AN: Hey look at that, this AU is a series now amazing fun good great.

I am very tired but this AU will not let me rest so that's fun.

If you don't know what's going on, the long version is go read Cold Flame, it's the prologue to this and explains everything. The short version is role reversal between Axel and Saix, so Axel is a vessel of Xehanort and the second in command, while Saix is a normal, non possessed member of the Organization. Seriously, go read Cold Flame, it's like not even 8000 words. And while you're at it, go and read Riku Kingdom Heart's fic, If It Had Been The Other, as they are the one who came up with this AU in the first place, and that's their AU fic of this. We keep driving each other to write more in this verse, it's getting to be a serious problem. And when I say serious problem I mean like, best thing that ever happened to me.

Enjoy!

The First Mission

"Hey, you will not fucking believe what the Superior found." Axel called, bursting into Saix's room.

For his part, Saix lowered his book, and then blinked in surprise.

Mostly because Axel was practically dragging along a blond teenager, looking to be about fourteen or fifteen. The boy was dressed in an Organization coat, and had a vacant, empty expression.

He also looked familiar, in a way that Saix couldn't quite place, but that really wasn't the most important detail here.

"You've got to be kidding me."

"Saix, meet Roxas. Kid here is our lucky number Thirteen. Say hello, Roxas."

The boy stared blankly, clearly not comprehending the words. Finally after a long moment, his eyes focused slightly, and he mumbled his own name, before resuming his empty stare at nothing.

"...Axel, what did you do to him?" Saix asked, giving his friend a suspicious look. Axel scowled, clearly somewhat offended.

"Don't look at me, he was like this when Superior handed him over! Blame Xemnas, he must have broken it."

"Sure. So why's he joining up?"

"Probably something to do with him being the Keybearer's Nobody."

Saix did a double take, giving the boy a considerably more wary look.

"Sora? That's Sora's Nobody?"

"His name is Roxas, and his memories are fried. Might never remember who he was. That's awfully convenient for us, so let's just say we're not exactly going to be trying to jog his memory."

"Meaning?" Saix asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Meaning, don't go throwing that name around if you know what's good for you. Just Roxas will do."

"Sounds ethical."

"Glad you're so worried over the kid, 'cause I'm here to tell you he's your problem now. Superior's orders; you're babysitting until Thirteen's less comatose. Have fun!"

And with that, Axel shoved the boy towards Saix, and left as quickly as he had entered.

Saix stared at Roxas.

Roxas stared at nothing.

…This was going to be a long assignment.

Well, might as well try for a good start.

"Roxas. I'm not sure how much you can understand right now." He started, approaching the younger Nobody.

"Roxas." The boy said dully, voice quiet.

"Yes, that's your name. My name is Saix; I'll be helping you until you're more functional."

There was a long silence, and Saix was fairly certain the boy hadn't processed a goddamn word. But then, slowly, his eyes moved to look in the general direction of Saix's face, although his expression remained blank.

"…Saix."

He blinked in surprise, as Roxas's eyes wandered away again.

So he was listening, at least somewhat. That was a good sign. And really, Roxas's blank state wasn't overly surprising. With no memories or emotions, the newly formed Nobody wouldn't really have a drive to do… well, anything. It would take a while for him to get out of the blue screen of death.

And he was going to be Saix's problem until he did so.

Great.

The first major goal was to get Roxas able to communicate, or at least understand everything that was said to him. The main problem there of course being that Roxas couldn't speak, because he didn't have any words.

If Roxas didn't have any words, than it was Saix's job to give him some. So Saix found himself narrating nearly everything he did around Roxas, keeping up a constant dialogue. It was annoying to him, as he wasn't one for talking much, if at all, but what was important was that it worked. Roxas hadn't gotten to the point of full sentences, but he was parroting back words more frequently and with more variety. Occasionally, he would say a word without prompting, usually signalling that he was hungry or tired. But beyond that, he seemed content to ghost around after Saix all day. When Saix left on a mission, Roxas would eventually wander over to the furthest couch away from wherever Axel happened to be. Then Roxas would sit down, and stay there until Saix returned, and he resumed following him around the castle.

So a week passed in that manner.

They got another new member, to Saix's surprise – apparently another keyblade wielder, Xion. As long as he wasn't supposed to be looking after her, Saix didn't care. She seemed more functional than Roxas at least, as she was moving around on her own, even if he had yet to see her hood come off.

Then after a week, Saix was handed an unusual mission brief.

"We've decided to start Roxas on field work. Take him to Twilight Town, show him the ropes… whatever it is you do for zombies. Isn't that right Roxas?" Axel said, idly glancing at the boy.

Roxas shuffled back a step, clearly torn between wanting to stay near Saix, and wanting to run away from Axel.

Saix grabbed the briefing out of Axel's hand, and opened a dark corridor, suddenly very eager to leave. He didn't want to deal with Roxas having a meltdown now – he'd had one earlier in the week, when Xemnas had checked on his progress, and insisted on physically forcing him to look at him. After that, Roxas had shut down completely, covering his ears and making quiet distressed sounds while rocking back and forth. This had gone on for two hours until Saix had managed to coax him out of it, and it had destroyed all of the progress he'd made before then.

So he would prefer to not go back to square one. Roxas was wary of the other members, and borderline terrified of Axel and Xemnas. Best to keep him alone, or around Saix.

"You kids have fun now!" Axel called, tone sarcastic as Saix ushered Roxas into a dark corridor, as Xion entered the Grey Area.

When they emerged in the tunnels beneath Twilight Town, Saix gave Roxas a careful look over. Fortunately, he didn't seem to be jarred by the different scenery, and was instead looking around with dull curiosity.

The 'mission', if it could be called that, was to find a treasure chest, open it, and RTC. Meaning, not really a mission at all, and instead giving Roxas some new challenge, and seeing how he reacted. There was a note there for Saix as well, informing him that he was not allowed to help Roxas, and that he needed to find the chest on his own. Which, fair enough.

So Saix carefully explained it, stood back, and watched.

It took a moment for Roxas to realize he needed to go somewhere, but he eventually started wandering around on his own, clearly exploring the new area. Saix followed behind him, keeping a careful eye on him, and explaining anything he stopped to stare at.

In other words, it was incredibly tedious.

So when Roxas finally found and opened the chest, Saix was rapidly losing patience.

"Good work." He said, and then muttered under his breath, "I could do this shit blindfolded."

It had been a long week of taking care of a teenager. Saix didn't even like kids. He had earned the right to quietly swear.

Besides, it's not like Roxas was likely to hear that, so it didn't matter.

It took a while for him to find his way back to the RTC spot, and Saix once again followed, looking forwards to taking a break and having some time to himself. Still, when they reached the dark corridor, his sense of responsibility kicked in.

"Well Roxas, how did you find your first mission?"

Roxas mumbled something under his breath. Whatever it was, it sounded… considerably longer than one word. Which would be considerably better than anything he had been doing so far.

"I didn't hear that. Can you say it louder?"

"I said… I could do that shit blindfolded."

…Oh dear.

He'd taught a child to swear.

Saix let out a long internal sigh, and closed his eyes, searching for patience.

Well, they were already past the point of no return. Might as well get ice cream.

Besides, Roxas had said his first sentence, even if he was just parroting. That was deserving of some kind of celebration. And Saix hadn't bothered to get ice cream in a while. After the week he'd had, he could really use some sea salt.

Roxas sat carefully on the edge of the clocktower, and took the package Saix handed him. He liked Saix; he was nice. Most of the other members were alright, and Xion was… confusing. Roxas wasn't sure what he thought about Xion yet.

He knew he didn't like Axel though. Axel was scary, even if he wasn't sure why. Roxas was pretty sure he didn't want to make Axel angry though.

He wasn't sure what the package was, but Saix seemed to know what he was doing, so Roxas copied him, removing the package from the bar-thing, holding it by the stick, and eating it.

Oh! It was cold! He couldn't tell that through his gloves. And it tasted strange too, sweet, but salty. It was good, in a weird sort of way.

"It's sweet… and salty." He said, unsure of how to articulate it. He wasn't sure how to articulate most things yet. It felt like he had been asleep for a long time, and was just starting to wake up from it.

"Yes, it's sea salt ice cream. It's supposed to taste like that." Saix said, an almost wistful tone to his voice, eyes fixed on the sunset.

"Have you been here before?" Roxas asked, mildly curious if Saix had chosen the place on a whim, or knew about the clocktower already. Apparently they were still in Twilight Town, but the area seemed very different from the underground Roxas had had his mission in.

"Yes. I… I used to go here after work, with an old friend."

"Who?"

"Doesn't matter. He's gone now."

Roxas went quiet at that, a wave of melancholy going through him. So Saix had a friend who used to be in the Organization, but left. Or died.

…Were they allowed to leave the Organization? Axel and Xemnas didn't seem like people who would react well to that, but they didn't seem like people who would react well to anything, really. But dying… Well, he was pretty sure most missions were combat missions, even if he couldn't remember where he'd heard that before.

"I'm sorry you lost your friend." Roxas offered, a bit awkward at the concept. He'd been alive for like, a week. He hadn't had enough time to experience loss.

Well, unless you counted the fact that he'd lost… apparently everything. But he couldn't remember that either, so as far as Roxas was concerned, it didn't count.

Saix looked surprised, and then mildly amused.

"Thank you. So, how have you found your first week in the Organization?"

Roxas shrugged, a bit awkward, and took another mouthful of sea salt to avoid answering long enough to collect his thoughts.

"I'm… not sure. It's all kind of fuzzy, until a few hours ago."

"Understandable. It seems like you've been in shock since you were formed, and are finally recovering. The process of losing a heart is quite traumatic, especially for a child. I'm not surprised it took you a while to recover."

"But I don't remember losing my heart."

"That… is admittedly, a complication. I'm not sure why you lost your memories, while none of the rest of us did, but that likely didn't help your condition. But I'm glad you're feeling better now. Perhaps your memories will return with time?"

Roxas perked up slightly at the thought.

"Yeah, maybe. That'd be nice."

They finished their ice cream in silence, but it was a comfortable silence.

After that they RTC'd, and Saix taught Roxas how to properly fill out a mission report, while Axel studiously ignored them from the front of the room. When they were finished, and handed in their reports (Saix's was considerably longer than Roxas's, and seemed to be mostly about how Roxas had reacted to things), Roxas returned to his room, and spent a while struggling to think of something to write in his diary. He really didn't understand the point of keeping a diary, but Axel had told him to, and he wasn't sure what would happen if he didn't. So he was doing his best to actually write.

After that, he had dinner. He didn't know how cook yet, and really didn't feel like experimenting, so took some leftovers from the fridge. He was pretty sure it was chicken. Whatever it was, there had been a piece of masking tape on the lid marking it as belonging to Demyx, and promising misery to anyone who ate it.

So Roxas had waited until the kitchen was empty before he took it. He was pretty sure he wasn't anybody's immediate suspect for anything yet, so it was probably safe.

And then, tired, he went to bed.

Roxas's Diary – Entry 2

Saix and I went to Twilight Town today. He taught me a lot.

Before we RTC'd (Returned to the Castle) we went up to the clocktower, and had sea-salt ice cream. It was good. Saix said he used to go there with a friend of his, but his friend is gone. I wonder what happened to him? I don't think Saix wants to talk about it though, so I didn't ask.

Saix also taught me how to fill out mission reports. Axel said that if I don't write good ones, he'll set me on fire. I don't think he was joking. I hope I don't mess up any mission reports… Axel's scary.

I don't know how this diary thing works. Am I supposed to just write what happened toady? It's like a mission report for myself. But I'm not going to set myself on fire if I write a bad entry. That would be stupid.

I don't get the point of this…

Secret Report: Saix

We have two new members in a week now, Roxas and Xion. I know Roxas is about fourteen, and from what I've seen of Xion, they don't seem much older. When did the Organization turn into a daycare?

…Then again, Zexion was a founding member when he was nine. And Axel and I were only fifteen ourselves when we joined, so I don't exactly have room to judge.

At least I'm not expected to babysit XIV, though Roxas seems to have grown beyond needing a caretaker. Starting tomorrow, the other members will be giving the rest of his training. I think the Castle Oblivion team will be the ones dealing with him – preparations are in the final stage, so Axel's been setting them simple missions, so they have more time to handle that.

The Castle Oblivion team still needs a sixth member – from what I've gathered, Axel is pushing for my addition to the roster, while Xemnas would rather send Xigbar. I'm not sure which I'd prefer. I know that the Castle Oblivion project is a set up – giving Marluxia and Larxene enough rope to hang themselves with, while having enough senior members present to ensure that after those two are caught and killed, the goal will be completed, and Sora will be brought under Organization control. If Xigbar is sent, then the mission will go according to plan. If I am sent… well. Axel and I have held our own plans for quite some time, and neither of us are the type to pass over a golden opportunity like this.

After all, while we may not have any true feelings regarding the destruction of Radiant Garden and our own deaths, the memories warrant something done. One does not need a heart to seek revenge.

AN: I'm expanding on the journal entries a bit, cause come on, the entries in game were short as hell. They've got to elaborate more than that, right? Except nah cause video games aren't usually heavy on the reading, so yeah I can get the canon entries being shorter, but I'm writing longer so yolo.

And no, Saix is not the Organization's official assassin. Axel could handle it just fine, but let's remember, Axel and Saix have wildly different skillsets. Assassin's a job that requires stealth, precision, and nerves of steel. Saix wields a claymore the same height as him, and goes berserk in combat. So… not the ideal assassin. Whenever people need to be killed, the mission gets handed to whoever's best suited for it. Xemnas wants Xigbar to handle Marluxia and Larxene, because Xigbar is trustworthy (read: possessed), and can just shoot either of them from a longer distance than they can attack from. Axel wants Saix to go, as (officially) Saix is the best match against Marluxia in combat, while still fast enough to take Larxene, and has been a loyal subordinate since day one. Unofficially, Axel wants Saix to kill the entire castle, and finger crossed come back with Namine and a brainwashed Sora. Who's going to Castle Oblivion? You'll see.

No promises regarding update times, as I've got other projects in the works as well, and I think the fires are starting to back down for this AU, but don't worry. I've still got lots of ideas, and they're sure going to go places. Butterfly affect and all. This AU is going to start of slow, and rapidly turn into a wildly different story.

Also sorry for no Xion here. She'll make her debut soon, don't worry.