Returning the Nothing

It has been three days since Ventus walked off and came back. Terra has been on edge since, scared of who-know-what. He even looks pale, though I'm the only one that's noticed. I've asked Zexion to look him over, since he's the only one out of us with first-aid training but Zexion keeps saying he doesn't see anything.

So I've got myself worried, maybe I'm getting paranoid.

It's not helping that these dreams keep coming. This man does not seem to let up, and I couldn't care less at the moment about keeping whoever-it-is' heart happy. We have more dying matters, but at the same time it feels more pressing as the hours of the day tick by.

I find myself thinking more of that man than the others, almost too much. Everyone has noticed too, I can feel their piercing stares at the back of my head as I leave the cave everyday. Walking around this supposed abandoned island, my thoughts go back to all my dreams. The sand feels familiar, the way it crunches against my feet and the texture it has against my toes.

You're not alone

Together we stand

I'll be by your side,

You know I'll take your hand

When it gets cold

And it feels like the end

There's no place to go

You know I won't give in

No I won't give in

The sudden feeling of air knocked me out of my thoughts as I hit the cushion-like ground. A man with pitch black hair and piercing yellow eyes stood in front of me. His clothes were skin tight with only the colour red appearing on his clothes. His crazed smile made me move back, feeling the cool water against my elbows. What did this man want?

"Who are you?" I ask, completely winging this as I go. I quickly stand up and mentally ready myself to get my weapons.

"I am Vanitus." And with that he ran at me, wielding a Keyblade as he ran. I brought out my chakrams, putting them into a defensive position, but the blade never came. Vanitus vanished into thin air and as I looked around I saw Terra coming up to me, looking paler then ever.

"Are you okay?" I ask. Still completely clueless to what the hell is going on. Terra smiled, almost as if he was holding back a laugh. He then patted me on the shoulder, and then with a faint smile he answered me.

"I was just about to ask you the same question." He laughed, but it felt forced.

"I'll answer yours if you answer mine first."

Terra sighed and looked away. "I don't think I should answer that, but you leave me no choice." He frowned as his voice whisked away. "Not too well my friend, almost as if I don't seem to exist. The air around me seems to be vacant and nothing seems to go right, like I'm slipping through my own fingers." He gave out a huff. "And you?"

I didn't register the question, flooding into my own personal hell of thoughts. The description seemed like it was familiar but the time and place seemed off. I wandered through my brain searching for anything that might help me in my self-revelation. My first dream on this island flowed through my brain as if it was on a never-ending loop. Was Terra this mystery man that I've been trying to figure out? It didn't make sense the man had flowing long white hair and Terra's was short and brown. Was that his future? And who was this little boy that he was talking about?

Keep holding on

'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through

Just stay strong

'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you

There's nothing you can say

Nothing you can do

There's no other way when it comes to the truth

So keep holding on

'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through

I heard a snap in the distance and tuned back into the world. Terra looked confused, and out of the loop. "Are you okay?"

"More than I have in days Terra, I finally have a weight lifted off my shoulders and I can do something about the turning in my gut." I looked at him. "I think you're that mystery man, and if you are then that means we landed on this island for a reason." A smile pierced my face. "We might be able to go home."

Terra's face made my smile falter. "I don't think it will be that easy." His voice floated into the air. "I feel if we leave this island, we won't be going home Axel."

"What does mean?"

"It means that I don't think that we will ever go home, even if we leave this island. This island seems to be a resting place or a pit stop. I think someone is going to leave."

"Then shouldn't we find a way to stay together? What about Roxas and Ventus? They could be sent so far away from us." I started to shake. "I finally got him and you're saying that I might lose my only happiness?"

"Axel, calm down. Deep breathes buddy." I tried to listen to his plea, but my body didn't respond. "We'll spend all day with them."

So far away

Wish you were here

Before it's too late, this could all disappear

Before the door close

And it comes to an end

With you by my side I will fight and defend

Fight and defend

Yeah, yeah

The night sky danced around with the stars as we played along the camp fire. We had decided that morning that we were going to have barbecue before sleeping the night away. The clearing they had found had lush green grass that merged together with beach sand. The trees weren't too far away as the bent over tree had Terra and Ventus sitting on it.

Roxas was laying over my chest as we were eating, the rising and falling of his chest comforting to me. I smiled at him as we were eating and nothing seemed to matter at the moment.

It was moments like these that I know I'll treasure forever, the feel and smell of pure Roxas that nothing was washed over. Inclosing my arms around him I placed my hands right below his navel, feeing the soft hair of his soul-patch. Placing my head into his crease of his neck, I nuzzled into it before whispering into his ear. "I wish we could stay like this forever."

Roxas sighed. "Me too, hopefully we can."

"We can only hope the fates are in our favour."

Keep holding on

'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through

Just stay strong

'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you

There's nothing you can say

Nothing you can do

There's no other way when it comes to the truth

So keep holding on

'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through

Demyx walked up to us and smiled that smirk-y grin of his, I rolled my eyes. What did he want?

"Yes Demy?" I asked, knowing fully well that he wouldn't ask just stare at us until we started the conversation. "What would you like?"

Demy chuckled. "I would like to talk to you Axel, that's all." I have something I need to ask you."

I gave him a quizzical look before sitting up, giving Roxas a kiss on the check, standing up and walking away. I followed Demy into the foliage, until suddenly he stopped. I stumbled, not expecting the man in front of me to stop. "What the-?"

"Axel do you think it's weird if I ask Zexion to marry me?"

I looked at him as if he had a third head. He brought me out here, the middle of practically nowhere to ask if I would think something it weird? "Demy, with everything that's happened to me over the past two days, no that would not be weird. Heck, I personally think it's sweet. He would be over the moon and we could have it here and not have to worry about everything for a while. Though I do have a question."

Demyx looked at me. "And that would be?"

"Did you want to do this before or after we ended up here?"

Demy smiled, completely teeth shit-eating grin that barely went on his face. It made me smile. "Before, I even have the ring I was going to use."

I felt like a total girl when I asked, but it had to be done. "Can I see it?" I looked at Demyx as he reached into his pocket and pulled out this little grey box made completely out of velvet. He opened it and this slim dark tinted band appeared in the box, the band had dark blue sapphires embedded in it. My jaw sagged in awe as I looked back at the man who bought it. "It's beautiful Dem, I'm sure he'll love it."

"That's good cause I spent most of my college fund on it. But then again, who are we kidding when I'm not getting into any colleges."

I laughed at that, he had a point.

Hear me when I say, when I say I believe

Nothing's gonna change, nothing's gonna change destiny

Whatever's meant to be will work out perfectly

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Looking at Demyx, that happy-go-lucky face that I'll always endear everything felt so right. I never felt like I had a brother before, including my step and blood brother. The line vanished into thin air and this new line formed, it was wrong. He was wrong; time, world, heritage and I couldn't seem to find the answer. A black void was drawing near and this brother of mine was going down with it.

But I couldn't let that happen.

Demyx felt the darkness approaching, running towards that blackened hell. Of course I ran after him, as nuts as I was I was never going to leave a friend. Leave no friend behind, and keep each other's backs. That was our motto.

When we both stop, there was a dark blacken spot on the ground but nothing else. The definition of nothing; other than what was suppose to be there, nothing was there but this blackened ground of abyss.

"What the hell?" Demyx squeaked, opening the guitar case.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked, looking at him

"Yes, they are the reason we are here. Maybe we can find a way off the island if capture one of them."

"I don't think that's a good idea."

"Why not?"

"I don't think those things will be solid enough to rope down. One of them flattened completely, almost like a shadow. Plus, I don't see any down there."

"We should still check it out."

I huffed out a sigh. "Okay there big boy, let's be careful though."

Keep holding on

'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through

Just stay strong

'Cause you know I'm here for you, I'm here for you

There's nothing you can say

Nothing you can do

There's no other way when it comes to the truth

So keep holding on

'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through

Keep holding on

Keep holding on

We reached our destination quite quickly before I saw that Demyx was wrong. The whole entire black ground was made up of those shadow creatures, there was no real ground there. I quickly drew my chakrams and got into a defensive position. Demyx quickly pulled out his sitar and strummed the strings, the sound was off-key but six water figures came out of from the ground.

I saw Demy tuning his sitar before he strummed again, and the figures started to move towards the monsters. I followed his lead and let the fire fill the area before throwing the left chakram clearing a strip of an area.

"Come on, we'll be safer when we aren't surrounded." Demyx nodded running with me, leaving his case behind.

We reached the edge of the area when a black vine grabbed Demyx's foot. I pounded the vine with my chakrams while Demy was covering us with his figures. The figures were going down one by one and soon the monsters were on us. That was our saving grace came.

"Firaga!" Terra's voice rang. A giant fireball was aimed right out the monsters coming directly at us. It disappeared in a puff of smoke and the others stepped back for a second.

"Axel are you okay?" Roxas looked up at me.

"I'm fine, though Demyx is stuck." I said pointing at Demyx's foot.

Terra rolled his eyes and looked over the vine. "Blizzard." He spoke as ice covered it, and then he hit the ice with his Keyblade. "There."

"What are those things?" Ventus asked a whimper present in his voice.

"I believe those are Heartless." Zexion said, raising his Lexicon to the ready.

With hunger now set in their eyes the 'Heartless' sprung from there earlier position, immediately going for Zexion. They pulled him away from us before we could even react, Demyx yelling for them to stop. He strummed the sitar for help of his own and Terra sprang into action. Hacking away at the black darkness to get to Zexion.

"Terra! I want to try something, jump when I say to." He nodded and I conjured flames and threw my chakrams to clear another path for Terra to Zexion. "JUMP!" I screamed. Terra complied and barely missed my chakrams on the backflip.

"THUNDRA!"

Lightening shot out from the sky in a circle around him, rerouting my chakrams to me. I smiled and kept attacking the creatures around me.

One of the creatures attacked me from behind, pushing me to the ground with a thud. I heard Demyx's scream in the background as I started to bellow out mine. Roxas called for me. "Axel! Axel please don't die on me! I can't lose you Axel!"

The darkness kept clawing at me. There was no way around it, it was engulfing me. "Roxas, I love you!" I screamed. "I really do, I'll find you again. Don't doubt me on that."

"I love you, Axel!"

The darkness became the only thing around me, with two small lights in the far back ground. The lights moved around, circling each other until each just became a memory. A far off memory that was beginning to slip. Until my mind was becoming nothing. I could hear in a far off voice that was Terra, the other Terra; "You've done my heart well." Before that too faded into the abyss I was lying in.

There's nothing you could say

Nothing you can do

There's no other way when it come to the truth

So keep holding on

'Cause you know we'll make it through, we'll make it through

I woke up in a labatory, confused and disgruntled. Last thing I remember was Roxas leaving, no saving Roxas' somebody from those Nobodies.

"Where…" I started to get up. "What happened to me? Roxas." My body started to ascend upwards until I was on two feet.

Not too far away from me was a glass pane, and I could see my reflection. "That's me." Quickly I shifted my eyes towards where the Door To Darkness as. On the floor laid my comrades. "Dilan, Aeleus, Even, Ienzo-" They were all here.

I scanned the room again only to look back at the window pane, something odd about my own reflection. My tattoos below my eyes were gone.

"We're people again."

Author's Note: Hey, so sorry I took so long. I wanted to make this really cool battle scene between Axel, Demyx and the Heartless and then another one for the whole gang vs. the Heartless but I couldn't seem to get it right. I actually wrote like million times and I got fet up with it and wrote this instead.

I hope you guys like the last chapter of The Connection of Memories because I sure have loved writing it.

I would like to thank all my reviewers for being awesome and you guys actually make my day. I would like to thank Candy personally because when we bounced around ideas it made me actually think where to go next and personally made this story 20x better.

Also I was thinking about rewriting/revamping the first couple of chapters and was wondering if anyone would like that. :D