Welcome to my first "multi-chapter" on this account. I don't anticipate it getting too long, five chapters at most, but it's a step up for me. I haven't decided on an update schedule yet, but I have got chapter two written. To be honest, I have no clue where this plot came from, but I'm enjoying that it's longer than a oneshot or drabble. I hope you enjoy, and please review, they make me smile. Thanks!

I own two discs of Kingdom Hearts! Beat that!


The pounding beat in his ears, the steady rhythm with which his sneakers slapped the ground, and the singing of a man he knew was among the few who understood his emotions perfectly urged Roxas to continue running. The blonde often took to exercising when he was frustrated with life, and this was a perfect outlet for his emotions.

So, continuing to run moderately fast along the bike path, he began to scream the obscenities the song was currently playing, loudly. It wasn't so much the running as the fact that the freeway along which the path traveled drowned out the noise caused by his outbursts.


A few months later winter decided to strike the city with a thick white blanket, as if taking vengeance for time lost by restricting movement as much as possible. Sure, the snowflakes were beautiful, but Roxas missed his bike path. Unfortunately, the city deemed it pointless to plow the fenced off area because nobody (besides him, of course) used it.

Sighing, Roxas laced up his shoes and put his ear buds in, determined to run up and down the building's steps until the shattering of glass had stopped in his apartment. He heard a cry of "worthless bitch!" during a quiet intro before the guitar riffs occupied his hearing entirely and he swiftly slipped out the door.

His feet began pounding rhythmically as he ascended, running along each hallway before advancing to the next level. He touched the door of the roof before returning downward, never pausing as he made the circuit once, twice, thrice. Upon heading down for the fourth time he realized another red haired teenager was blocking his path on the third floor, leaning against a wall casually.

Roxas slowed down before taking out a headphone and pressing pause on his music. " 'Scuse me, you're blocking the way." He stated semi-politely, not wanting to start yet another fight with his neighbors.

The teenager shook his head. "Nah, I think you're running up and down the halls too much." Roxas frowned at that. "You wouldn't happen to live in 2F, would you?"

Roxas nodded, curious as to how he'd known. "Your dad left about five minutes ago." The stranger jerked a thumb toward the stairwell. "I'm guessing you have cleanup to do."

The blonde frowned again; was this guy keeping tabs on him or something? "Uh, thanks." He stated aloud, waiting for the redhead to move. The other teenager only stretched his extraordinary limbs out further, barring Roxas's path completely.

"Name's Axel. A-X-E-L. I suggest next time you're running away from your parents fighting, you come talk to me instead of keeping the whole building awake with your racket. I live in 3F, got it memorized?"

Roxas blushed, embarrassed that he'd seen through the façade so easily. Then again, if he lived directly above Roxas, that wasn't too hard an assumption to make; his father screamed louder than Roxas himself did. "Right."

Axel clapped a hand on Roxas's shoulder before moving out of the way and back into his apartment. "Go take care of your mom." He commanded quietly before shutting the door. "I don't need to tell you that she needs it."

Roxas stared at the door for a few minutes; the rusting metal that identified the apartment drew his attention more than anything, before a soft clicking in his ears reminded him that the iPod had just shut itself off. He reached to it for a moment and began playing softer music before walking down the hallway. Axel was right; that was his place at that point in time. He sighed as he shoved the device back into his pocket and jogged downstairs.

He stretched upwards when he reached 2F, fingers just barely managing to break a spare key free from the scotch tape on the top of the door frame. He quickly unlocked the door and replaced the key before slipping inside, flipping the deadbolt and dropping his iPod onto a table before hugging his mother. She only cried quietly as her son lead her to the bathroom, picked the shattered glass from her wounds, and bandaged them silently.

He was leading her to the spare bedroom when she finally spoke. "I'm sorry it's always like this, Roxas." She murmured as she snuggled between the sheets. He nodded in acceptance of her apology before hugging her once more and shutting the door quietly.

Still quiet, Roxas swept the remnants of the glass coffee table into a black garbage bag. He tied it shut quickly before leaning out the window into the freezing air and dropping it skillfully into the open dumpster beneath their apartment. He then shoved the coffee table against a wall so his sure-to-be-drunk father wouldn't trip on it hurt them even more. He looked around for any more wreckage before cleaning a few drops of blood from the linoleum in the kitchen. Finally, he picked up his possessions and retreated to his bedroom.

Roxas immediately went to his stereo and put some music on softly. He stripped down to his black and white checkered boxers before turning out the lights and jumping between his own bed sheets, where he proceeded to sit and think.

"I wonder… just how transparent our lives really are." He muttered to the darkness.