A/N-Why hullo thar. So I'm back to writing another KH story. This one does focus on Roxas and Axel BUT it is much less (idk, soapy? fruity?) and much more gritty. Warning everyone now there will be much blood and gore with this story so if you're squeamish please don't read or keep a bucket handy. I'm hoping this story is fairly long but unlike You Found Me, this one isn't done. In fact I finished the first chapter/prologue today. (woo!) So I ask you to be patient. My inspiration and arthritis can only handle so much. (Yes I know I have arthritis at 21 but honestly it shouldn't be THAT much of a shock).

So please read and enjoy. Feel free to leave a Fav/Review. Any review will do but the positive ones motivate me to write more.

Also, a shout out to all my fantastic readers from You Found Me and to those few who wrote me a review. I would place your names here but I don't want to get in trouble so if you want to know who reviewed the story, please see the You Found Me reviews (as of 6-13-13!) You 7 random people are AMAZING for the nice comments. ^^ Thanks!

Anyway, enough talking, more reading.

And I own nothing! (Save physical copy's of the games and KH soundtrack but that's not really owning anything so, please no sues! If you're still concerned, my hub page contains the same disclaimer).

"Roxas! Slow down!" Olette called. The pair of blonds looked back over their shoulder and stuck their tongues out at her.

"Slow poke!" Hayner shot back. Roxas snickered. Olette stopped running, tears forming on the edges of her eyes.

"It's not fair!" she cried. Roxas and Hayner bounded to a halt.

"Now look what you did," Hayner grumbled.

"Me?! What did I do?" Roxas protested. The pair of blondes stepped quietly over to the crying Olette. Roxas turned to Hayner hoping he would say something but the boy shrugged. "Um…" Roxas started.

"Boys! What are you doing?" Hayner's mother stormed from a nearby shop and proceeded to wrap the girl into a hug.

"We were just playing tag," Hayner explained. "She couldn't catch us." Hayner's mother stroked Olette's head gently.

"There, there. We'll bring you home. I'm sure your mother is expecting you soon." Olette nodded. Hayner's mother released the girl and offered her hand. The small girl accepted it.

Roxas and Hayner were best friends. They did everything together almost every day and had been since they day they met five years ago. Now Hayner was turning six in a couple of months with Roxas trailing a few months after. Olette envied the boys' friendship and tried to butt in since she lived down the street. Hayner refused to pretend she existed but Roxas didn't mind her. She was really nice.

Roxas and Hayner followed the older boy's mother as she led Olette home. They lived in the heart of Twilight Town so they were never far from an adventure. Hayner suddenly elbowed Roxas in the side.

"Hey, we're supposed to have a new kid in our class this year," Hayner mentioned.

"Oh yeah? Think he'll be cool?" Roxas wondered.

"Nah, I bet he's lame. After all, I'm the coolest kid in Preschool!" Roxas burst out laughing.

"Nice try, you egomaniac." Hayner and Roxas shoved each other as they burst into a fit of giggles. The older blonde suddenly pointed.

"Hey, there he is!" Hayner pulled Roxas ahead of his mother. Olette watched the boys with interest. The new boy had dark hair and was a little chubby. He smiled warmly at the sight of Roxas and Hayner.

"Hi!" the boy greeted.

"Hey there. You're the new kid?" Hayner asked.

"Yup! My name's Pence."

"I'm Hayner and this is my sidekick Roxas."

"Sidekick?!" Roxas protested. Pence giggled.

"You guys must be really good friends," Pence noticed.

"Only the best!" Hayner shouted, throwing his arm around Roxas's shoulder.

"Oh, hello Pence," Hayner's mother greeted as she approached. Pence gave a polite nod.

"Are you friends with Hayner and Roxas?" Pence asked, looking at Olette.

"Well, um…I, uh…" Olette stuttered.

"Of course she is!" Roxas replied with a grin. Olette's face immediately lit up. "Hayner might not think so but she's super nice. Her name's Olette."

"Cool! Maybe we can all hang out sometime before school starts up again," Pence suggested.

"What?!" Hayner whined but he buttoned his lip after a quick glare from his mother. "Fine. But we're going to the beach!"

"Sounds perfect." Hayner's mother smiled in approval. She turned to lead her group of kids back home when she noticed a pair of darkly clad men walking down the street.

"That's odd," she murmured. Her eyes followed them as they strode past down the street.

"Mom, who were those guys?" Hayner asked, his face a bit worried.

"I'm not sure, honey. They looked a bit like soldiers but I have no idea why they would be here. Twilight Town in a peaceful world. Even the King knows that," his mother replied.

"Why are they here then?" Olette pressed.

"I don't know. We'd better get going. Pence, where are your parents?"

"They're down the street picking out furniture," the dark haired boy replied.

"Alright, I'll bring you to them. I want everyone to stay close. If we're lucky, they're only here to find a stray fugitive or they're just passing through." Hayner's mother gave them a weak smile and led them up the hill. Roxas felt unnerved by her smile.

'She's lying.' The blonde thought. 'What could those soldiers really want?'

For once there was silence amongst the group. Even Hayner was smart enough to know it wasn't a time for joking around. Roxas's big blue eyes constantly scanned the streets for more soldiers but the streets were empty. He felt something wrap around his hand and turned to find Olette giving him a small, reassuring smile. Roxas gave her a soft smile in return and squeezed her hand, thankful she was there with him.

They reached the store and stepped inside. Roxas felt the cool breeze of the AC hit his face as the door opened. He shivered but his body soon adapted to the cooler climate. A dark haired woman turned at their entry. One of her hands was curled up in front of her lips and the other arm wrapped tightly around her stomach.

"Pence!" she cried, dropping her arms and rushing to crush her son in a hug.

"Mom!" Pence replied. "What's going on? We saw soldiers in the street." Pence's mother straightened up and resumed her original position.

"Thank you for bringing my son to me safely," she said to Hayner's mother.

"You're welcome. Diane," Hayner's mother said, offering her hand.

"Stacey," Pence's mother replied, accepting the hand. "Colin, my husband, is finishing off our purchases. He should be with us shortly." Pence looked up at his mother's worried face and tugged on the hem of her shirt. Stacey glanced down and tried to smile but it was painful.

"Do you know why the soldiers are here?" Diane asked. Stacey nodded.

"It's horrible, just horrible. It's all over the news right now. There was an uprising in Radiant Garden against the King. When the soldiers were deployed there to stop it, they were met with resistance. So they assaulted the world." Diane gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. "I can't go into details with the children here but it's a massacre out there."

"How many…?"

"Initial reports said nineteen but now they're estimating, with the latest news, it could be in the thousands."

"Thousands?!"

"Thousands of what?" Hayner asked.

"It's nothing, honey," Diane quickly replied. She ran her hand through her short, dirty blonde hair. It was quite the contrast to Stacey's dark, thick, wavy locks. "We should head home." Diane offered her hand to Hayner and Roxas. The boys took her hand and Olette remained attached to Roxas's other hands.

"Be careful," Stacey murmured, hugging Pence close to her leg. Diane nodded and steered the children towards the door. As they stepped outside, Roxas could feel something definitely wasn't right. The air felt heavy and thick with foreboding.

"Let's go," Diane muttered. Her pace was so quick she nearly dragged the children down the street. Roxas felt his right hand being crushed in Olette's grip. She looked like she was ready to cry again.

"HEY!" Diane stopped in her tracks and spun her upper body to look behind her. Two soldiers, darkly clad, were striding up to her. "There's a curfew in effect. Everyone is to remain indoors," the man on the left barked.

"We're just on our way home now," Diane explained.

"There's no curfew," Hayner protested.

"There is now. You wouldn't mind if we escorted you home, would you?" Roxas shivered. The man's words were cold.

"Not at all, although it hardly seems necessary," Diane said in a rapid pace. Her hands tightened on the boys'.

"Just a precaution," the second man spoke up. Diane nodded and continued to half-drag the children down the street to her home.

"I'll call your parents when we get back to let them know you're okay," Diane said to the pair on her right. Roxas and Olette nodded. There was no way they would be getting home. Just as they were twenty feet from the door of Hayner's house, another pair of soldiers came at them from the front, barring their way.

"Where are you taking these children?" the man on the right barked.

"Home, like I explained before. It's literally right behind you, if you would just excuse us."

"No one is supposed to be on the streets right now."

"I'm aware..."

"Then why are you out with these children?"

"I was bringing them home?"

"Do they all live here?"

"No, but…"

"We're going to have to ask you to hand them over."

"What?! But he's my son, and they're his friends!"

"Can you verify that?"

"Of course I can."

"Then hand over your papers."

"Papers?! But those are inside my home. You can accompany me inside if you wish."

"Ma'am, we're only going to ask you one more time to hand over the children."

"But we've done nothing wrong! Please, we're almost home. Can't you let us go by?" Roxas could hear Olette sniffle as she cried silently. He couldn't blame her. The soldiers were terrifying. Hayner clung on tightly to his mother's hand. Suddenly, Olette screamed as the soldiers behind them grabbed her. Roxas clung on tightly to her hand.

"Let me go!" Olette squealed.

"Drop her!" Diane barked. She dropped Roxas's hand and slapped the soldier holding onto the frightened girl. "She's just a child!" The second solider from the first group shoved Diane back. "How dare you…"

She never got to finish.

Roxas felt the world fall out beneath him. He blinked and felt the air stop. Tears streamed down his face. His blue eyes stared…unblinking…unmoving… Suddenly, time reversed and returned to normal. Diane jerked as a bullet ripped through the front of her head, showering the first two soldiers and Olette with a spray of scarlet beads. Olette screamed and flailed wildly. Hayner stared at his mother with wide eyes.

"Mom?" he croaked. Diane's knees gave out and she smashed the joints into the street. Then she fell forward. Tiny streams of blood ran down the cracks in the cobbled streets. "Mom!" Hayner screamed. He and Roxas were grabbed by the second pair of soldiers. The children squirmed and desperately tried to get away. "You killed my mom!" Hayner screamed.

"Shut up!" one of the soldiers barked.

"Drop them!" The soldiers looked up as five people arrived on the location. They were dressed in golden armor with a half-set sun crested on their breast plate.

"It's the Twilight Guard!" Roxas shouted. The Twilight Guards were the elite protectors of their world. Everyone would always stare in awe of their golden armor whenever they passed by. The Guards, four men and one woman, rushed the soldiers.

Swords clashed and the children were ripped free from the soldiers. One of the men wrapped his arms protectively around the trio. The soldiers fought madly but they were out matched by the elite Guards.

"You're committing treason against the crown!" one of the guards roared.

"And you're committing murder and hierarchy. You are not welcome in our world!" the tallest Guard replied. The soldiers were subdued and placed in shackles, their weapons confiscated. "Take those children to safety. There are still more soldiers here. We will make our presence known that they are not welcome here."

"Sir!" the other four Guards shouted in response. Two of the men left with the woman while the tallest Guard brought the soldiers down to the prison. The children were escorted by the last Guard to their school. Dozens of families were already there searching for their lost children. Olette's parents burst from the pack as they spotted their daughter. She girl sprinted towards them, leaping into their loving arms. Roxas searched wildly for his family.

"Maybe they're not here yet," Hayner said to reassure his friend. Roxas turned to the older blonde. He appeared badly shaken.

"Are you okay? I'm so sorry about your mom…"

"I'm fine!" Hayner snapped, but he quickly lost his composure. Roxas hugged his friend as Hayner sobbed into his bony shoulder.

Then the floor trembled.

"What was that?" "What's going on?" "What could that be?" everyone asked at once. A Guard burst through the doors of the school. His armor was dusted with soot and his left arm was dislodged and dripping blood onto the floor.

"Everyone get down!" the Guard screamed. "They're bombing the Town!" Screams rose as the tremors grew worse. Explosions could be heard nearby. Olette's father scooped up the pair of blonde boys as they hurried to the locker room. The children were pressed against the floor as Olette's parents crouched over them. The school shook violently and debris from the ceiling dribbled onto the occupants of the school.

Then it stopped.

The people slowly eased up from the floor and looked around. Someone found a TV in the gym office and hooked it up to the basic cable channels. It didn't matter there were only two available since they were playing the same news.

"…horrible, horrible story. I can't imagine what led them to this," the newscaster said as they tuned in. He wasn't even dressed for the news. He wore a tropical shirt and several gold chains around his neck. "The King is furious at the soldier's actions here today but he does not send his apologies. Instead, he's using this as a warning. Should we rise up against him, we will pay the ultimate consequences. I, for one, don't want to see that happen but listen here, your Majesty. You don't just get away with bombing Twilight Town and killing sixteen people. You don't get away with injuring forty five citizens and children. You have to pay the consequences. I'm getting a report from Natasha in the field who is with the head of the Twilight Guard. Natasha?"

The screen cut to a woman in her lavender pajamas printed with sheep and a microphone up to her face. She nodded.

"Thanks, Greg. I'm here with Commander Herald. Do we have any news for those watching? Natasha asked, holding the microphone up to the man's face.

"We are doing our absolute best to make sure the Town is safe. We ask for your patience and cooperation. Twilight Town will be temporarily closing its borders to the outside worlds and the Twilight Guard will be on constant patrol. Any soldiers from any world are not welcome here. Should you see one, please report it immediately. Also, we encourage you refrain from trying to contact anyone outside of Twilight Town for the moment. If the King thinks he can get away with this, he's sadly mistaken. Radiant Garden may have fallen without a fight, but we will not. Now that the worlds have seen the King for who he really is, I feel they will all step up their guard. Our thoughts and prayers go to the families of the fallen."

"Thank you sir. Back to you, Greg."

The screen cut back to the man in the tropical shirt.

"Thanks Natasha. We have also received word if you would like to help with clean up or defenses, please see one of the designated Twilight Guards. They will be wearing a purple arm band. Now we have a special report coming in on the condition of Radiant Garden. The death toll is currently over four thousand and climbing. That's one third of their population. I know the worlds out there are sending Radiant Garden their thoughts and prayers today. There's no telling when the violence will end. Many refugees have already fled the world. So far, none have made it as far as Twilight Town but we would like them to know our hearts are with them."

Greg was about to cut away when rapid footsteps were heard and an intern jumped into the shot with a stack of papers flying all over the desk. Greg quickly scooped them up and scanned them.

"This just in. Military air ships were spotted leaving Hollow Bastion towards Radiant Garden. We're also trying to connect with the crews over in Radiant Garden now. Ah, here we go! Hello!"

The screen was cut in half with Greg on the left. A fuzzy picture of a short girl with black hair faded appeared on the right.

"If you are viewing this, if anyone is viewing this, please know this wasn't our fault. We're sorry," the girl said with a heavy voice. The image flickered violently.

"Hello? Can you hear us?" Greg called. Shadows appeared on the right side of the screen. A tear rolled down the girl's face.

"Remember us. Remember what Radiant Garden used to be. Remember…you're not alone." The screen shook and there was a bright flash of light. The footage cut to static.

There was silence.

"Good God," Greg muttered as the screen returned to full. He buried his face in his hands. "Good fucking God what have they done?"

No one seemed to care the newscaster just swore on camera. No one seemed to care a dozen of Twilight Town's buildings were broken. No one seemed to care if their blood dripped slowly to the ground from their injuries. There was only silence.

Greg shook his head and looked at the camera. The intern came back with more papers and handed them over gently. Greg sighed and barely glanced at the sheets because he already knew what they said.

"I'm sorry, everyone. It would seem Radiant Garden is gone. The world was demolished with an atomic blast. Estimated number of survivors…" Greg chocked on a sob and clenched the papers in his hands. "Es…estima…estimated number of survivors is four hundred." Then he broke down and wept.

A/N-Because I know writing it hard, I'll try and put any music I listen to while I'm writing down here so you can feel the moods/emotions are you read/write. Cools? :D