Distortion

"Distortion" is the twenty-third chapter of Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days.
== Synopsis ==
Xion remarks that Axel and Roxas are doing great when Roxas tells her that they'll handle the Heartless while she recovers. She insists on helping and tries to attack Minute Bombs, only to collapse, overwhelmed by a memory of Kairi giving Sora her lucky charm and promising to return it. A Destroyer attacks and Roxas resolves to battle it while Axel takes care of Xion. As he does so, Axel hears Xion whisper Sora's name, shocking him. After Roxas defeats the Heartless, Axel decides to return to The World That Never Was.
Saïx watches them and mocks if Xion has broken again only for Axel to tell him to shut up. He takes Xion to her room where Roxas notes that it's weird he spoke to Saïx that way. He asks Axel if he's worried about Xion, and he says he is, having realized that he eats ice cream at the Clock Tower with them every day because both of them are his best friends. Roxas strikes Axel for having taken this long to say those words, but immediately apologizes and asks if he's okay. Xion laughs, revealing she's been awake for a while but refuses to tell them since when. As Roxas and Axel leave, Xion looks at one of her sea-shells and is overwhelmed by the memory of Kairi giving Sora her lucky charm and a new one where she is escorted out of Castle Oblivion. 
The next day, Roxas greets Axel as his best friend though he tells him to keep his voice down as it could be embarrassing. Saïx assigns them a mission to Neverland and stresses that they are not to take Xion with them. As they enter the Corridor of Darkness, Roxas complains about Saïx's attitude, only to exit the corridor into the ocean. 
Axel realizes that Roxas has never been to the ocean when a brief memory of Destiny Islands surfaces, confusing him. They are interrupted by Captain Hook ordering Smee to dig up a spot marked on a treasure map, one of which he believes holds the real treasure while the rest are fakes. Axel tells Roxas to leave them when he becomes distracted by a glow. Smee finishes digging but reports that it's empty, infuriating Captain Hook when an Artful Flyer emerges from the chest. Captain Hook and Smee retreat while Roxas and Axel attempt to defeat the Heartless, only to have trouble when it flies over the ocean. Tinker Bell, who Roxas realizes caused the glow, showers him and Axel with pixie dust, allowing Roxas to fly and collect the heart. He tells Axel that he can too, and after hesitating, Axel flies up to join Roxas. 
Back at the Castle That Never Was, Xion wakes up and rushes to the Grey Area, having overslept. She finds Saïx and asks for a mission, but he simply tells her not to bother getting out of bed anymore. Distraught, Xion overlooks Kingdom Hearts and realizes she has to feed Pluto. 
 
== Worlds and characters ==
Twilight Town	Twilight Town	The WorldThat Never Was	Neverland	Neverland	Hollow Bastion	Castle Oblivion	Destiny Islands
;Organization XIII
* Roxas
* Axel
* Xion	
;Heartless
* Minute Bomb
* Destroyer	
;Organization XIII
* Saïx	
;Residents
* Captain Hook
* Smee
* Tinker Bell	
;Heartless
*Artful Flyer	
;Other
* Kairi (memory)
* Sora (memory)	
* N/a 	
* N/a
== Production notes ==
=== Series continuity ===
* Roxas, Axel, and Xion are on the mission that Saïx assigned them to in "The Truth about Xion". Roxas also references Saïx's words to Xion about needing rest.
* The memory that Xion experiences of Kairi telling Sora to return her lucky charm is from "I Won't Say Good-Bye".
* Roxas remembers the time Axel remarked he didn't have a best friend in "Best Friends...?".
* Xion notices seashells by her bed. She previously left seashells by Roxas's bed when he was in a coma in "A Sea of Memories".
* Xion says she has to feed Pluto, who she adopted in "Watchdog".
=== Differences from the video game ===
* The three-man mission tasks Roxas, Axel, and Xion with destroying a Heat Saber and Destroyer though they only encounter the Destroyer in the manga.
** Additionally, the Destroyer is encountered in the Sandlot (where the Heat Saber is located in the game) instead of Station Heights. 
* Saïx musing that Axel has changed and is dismissing their past is omitted.
* Roxas first visits Never Land by himself before Xion wakes up from her coma and encounters Tinker Bell, who frequently attempts to get him to board Captain Hook's ship though he refuses, prioritizing the missions instead. 
** He also encounters Hook, Smee, and Tinker Bell on an island instead of Skull Rock. 
** Memories of Sora flying also aren't shown though he does have a memory of the Destiny Islands, comparing the oceans.
** Axel meets Tinker Bell during Roxas's second trip to Never Land and convinces him not to follow her, again prioritizing the mission.
=== Goofs ===
=== Trivia ===
Category:A to Z
Category:Chapters
Category:Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days chapters
Category:Real world