Yuki stared at her feet, trailing behind X and Y into the next room. Her mind raced and occasionally gave low throbs if a thought was a little too deep. 

X and Y stopped in front of her. Yuki didn't even bother to look up calling her keyblades to her hands. X and Y made similar motions, calling their own weapons. Yuki looked up, seeing Rimyei standing on the stairs in front of them. Her eyes slowly looked over the three of them, landing on the key in Y's hand. She sighed, calling her own weapon, a great sword, to her own hand.

"I would rather we didn't have to fight," Rimyei said, brushing her short hair aside.

"And we'd rather not be here at all," Yuki snapped. Rimyei sighed, looking down with an almost wistful smile.

"I suppose that is fair enough," she said. Looking up again, her pink eyes met with Yuki's own blue ones. "However, allow me just a moment of your time."

"What do you want?" Y snapped.

"What you just saw were your beginnings," Rimyei said, shifting her grip on the handle of her blade. "Leaving an island prison, not so different from your enemy. Or breaking away from your path. Or even losing your heart. How fortunate that was only your beginning."

"I suppose you're going to tell us that was your end?" Y said, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.

"When I gave my heart for my master, I did lose everything. You, you still hold her blessing. It didn't end for you. But everything I worked for was taken away," Rimyeiu said. Her grip tightened as her pink eyes went from soft to a harsh glare. Yuki stepped back, slightly raising her keys.

"What do you mean, her blessing?" Yuki demanded.

"You had a keyblade?" X asked. HIs soft voice echoed around them, less a question and more a shocked statement. Rimyei nodded, looking away to the ground again.

"There are more of us who were once wielders than you know. We fought for the same goal as you," she said.

"Then you should know why this is a bad idea," X said, his daggers dropping only by a hair. "I shouldn't have to explain why your mindless quest to regain your blessing is a march to your deaths."

"But you have always scorned it like it's touch burns your skin," Rimyei said, her eyes now focused on X. Yuki held back her nod of agreement. X hated keyblades. Gave them dirty looks and rolled his eyes at the notion of being the wielder among them. "Even before you lost your heart."

"Sometimes I think I'm the only one with common sense," X muttered. He shook his head slightly, looking up again after a pause. "Is that all you want, another attempt to make us feel sorry for you?"

"We had hoped you would understand," Rimyei said calmly.

"We do understand," Yuki said, this time stepping forward in front of the twins. "You lost a lot and instead of trying to make a new life with what you have and all the memories and pain, you'd rather stop yourself from feeling that pain in the first place. Just because we understand doesn't mean we'll help you."

"You would keep the pain?" Rimyei questioned, her head tilting to the side. Yuki's heart clenched as her mind filled with thoughts of her lost friends.

"Yes."

"Even the pain you're about to face?" Rimyei asked. She gave them no chance to ask what that pain was before she vanished as all the others had before her. It didn't matter. Yuki knew what pain it had to be.

Yuki frowned, banishing her keys as she stared at the ground. X and Y both looked back at her, eyes glancing between each other then to Yuki once again.

"Where next?" Y asked.

"Twilight Town," Yuki answered turning to X. He sighed, holding the card out for her to take. She frowned at it, the familiar clocktower taking up a majority of the picture.

Entering the new floor, Yuki held in the urge to cough at the dust-filled air. She covered her mouth, looking around the worn mansion halls. Already this place was filled with memories she didn't want. She had slept in this manor for years. Somehow, DiZ had hidden her away here. Thought it would be safe though, in the end, he was mistaken.

How long had she been awake? Was it really only two years? Well, getting closer to two and a half now. But still not nearly as long as it felt. Not long enough for her to meet the ones who gathered at the clock tower. And not long enough to learn how to love them. And certainly not long enough to lose them all. Not long enough to be thrown into a life she no longer remembered.

"Yuki, come on," X said. Yuki looked up, surprised to see X and Y already far ahead of her. Towards the end of the walkway. Near Naminé's room.

"Coming," Yuki said, jogging to catch up to them. Y frowned, tilting her head to the side quizzically.

"How many are we betting on here?" Y asked, holding out her hand to count on. "Roxas and Axel?" She ticked off two fingers, holding the second one back as she waited for any additions.

"I can't think of many more," X said, crossing his arms. Yuki felt a sharp pain in her chest, one she knew was her own. "But that doesn't explain why we started here." His eyes wandered around the mansion, annoyance flashing across his eyes. Yuki swore if he had a tail it would be flicking back and forth.

"Nami," Yuki said quietly. X and Y looked at her, heads tilted in confusion. "She lived in this mansion for a long time."

"Right," X said with a nod. "I forgot about her."

Yuki tried not to flinch back from the words. It made sense of course. X had never really met Naminé, even Y hadn't. But it was all too familiar. Another one lost to be forgotten by too many. Shaking her head, Yuki led the way towards Naminé's room. Her cage.

Unsurprisingly the shadow of Naminé was sitting at the table of the white room, sketching something in the notepad in front of her. The room was adorned with pictures as it always was. But it only took a glance for Yuki to realize they weren't Sora's memories this time. They were hers. And some belonged to X and Y she assumed. There was one that looked like Y and her friends sitting on a cliff face watching the sky as meteors streaked by. One of Yuki and Roxas on top of the clock tower. 

X and Y were both looking around in amazement as well, eyes wandering over the pictures. X had turned his back to them, running his hand over the walls as he looked at each picture. He froze suddenly staring at one of the pictures. Yuki watched from the corner of her eye as he tore the picture down, shoving it into his pocket. She wasn't sure what it was, she had only caught a glimpse of dry earth and a dark overcast sky, and maybe a keyblade?

Yuki brushed it off, turning to Naminé. She smiled as she sat on the edge of the table, looking down at the drawing. This one was unusual. Yuki was sure she didn't remember this. A dark city, with a figure standing on top of a building. Details were still forming, coming together to perhaps make the image make sense.

"Hey, Nami, what'cha working on?" Yuki asked. The shadow stopped, moving her hand to the side.

"You came back," she said, rather than answer.

"I told you I would," Yuki said simply. It had been such a simple promise all that time ago. One Yuki had always meant to keep.

"I guess you did," Naminé agreed. She shifted nervously, her pencil moving over a blank surface on the table like she needed to keep drawing. But she didn't, the image remained untouched, leaving Yuki to look at it in confusion. It didn't remind her of anywhere, expect, maybe Shibuya? And the figure, they were somehow familiar, weren't they?

"So, what are you working on?" Yuki asked again. Naminé remained silent, staring at the picture. Yuki sighed leaning back slightly and looking away from the picture. She watched idly as X and Y paced around the room, looking at each picture in turn. Every so often she'd catch X tearing one down. She could never see what they were of though.

"Do you know why they needed me?" Naminé asked, breaking the silence. Yuki turned her attention back to the blonde, her head tilted to the side.

"Who?"

"The organization, DiZ," Naminé answered.

"You're the memory keeper," Yuki said simply, remembering the words she had been told the first time she had searched for Naminé. She had hated it then. No one should be relegated to a title like that. Not when she had a beautiful name they could use.

"Do you know why that matters?" Naminé asked.

"Because memories are all we have?" Yuki asked in turn. It was what they always said. Yuki guessed it was true enough.

"Yes. It's all anyone has," Naminé agreed. "Your heart is made up of your memories, whether you remember them or not. And your memories make you, you."

Yuki blinked a few times frowning. Part of that made no sense. But, she wasn't sure they had time to get into all of that. She would just have to put the focus on what she did know.

"Right," she agreed. "That's why it doesn't matter if we have hearts or not. We're still us."

"Yes," Naminé said, nodding slowly.

"So what happens when you lose all of your memories?" Yuki asked, glancing again to X and Y. They had stopped pacing the room, standing not far from where Yuki sat on the table. "Say like I did. Do we stay the same?" She looked again at Naminé.

"It depends. Did you keep your heart?" Naminé asked.

"Uh," Yuki said, looking to X and Y for help. They both shrugged, sharing a look between them as if the other would know. "I think technically no," Yuki said hesitantly, turning to look at Naminé once again.

"Then you're different," Naminé said. "As long as the heart is the same, then you are the same. The memories remain even if you don't remember." Yuki held in her heavy sigh as she frowned. How was that even supposed to be possible? How could a memory exist if it was forgotten?

"Memories are powerful things, aren't they?" Yuki asked, the thought hardly registering in her head even as she said it. Naminé smiled and nodded.

"Your memories are your world."

The simple words hung in the air as the shadow vanished, leaving only the picture behind. Yuki frowned, looking down at the picture again. It was familiar, but at the same time, so different. 

"Good start," Y said, pulling Yuki out of her thoughts.

"She's not wrong," X said, crossing his arms as he looked at Y. "Look at Sora, he's stayed the same even when he was brought through this place." He motioned around the room. Yuki frowned in confusion, gasping seconds later. She had forgotten they were in the castle again.

"Sora never changes. I'm not sure he can," Yuki muttered, holding in a chuckle. "Come on. Places to be."

Yuki hopped off the table, taking the lead again as they left the manor. She didn't look to see where X and Y were behind here. All she needed was the sound of their footsteps and occasional whispers.

She wasn't sure what led her to the sandlot. But in her mind, she knew it was the right place to be. The place that had really started it all. She could almost see where Roxas and Xion had stood, where the deserters had been running. It was enough she almost looked over the shadow that was there. 

"Axel," Yuki said, approaching the red-haired Nobody who stared off into the distance. He jumped a little, turning to face her with a crooked grin.

"Hey there Snowy," he greeted. "What brings you here?" He leaned forward, hands on his hips. Yuki rolled her eyes, resting a hand on her hip as she shrugged.

"Organization chaos."

Axel laughed, standing straight again. Yuki had forgotten how tall he was. Even Riku wasn't nearly as tall as him. It made her feel small, and almost as if she were a child again.

"Fair enough," he said.

"What about you? Why are you here?" Yuki asked. Axel chuckled, rubbing the back of his head as he looked away again. His eyes focused on something in the distance, something Yuki couldn't see.

"This part of town kinda reminds me of my homeworld," Axel admitted. Yuki tilted her head to the side, glancing around. Of all the places in town, she would never choose this one to compare to Radiant Gardens. Maybe the Tram common, and maybe the Station Plaza, but not the Sandlot.

"What was your homeworld like?" Yuki asked, despite knowing the answer. Maybe he could tell her something different. Something she hadn't known.

"Why so curious?" Axel asked. Yuki frowned, glancing over to X. He offered her a smirk, looking back at Axel. 

"Can't I know more about my friend?" Yuki asked, turning away from X trying not to shake her head. 

"It was pretty nice. Sometimes I miss it," Axel said, shrugging slightly.

"So why don't you go back?" Yuki asked, tilting her head to the side. Axel laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his head again.

"Couldn't."

"Why not?"

Axel shifted his weight, forcing himself to chuckle again. He had always laughed when he was nervous, making it out to be some kind of joke. Yuki had never really taken the time to understand why. She wished she had.

"Just wouldn't be right, you know?" Axel said, shrugging again.

"No, I don't," Yuki said simply. "If I remembered where I came from I would love to go back." The words that left her mouth weren't really what she felt. Not anymore. Maybe she had once, when this had all started. She knew now, and could hardly stomach it. But something told her, she needed to push Axel more.

"Yeah, well, I got a few things stopping me," Axel said.

"Like what?" Yuki asked. Her mind supplied plenty of answers to that question. Thoughts racing around, echoing the same words. You don't belong. You're not one of them. They moved on.

"Just stuff, you know," Axel said.

"Right," Yuki agreed. Just stuff seemed to be the only way to speak those thoughts without seeming crazy. Axel sighed, his posture slumping forward.

"You know, you're lucky kid. Not remembering," he said.

"Am I?" Yuki asked. The days had seemed to have their merits, looking back on them now. It was all so much easier then. Easier not to know and not to fight. But, knowing was a sort of peace she had never known before.

"Yeah. Don't have to worry about what used to be. Only about what's going on now," Axel said.

"Guess I never thought about it," Yuki lied. It was so much easier only thinking about the now. But every step she took there was someone watching, telling her who she should be. It was suffocating.

"Well, you are. Get it memorized," Axel said, leaning forward and tapping his temple. Yuki held in her own chuckle.

"Why do you do that?" she asked.

"Huh?" Axel asked as he stood straight again.

"Got it memorized? Why do you say that every time?" Yuki asked again. The habit was endearing, if not a little annoying. But every time she thought of it she smiled. It was so uniquely him. 

"Because I can live forever in memories," Axel said calmly. "I don't ever want to be forgotten."

"Well, I promise I won't forget you," Yuki said. Her hand went to her pocket again, reaching for the shell she knew wasn't there. She couldn't forget even if she wanted to.

"Thanks, Snowy," Axel chuckled, ruffling Yuki's hair. The shadow vanished, leaving Yuki and the twins standing alone in the Sandlot again.

"I never thought he thought that much about it," Yuki said, wrapping her arms around herself tightly.

"Wonder how he even came up with that idea," X said, his hands resting in his pockets. Yuki could see the folds of paper still in his pockets. He hadn't just dropped the pictures then.

"He did the same thing the first time I met him," Y said. Yuki tilted her head to the side. That must have been in her first adventure. Something before all had changed for him. "Must have been thinking it for a long time."

"It's kinda scary, isn't it," Yuki said, her hand grasping at nothing. "The idea of being forgotten like that. Staring someone you knew in the face and them being unable to remember you." She looked up at X and Y, praying for some kind of recognition. Anything. They had to see it too, right?

"Yeah," Y agreed.

"Terrifying," X said.

Yuki wanted to scream. She wanted to yell and shout and make them hear what raced inside her mind. Make them understand. Terrifying didn't touch it. The cold sweat that covered her body just thinking of one of them staring her in her face and not knowing who she was. The way her heart pounded thinking of the blank looks, of questions whenever someone said her name. Her entire body shook as her mind went blank. If she vanished would there be anything left to remember her by? Would it make any sort of impact? Or would they go on with their lives as if nothing had happened? Her breathing picked up, coming faster and faster. How could they say something like that when they had forgotten all about Xion?

"Let's keep going," Y said. Yuki jumped looking up at her. She had a gentle smile, Yuki wanted to believe that she knew what was racing through her mind. But she couldn't.

"Just Roxas left?" X asked.

"Yeah, probably," Yuki said, forcing herself to breathe.

She led the way to the only place she could think to find Roxas. It just made sense for him to be there. They had spent so many days there. How long had she counted days? Waiting for something to happen to her. Her friends. Was it really a year ago?

Roxas was found sooner than she expected. He stood at the edge of the station plaza, closest to the exit. X and Y walked past him, almost to the center of the plaza. Yuki smiled looking at her feet as she approached the shadow.

"Roxas," Yuki greeted. Her voice almost caught in her throat. The word took much more effort than she thought it would to get out.

"Yuki," Roxas said in turn. Yuki's mind rushed with all the things she wanted to say, each fumbling more and more filled with more words than would be worth it. 

"Hey," she said. Almost immediately cursed herself. Of all the things she could say, she went with the worst possible thing. But it was all she could think. All she could force out.

"I have to destroy Kingdom Hearts," Roxas said, his gaze focused on the ground. It was just like when they had last met and Roxas was truly himself. Did she even see his eyes then?

"Why?" Yuki asked.

"I have to. It's the only way," Roxas insisted.

"The only way to what?" Yuki asked. It really was just the same. He never wanted to answer her then either. "I don't want to stop you, but you can't run in blind."

"To stay me," Roxas said, his hands clenching at his sides. He still refused to meet her gaze. Staring at the ground as he spoke so desperately. "I feel like every second I'm becoming less and less of myself. All about this Sora, some kind of connection."

"Roxas. You're not Sora," Yuki said. She spoke without much thought, her voice stern. Roxas looked up at her, blue eyes meeting hers. They brimmed with tears. Yuki felt her heart clench. His eyes looked so much like Sora's. But at the same time, Sora's eyes weren't quite this blue. The same, but different. "You never have been. The memories you saw, they were never yours. You never saw them as yours. You saw them from the outside. Your heart is not his."

"How can you know that?" Roxas asked quietly, his eyes dropping to the side again.

"You have a heart like Twilight," Yuki said softly, reaching out to Roxas. Her hand landed lightly on his wrist. "Sora's looks like the early morning. That's certainly not the same."

"Yuki, how do we stop it? How can we not be them?" Roxas asked. Yuki smiled, taking Roxas's hand in her own. It was warm, and for a moment he seemed real. He really was in front of her begging for answers. Another chance. One where she was older and wiser.

"Do you remember when we met?" Yuki asked.

"Yes, the deserters," Roxas replied.

"Yup, how about when we went up to the clocktower?"

"Of course. Everyday." His voice was breathless, the memories that weren't really his taking his focus off the moment.

"And you remember our little game?" Yuki asked, looking up with a sly grin. Roxas grinned in return.

"Munny for your thoughts."

"And the last time we saw each other?" Yuki asked.

"Yeah," Roxas agreed. He looked down where he stood. The last place they had spoken was here. And he seemed to know that. "What was it you were going to say?"

"A secret for now. Until I have the real you back," Yuki said. Her heart clenched again. It was just a fake, and the words she had meant to say. She wasn't sure she could ever say them. "We stay us by holding those memories. Because Sora doesn't remember those things. And neither does Kiu."

"Thank you," Roxas muttered, lowering his head as he faded away. Yuki dropped the hand that had been holding his, suddenly it felt empty. An unpleasant feeling spread from her chest. Not quite anger, but nothing good.

"Are you ok?" X asked. Yuki turned, looking at X and Y, who had rejoined her with the shadow gone.

"No," Yuki said, feeling the tears threatening to fill her eyes. "But we don't have time to worry about that."

"So what's next? Do we have someone to fight?" Y asked, placing a hand on her hip as she glanced around. Yuki frowned following her gaze. There was usually someone. But, not here. Not that she really remembered anyway. Not in this exact location at least.

"I fought Syrine here once, but that was back in the tram common," Yuki admitted, crossing her arms.

"Then what's left?" X asked. Yuki frowned looking around. Did they have to backtrack? It wouldn't have been the first time. But it seemed wrong. Whatever was supposed to happen next was here.

Y made a noise Yuki didn't quite process. Something like a hum, but more audible. Despite its strangeness, it made her confusion clear. Especially paired with the expression as she looked up.

"What?" X asked, looking at Y with an arched eyebrow.

"There's someone on top of the clock tower. Looks like an Organization XIII member," Y said. She pointed upwards, Yuki followed her hand. Sure enough, there was a small black-cloaked figure. Like a ghost. Suddenly Yuki understood where the rumors had come from.

"I guess that's next," Yuki said.

She followed the familiar path up to the top of the clocktower. The stairway echoed with their footsteps. Something she had heard time after time. Hand trailing along the wall as they reached the top, Yuki took a breath to steel herself. Whoever it was, it couldn't be a good thing.

The moment she saw the shadow her breath left her. She wanted to scream, but her mouth went dry as she looked at the black-haired figure. She looked just the same. Short hair and bright blue eyes turned to look at them. A soft smile on her face, like she had been waiting for them after a mission. Only she was standing, not sitting with ice cream.

"Who is she?" X asked. The words stabbed into Yuki's heart, tears prickling the back of her eyes.

"I've never seen her before," Y said. Yuki couldn't breathe, her heart pounding and a cold sweat covering her.

"No, please no," Yuki muttered. X and Y both glanced at her, confusion clear on their faces.

"So it's you three. I was expecting Roxas first," Xion said, her smile not fading as she turned and looked at them completely. Y huffed, pushing to the front of the group.

"Listen, I don't know who you are, or what pawn you're playing to the Organization-"

"She's just a shadow," Yuki said. 

"What?" X asked, turning to look at Yuki again. "Wouldn't we have to remember her?"

"Guess not," Yuki said weakly.

"All memory of me was broken apart," Xion said, here eyes meeting Yuki's. Eyes that looked so familiar it hurt. Eyes that made it so hard to look at Kairi. "Naminé could keep a single piece of me together when I returned to Sora. And yet you still remember."

"You were forgotten but not lost," Yuki said, echoing the words she had learned from Naminé. "And I guess I never lost you."

"But why you?" Xion demanded, her voice growing louder suddenly. She stepped towards them, fist clenched and eyes narrowed. Y put up her arms, ready to defend. "Why not the others? Why did I have to be forgotten?"

The tremor in her voice was so loud. Tears filled her eyes as she pleaded with Yuki. Not saying a word but it was still so clear. Yuki wanted to push Y out of the way and just hold Xion. She didn't deserve this. No one did. So why? Why her?

"I don't know," Yuki admitted. "Xion, I wish I could tell you. But I don't know." Her own voice was shaking.

"I think you do. You just need to stop denying who you are," Xion said, her voice softer. Holding out her hand she summoned her keyblade to her. The same key Roxas had held. The same key Sora still held. Simple. 

"Please, no," Yuki begged, digging her nails into her arm. "I can't fight you."

"But you will," Xion said, smiling again. "Please Yuki, don't hold back."

Xion shot straight towards Yuki, keyblade pulled back into a wide swing. But Yuki couldn't move. Only stare as she got closer and closer. 

X shoved Yuki aside, dagger up to catch the hit. Yuki staggered into the building, sliding down the wall as X pushed Xion back. She landed in the air, standing as if walking on a glass floor over the plaza. Y stood beside X, keyblade drawn, and at the ready.

Xion charged forward again, a scream leaving her as she swung forward. Y blocked her this time, praying the blow then striking on her own. Xion jumped over her and dashed at Yuki again. X quickly darted back, pulling her feet out from beneath her and jumping between Xion and Yuki again. Xion clenched her teeth as she got to her feet, staggering slightly.

The battle only continued, getting worse and worse. The longer it went on the stronger Xion seemed to get, her key moving faster and faster landing hit after hit on X and Y. 

"Yuki, get up!" X yelled, pushing Xion back from her once again. Blood trickled from the side of his mouth. Xion had gotten him on the side of his face only moments before.

"Please, we can't take her on our own," Y shouted, swinging her key only to have Xion jump over it.

"I can't fight her," Yuki said, shaking her head as tears fell down her face. "I'm the only one who still knows her, I can't risk destroying that memory!"

"We don't have time to worry about that!" X snapped. "You said forgotten not lost. You won't lose her. Just fight."

"I can't!" Yuki snapped in return, bearing her teeth in a snarl. "I just can't! Just make it stop!"

A pulse of light exploded outward from Yuki as she looked down again. The grey light filled her with warmth as it spread quickly, pushing the Xion shadow away into nothing. Yuki's head spun, the world slowly moving in and out of focus as the light disappeared.

"What the hell was that?" X asked, staring at Yuki.

"I don't know. But, she's done it before," Y admitted, slowly moving to stand beside her brother. "In Radiant Gardens. That's how she chased out all the Heartless after that big fight." She glanced at X. He only frowned, looking at Yuki with thought.

"Yuki?"

"I don't know," Yuki slurred, her vision fading around the corners. "It just happens sometimes."

She tried to will herself to stay conscious. But all too quickly her leaden limbs gave out and her world faded into darkness.