Chapter 8


We appeared in a bright forest with a neatly laid out tea-table.
Again, the place was deserted.
“So, where exactly is the Heartless?” I asked keeping close to Axel.
“Never got a specific location and I have no idea what type of Heartless it is either.” Axel responded summoning his chakrams in wheels of fire. “But be alert.” He warned.
“Hullo…” something said.
Out of shock my flame-berges appeared in my hands. There was a strange floating smile hovering over the tea-table.
“Hullo…” it repeated.
“Are te seeing what I am seeing o am I mad?” I detto startled.
“No, I see it too.” Axel grinned. For some reason he remained calm, “You know, te gotta get used to things like that. You’re in Wonder Land after all.”
“Might te be looking for the Heartless?” the smile chuckled.
“Yes.” I detto trying to sound brave.
The smile started humming a tune and transformed into a purple and rosa striped cat. “Good afternoon.” The cat began, “I’m the Cheshire cat.” The cat removed his ears from his head as if it was a hat.
“I’ve met him before,” Axel murmured, “He talks in riddles.”
I nodded and planned how I was going to say my successivo sentence. “Can te take us to the Heartless?”
“The what?” the cat detto absent-mindedly.
“The Heartless.” I repeated.
“What’s that?” he asked.
It really seemed like he had no clue. “Are te sure he’s just not drunk?” I whispered to Axel.
Axel shook his head and just like me, grew impatient.
The Cheshire cat literally started laughing his head off then paused.
“Search far and wide, o maybe just round the corner.” He finally said.
“Is that where the Heartless will be?” Axel asked.
“The what?” the Cheshire cat said.
I face-palmed myself and moaned annoyed. “Let’s just go.” I whispered.
Axel and I walked away from the hysterical cat as it disappeared stripe-by-stripe.

We didn’t really understand what the Cheshire cat meant but we started wandering around and eventually our exploring lead us to a strange room.
“Everything’s so big!” I gasped and marvelled at the extremely large furniture.
“Or maybe… We’re just small.” Axel detto with a suspecting voice.
The room was dim and we cautiously moved through the room. Then, a familiar grin appeared out of thin air. “Hullo.” The Cheshire cat detto as he slowly appeared. His weird yellow eyes seemed to be glowing in the darkness.
“Where is the Heartless? We’ve been searching everywhere!” I stammered.
“Did te know…” the cat detto ignoring me, “When a light is turned on, a shadow is made?” He clapped his paws and the room was lit. “And, did te know… The brighter it is, the bigger your shadow gets?” he clapped his paws and the room grew brighter. The Cheshire cat chuckled and faded away.
“Jaedx! Behind you!” Axel shouted.
I turned around and saw my shadow transforming into a giant Heartless! It unfolded his zig-zag arms and two maraca like objects appeared in its hands. The Heartless seemed to have multiple heads stacked on superiore, in alto of one another, making it look like a totem pole. It roared loudly and I began to shake.
“Oh damn…” I muttered. It can’t get much worse than this.
But I spoke too soon.
Another identical Heartless emerged from Axel’s shadow and danced with the other.
“Damn!” I complained and face-palmed myself.
“Are te quite prepared?” the Cheshire cat’s voice echoed in the room, “If you’re not, well then… Goodbye!”
“I am so boned.” I muttered to myself.
“Quick run underneath the table!” Axel yelled.
I sprinted under the tavolo only to realise that I was alone. Axel was fighting the two Heartless da himself. I blushed at the thought that he wanted to protect me but I wasn’t going to let him get hurt because of me. Especially when I could do something about it.

I looked around to examine my surroundings. There was a chair tucked underneath the table. I climbed onto the sede, sedile and then onto the tavolo making sure nothing saw me. I was now at the eye-level of the giant Heartless.
‘Perfect’. I thought. I dashed across the tavolo and jumped off the edge. I timed this well and the element of surprise was on my side. I landed on one of the Heartless’ thin shoulders and hung onto its long head while it tried to shake me off.
Axel looked worried but seemed to trust that I knew what I was doing and started attacking the other Heartless.
Soon, my Heartless grew dizzy and collapsed against a bacheca looking dazed.
This was my chance.
“YAH!” I yelled and thrust my flame-berges as close as I can into its eyes.
Unfortunately, I missed da a lot, but at least I pierced it.
The Heartless shrieked back into consciousness and swayed its long head desperate to shake me off. I hung from my flame-berges that sunk deep into its skin but then, its skin started to tear. It was its third head that I had pierced and the Heartless’ skin was ripped until my feet met its thin shoulder.
The Heartless hissed and batted me off with one of its maracas.
I fell and landed on the ground with a THUD!
I peered up at the giant Heartless. Half of its stack of heads was ripped. I half expected for blood to come gushing out, but of course there was no blood.
The Heartless roared and stumbled over to a nearby chimney. Then I had the chance to look and see how Axel was doing.
I gasped at the destruction of the Heartless. It lay on the floor defeated and not moving, but it seemed alive. Its funny legs had been sliced off as well as a few heads. Axel’s chakrams were pierced neatly in its eyes and its maracas were halfway across the room.
Axel had a look of satisfaction on his face but his expression transformed into horror when he turned to me. “Jaedx! Behind you!”
I span around to see my Heartless towering over me. Its maracas were on fuoco and its faces were grim and filled with rage.
“Do I need to beat te again!?” I shouted unable to hide the shakiness in my voice.
The Heartless had no hesitation to attack. It crashed its flaming maracas on to the floor, trying its best to hit me.
With every crash it grew harder and harder to dodge the maracas. Axel had noticed and ran behind the Heartless.
He desperately tried to distract it da cutting its legs with his fiery chakrams. Fortunately, it turned around and I took a big breath of relief. But the fight wasn’t over.
Suddenly, the Heartless that I thought Axel had defeated rose onto what remained of its legs and feet.
I panicked and searched around the room, trying to think of a strategy. Then I saw a floating smile on superiore, in alto of the table. “Cheshire!” I muttered. “Axel!” I yelled, “Climb on superiore, in alto of the table!”
Axel had an unsure look but nodded and followed me onto the chair, then onto the table. “What now?” he asked.
I looked around for the Cheshire cat and then saw his floating smile on superiore, in alto of a small, but big, bottle.
I rushed to it, Axel followed and the cat’s smile vanished.
“Jaedx, quickly!” Axel warned.
The two identical Heartless trudged towards the table, they were getting closer.
The bottle had a sticker of a sapling growing into a large albero and another sticker that read: DRINK ME.
‘I got it!’ I thought to myself. “Axel! Drink this!” I smiled triumphantly and shoved the bottle to him.
“What?” he asked a bit shocked,
“Just drink it!” I detto trying not to sound pushy.
Axel nodded and tipped the bottle upside down as we both drank the potion inside.
‘Mmmmm… Minty!’ I thought.
As soon as we had both swallowed a mouthful we began to grow. As we grew taller the furniture in the room started to look like a normal size.
The Heartless jumped startled and tried to run for cover. But of course they struggled to do so. One had dropped its matchstick of a maraca and was hesitating whether to go pick it up.
Then… SQUISH!
Axel and I happily squashed the two Heartless da stepping on them, like te do with bugs.

“Ewww… I betcha I’ve got gunk on my boot now.” I moaned and checked my foot.
There was no mess, but a tiny rosa cuore floated to the ceiling and vanished.
“Wow.” Axel grinned impressed, “For your secondo mission, you’re pretty good!”
“Uhh…” I began and stuttered as I shyly said: “T-t-thanks. It was y-you know, n-nothing.” But really, I was exhausted! Does Organization XIII battle Heartless like these all the time?

“Splendid job te two. Just marvellous!” detto a floating smile.
The Cheshire cat appeared hanging upside down on the chandelier and I mouthed a silent ‘thanks’.
“However did te learn to do that?” the cat chuckled and began clapping. “Marvellous!”
“I don’t get it.” Axel said, “Were te helping us o trying to lure us into a trap?”
“Whatever do te mean?” the Cheshire cat asked confused, but still smiling. He dropped onto the tavolo and removed his head from his body.
My mouth dropped. “Wha--?” I murmured.
“I was just trying to help te two find the Heartless!” the Cheshire cat protested. He placed his head on the tabled and his body balanced on it. “Can te stand on your head?” he asked absent-mindedly.
I gave Axel one of my ‘what the hell?!’ looks.
“Anyway, that rids of the pest problem.” The Cheshire cat grinned and fastened his head onto his body. “I suppose… I should reward you.” His smile disappeared and he pondered. His grin suddenly returned and he jumped excitedly. “I’ve got it!”
“What the hell?” I muttered. Thankfully, no one heard me.
Axel gave a suspicious look at the Cheshire cat.
“I’ll give te something you’re missing.” The cat detto laughing. “Whether te use it o not is up to you.”
My mood changed immediately. “What are you… What is it!?” I stammered half scared.
The Cheshire cat smiled mischievously and snapped his fingers.
I was suddenly cloaked in colourful but blinding light. I fell to the ground and immagini painfully flew through my head. I moaned and struggled not to lose sight of Axel.
“Jaedx!” Axel shouted, he sounded worried. But his voice seemed like an echo and the image of him faded away in a swirl of red and black…


Chapter 9

“It’s my turn to pay for the ice-creams right?” a girl asked,
“Yeah, te got $3.60?” I said,
“Too late.” A girl detto smiling and holding three blue ice-creams.
She smiled and passed me one. I bit down on it and the delicious flavour melted on my tongue.
I stood watching the figures of me and the two other girls. It was like I was in some sort of world in which they couldn’t see, hear o touch me.
“But…” I muttered to myself, “It can’t be a different world if I am part of it and not.” Eventually I found myself confused. I didn’t understand a thing. Who were those girls I was with?
Then the colours of the scene twisted and formed a new scene.
Suddenly, there were fireworks. And people parading on an open path.
The pictures once again turned into brief glimpses.
The two girls were my friends. We travelled and met the Genie. Then we appeared in a new world. There was that Heartless and the blindfolded stranger then…
Suddenly, everything made sense.

“I REMEMBER!” I shouted exploding out of letto and Axel, who was leaning against the wall, fell over da the surprise of the sudden loud noise.
I was in my white room, in the castello That Never Was.
“Are te alright Jaedx?” detto Axel dizzily while getting up.
“Better than ever!” I replied happily. I got up and helped Axel stand. “Axel, my Friends Annie and Sara.” I murmured, “I remember them!”


“Jade’s really gone?”
“Yeah.” Riku softly replied.
“Damn. I still can’t get over the fact that she is…” tears filled Annie’s eyes and she threw herself into Riku’s arms.
Riku gasped and confused, he patted her back with one arm. He broke free and sensed Sara staring blankly out of the window. “You ok?” he asked.
She sighed and detto “Cloud hasn’t come back from those ‘games’ yet.”
Riku and Annie silently listened as she went on.
“He detto he would be back hours ago… I- I can’t help feeling like something bad happened.”
Suddenly, the door flung open and on the ground was weak and wounded Cloud.
“Cloud!” Sara cried and sprinted to him. “You ok?” she detto as she helped him up.
He coughed and blood sprayed out, staining the white rug. “Fine” he groaned, “Just gather everyone. I’ve got news everyone might want to hear.”
“What kind of news?” Annie asked.
nube, nuvola rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a silver collana with a crown pendant that was almost identical to Sora’s.

“Ok, so you’ve found Jade’s necklace.” DiZ said, “So what? What do te think it means?”
“Well.” nube, nuvola began, “Because the Heartless seemed to have been eliminated before I regained consciousness. And because I found her necklace… It must have meant that Jade destroyed the Heartless.”
“Duh.” Sara detto while rolling her eyes.
DiZ shot Sara an annoyed glare. “Go on.” He detto to Cloud.
“Well, she must be ALIVE for a start, DiZ.” nube, nuvola muttered sarcastically, “And she must be powerful. To take out a darkside requires some skill. And I know it’s her, I asked Phil. He had told me there was a girl with brown hair and brown eyes armed with flaming swords.”
DiZ nodded, a signal for nube, nuvola to continue.
“So… If she’s alive and powerful I think we have nothing to worry about. She seems to be cared for and managing fine. So, I don’t think we should waste our energy going to find her. Besides, Organization XIII doesn’t seem to be bothering us and Sora is halfway there to waking up.”
“Haven’t te forgotten?!” Riku shouted and slammed his fist on the table. “The più powerful she is, the harder it is for us to defeat her! And te never know when she could ambush us!”
“Attack us?” Sara detto disgusted, “No, no… Jade would never do that.” But she couldn’t hide her hesitation.
Soon a noisy argument started. Naminè silently sat and waited.
Annie was slowly getting mad. “Look… Will te all just SHUT UP?!” she screamed. The ‘shut up’ echoed and the room became quiet.
“Calm down Annie. What do te think we should do?” Riku asked.
Annie instantly calmed down, “I hate to say it, but Cloud’s right.”
A smile appeared on Riku’s face while Sara and nube, nuvola had an irritated frown.
“I think…” Annie continued, “We should just leave her in Organization XIII for now. Maybe over time she’ll have started to remember more. We shouldn’t waste our energy on something we don’t need to worry about. We’ll see how this goes and continue collecting Sora’s memories.”
DiZ was about to interrupt but Annie caught him in time and yelled: “And I don’t care. What. You. THINK!”
Riku was shocked but smiled and mumbled “That’s why I like her.”


“There are so many places they might be in Axel!” I grew più excited talking about it, “Where do te think I should start?”
“Look, Jaedx…” Axel sounded unsure
But I was too absorbed in my own thoughts to hear. “How bout… Wonder Land? Agrabah? Olympus Colliseum? Halloween Town? Twilight Town? Port Roy-“ my voice trailed off as I saw Axel, who was not as excited as I am.
“Axel?” I detto looking into his glistening eyes.
There was a pause until he finally detto “You gonna leave?”
I bit my lip and hesitated. “Well…” I murmured and scratched the back of my head.
Axel leaned against the bacheca with his arms folded and his eyes facing the floor.
I could tell Axel was upset. So I took a deep breath and though hard.
“I’m staying here.” I smiled.
Axel’s eyes lit up and he grinned.
“I’ll stay here, for you.” I detto shyly.
“Good.” He replied happily, “You would have been completely hopeless without me anyway. Imagine all those worlds te could have been so Lost in!”
“Yer right.” I laughed sarcastically. “Just make sure life for me in Organization XIII won’t be a complete living hell.”