Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts does not belong to me, it's the property of Square Enix and Disney. No money has or will exchange hands. It was written purely for entertainment value.

Authors Note: I've been working on this for a very long time, a year almost so there are several chapters already finished. To those who've played 358/2 days things won't quite be as they were, this is an alternate reality although only from the end of Kingdom Hearts I onwards. It's not necessary but it might be interesting to read the secret mini story that came with KH2: Final Mix, there are translations available.

Much thanks to my Beta reader (the same one who's always beta'd my Kingdom Hearts stuff), I'd name him but he uses so many different names there is no point. He's helped me to keep this on track. Anyway… enjoy. Helped until chapter 8, I'd been on my own until chapter 13 when Sally (4theloveoftea) stepped in to continue on this Journey with me.

This is a rebeta'd and edited version, no major changes but spelling, certain descriptive words and grammar has been fixed. September 2014

Prologue

If it could be changed, if there had been another way around it…. Had they shared their thoughts, their concerns and his dreams…. Had he never left, or in leaving taken the other with him then perhaps their destinies would not have been so tragic.

There are many worlds and many more versions of those under their own skies with their own individual destinies. Kingdom Hearts does not solely rest within one such reality, good does not always win over evil – in fact deciding which is which differs from sky to sky. There is always a chance the outcome will be the other way around or even somewhere in between.

Chapter 1

There is always a chance the outcome will be the other way around or even somewhere in between.

On a ledge high above a small town bathed in its own perpetual sunset the two nobodies could sit and watch the world pass by them with a bar of sea salt ice cream in each free hand. The others were occupied; fingers entwined together and black gloves thrown to the side.

It was their tradition, one as long standing as their friendship.

Axel was taller and a long standing member of Organisation XIII. He gave the air of someone who wouldn't let anything stand in the way of his goal. Something Castle Oblivion's inhabitants had learned the hard way… manipulation, assassination… all of it to keep his goal safe.

To keep Roxas safe and perhaps most importantly with him.

It wasn't that Roxas belonged to him… more with him. Non-existence was pointless without something to fill the void left behind by his heart and Roxas had more than done that. With no memories of who he had been Roxas acted on instinct, cold to those except Axel who he had at first claimed to 'tolerate' and later, although the redhead was sure Roxas would deny it had ever happened to anyone who asked… 'Love with all his non existent heart'.

But something was amiss that evening, as it had been the night before. It had been two days since the demise of Castle Oblivion, forty-eight hours since he had allowed Naminé, Sora and Riku to leave that place alive…. Yet despite all he had done to keep Roxas sat at his side safe, he felt the distance grow between them and it scared him on two levels. On one it was yet more proof that their leader's theories were flawed and secondly that is meant something was wrong with Roxas. It was easier to get blood from a stone than to get him to open up… he always talked if he wanted to but other than that….

"Hey Axel."

"Yeah?" he asked, wanting for Roxas to at least look at him, there was that something again, almost like a twisting feeling in his non existent heart – the same one as the previous evening. If he were human he would have called it fear, fear that Roxas would leave him…. Non existence without him wouldn't be worth it anymore. Not after he had given so much to keep him safe. Both from Xemnas and from Sora.

"You told me yesterday that we have to make a lot of memories - that we might not always be together like this," he stated, eyes still focussed in front of him.

"Yeah, I did." Axel then finished off the remainder of his ice cream and threw the stick over the side of the tower. He half considered he'd hear it land and clatter onto the ground below in the silence that followed.

"What if I forget again?" Roxas asked finally turning to meet Axel's bright green eyes.

"Again?"

Roxas nodded. "I lost all the memories of my somebody… who's to say someday I won't forget you." He looked afraid Axel realised and Roxas continued to stare at him, hand shaking slightly in his own.

"You and your somebody are not the same person Roxas."

"But what if I were to get my heart back… wouldn't I become him again? Wouldn't I loose who I am now?" Once again the fear he couldn't possibly feel to the extent he appeared to was in his eyes.

"Doesn't work like that Rox; Kingdom Hearts will give you a new one, just in case your old one isn't there." Axel had to be careful of what he said in case he gave something away. He didn't know what would happen if Roxas ever found out who exactly Sora was and he couldn't stand the possibility that it would mean he lost him.

"You mean in case it still belongs to a Heartless?" he asked, shuffling closer to Axel.

"Something like that yeah." Axel tried to convince himself that as long as he wasn't directly lying to him that it would be ok. But he couldn't ignore the nagging voice that crept into the back of his mind. What if all the lies push Roxas away regardless?

Trying to silence the voice and the future he hoped he didn't have to face, Axel released Roxas' hand and wrapped his arms around him pulling him close in an effort to comfort both himself and Roxas at the same time.

Naminé listened to DiZ's plans with an air of trepidation. It had been only a few hours since they had finished relocating on the world the old man referred to as Twilight Town. Sora and his friends were safely sleeping in the basement awaiting the start of her work…. Removing any trace of her from their memories and putting everything back how it rightfully belonged.

It was as she listened to DiZ explain that she must only leave the mansion when accompanied and only with permission, never be seen by anyone in the town and work as hurriedly as possible that she started to wonder if she had gained her freedom after all. The Organisation had told her the same things, provided her with a similar room, similar rules. Using her only for her powers… a Witch.

In fact somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered if this was somehow worse. At least the Organisation members had been the same as her, DiZ held a different level of arrogance to Marluxia and she once again wondered what would be come of her after DiZ had his way.

"Of course we will need someone to provide back up in case we are discovered and the Organisation try to claim back what they believe to belong to them."

Naminé nodded as he spoke, wanting nothing more than to leave as soon as possible.

"Someone strong, someone with the power to fight those who stand against us," DiZ continued and beneath the bandages Naminé swore she could see him smirking. "I'm sure you two have already met so I'll spare a long introduction…." He gestured towards the door to her white room and a figure in a black coat entered.

For a moment Naminé held her breath, wary of who would be residing within it but she smiled weakly when she saw that it was someone she considered her friend.

"Riku." She smiled softly and pushed the stray strands of blonde hair back behind her ear. Maybe this place wouldn't be so much of a prison after all.

Later as Roxas lay against Axel's bare chest in his room, he let his mind wander to the vague flashes of memories from dreams he'd been having for the last week or so.

Axel was awake and contentedly weaving his hand through Roxas' messy blonde hair, the other arm around his waist. Roxas was quiet, but then he always had been – that or moody and grumbling…. Then, he supposed, there was the other side - The one that moaned his name and dug fingernails into his back during their more intimate moments… But right now Axel was happy with quiet Roxas and the fingers leaving invisible patterns on his cooling skin in their afterglow.

They both knew there was something the other was unable or unwilling to tell them and Roxas in particular wondered if perhaps what he wanted to say was really so bad. Axel could still remember some things about his other and although he had been reluctant to discuss it with Roxas, he had. Roxas doing the same would only be fair…. But then there were the secrets Axel was keeping from him – that everyone, with the possible exception of Demyx and Luxord were keeping from him. He knew Axel was only doing what he was ordered for the most part but it still left him feeling uncomfortable.

"Axel?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think it'll ever be finished?" Roxas tilted his head to look the other in the eye.

"I hope so," Axel replied firmly, sitting up and taking Roxas with him. There was something else in his eyes then and Roxas had only just caught it, it was the reason he would remain silent about his dreams and keep his questions to himself for a little while longer at least. Until he was sure of what he wanted to know and how he could find out, he wanted for there to be a way to stay with Axel – regardless of his secrets.