Authors note: All right guys, we need to chat. Now you are probably wondering why I have not been updating this story. Truthfully, it was because I was getting a little burnt out. Staying this close to cannon really makes writing certain parts really boring, and that's why I had such a hard time trying to get this chapter out.

Also, I was a bit surprised by the comments about last chapter. I don't know what you expect out of this story, but I don't know if I should be flattered, or stressed about the expectations. A lot of you were upset and thought that my reasoning behind Wales's heart residing in Henrietta was lazy. People also were upset because I brought him back and said that by doing so, it hindered the growth of Henrietta in the process. One reviewer even said she was "Mentally unstable, unable to live sanely without wales." I don't know if that was the impression that I gave in this story, but that was definitely not my intention. I am only guessing that whoever said that has not experienced what it is like to lose someone you love with all your heart, or the major temptation of wanting to give up everything to be with them again.

Another complaint I got was the claim that I just brushed Henrietta's actions under the rug and that she had to pay somehow for her actions. I am curious, was there a consequence in the anime besides seeing wales die again? Did Louise or Saito never trust her again, or were they even mad after the fact? No, they were not. So, your reasoning is kinda moot at that point. Besides, Axel tried to kill Roxas remember? Did Roxas even care? No, he did not. They were still friends after that without question.

Lastly, another reviewer said that I killed major plot points from the original anime. You do realize this is a fan fiction, right? Not everything is going to be the same. This is a different story with a different plot, and a different outcome. If you wanted me to do everything the same way as in the anime, then just watch the show and don't read fan fiction, because fan fiction changes things including major plot points and character developments.

Lastly, only one reviewer said this so it's not that big of a deal I guess. But I do know that Moogles say KUPO after like every sentence, but that is just annoying to write repeatedly. So, I don't think I will add it to Suki's dialogue.

Now that I have said that, I am not sure when I will update again. But since I was so far into the editing of this chapter, I didn't want to leave it alone to gather cyber dust. And I didn't just want to leave you all hanging forever with the previous chapter, so I am giving you this one. A lot has happened since I last updated. My last semester of college, graduation, and now starting a new career. I don't know if I will have time to write and post fan fiction as often as I would like. But while it lasted, I have enjoyed it immensely. Thank you for a great ride, but I think this will be my last chapter for a while.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything

Warning: You know, no matter how many times I say this, there will always be someone who comments on the spelling, so its whatever. I kinda feel like they mention it in reviews just to troll me. It's funny that even a college graduate still has trouble with spelling, but its tough to catch them all when you have over 25 pages to edit.

A Heart in the Void

Chapter 22

"You are having the worst streak of bad luck recently Xehanort." Braig commented as he kicked his feet up on the table, resting his hands behind his head in the process.

"I can't disagree with you there. I didn't expect Wales's heart to find its way to Henrietta after he became a nobody."

"Not to mention the pink-haired runt was able to remove Wales's heart from Henrietta's. How did she manage to do that anyway?"

Xehanort rested his chin on his intertwined fingers as he thought for a moment. "The power of light has always been an unpredictable force. Even the door to light holds many mysteries that not even I have discovered."

"Not that you have tried very hard." Braig commented absently.

"You are not incorrect, the light has never interested me." Xehanort replied as he stood up from his seat and walked over to the window.

"Yeah, I noticed. But still, what are we going to do about Roxas and his little nobody army?" Braig asked as he sat up.

A grin formed on Xehanort's face as he turned back to Braig. "It would have been more convenient to have Wales on our side since it would have emotionally destroyed the queen of Tristan, but there are always other options."

Braig narrowed his eyes a bit. "What other optio…" Braig started before he was interrupted by the sound of a door opening behind him.

He turned in his chair to see a person standing there. It took only a second for the former nobody's eyes to light up in recognition. A sinister grin crossed his face as he turned back to Xehanort. "I suppose this was part of your plan as well, you devious bastard." Braig finished, his voice holding a hint of excitement.

Xehanort's grin increased as well.

"Indeed."

It was a usual morning for Roxas as he exited the academy, heading toward the kitchen for a routine breakfast with the staff. As he walked across the grass, the conversation he had with Suki was playing through his mind again. Turns out, she was not too happy with the way he used the Mega-Elixir. She was not accompanying him at the moment because she said she needed time to think.

Moments earlier

"You mean to tell me that I SLAVED over a hot cauldron to make that Mega-Elixir and you didn't even use IT!?" Suki shouted as she started smacking Roxas on the top of his head with her paws. "Do you realize how many things I have to synthesize in order to get the correct ingredients for that potion! And you DIDN'T USE IT!"

"It went to a worthy cause." Roxas responded as he raised his hand in defense. "We were able to heal all of the musketeer knights with it."

"But you got hurt!" Suki retorted. "You could have used that Mega-Elixir to heal yourself and Louise."

"Suki, its fine." Roxas pleaded, trying to calm the enraged Moogle down.

"How can you be so calm about this? How is this FINE!? HOW IS ANYTHING FINE!" Suki shouted as she stopped beating on his head. She floated in front of him, her head down a bit. "The Queen was about to betray her country. She attacked you and Louise, trying to kill you even. How can you be ok with that? How can you just let that go?"

Roxas paused as he thought about how to reply. Eventually, he just sighed as he reached up and gently patted the Moogles head. "You just do. What is the point of holding a grudge against her? What good would that do for anyone?"

"But how? If it were me, I would never forgive her for trying to kill me."

Roxas paused again as he gently scratched the top of Suki's head. She did have a point, but it was not like this was a first for Roxas. "You know that I used to be apart of Organization 13, right?"

Suki looked up at him before nodding her head.

"Well, I used to be best friends with a guy named Axel."

"Axel?"

"Yeah." Roxas said as he continued to scratch the top of her head. "When I left Organization 13, Axel was given the task to bring me back…And if he couldn't, he was supposed to kill me. So naturally, he attacked and tried to kill me, even though we were best friends."

Suki didn't respond, but continued to listen.

"But even though we fought and I won, I never held it against him for what he did. Before both of us disappeared, we didn't even mention the fight that happened between us. We just didn't care. There was no point in being angry."

"But-But Henrietta drove ice spikes through your stomach!" Suki countered.

"And Axel nearly burnt me to death." Roxas replied. "Suki, She already apologized for what she did, rather profusely. She knows what she did was wrong, and she feels extremely bad about it. So why should I still be angry with her? What's the point?"

"Well…"

Roxas gave a small sigh as he remembered Henrietta apologizing repeatedly to everyone once she had calmed down enough and finally came to her senses. They could see the guilt and regret on her face when she realized just what she was about to do to them and her country.

"Suki, friends forgive each other for their mistakes. Was there ever a time where you made a mistake and wanted forgiveness? How would you feel if they decided to not grant you that?"

Suki didn't respond as she lowered her head again.

"Like I said, holding a grudge doesn't accomplish anything. It only causes more pain for everyone."

"I-I guess." Suki replied as she slowly floated away from him before landing gently on the bed. "Go on ahead without me. I have a few things I need to think about. But you still owe me for that potion! It wasn't easy to make mind you."

Roxas gave her a soft smile as he turned to exit the room. "Yeah Yeah. I owe you one Suki." He said before he closed the door behind him.

"Still…" Suki mused as she heard Roxas close the door. She adopted a thinking pose. "That name…Axel…why does it sound so familiar?"

Now

Roxas shook his head as he approached the kitchen. Suki really did bring up some really good points. He had every right to be angry with Henrietta. He trusted her, Louise trusted her, yet the Queen was nearly threw that all away for the chance to be with Wales again.

He should be angry…But like he told Suki, what would be the point? Taking a page out of Sora's book, even before Riku was possessed, he tired to kill Sora. If goofy hadn't been there, Sora would have lost his heart. But despite everything Riku did, Sora never held it against him. He looked all over the cosmos for his friends and even shed tears when they were finally reunited.

Would it have been better if Sora had hated Riku and chose never to forgive him? Would that have come to a better conclusion?

Nope!

Not once did Sora mention what Riku did, nor was he ever mad at him for the path he chose to follow. So if Sora could forgive like that, then why couldn't Roxas?

He was Sora's nobody after all.

It was the end of another day at Tristan academy of magic. And per usual, Roxas was sitting at his spot on the edge of the tower, watching the sunset. The only difference this time was a blue ice cream bar in his right hand. Taking a moment to glance down at the cold dessert, he slowly brought it up to his mouth before taking a bite.

"Ugh!" he groaned as he forcefully swallowed. Marteau was still a bit off from the nostalgic flavor he longed for. "What do you think Sylphid?" Roxas asked as he raised the ice cream above his head.

The dragon, which was currently curled around him and Tabitha, slowly lifted her head and chomped the entire bar in one bite. She chewed for a second before cringing as well. She shook her head before laying it down back on the stone floor.

Roxas chuckled a bit as he turned back to the sunset. "My thoughts exactly." He said before he felt a slight pressure on his shoulder. Glancing down, he noticed Tabitha leaning her head against him, her book propped open in her lap. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing deeply, signifying that she had fallen asleep.

Roxas felt a blush dust his cheeks as he gave a small smile, turning back to the sunset. He didn't mine it. The silence was a welcoming way to wind down for the day. Though it seemed as the days progressed, Tabitha's personal bubble seemed to be shrinking. Before the battle at Tarbes, she always kept her distance and felt a little standoffish. She still didn't say much, but that was just part of who she was. It wasn't much of a problem though because he could usually figure out what she was saying with just a few words.

Sylphid on the other hand didn't have any problem sharing how she felt both physically and verbally. She still found great joy in attempting to maul him over every time they saw each other, whether she was in human form or not.

She kept her human form to a minimum though, reserving it for occasions when it was just her, Roxas, and Tabitha. Roxas had no idea where the dragoness got all her energy. However, despite her rough welcoming technique, it was still fun to play her game every once in a while. Sure he could use his more speedy techniques in order to escape her.

But what was the fun in that?

Slowly, Roxas closed his eyes as he let the last moments of the sun warm his skin. It was times like these he was grateful he had the chance to exist.

"Roxas, would you give me a hand?" Louise asked as she held out a basket of laundry.

Roxas crossed his arms as he stared at the heaping pile of dirty cloths. "Can it wait? Today is when most of the boys are being recruited off to the war. That includes Guiche as well, right?"

"Yeah… and?"

"I wanted to see him off."

Louise mulled it over in her head for a few seconds before she gave a reluctant sigh. "I guess that is acceptable. I will join you then. Despite him being a womanizing pervert, he did help us a lot in the past."

"Yes, I remember. That particular past event still gives me nightmares to this day." Roxas said flatly.

Louise face turned a shade of red before she rushed over to him. "Never speak of it! Ever! That never happened!" She screeched, flailing her arms at him.

Roxas chuckled as he turned and exited the room, a fuming Louise right behind him. Louise was just too easy to mess with. Even though she never attempted to whip him, starve him, or abuse him anymore, she was still a bit haughty about most things. Which made it a very simple task to get her riled up.

And Roxas wasn't the only one who liked to mess with Louise.

"Oh, hello Zero. Blow anything up lately?"

Louise's eyebrow twitched as she turned her attention to another figure standing in the hallway with her arms crossed under her sizeable bosom.

"Zerbst." Louise responded coolly. "You look like you are due for another milking at the local farm". She said as she turned and began to walk away.

Kirche still had a smile on her face, but her eyebrow was twitching slightly. She quickly walked up to them before she wrapped one of her arms around Louise's neck and pulled her face into her ample chest. "Wow, I am impressed. How long were you practicing that comeback?"

Louise flailed her arms before she shoved Kirche away. "Are you trying to kill me with those, you cow!"

Kirche giggled, ignoring Louise's comment before she turned to Roxas. "Where are you two headed?"

Roxas had to chuckle at there antics. Those two had never changed. They still had their rivalry, but it was always just friendly banter.

…

Actually, considering the sparks that would fly between them sometimes, he would question that.

"We are about to see Guiche off. He is leaving today."

"Oh, that's right, most of the boys will be leaving today." She said before a grin formed on her face. "You are about to be the only boy in a school full of girls. Does that excite you Roxas?" Kirche asked as she wiggled her eyebrow.

Roxas blinked a few times. "Um…Why?"

Now it was Kirche's turn to blink before he remembered a particular detail about Roxas. It nearly caused her to face palm. "Right, Right. I keep forgetting." She said as they all started to make there way down the hallway and towards the courtyard. "Being what you are, you really take all the fun out of trying to embarrass you."

"Why's that?" Roxas responded.

"It's nothing." Louise quickly said, cutting Kirche off from what she was about to say next.

Roxas glanced at them before shrugging. Girls were weird.

Kirche seemed to get the hint as she laughed softly. She decided to change the subject. "You know, since it is the last day for most of the boy's here, I actually heard that Guiche was going to spend it with Montmorency."

"Really? How are they doing by the way?" Asked Louise.

"There relationship is steadily improving. However, Guiche is still a skirt chaser, so Montmorency is trying to beat that out of him…both physically and verbally."

Louise gave a sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. "He never learns, does he?"

"Nope! But I can't help but worry a bit. This is war, and he could end up…" Kirche said before she went silent.

"I'm not that worried." Roxas said as they walked out onto the grass.

Kirche and Louise glanced at each other before turning to him. "Your not?"

"Guiche is strong when he needs to be."

Thinking about it for a few seconds, they realized Roxas was correct. Usually, Guiche was a carefree boy who loved to chase after girls a bit too much, but occasionally, his serious side would emerge and he would surprise them.

Once they reached the courtyard where everyone was, Roxas noticed that they were not the only ones seeing people off. There were a lot of boys that were saying their goodbyes to their loved ones. It was a really depressing atmosphere.

Roxas looked around until he spotted Guiche and Montmorency standing in the midst of everyone. He, Louise, and Kirche all made there way towards them.

"Guiche, I am going to miss you. Please be careful." Montmorency said as she gave Guiche a small hug.

"Well, if I do parish away, it will be defending my country. If I die for the sake of Honor, I will be fine with that."

"…"

That single sentence caused Roxas to halt in his tracks. What in the world was he saying? Why would someone die for the sake of honor? Did he really say that, or was Roxas just imagining it?

"Guiche." Roxas called as he raised his hand in greeting.

Guiche and Montmorency looked over at the approaching trio.

"Roxas, Louise, and Kirche. What are you doing here?"

"Just seeing off a friend." Roxas replied.

Guiche gave a smile as he dramatically flipped his hair. "Well, I do appreciate it." He said as he turned to Louise and Kirche. "And I suspect the Lovely maidens are bidding farewell to there knight as well?"

Both Louise and Kirche gave him a flat look before they waved their hands. "Not at all." They said in unison.

Guiche dramatically fell to the ground, a storm cloud forming over his head.

Montmorency's eyebrow was twitching uncontrollable at his antics. "I swear Guiche, if the war does not kill you, then I will." She said as she crossed her arms.

Guiche looked up at her, his eyes widening with over dramatic tears falling down his cheeks. "Montmorency!"

Roxas watched the scene obliviously before he opened his mouth. However, before he could say anything, he felt two pairs of hands grasp his arms and start to drag him away.

"Just leave them Roxas. Its best not to get involved." Louise said as she and Kirche continued to drag him across the courtyard.

"I agree, just let Montmorency work her magic on the wayward boy. We don't want you picking up any habits form him." Kirche responded with a satisfied smile.

Roxas blinked as he felt them continue to pull him away. "Whatever you say." He responded as he absently looked into the sky. He frowned a little as something in the distant caught his eye. A small object that was heading straight forwards them. He nodded towards it with his chin since his hands were preoccupied. "There is something coming towards us.

Louise and Kirche stopped dragging him for a moment before they turned their gaze towards the sky. That's when they saw it as well.

A dragon.

And not only any dragon, a white wind dragon with someone riding on its back. The massive creature continued to approach before it finally was close enough to land. Now that it was on the ground, everyone got a good look at who was riding the magnificent beast. If Roxas had to compare this person to someone, it would have been Guiche. He had blond, almost platinum hair; his eyes were two different colors, and his clothing were as extravagant as the rest of the nobles he had come across. If you replaced the amount of dramatic atmosphere that Guiche had to one of confidence, you would have the countenance of this person.

As soon as the dragon landed, the man leaped off and stood straight, looking at the surrounding people with a small grin on his face.

The entire courtyard was silent for a few moments before it erupted with activity. Most of the female population squealed in delight, raving about his attire and attractiveness. Most of the girls went as far as abandoning the boys they were seeing off in favor of this new knight in shining armor.

Roxas blinked in confusion at the sudden change in atmosphere before he looked around at Kirche and Louise. They both supported a healthy blush on there cheeks as they saw this new boy.

Kirche suddenly dropped his arm, nearly causing the Nobody to fall to the ground, before she clasped her hands under her bosom, hearts in her eyes. "Oh, who is this handsome new stranger."

The young man suddenly turned his attention towards Roxas and his party before his confident grin grew a little. He elegantly made his way over to them, stopping when he was within a few feet.

"My name is Julio Cease, pleased to meet you." He said with a small bow.

Roxas blinked a few times before he scratched the back of his head. "Roxas."

"Yes, I am well aware." Julio said as he turned his attention to Louise and Kirche. "And may I have the names of you two lovely ladies as well."

Kirche grinned as she flipped her hair to the side, pushing out her chest just a little to increase her own sex appeal. "My name is Kirche von Zerbst."

"Louise Françoise Le Blanc de La Vallière." Louise responded quietly, her face growing a bit hotter under his piercing gaze.

Julio gave another smile before he turned away from them. "I am pleased to meet your acquaintance. I have transferred here from Romalia under the direction of the pope. I look forward to studying with you all." He said before he started to walk off.

"Wait, where are you going?" Kirche called out.

Julio laughed softly as he turned to them. "To class of course. Classes are about to start if I am not mistaken."

Louise and Kirche blinked a few times before they realized he was right. Quickly grabbing Roxas by the arms again, they dragged him after Julio as they made their way to there next class.

"Hmmm" Roxas hummed in thought as they made there way to the classroom. "Why did he seem to know who I was?" he muttered quietly.

"You say something?" Louse asked, glancing back at her familiar.

"No, nothing." Roxas responded as he stared at Julio's back, wondering why he seemed to know him, even though Roxas had never met him before.

It wasn't moments later that Roxas found himself sitting in the classroom again. The only difference was that there was a severe lack of males…and the fact that nearly all the girls in the room were staring at Julio for some reason. Occasionally, a creepy sigh or even a moan would pass through the classroom.

If Roxas were in that boys shoes, he would have found it very awkward, but Julio was taking it like a champ, calmly sitting there taking notes as Professor Colbert rambled off about some topic. His face was unchanging, still supporting the same confident grin he had when Roxas first saw him.

Only a couple girls were actually paying attention to the lesson, one of them being Tabitha, who was calmly taking notes. She was sitting at Roxas's right while Louise sat on his left, also taking notes while trying to ignore Kirche as she gushed over the new student.

Professor Colbert also seemed to notice the major distraction as indicated by his slightly twitching eyebrow. The entire lesson went on like this. Occasionally, professor Colbert attempted to get everyone's attention, but it was always drawn back to Julio after a few seconds. Roxas had to feel sorry for the old professor after another few failed attempts.

The lesson was going fine until the door suddenly slammed open, causing everyone to either jump a bit, or tare there attention away from Julio to see what the disturbance was. There was a line of musketeers that suddenly entered the room followed closely by a very stern, but familiar face.

"Agnes?" Roxas commented out loud.

Just as he said, Agnes was standing in the doorway of the classroom, a sour expression on her face. From the looks of it, she really didn't want to be here. She continued to look around the room before her gaze fell on Roxas and Louise. She gave an extremely brief smile before her steel expression took over.

"Alright, class if over." She barked as she moved forward. "We have been assigned here by the queen to prepare you for War. Everyone out on the courtyard."

All the mages looked around in uncertainty at the sudden orders. Whispers began to flow through the classroom from curious student.

Seeing the lack of response, Agnes growled a little. "Didn't you hear me? MOVE!" she barked, causing a few students to jump a bit before standing from their seats.

Colbert frowned when he saw this. "Everyone stay in your seats." He said before he turned to Agnes. He gave her a very stern stare. "I will not have you bringing war into my class Agnes."

Agnes narrowed her eyes a bit before she gave him a confident smile. "Is that so?" She said before she quickly drew her sword, resting the point right under his chin. "We are in the middle of war. We need every hand available. I hate mages with a passion, especially ones that use fire. This is an order from the Queen, so if you get in my way…" She left that threat hanging in the air.

"Agnes, that's enough."

Agnes felt a small chill go down her spine as she felt the tip of cold steal against her back. She looked over her shoulder to see a familiar mop of spikey blond hair. Roxas was standing there with the tip of the oblivion resting against her spine.

The moment that Agnes had drawn her sword and laid it to rest under Colbert's neck, he made his move. He didn't know why Agnes was acting this way, but she was taking this too far. What did a harmless man like Colbert do to her anyway? Was she really going to attack him?

He wasn't going to just stand there and watch if that was the case.

"How dare you threaten Agnes!" One of the musketeers said as she drew her sword. The rest of the Musketeers followed suit.

"Stand down." Agnes said as she lowered her sword from Professor Colbert's throat, causing the man to take a few steps back and nearly collapse. She then turned to Roxas, who still had a small glare on his face. She knew if Roxas were serious, her musketeers wouldn't last a few minutes against him. "Calm down Roxas, I am making a point."

Roxas narrowed his eyes at her as he slowly lowered his keyblade. He saw Professor Colbert breath a sigh of relief as he gently stroked his neck.

Agnes turned to the class again before her eyes narrowed. "What are you waiting for? Out on the courtyard NOW!" she barked, causing the rest of the students to quickly stand and make there way out of the classroom.

Roxas stood where he was as he watched the students vacate the room. He turned to Agnes again, a small frown on his face.

"Agnes, did you really have to threaten him? Isn't raising your sword taking it a bit far?"

"Don't tell me how to do my Job Roxas." Agnes said sternly before she turned and walked out the door, the rest of the musketeer knights following alone, but not before throwing a dirty look in Roxas's direction before walking through the doorway.

It wasn't long before all of the students were standing on the academy grounds, the hot sun beating down on them. Each of the students were given a long staff and ordered to stand in rows. Agnes gave a small demonstration of what they would be practicing before she commanded them to start the drills.

There were a couple students that thought this was a waste of time, that magic could triumph over physical combat any day. However, they were quickly silenced by Agnes when she easily disarmed one and showed them how useless they were without there wands.

Roxas had to admit that Agnes had a point. While magic was useful, there were times when it was useless against certain opponents. During his time in the organization, he knew that there were times that he could only use malay damage against certain heartless. In all honesty, he preferred malay over magic anyway because there were always counters to magic, but rarely had he come across someone who could match him in a physical fight.

Speaking of which, now that there weren't any more classes, Roxas decided that now would be a good time to continue his own training regiment. He still had his special place outside of the academy, next to the stream of water. It was the perfect place to practice without anyone getting hurt. With that in mind, Roxas turned and started to walk away from the group of students and knights.

"And where do you think you are going?"

Roxas blinked a few times as he turned to the voice. He recognized her as a member of the musketeer knights. He had seen her hanging around Agnes almost every time he had a run in with them.

"What do you want?" Roxas asked.

"Everyone is doing drills, why are you just standing here, lazing about?"

Roxas gave her a flat look. "I am doing my own training." Roxas said as he glanced over at the mages. It was almost comical at how silly they all looked. It was obvious that most of them had never held a weapon in their entire lives. Training like this would prove no benefit to him.

"You think your training is better than ours?" She challenged.

"Yes." Roxas replied without missing a beat.

The musketeer knight grit her teeth in annoyance as she held out a wooden sword. "Really? Then why don't you have a spar with me? I've heard about you. They say you're the reason we won the battle at Tarbes, that you can take on any mage that comes your way. Show me that the rumors are true, that you're not just some brat that has the right to disrespect and threaten Agnes. Show me that you can fight without the extra power of those strange weapons."

Roxas's eye twitched a bit in annoyance. Did she forget that Agnes threatened Colbert, or were they just looking for a reason to fight? He watched as the knight threw him the sword before he quickly snatched it out of the air. He glanced down at the rough weapon in his hand. Did this girl really think his power came from the keyblade alone?

Gripping the handle of the wooden sword, Roxas got in his single-keyblade stance. If she wanted a spar? Fine, he would humor the woman.

The musketeer also got into a rough stance before she quickly rushed forward, brining the sword above her head. Quickly, Roxas brought the wooden sword upward, deflecting the other weapon quite easily. However, Roxas pushed up with an impressive amount of strength, throwing the musketeer knight off balance. She stumbled a backwards a little, but Roxas was never one to let an opening go. He rushed forward and swung his weapon, aiming at her exposed ribs before she could even react.

However, she was a bit more agile that he gave her credit for. Even being off balanced, she backpedaled a bit, dodging his attack in the process. However, this caused her to completely lost her balance. The result was her falling flat on her ass.

Roxas almost wanted to pity this woman because she didn't seem to know the first thing about keeping her balance when fighting. If a heartless saw her on her butt, it would not have hesitated to devour her then and there. A heartless took any opening it could get, exploited any weakness shown, and destroyed anything it could get its hands on. He had learned that and fought against those creatures all his life.

The woman scrambled to her feet, her eyes full of anger and humiliation. However, even though he wanted to pity her, he simply did not. Giving a sigh, he decided to end this quickly. It was a complete waste of time. Crouching down, Roxas got ready to attack.

Seeing this, the musketeer readied herself, preparing for whatever he had up his sleeve.

However, anything she did could not prepare her for what would happen.

Roxas took off, using his light dash to increase his speed. The poor musketeer didn't even know how to react as Roxas swung the wooden sword. It collided with her sword, but the force of the blow caused the feeble blade to shatter into splinters of wood. The musketeer was thrown off her feet before she landed on her back, the remains of the wooden sword flying from her grasp.

The musketeer felt her hands shaking because of the force of the blow. She could only look up to see the splintered end of Roxas's own wooden sword pointing down on her. Her eyes trailed up the broken weapon until they reached his eyes. That's when she saw it.

The power that was behind those eyes.

He had experienced battle, much more that she had. The power he had didn't not just come from his strange weapons.

"My Keyblades may be powerful, but just like every other weapon, I have struggled to master it. I have been fighting with everything on the line for my entire life. The power I posses comes from the experience I have gained from battle. That is what makes me strong, not the power of my weapon." Roxas said as he dropped the wooden sword, causing it to land next to the stunned knight.

Roxas turned to walk away, clearly annoyed at the completely pointless battle. However, he noticed that the little duel had attracted the attention of most of the students. They had stopped the drill and where staring at Roxas in awe. For most of them, this was one of the few times they have seen Roxas fight and it was unlike anything they had ever seen before. He gave a small blush of embarrassment as he scratched the back of his head, turning away from the attention.

Agnes had also watched the quick duel. She had heard rumors of Roxas and how he fought, but never really witnessed it up close and personal before. From what she could see, the rumors were justified. The duel between Roxas and one of her trained knights lasted all but a few seconds.

Shaking her head, Agnes looked down at her knight. The defeated warrior was slowly standing o her feet, a disbelieving look on her face. "I hope you learned not to underestimate your opponent, Michelle."

Michelle bit the inside of her cheek as she looked down in shame. "I have a lot to learn I guess."

"Well said. Take this loss and learn from it. Let it make you stronger." Agnes said as she turned to Roxas, only to find him walking away again. "Where are you going Roxas?"

Roxas gave another sigh, as he turned to them again. "I have my own training to do. Since there are no more classes, I guess I can get started sooner."

"Then stay here and train. We could learn a thing or two by watching."

Roxas glanced back at the students, who had continued their flimsy drills. He shook his head.

"I would rather not anyone get hurt."

Agnes and Michelle blinked a few times. "What do you mean?"

"Lets just say others might get hurt if I train around them." Roxas said.

"So you're saying that your training may endanger the safety of others? That sounds pretty farfetched if you ask me." Michelle said, still a bit butt hurt by her complete defeat at Roxas's hand.

"I really don't care what you think." Roxas responded, causing the woman to growl.

"But still, that does sound impressive. It must be a difficult and dangerous training regimen if it even dangers other people." A new voice said.

Roxas turned to see the new student, Julio, approaching with the staff in his hand. He stopped within a few feet with a hand on his hip, a confident grin on his face. "Based on your impressive display, I can tell you are very strong. I would be interested in testing my own strength against you, if you would not be opposed."

Roxas stared at the boy for a few seconds before he shrugged. "Sure, why not." Roxas said "You have another sword?"

Julio held up both his hand in defense. "Oh, no. Not right now. How about tomorrow afternoon? I am a little tired from the drills today."

Roxas raised an eyebrow as he looked over at the other students who were still completing the drills. They had just started and he was already tired? If that was the case, Roxas didn't have that high of an expectation for this fight.

Never the less, Roxas nodded to Julio. "Sure I guess. I don't have anything else I need to do."

"Excellent. How about we make this interesting…" Julio said as he closed his eyes and ran his hand through his hair. He waited for Roxas's response, but didn't hear anything. Slowly, he opened his eyes, only to notice that no one was standing in front of him. "Um…Where did he go?"

"Oh, he already walked off." Agnes said, slightly amused by the dejected look on Julio's face.

"Well." Julio said as he regains his composure. "Anyway, should we continue?"

Agnes shook her head as she started barking at the students again.

"What kind of effort is that?!" Agnes barked, shaking up a few students in the process. It had been about an hour before the mages of Tristian were already exhausted from the drills. It was rather pathetic in Agnes's opinion. "And you are supposed to be the chosen ones of Brimir?"

A few students grumbled as they pushed themselves back to there feet to continue. However, a majority of them continued to complain about being tired and sore.

Agnes snorted in distaste as she heard the complaints. "You are all pathetic. We are done for today. Make sure you rest up because today I was going easy on you. Tomorrow we will start the real drills."

Most of the Nobles' faces went pale at hearing that. A few others grumbled, but silently left the courtyard, retreating back into the academy. Agnes gave a frustrated sigh as she watched them leave. She knew that her patience would be tried when she was given this task by the queen, but seeing them complain was really starting to irritate her. People were dying for Tristan on the battlefield, but here these mages were, complaining about a couple combat drills.

Agnes was about to retreat to her room as well, but then a thought struck her. She turned her attention to the direction where Roxas had disappeared to, her mind growing more and more curious about what kind of training he would do.

"Michelle" Agnes said, getting the woman's attention. "Go on without me. I need to check on something."

Michelle stared at her leader for a few seconds before she shrugged. She turned and walked away into the academy.

Agnes then started to make her way in the direction where she saw Roxas walk off to. It wasn't a few moments later that she found herself outside of the academy walls, looking around for any signs of where he may have gone.

It didn't take her long though to spot something in the distance. However, when she approached, her eyes widened a bit. Her suspicions were correct when she thought it was Roxas, but he wasn't the only one there. He was standing on the ground, the oblivion in one hand and the oathkeeper in the other, surrounded by the very same creatures that had supported them in the battle against Albion. They surrounded him like some kind of dome, aiming their strange weapons at him, almost like they were going to…

"Again!" Roxas said. Agnes's eyes widened when the creatures weapons started to glow. There was nothing she could do as a hail of projectiles rained down on Roxas like some kind of deadly storm. She thought that this was the end for the boy. There was nobody that would be able to survive an attack as condensed as this.

Then it happened.

Agnes could not describe what she was seeing with words when Roxas made his move. He suddenly just burst into action, swinging his keyblades like they were made of nothing, deflecting every and all projectiles that were heading in his direction. He was not standing still though. He was jumping around, flipping from side to side as he dodged the few projectiles his keyblades didn't hit.

The creatures didn't stop firing either. They continued to hail down projectiles while Roxas continued to deflect them at lightning speed.

However, even in her stupor, Agnes could tell Roxas was getting tired. He had forgone the coat and was wearing regular black pants, his black gloves, and a black shirt as well. Sweat was pouring down his face, signifying that this was not the first time he had done this insane drill today.

Just as him movements started to slow down, Agnes heard him say something else.

"Drive, Valor."

If Agnes thought she could not be even more surprised, she was sorely mistaken. Roxas's dark clothing flashed for a moment before they turned a dark red. His speed doubled, making it look like he was just a red blur in the midst of the barrage of bullets.

However, the insanity only lasted a few seconds. His cloths suddenly returned to there usual black before he crashed to the ground, completely exhausted. Agnes nearly panicked, thinking that Roxas wouldn't be able to survive being hit with that many projectiles, but then she noticed that the rain of bullets had stopped. She glanced at the creatures that were surrounding him, noticing that they were not firing anymore. They were just floating in the air, looking down at him.

Roxas was lying on his front, the only indication he was still conscious was the sound of his gasping breath.

Agnes could not help but stare down at him, her mouth slightly ajar. She had never seen an exercise as brutal at this one before. One slip up, one mistake could cost him dearly. Looking around, she noticed the area was littered with the energy arrows. However, they disappeared only moments later. She could now understand what he meant by endangering the safety of others with his training. Luckily, she was standing far enough away that none of the deflected projectiles hand come near her.

Roxas lay there on the ground, trying to catch his breath. "Damn." He cursed as he shakily pushed himself to his knees. "Still cant hold the drive for more that a few moments."

Closing his eyes, he grunted as he tried to push himself to his feet. His legs and arms felt like wet noodles. His lungs were on fire and his entire body was drenched in sweat. He had been doing this for over an hour now and it was exhausting. It was nice to have his nobodies help out with his training though.

Looking up, Roxas raised his eyebrows as he finally noticed Agnes standing there, staring at him with her eyes wide. They stared awkwardly at each other for a few moments before Roxas roughly pushed himself to his feet, though he was still a bit wobbly.

"Did you…need something…Agnes?" He asked between gasps.

Agnes was shaken from her stupor by his voice. She blinked a few times before she coughed into her hand. "No, its nothing." She responded as she watched him make his way over to the small stream, the creatures parting the way for him. Without any hesitation, he dunked his entire head beneath the surface. Raising his head again, he shook the water out of his hair, allowing the cool liquid to cool down his body.

Agnes watched in fascination before she cautiously walked forward. She kept an eye on the strange creatures flying around. They didn't even look at her, just hovered in the air as if they were waiting for a command.

Roxas turned toward her again before he noticed her staring at them. He waved his hand. "You can go now. Thanks for your help."

Agnes blinked a few times, thinking he was talking to her, but then noticed that the Nobodies disappeared in flashes of silver.

Looking over at Roxas, she watched as he ran his hand through his damp hair, only for it to spike right back up into its usual style. Turning his attention back to Agnes, he raised his eyebrow. She had not said more that a few words since he noticed her standing there. She was also staring at him intensely. Truthfully, it was starting to creep in out.

"Um, Agnes? Hello!" Roxas said, waving his hand through the air.

Agnes quickly recovered her composure before she coughed in her hand. "What kind of training was that?" Agnes quickly asked as she took a couple steps forward. "Is it usual to endanger your life for the sake of training?"

Roxas was silent for a few moments before he sat down next to the stream. "Sort of." He said awkwardly, remembering his training at the organization. The very first day he was part the organization, they jumped him straight into fighting heartless. So yeah, he was use to it. "It wasn't enough. You remember Sora and Riku, Right?"

Agnes nodded as she took a couple more steps closer. She sat down on the bank next to him.

"Well, without even seeing it before, they managed to deflect a hail of projectiles like that without even getting hurt. They are just that strong. And their enemy was powerful as well. If I am to match their strength, I have to do it as well."

Agnes blinked a few times before her eyes widened. "Those two were that powerful? Who were they? Where did they come from anyway?"

"Its difficult to explain."

"Try me." Agnes said flatly. "Ever since you appeared, it's just been one question after another. Even Queen Henrietta seems to know about you and refuses to tell me."

Roxas looked over at her with a small smile. "She respects that I don't like talking about it. I know it must be confusing and I'm sorry about that."

Agnes gave a sigh as she looked over at the water. "Everyone has secrets they don't want to share…I guess."

Roxas looked over at her, his eyebrow raised. "You sound like you speak from experience."

Agnes gave him a small grin. "No prying into my personal life Roxas. Unless…" She started as she stood from her spot. "Unless you share something about yourself. We may call it even."

Roxas chuckled a bit. "My story is a very long one. As you have probably already guessed, I have told my friends already. And Louise told the Queen about it. Its…difficult to put it into words."

"Well…" Agnes said as she suddenly drew her sword. "While you think about it, why don't we have a small spare?"

Roxas raised his eyebrow. "You want to fight me?"

"I do. I heard that you even outclassed Wardes in swordplay. Practicing with wood swords is helpful, but its nothing compared to fighting with the real thing. I figured since you are so good, I would be able to get some real practice in."

Roxas looked at her flatly. "You do realize I am exhausted right now."

"Then I may have more of a chance. Your not scared are you?" Agnes taunted, a grin on her face.

"Get Real!" Roxas shot back, the oblivion appearing in his right hand. He got down in his signature stance.

Agnes stared at him for a while before she lowered her sword a bit. "Why do you train so hard Roxas? Why do you want to get stronger?"

Roxas blinked again at the sudden question. He wasn't stumped however. He knew the answer right away. Giving a sigh, he looked Agnes straight in the eyes.

"I started with nothing. I was an empty shell that would have been better not existing. I had no purpose, no desires, no goals. I was simply there." He started as he looked to the ground. "I blindly followed orders because there was nothing else for me to do. I worked towards a goal that I didn't even care about."

Agnes was listening intently, absorbing all this information like a sponge.

"Then I met a few people who saw past the empty shell that I was. They gave me a reason to want to exist. They were my friends." He continued before he grit his teeth. "But then they were taken away from me. They were all I cared about, and I lost them." He turned looked up at Agnes. "The reason I want to get stronger is so I can protect the people I care about here. I never want to experience that kind of loss…that kind of pain ever again. I want to protect my friends."

Agnes was staring at him intently. The sheer intensity of his gaze spoke volumes to her. She could tell he was not lying.

"To protect the people you love." Agnes mused as she gripped her sword. "And what about revenge? What about killing the person who took your friends from you?"

Agnes expected Roxas to be a bit puzzled from her question, but instead, he gave a bitter laugh. "You know, I tried that already. After Xion died…" Roxas started. Agnes kept a mental note of that name for later. "I tried to go after the person who took her away…Or…Rather forced me to kill her myself."

Agnes looked at the nobody in horror. She didn't expect this at all. "He forced you to kill her?"

"In a way." Roxas said, careful not to go onto much more detail. "I was determined to bring him and the rest of his organization down. But I was stopped." He gave another bitter laugh. "Because I wanted to get revenge, I only experience more pain." Roxas finished, remembering his time he spent with Hayner, Pence, and Olette, only to realize that those memories weren't actually real. That they didn't even know who he was.

"So your attempt at revenge only bough you pain in the end."

Roxas nodded as he got back into his stance. "Are we doing this or not?"

Agnes grinned a bit as she raised her sword. "Yes. You have peaked my curiosity. I would like to know your story."

Roxas grinned. "Remember what you said though. You have say something about yourself as well."

Agnes chuckled. "It seems the tables have turned a bit." She said before she suddenly charged forward, swinging it high above her head before she brought it down on him.

Roxas simply sidestepped the sword, but Agnes was quick to swing again, this time from the side. Roxas summoned the Keyblade and raised it, deflecting her sword before he shoved her away with his body. She gave a small grin as she got ready again.

"This is going to be fun." Agnes said.

Roxas and Agnes clashed blades for about 30 minutes, neither of them giving away any ground. Agnes was mostly on the offensive, trying to find any opening in his defense, but Roxas wasn't moving. Not only was he extremely fast, but also his strength was unreal. Her hands were already shaking from striking his keyblades over and over again. It was like she was trying to strike a brick wall.

Roxas had to admit. He was impressed with her swordplay. She was easily better than Wardes when it came to swords. If she had magic in her arsenal, she would be a devastating force on this planet.

However…

Her biggest problem was that she choreographed her fighting style, making it really easy to tell where she was going to attack. After facing Heartless, and their incredibly unpredictable attacks, it was easy for him to see where Agnes was going to attack from next.

It wasn't moments later that Agnes finally stopped attacking. She dug her sword into the ground, leaning on it while she tried to get her breath back. She looked up at him in frustration, seeing that he wasn't really breathing that heavily. In fact, it seemed like he had actually got his breath back after his previous exercise. It was a bit of a blow to her pride if she was being honest with herself.

Roxas gave her a small smile as she let the Oblivion vanish. "You are a lot better than Wardes, that's for sure."

"I will take that as a complement. Wardes was and expert swordsman…But you were holding back, weren't you?" She asked. "You didn't use magic, nor did you use your second…keyblade."

Roxas shrugged. "Magic is useful for ending a battle quicker. It's nice for ranged attacks and quick healing." He said as he knelt down next to the water. "And I only use both of my Keyblades when I have to."

"So you didn't HAVE to against me." Agnes asked with slight irritation in her voice.

"Not many people have been able to make me use two keyblades." Roxas commented as she scooped up some water and splashed it on his face.

Agnes tried to crush her annoyance as she waked up to the stream as well. She mimicked Roxas by splashing water onto her sweaty face. She had to admit, if felt amazing. She could see why Roxas chose this place to train.

Sitting down on the bank, Agnes took off her cape and laid it beside her before she closed her eyes. The breeze felt nice as well and it was completely quiet here. No wining nobles, no one that she needed to bark order at. It was completely peaceful.

"How did you find this place?"

Roxas looked over at Agnes before he shrugged. "I think it was my first or second day here. Louise and I got into an argument and I left to find somewhere quiet. I just stumbled across this place."

"You were right about it being quiet." She said as she looked over at him. "So, are you going to explain your story? I think my mind could do with a little less confusion."

Roxas scoffed. "Then I don't know if you should listen to my story. It may cause create more questions." He said.

His statement did little to deter Agnes thought. Her eyes narrowed a little, clearly telling him that she wanted to know.

"Fine. My story actually starts with Sora."

Roxas spent the next few moments explaining everything to Agnes. Everything from the heartless, to the Nobodies, to all the worlds, to the key blade until he ended it with Louise summoning him.

"When Sora and Riku came to this world, they asked me for help. Xehanort has returned, and he will be more powerful than ever. There will be people there that are much stronger than me. I have to train to protect this world and many others."

Agnes was staring at him for the longest time. "That…is a bit hard to swallow actually. While it does answer a lot of questions I have, it's…very farfetched. I will have to confirm your story with the queen, but for now, I will believe you."

"That is all I can ask then. But this is the reason I have to train so hard. This world needs me. Since I bare the Keyblade, I will have to fight." He said before he looked over at her. "Now its your turn. Why do you want to get stronger?"

Agnes blinked a few times as she realized her promise. She really didn't like talking about it, but she wasn't about to be a hypocrite. Giving a sigh, she started off. I was bourn in a village called D'Angletterre."

After her story was done, Roxas gave her an understanding expression. "So, the reason you want to get stronger if for revenge?"

"Partially. I also want to do everything in my power to protect the Queen. She took a chance with me by making me chevalier, but she trusted my judgment and gave me an opportunity to complete my goals."

Roxas nodded again. "Revenge huh." Roxas mused again. "You know, I was so blinded by the thought of revenge that I abandoned my other friend as well. Honestly, I don't know if its worth it or not."

"It will be worth it." Agnes said dangerously as she stood up. "I need this. I won't stop until I find them man who took my family away from me."

Roxas didn't say anything as he looked up at her. She had a fire in her eyes, but it wasn't determination.

It was hatred.

He knew because Roxas had felt that kind of hatred towards the organization after what they did to Xion. He also felt that kind of hatred towards Diz after he found out about twilight town.

Agnes suddenly looked over at Roxas before she gave him a small grin. She walked over to her cape before throwing it over her shoulder. "Well, I think that is enough for today. It was…Nice…Talking to you Roxas. Not many people can relate to my position…and even less would not judge me for my actions."

Roxas waved her off. "I guess I am just good at listening."

"Hopefully we can spare more. Your not the only one who wants to get stronger." She said before she walked away. Truthfully, there have only been a small handful of people who she had shared her past with. She didn't know why she shared it with Roxas. Maybe it was because he was so honest with his past; maybe it was because he could relate to her pain,

Maybe she just thought he was a trustworthy friend.

Whatever the reason, talking to him made her burden feel a bit lighter.

It was the next day that Roxas and Julio stood in front of each other, their wooden swords drawn. They had quite the crowd, though most of them were cheering for Julio. The boy seemed to relish in the attention, from what Roxas could see.

Agnes was overseeing the duel, but she had a knowing grin on her face. She knew that Julio didn't stand a chance.

"I hope your ready Roxas." Julio said as he flicked his hair in a manner that reminded him of Guiche. Really, when it came to being dramatic, they could have been brothers.

Roxas didn't reply as he got into his basic stance with the single wooden sword. Julio also got into his own comfortable stance, both waiting for Agnes to signal the start of the match.

"Begin."

Roxas wasted no time as he suddenly rushed at Julio with impressive speed. Julio was a bit surprised by the offensive strategy, but he quickly tried to counter. Roxas wasted no time in swinging the sword, clashing with Julio's and sending chips of wood flying off both weapons. Julio quickly jumped backwards, his arms already shaking from the force of the blow.

"Impressive strength Roxas. But you must do bet…" Julio started dramatically before he was forced to raise his sword again to deflect another blow. He quickly stumbled away, perturbed that his taunt was cut short.

Roxas was a bit annoyed that Julio was trying to make conversation in the middle of a battle. That was probably one of the dumbest things you could do. Quickly rushing at Julio again, Roxas sent a flurry of blows at the boy.

To his credit, Julio wasn't bad with sword. He could deflect most of the attacks, but he was being drove back quite badly since Roxas never let up. There was never a chance to get his balance back, forcing him to backpaddle against the onslaught of attacks.

Of course, Roxas wasn't really trying though. He was just pushing Julio to see how far he could go before Roxas could use more of his power. However, it seemed that limit was coming up soon because already, Julio was out of breath. With one slightly more powerful strike, Julio didn't have the strength left to hold his sword. It went flying out of his hand before he toppled back dramatically onto his ass.

Roxas wasn't even winded, but he was a little impressed. It was obvious that Julio had a bit of sword training, but he was still painfully weak compared to what Roxas was used to.

"I…I guess you win." He eased, putting on quite a show for everyone around him.

Roxas nodded before he extended his hand to Julio. "You weren't that bad yourself."

Julio lost his composure for a moment as he stared at the hand. He didn't expect someone that strong to be humble enough to offer help getting up. But as brief as it was, he quickly schooled it over with his usual confident countenance.

"Thank you. Considering who this praise is coming from, I am honored." He said as he grasped Roxas's hand, allowing the nobody to hoist him to his feet.

"How do you know me?" Roxas asked.

"Oh, you will find out soon enough." Julio said as he was suddenly bombarded by a horde of girls, promptly knocking Roxas away from him.

Roxas rose and eyebrow in confusion as the ladies stared asking Julio if he was alright. However, he just shrugged before walking over to Agnes, Michelle, and Louise. "It got a little broken." He said he handed over the chipped wooden sword.

"…You weren't really trying, were you?" Agnes said as he took the blade from him.

"No, not really."

"Well…I do find it strange that he even challenged you." Louise commented as he looked over into the midst of the girls. He watched as Julio sweet talked his harem. "Why does he seem to know you?" she asked.

"I can answer that." Agnes said, noticing that she now had Roxas's and Louis's attention. "But for now, I was told that after this duel, I was supposed to tell you something."

"What?" Louise asked"

"Codename Zero. We have an emergency." Agnes said, her countenance taking more of a professional manner. "You and Louise are to come with me to Headmaster Osmond's office."

Roxas and Louise glanced at each other before nodding.

It was later that Louise and Roxas walked into the office alongside Agnes. Roxas immediately noticed that Julio somehow managed to escape the group of girls. He was leaning against the wall waiting for them.

But they weren't the only ones in the room. There was also headmaster Osmond who was seated in his usual spot. But there were also two hooded figures standing in front of his desk. Before he even had the chance to ask, one of the spoke.

"Thank you for all common." The figure spoke as it turned around.

"Queen Henrietta!" Louise exclaimed before she noticed the other figure Turing toward her. It was very easy to distinguish his golden hair and kind smile. "Prince Wales."

Instantly, she was on her knee.

The queen giggled before quickly walking over to Louise and gently grabbing her shoulders and raised her up. "How many times do I must tell you Louise, you don't have to kneel before me."

"I second that. You two have done so much for this kingdom that we should be the ones to kneel." Wales said as he removed his hood.

Louise immediately flushed. "I could never. You must never…" She shuddered.

Henrietta laughed again. "Calm down Louise." She said before she turned to both her and Roxas.

"Louise, Roxas. I have said it many times before, but thank you for what you did for me and wales. You not only restored him, but you also stopped me from making the biggest mistake of my life."

"Princess, we already told you that we forgave you." Louise said.

"But…I'm not sure if I am worthy to be forgiven for what I did." Henrietta replied, a solemn expression on her face.

"It's what friends do." Roxas said simply.

Henrietta and Wales stared at Roxas for a few seconds before they gave a smile. "I don't know what I did to deserve such friends." Henrietta finally said.

Julio suddenly stepped forward. "I had also heard what happened with Prince Whales. It was Albion after all, wasn't it?"

Roxas turned to Julio. "Julio, why are you here?"

Julio turned to him, a grin on his face. "That's mean Roxas. Is that any way to talk to your new teammate?" he questioned dramatically. Yeah, he and Guiche could get along.

"Teammate?"

"Yes, teammate." Queen Henrietta said. "The royal pope of Romalia had sent him to aid us. He wants to avoid war like I do, but there are many in the kingdom that still want to march onto Albion." She then turned to face them. "Agnes, Roxas, Julio, and Louise, your four are the only ones that Wales and I can count on. Will you lend me your strength in this war?"

"Of course we will your highness. My familiar and I will always be there to help." She said respectively.

Roxas just nodded in agreement but chose not to say anything. Julio however pushed off the wall and walked in front of him before grabbing Louise's hands. "I am looking forward to working with you Louise." He said as he kissed her hand. He glanced at Roxas, expecting a reaction, but found that he just looked at them curiously. "By the way Roxas. The dual we had been because I wanted to see your strength for myself. I have to admit, you are truly skilled with blades."

"…Thanks?" he replied awkwardly.

"I also look forward to working with you." He said as he exited the room followed by Agnes. Roxas and Louise were about to follow before they were stopped by Henrietta.

"You two please stay, there is something Wales and I need to talk about with you two." She said.

Roxas and Louise glanced at each other before nodding. They closed the door and turned to the duo.

"What's wrong queen Henrietta?"

Henrietta glanced over at Wales before nodding. Wales stepped forward and cleared his throat. "I remembered something when I was first created as a nobody." He started, immediately catching Roxas's attention.

"What?"

"Well, there was someone there that taught me how to summon the Nobodies. He himself couldn't summon them or control them, but he knew HOW to control them."

"He did? Did he ever tell you his name?" Roxas asked, a touch of eagerness in his voice.

Wales nodded. "His name was Briag. Does that sound familiar?"

Roxas paused for a few moments before sadly shaking his head. It wasn't any name he recognized in the organization. "No it doesn't."

"Damn. I was hoping you would know. It would have been nice to know any abilities of our enemies." Wales responded sadly.

"Yeah, seriously." Roxas responded.

Authors Note: There you go. The last chapter for a while. Hope you have enjoyed what I have written and glad you stuck around for so long. I hope I can continue this sometime in the future because I have an awesome idea of where it could go, but for now, I just don't have the time. I got to make a living and all. Hopefully I will get the motivation going again in the future. Thanks again for a wonderful year of being on this site.

Until then!