Disclaimer- if I owned it I wouldn't be writing a fanfic about it.

So, this is what I'm really working on and, I realize this, there may be a few errors, but that's because I wrote this all on WordPad, not Word. So, if I have misspellings or any such thing use your mind and correct them.

Read and Review please. Thanks.

"So you got an idea yet?"

"Nope, my brains stuck on a thought."

"What?"

"You . . ."

"ROXAS!"

What?

As he stumbled to open his eyes, the dream already began to slip away. By the time he was aware of where he was and who was yelling at him to get up, the image of the dream slipped away to a bright red blur next to a pale yellow blur and then into nothing.

"Did you hear me?" Hayner yelled.

"Ngh, it's too early." He grumbled, turning over in his bed.

"Come on Roxas! We gotta go get some food; Olette said we're getting low."Hayner whined.

"You know, the sun looks very calm as it comes up in the morning. You know not running around and rudely waking people up with some loud obnoxious noise. Nothing like somebody I know, right fish globe?" Roxas said mockingly as he looked out his window.

"Roxas!" Hayner whined again. "We gotta get something to eat, and you handle all the money. . . ." He just let his sentence drop there.

Roxas flipped back over on his bed to look at Hayner. The head strong boy was standing in the opening that led to the common room which the four friends; Hayner, Olette, Pence, and himself; shared. Hayner was already dressed and ready to head out. Apparently so were the others because there were noises and voices from outside of his bedroom besides the usual creaks of their house.

"What time is it?" He finally sighed, giving up a struggle that would just end in Hayner winning anyway.

"Six o'clock!" Hayner said happily.

"Six in the MORNING?" Roxas yelled as he sat straight up on his bed. He flung his covers from him as he rushed over to where Hayner stood and shoved the stunned boy with both of his hands, sending him out into the common room a little unstable.

"What the heck's the matter with you?" Hayner yelled back as he picked himself up off the floor.

"It's six o'clock in the morning and you expect me to get up?" Roxas shouted. "I've only been asleep for almost four hours! I expected a little more time today to . . . ." He stopped up short, realizing what he had just said.

"You went to bed only four hours ago?" Olette asked quizzically.

"Aw great, nice move Rox," he muttered to himself.

"Naw, really, tell us where you were. Did something happen?" Pence asked.

"Did you run into Seifer and his crew?" Hayner questioned quickly. "You do look a little sore today."

"No, I-I didn't see Seifer or anyone last night. And I feel fine. It's nothing, really." He studdered.

They had him backed into a corner and there was only one way out of it, without having to tell the others what had gone on the night before. So he agreed.

"Give me about ten minutes and I'll be ready." Roxas finally sighed. This seemed to please Hayner, because he backed up from him with a grin painted on his face.

"Alright, we'll meet you outside. Come on guys."

With that they all moved to go downstairs, Olette was the last one to go. She looked back at the boy whom she had just met a couple of months back. She felt like they had known each other forever, but Roxas just seemed to be so distant from the others, like he didn't have all himself together at the moment. Like he forgot something important about himself.

She finally turned around, though, to head after Hayner and Pence, all the while shaking the troubling thoughts of Roxas away. But they still worried her, sitting in the corner, waiting for her to jump to conclusions.

"Oh well, I'm probably just worrying for no reason at all." She told herself.

After they had closed the door, Roxas headed back to his room. Slumping down onto his bed, he put his head in his hands and thought about the night before.

Why had he gone outside into the city last night? He didn't really know, to clear his head maybe? Yeah, maybe that was it, but there had to be something else. It felt like there must

have been something else, because there was some nagging thought, like a forgotten dream, that had sort of called out to him. A bit like sleep-walking, only when you're awake.

"Oh well, I was walking is all, and that's that." He finally told himself. Getting up he moved over to his dresser and began dressing for the day ahead. Hoping that the others wouldn't keep pestering him about what he had been doing last night.

Hayner, do you think something did happen last night with Roxas?" Pence asked, speaking aloud Olette's own worries that she was to afraid to ask.

Hayner kept quiet about his thoughts for a moment and then suddenly turned around to face Pence's questioning expression and Olette's concerned one.

"Roxas?" Hayner asked. Before anyone could say something to it, he talked on. "Naw, he's an honest guy. He wouldn't say something didn't happen if something did. And that's that. Don't keep bugging him about it, all right?" It wasn't a question so much as an order, and the others knew it. He was kind of like the leader after all.

But it still worries me, Olette thought; it just doesn't seem like something Roxas would do.

They had reached the street by now and were about half-way to the early market when Roxas came running down the streets towards them.

"Hey, guys! You said that you'd wait for me at the bottom!" He yelled as he got closer.

"Woops, sorry 'bout that Rox. But we weren't that far!" Hayner yelled back.

"Yeah, well you still could have waited," he grumbled when he had caught up to them.

Olette patted him on the shoulder and said, "Well at least you caught up to us, didn't you?" She smiled her infectious grin as Roxas' own grin spread and soft eyes came upon his face, losing the hard glint that they had from the lack of sleep.

"Yeah, I did didn't I," he muttered under his breath, trying to hide the smile that was still growing on his face.

"Come on guys, enough talkin'. I'm starved, so let's go grab some food." Pence barked.

"Yeah, yeah, let's go," Roxas agreed.

"Sea-salt ice cream . . . . for breakfast Rox? I mean it's just so . . . . salty. And besides, don't you eat enough of it without having it for breakfast, too?" Hayner said with a small laugh. Roxas had it almost twenty-four seven. He was addicted to the stuff. Okay, maybe not that much, but still, he had it a lot.

"Hmm?" Roxas asked. He had been letting his mind wander and think about things, but the mention of his name and 'sea-salt ice cream' had pulled him out of his mind wander.

"Ah, nothin', forget it Rox," Hayner sighed. The kid had been spacing out more and more everyday now. It had the rest of them worried, but Hayner was mainly upset that he might hit a tree or something next time.

Roxas turned back to eating his ice cream. He didn't know why he liked it so much. The others thought it was way too salty to have it as many times as Roxas had it. But to him, it sort of had a sweet flavor, too.

"Well looky here, the neighborhood rats have crawled out of their hole. What could they possibly be doing here out so early?" said a boisterous voice from behind the little group.

They knew who it was; they could have kept walking and ignored him if they wanted. No trouble, no fights. And Roxas, Pence, and Olette were all for that idea, but Hayner was too much of a hothead and could meet, and surpass, anyone if ego was counted.

"Look whose talkin' hat head." Hayner shout back as he turned around to face Seifer and his gang. The others all turned around very reluctantly as well.

Roxas winced at Hayner's comeback. Sure the guy was alright in a fight if it came down to it, but Hayner needed a little bit of work in picking the fights, and starting them.

"Hey, look Fuu, the mouse has teeth. What a surprise!" Seifer called behind him, his remark got laughs from his group.

He really knows how to push Hayner's buttons, thought Roxas as he looked over to where the other boy stood. His face was a deep crimson and a hard glint of hatred had come over the boy's eyes.

"Quit it Seifer, we aren't looking for trouble." Roxas told the older boy sternly as he stepped forward. It caught the attention of Seifer and his lackeys enough to hear the blondie out. Roxas risked a quick glance over to Hayner to see his reaction. Roxas could already hear the other boy yelling at him when they were finished here.

"Oh really, well what would you say to fighting me? One-on-one." Seifer offered mockingly.

"I told you, we aren't looking for trouble. We're only getting food. Nothing else." Roxas said sternly, fighting the urge to knock the older boy's teeth out, or at least try to anyway.

"What are you? Chicken?" All look of mock and friendliness drained from Seifer's face, replaced quickly by annoyance.

"I told you . . ." But Roxas couldn't finish his sentence, Hayner and his big mouth interrupted.

"Six o'clock, center square, under the clock tower, sticks for weapons."

"Alright, deal, see you at your death bed, kiddy." Amusement had seeped back into the boy's voice as he walked away with his gang following right behind him, leaving no further room for argument.

Roxas stood there, stunned by how fast things had changed from fruitless peacemaker, to dead man walking in less than a minute.

That was actually kind of funny to watch," whispered a tall, skinny red head that had been standing in the shadows watching the scene unfold before him.

"Hayner!" Roxas yelled for what felt like the hundredth time in less than an hour.

"Whaat? What do you have to say now?" Hayner shot back at the blonde.

How the hell could you have made a deal that I would fight Seifer? Why're you making me do it? Many other statements coursed through his mind, but he voiced only one, "Why?"

He was exasperated from yelling, he just didn't have enough in him to yell at the other boy, at the moment. If he lived through the ordeal tonight, Hayner would be indebt to him for the rest of his life.

"Because you're the best fighter out of all of us." Hayner said matter-o'-factly.

And because of your ego, thought Olette.

She sided with Roxas on this one. Hayner hadn't even asked him if he wanted to fight, he had just shouted out whatever came into his brainless head at the moment.

They had gotten home with the food they needed without any other interferences. The only thing that felt off, to Olette anyway, was that there was someone following them. It felt that way anyway. Like there was someone just around the corner watching them. Of course, it could

just be paranoia about the fight that she was feeling. Which is exactly what she put it down to; A slight fear that something was going to happen to Roxas or one of the others, nothing much.

"Are you going to talk to him?" A voice asked him from inside. One of a memory that felt so long ago.

"Of course, he means so much to me, why wouldn't I want to talk to him?" He had answered.

"You're going to try and wake his memories, aren't you?" She had asked.

"Yes, that's what I was planning. Why?"

"Give him my thanks and that I hope he is alright." She had told him. He had grinned at her concern over him.

"Sure thing, I hope you'll stay alright, too, got it squirt?"

"Alright, see you around sometime. Bye for now."

And that was where they left, her off back to her room, pad in one hand and her markers, pencils, and crayons waiting for her, and himself on to a mission that he had to do himself.

"Roxas," he whispered as he looked at where the boy was staying. He would talk to him, and make him remember. Even if it killed himself.

It was one hour till the deadline and Roxas was dreading every minute that brought him closer to that impending doom he felt looming over him.

He was sitting at the edge of the clock tower. He had been sitting there for most of the time after his argument with Hayner.

It was still a bit light out. In a few minutes, the sun would be between worlds, split in half. And the sky . . . the sky would be a complete canvas of hundreds of colors. Reds, oranges, yellows, blues, and all the colors in between. Then, only a few minutes later, it would be night. Dark, but speckled with little points of light.

"Why can't I remember?" Roxas murmured to himself. That's the only reason he came up to the clock tower. To remember. It called to him somehow. It might not be that place exactly, maybe not the clock tower, it might just be where it was placed. Like there had been something

like this somewhere else that had been a place of importance. But he never remembered anything, just felt something.

He slowly let his eyes drift shut, closing out all his worries, all the noise and hum of the night market opening while the twilight market closed. It always seemed peaceful up here. No one else except himself and the occasional, random bird that would fly over head.

It felt like he had closed his eyes for only a moment, but when he reopened his eyes, it had gotten darker. Millions of little stars were beginning to poke through the midnight blue sky above him. Below him a mass of lights were also glowing. But these lights were to bright to be a reflection, they were the lights of the night market. It was time for the fight with Seifer.

"Hah! He's not gonna show," Shouted Seifer.

It had been almost half an hour since the set time, and still Roxas hadn't shown.

"You wait! He'll come. He's just building up some tension. Keepin' you on edge." Hayner yelled back, but even his face began showing doubt that Roxas was going to show. Worry lines were creasing his forehead; his faith in Roxas was being pushed to the limit every growing minute.

"Don't worry Hayner, he'll show." Olette said as she moved to grab the boy's hand. She was worried though, Roxas always kept his promises. But then again, it wasn't his promise to keep. It was Hayner's.

"Yeah, you're probably right Hayner. He's just building tension is all," Pence agreed.

"Pfft! Yeah right, the dude chickened out. See you losers later. Come on guys, let's get outta here."

"You leaving' already Seifer? Guess Hayner was right, you are a chicken." Cried a voice. This stopped Seifer cold. He slowly turned around to face the stuck up brat he had agreed to fight. He looked like he always did, same clothes, same weird hairstyle, the kid looked as if he was going to the day market, not about to fight someone. And this pissed Seifer off.

"Well look who decided to finally show!" Seifer called back to his pack as he sauntered up to meet Roxas. "So, you finally came. We were getting worried that you got taken away by a chocobo." Laughs erupted from behind him.

"Well, I had to find the right sticks to use." Roxas said matter-o-factly.

"What made you finally show up? Want to get your ass kicked?"

"Naw, I came to kick yours," Roxas said with a blank expression.

Pence and the others were stunned. One, no one with even half a brain would say something like that to Seifer unless he wanted to die. Two, it flat out wasn't like Roxas at all.

Seifer glared at Roxas with his steeliest glares. He looked the kid over, trying to find a tense spot on him to tell that he was actually making an impression on the idiot. That's when he really looked at the kids weapons.

"We said only one weapon." He spat.

"No, you both agreed that sticks would be the weapons. You never said one stick."

"Whatever, you'll need all the help you can get anyway sucker." Seifer pulled out his own stick, it had a sharp point at the tip of it.

If I get hit with that, I'm gonna feel like hell tomorrow, Roxas thought.

"Come on Seifer, show me your best!" And with that, they started. It wasn't so hard actually, so long as Roxas kept feigning.

"Come on Roxas, give him all you got!" Olette would yell sometimes. Pence and Hayner would put in their own say here and there, but otherwise they'd be too caught up in their friend's movements to say anything.

"It looks as if he's done this kind of thing before, don't you think Hayner?" Pence asked his friend at one point. When he looked over he saw that Hayner was engrossed at the sight unfolding before him. Fluid movements and just the right amount of jabs and slashes; the perfect recipe for a natural born fighter.

On the inside however, Roxas didn't feel the least bit like a good fighter, he felt downright beat. His arm felt like it needed more weight to move correctly, like there was something missing that he needed to be able to fight correctly.

"Dammit, this fight is taking too long. See you brat." With one flick of his wrist, Seifer pulled out a dagger about as long as Roxas' forearm. When Roxas noticed it, the adrenaline pumped through his veins like a wild animal being chased in a hunt.

"Roxas!" Olette screamed when she saw the dagger glint in the night light menacingly. She moved closer, just a step so that she could run over to Roxas and Seifer, to try and help. Before she could take another step however, a huge dark bubble encircled her. Darkness. It took only a second for another bubble to pop up around Pence and Hayner. They were trapped in a bubble with no way out to help Roxas.

"Now now kiddies, the fight is between Roxas and Seifer. Not four snot-nosed brats against one guy," chided Fuu. "You know Vivi, it's really helpful to have you around when we have brats like theseto take care of." The silver haired girl smiled menacingly at the trio of bubbles, almost sad that they were not able to see it. "I wonder what we should do with them . . ."

"This was what was going to happen," muttered Olette. The feelings she had had earlier, they were telling her about this. She had practically known about it and she hadn't warned anyone!

"ROXAS!" She screamed in her bubble. She was terrified of this, not knowing how the fight was turning out. It scared her to no reason.