for the first time. They were looking around the Keyblade wielder's hometown. As they went down a street lined with different shops, Sora pointed to a candy store.

"How about some candy, to celebrate your recovery?" he asked.

"Aw, isn't that sweet. No pun intended," Axel said with a grin.

"I'll take that as a yes."

The two went through the door, a little bell jingling to signal the arrival of customers. The man behind the counter looked up briefly from a newspaper, smiled in welcome, then resumed reading.

"What do you like?" Sora asked, looking at one of the shelves of candy.

"I don't know... I mean, I have the general idea of what they are, but as a member of Organization XIII, I didn't really take the time to try out candies," Axel replied.

"Well, my favorite kind would have to be the rock candy. You wanna try some of that?"

"As long as it doesn't taste like rocks..."

"Don't worry, they're pure sugar." Sora brought several sticks of rock candy to the counter and purchased them.

"Thanks. Hope to see you again," the cashier said absently as the boys walked out.

"Here you go," Sora said, handing over some candy.

Axel took it and held it up to the sunlight. "Hey, it looks more like a crystal. They should call it "crystal candy"; that sounds much prettier."

"I doubt they gave it that much thought," Sora replied, crunching on his own sweet.

"I never thought I'd be walking around in a peaceful place like this, eating candy with the Keyblade wielder," Axel commented.

"You haven't actually started eating it yet..."

"Oh, right. Here I go." The red-head chomped on the candy, finding it harder than expected. He bit down harder, and the candy broke into small, rectangular prisms. He chewed on them, smiling at the simple, but pleasant, taste.

"Rock candy is my favorite, too," he announced.

"You can't decide it's your favorite if you haven't tried any other kinds...," Sora pointed out.

"Hm, I guess you're right..."

"Hey, Sora!" a voice called out. Sora turned to see Riku running towards him.

"Hi, Riku!" the brunet said back.

"So, he's finally able to leave the house?" Riku asked, looking at Axel.

"Yep," Sora replied happily.

"I guess that means you'll both be leaving soon, huh?" the silver-haired boy asked quietly.

The question caught Sora by surprise. He looked down, saying, "Yeah..."

"Way to kill the mood," Axel muttered.

"No, I'd been planning to talk about it anyway," Sora said. "When you're all better, we'll be leaving. I need to start saying good-bye to everyone."

"Sora... You worked so hard to find me, and now you have to leave?" Riku asked.

"I'm sorry, but it's something I have to do."

"I know that... But I still don't like it."

Axel put his hands behind his head and said, "Then, sorry to split you kids up again." Sora couldn't tell if the red-head was being sincere or sarcastic. His voice always seemed to have that same tone.

"I don't blame you," Riku said.

"Thanks." Definite sarcasm that time.

Riku shrugged. "So what's the plan? Any idea where you're gonna start in your search for his heart?"

Sora crossed his arms and looked thoughtful. "I'm not sure. Maybe Merlin the Wizard will know something, or I could try asking King Mickey."

Riku raised his hand and called Soul Eater, swinging the blade through the air. "Well, if you need another weapon on your side, I don't have any pressing business around here."

"No, I need you to stay with Kairi. I don't want her to be alone again."

"Alright. Are you sure you can do this, just the two of you?"

"I might be able to get help from Donald and Goofy, and if not, yeah, I think we can handle it."

Axel slung his arm over Sora's shoulders. "Yep, we'll make a great team. Won't we, Sora?"

----- End of Chapter -----

Chapter Three – Depart on Our Adventure

"Alright, I'll need a new wardrobe!" Axel announced. Sora, Kairi, and Riku stared blankly at him.

"Don't randomly blurt out things like that," Riku said.

"Um... What did you mean, Axel?" Sora asked.

"Well, I can't just wear my Organization XIII uniform when we go. People will think I'm suspicious," Axel stated.

"You are suspicious...," Riku muttered.

"What? You don't trust me? But Sora does... Isn't that good enough for you?" Axel asked, resting his arms on top of the brunet's head.

Riku sighed, looking aggravated. "This has nothing to do with him. You're just really strange... I mean, people couldn't possibly mistake you for a normal person..."

Axel glared at the silver-haired teen, looking to say something back, but Sora interrupted. "So, we need to get you clothes before we leave. Want to go to the store later today?"

.O.

"Hmm, how about this one?"

Sora walked over to Axel and gaped at the garment that the redhead was holding up.

"How about something less...conspicuous?" Sora suggested, eyeing the bright red trenchcoat with its fur trim.

"Aww," Axel whined, pouting. He put the coat back and went off to look for something else. Sora rubbed his temples; this was the fourth article of clothing that had been rejected. Either Axel was trying to mess with him, or the guy had very strange tastes...

"Sooora!" the fire user said.

"Coming..."

Sora approached to see Axel holding up a pair of black leather pants, along with a low-cut black vest, and a grey muscle shirt to go under that. The vest came with some black arm sleeves.

"I suppose that's the best we can do," Sora said.

"Okay, I'll go try it on," Axel chirped. He went into one of the fitting stalls.

A minute later, he called Sora over; the Keyblade wielder went into the stall at the redhead's invitation.

"Whaddaya think?" Axel asked. He was standing in a vaguely provacative way, his backside to Sora, his hand against the side of the stall.

"What are you doing?"

"Posing. So, how is it?"

"Errr..."

"Am I so hot that you're speechless?"

"I-I'm not like that! Sheesh!"

"Oh, you're blushing...!"

.O.

"That took you awhile. How'd it go?" Kairi asked as Sora sat down beside her and Riku. He'd agreed to meet them at the beach once the shopping was done.

"Ugh, it was a disaster. It took him forever to pick out some half-decent clothes," Sora replied tiredly.

"I guess the Organization didn't have much fashion sense...," Riku commented.

"Apparently," Sora said flatly.

"Anyway, let's just try to enjoy the last of our time together," Riku said.

"That makes it sound like I'm leaving forever... I'll probably be able to visit every once in a while, and when I'm done, we can be together again," Sora replied.

"Well, who knows how long this is gonna take."

"Have a little optimism, Riku! Sora will do his best to come back to us soon, so let's support him!" Kairi cried.

"Of course I support him. You know that, right, Sora?"

Sora nodded. "I know I can always count on you guys."

.O.

With a wave of his hand, Axel opened a dark portal. It was time to depart. The fire user and the Keyblade wielder would be going alone; Donald and Goofy hadn't been available to help them. Kairi, Riku, Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie were all seeing them off.

"Come back soon," Tidus said.

"We'll miss you, ya?" Wakka added.

"Be sure to visit!" Selphie ordered.

Kairi ran up to Sora and threw her arms around him. "It'll be so lonely with you gone...," she said, beginning to cry.

"Hmph, so it's not enough for me to keep you company? Maybe I should just go with them," Riku said, walking up to his best friends.

Kairi stepped back, wiping away her tears. "No, I'm glad you're going to stay with me, Riku. But you have to admit, it's going to be quiet around here without Sora..."

"Yeah, you're right. We'll miss you, man." He and Sora shook hands, then the silver-haired boy pulled the brunet into an embrace. "Take care of yourself," he said into Sora's ear.

"You too. And watch over Kairi," Sora replied. He was beginning to feel teary-eyed himself.

"Well, we're off to see the wizard!" Axel said.

Sora pulled away from Riku and waved to everyone as he stepped through the portal. Axel gave a bow and followed. They came out inside of Merlin's house.

"Oh, visitors? Good to see you again, Sora," Merlin said. He turned to Axel. "And who is this?"

"This is Axel," Sora replied.

"It's nice to meet you. What can I do for you boys?"

"Well, you see, Axel is a Nobody, meaning that he has no heart. We were wondering if you knew of a way to get his heart back," Sora said.

Merlin ran his hand through his beard. "Hmm, I'm afraid I can't give you the answers you seek. I'm not really the authority on hearts and the like... A more suitable person to ask would be Ansem the Wise, but unfortunately, he's deceased."

"...But, his computer might have some information. Thanks, Merlin," Sora said.

"I'm always happy to lend a hand," Merlin replied.

Sora and Axel went out the door. They headed through the Burough, and after a run through the maze-like Bailey, they arrived at Ansem's secret room. They found Leon there.

"Hi, Leon!" Sora exclaimed.

"Hey, Sora. It's been awhile. What brings you here? I take it you didn't just want to visit me...," Leon said. He eyed Axel warily. The redhead raised an eyebrow under the scrutiny.

"Oh, this is my friend, Axel. We're looking for information on how to get his heart back. That's why we've come to ask the computer..."

"I see. Well, go right ahead. I was about done with it, anyway," Leon replied. He headed for the door.

"I hope we'll see each other again soon," Sora said.

"Yeah. Good luck." Leon exited the room.

Sora stepped up to the computer and started pressing buttons. After a few tries, he managed to open up a search window. He typed in "hearts" and hit go; another window came up with a long page about hearts. Sora scanned through it, scrolling down until he found what he needed.

"Whenever a heart is lost, it creates a heartless. If the heartless is destroyed, the heart is relocated. Some hearts it end up in Kingdom Hearts; however, the rest of the hearts will appear in certain locations, which serve as reservoirs for hearts. If one without a heart were to visit these locations, he could regain his heart.

"But how would he know which heart is his, when there are so many to choose from? When he is near his own heart, he will know. The body and soul that were left behind can sense the missing piece, and they long to be completed.

"The known worlds where hearts can be found are listed below..."

"Wait, I don't think I've been to any of these places before," Sora said with a frown.

"Well, there are as many worlds as there are stars in the sky. Of course you couldn't have been to all of them," Axel reasoned.

"Yeah, I guess so. Good thing they give us coordinates... Do you think you can take us there with your dark portals?"

"If I have the general idea of where they are, then yeah, I should be able to."

"Okay, let's do it," Sora said.

Axel read over the coordinates of the first location, then opened a portal. He looked at Sora.

"You ready for this? We don't know what kind of place we'll end up in. It might be even weirder than some of those other worlds we've been to...," he said.

Sora nodded. "I'm ready. Besides, waiting isn't going to make it any easier."

"Right. Let's go, then." Axel stepped through the portal, immediately followed by Sora. They came out in a forest.

"...Aw, how boring," Axel whined.

"Hey, look at that," Sora said, pointing at a white building in the distance.

"Well, at least we aren't going to get lost in the woods... Still doesn't look very exciting, though."

"C'mon," Sora said. He started walking towards the house.

.O.

Tohru Honda was humming quietly to herself while she strung up some laundry. She picked up a towel from the basket, and turned around to hang it, only to find someone standing right in front of her. She let out a squeak of surprise.

"U-um, hello," she said nervously. She looked behind the red-haired man to see a boy with spikey, brown hair. Both of them were wearing strange clothes.

"How can I help you? ...Did you get lost in the woods?" she asked.

Axel looked the girl up and down. She had long brown hair, large eyes, and an innocent face. She was rather short and slight in frame.

"Well, we just kind of appeared in the middle of those woods. So yeah, I guess you could say we're lost," Axel said.

"Uh, where are we?" Sora asked.

"Oh, this is the Sohma residence," the girl replied.

"I think we're in the right place," Sora told Axel.

"Of course! I wouldn't lead us astray!" Axel replied. He looked back to Tohru. "Well, I'm Axel, and this is Sora. Hey, do you know where we can find the hearts?"

"It's nice to meet you both. I'm Tohru Honda. And...I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what hearts you're talking about," the girl said. She suddenly put a hand to her mouth. "Oh! Where are my manners? I should invite you in for tea!"

Axel and Sora looked at each other, then shrugged. "We'll take you up on that," the redhead said.

"Okay!" Tohru replied. She hung up the towel she was holding, then led the two boys inside. "Please sit here while I go make some tea."

"Thanks," Sora said. As Tohru went into the kitchen, he turned to Axel. "I wonder if the people who live on these worlds don't know about the hearts?"

"Either that, or it's just this girl who's clueless, which doesn't seem that unlikely," Axel replied. "Though, she is kinda cute, in a ditzy way... She reminds me of you!"

"What? I am not ditzy!" Sora cried.

----- End of Chapter -----