Author's Note: It's been so long since I've written anything for Kingdom Hearts. A fun tidbit of background knowledge about this story is that I had originally had a vague idea for what I intended to be a oneshot a few years ago. After playing around with it recently and revamping ideas and changing characters, I decided to make a story out of it. I have some ideas brewing for the rest so hopefully I will be motivated and inspired enough to make good progress on this. Anyway, for anyone who is reading this I hope you enjoy it and I love feedback :)

.x.

Afternoon was slowly slipping through the hilltops in Twilight Town. Hayner walked along the cobble-stone sidewalks to his favorite place to be. He shoved his fists into his pockets as far as the seams would stretch. The lights shining through windows of homes were going out one-by-one, the residents getting ready to close out their dull day. A single bird was circling high above in the dimming light of the sky. Hayner pressed on, striding up the slope to the only hill worth visiting that made his day feel complete.

Seifer stared out into the fading sun, feeling the warm beams that still remained. He began to shiver lightly as the sun fell behind, parting its sweet sorrow. Drawing in a deep breath, Seifer heard approaching footsteps. Each step echoed silently off of the dirt patches of the hill, hardly audible. Immediately, Seifer knew who to expect and continued to look out into the endless sky without a glance.

Hayner appeared out of his peripheral vision. He gripped the wooden fence just a few inches from where Seifer stood. He planted his feet into the dusty grass that lined the edge of the hill. His grip on the wood tightened, a few stray splinters broke and entered his skin. Hayner winced slightly at the slivers of wood lodged in his palms but his hands remained gripped on the old fence. Seifer sensed Hayner's discomfort.

"There isn't anything worse than standing next to your sworn enemy in your favorite place." Hayner broke the silence and continued to stare out into the sky. "Do you always have to irritate me?" He knitted his eyebrows and shot a disgusted look at Seifer as if his mere existence was justification enough for Hayner's sudden irritation.

"I would never know that I irritated you if you didn't complain about it so much." Seifer stated bluntly, getting lost in the view of the sky he grew fond of over the past few days. "It must take a lot of energy to hate someone as much as you hate me." Seifer guessed contemplatively.

"How would you know?" Hayner muttered with contempt.

Seifer paused. A million and one responses to Hayner's simple question lingered on the tip of his tongue threatening to spill from his lips. Lost in thought, it took him a few moments to realize Hayner was staring at him with a questioning look. Seifer averted his gaze to the ground.

"I don't." Seifer breathed evenly as he slowly returned his gaze to eye level. Hayner didn't react to his words. Seifer let the minutes pass before he spoke again. "They say that hate is an emotion usually driven from passion."

"Oh, I'm sure." Hayner answered sarcastically.

"Instead of being so dismissive, you really ought to listen for a change," Seifer's tone was strung with a hint of annoyance.

"I'm not much of a listener." Hayner let go of the railing, stretched his arms above his head, and lowered them to rest on his neck. "I don't know why I'm still here, to be honest." He scrunched his nose in disgust at the idea of spending another minute in Seifer's presence.

"Do you always threaten to run off when someone is talking to you? You have no respect." Seifer narrowed his eyes and he wore a slight smirk on his face. "Clearly you're still here because you want to be." Placing pressure on his stomach, Seifer tilted his head up and let out booming laughter. Anger boiled in the pit of Hayner's stomach, the fire inside increasing rapidly, he left his self-control at the doorstep.

"I'm expected to stick around after your attempt to call me out?" He yelled into oncoming oblivion. "You don't know me any better than I know myself!"

"I might know a little more than you give me credit for." Seifer shrugged.

"Do you realize how ridiculous you sound? Someone I don't talk to is claiming to understand me. That's laughable."

"We don't need to talk. Your body language says it all." Hayner flinched. "Don't get your boxers in a knot, it's not like I can read your mind."

"So, what? A year later you suddenly think you know how I feel?"

"I know that I hurt you." Seifer spoke sincerely. "It wasn't supposed to turn out like this."

"You only have yourself to blame." Hayner retorted with a hint of malice strung through his tone and crossed his arms.

Seifer's jaw dropped, but only for a split second. Countless lonely nights had passed when he would picture this exact moment in his head—the confrontation, and hopefully, the resolution. No matter how badly he felt, he couldn't help but to grow angry at Hayner's stubborn tendencies.

"I blamed myself for months, but enough time has passed for me to know that this burden isn't on my shoulders anymore. I have done all I can do to fix our friendship, but I can't get through to you! Don't you believe in second chances?"

"Ha! A second chance?" Hayner took a step back and stared at Seifer incredulously. "You think you deserve a second chance after you drove a stake through my friendships, went behind my back to pursue Olette, and lied to me for months?"

Seifer felt a gut wrenching pang of guilt twist up inside of him. He realized now more than ever that he was selfish and he was sure he could never mend the damages he caused to the friendships in Hayner's life—or his own.

"I...I'm sorry." He said at last; his eyes fixated on the grass beneath his feet.

"You got what you wanted." Hayner began to retreat down the hill and disappear out of view, leaving Seifer alone to dwell on the ghosts from his past in the dark.