Sometimes I can't help but look at you differently than I do other people. You have this aura that surrounds you, and it makes me feel like I don't even know you like I do everyone else. You don't judge, and you don't pretend. You don't hide your shame, or your pride. You don't beat around the bush or say things you don't mean. You aren't like other people. You're not like me.

I envy you.

~Not Really Brothers~

"Roxas...! Roxas...!"

A distant voice pulled the blonde out of his slumber. His bright sea-blue eyes fluttered open, letting him see that light had flooded the room. Everything was hazy, due to his sudden waking and drowziness. His eyes suddenly focused after regaining partial consiousness, and he saw an all-too familiar face staring down at him.

"Roxas, you sleepy head! You need to wake up!" the other exclaimed. He had brown hair that spiked in all directions and the same bright blue-eyes he had. He was dressed in their school uniform, and was holding a clock up to his face. All too quickly the blonde's body sprang up in realization.

"Crap! I'm going to be late for school!" Roxas went into a panic, scrambling out of bed and rushing to his dresser to pull out random bits of uniform. Sora was just standing there, looking somewhat amused and unbuttoning his shirt. Roxas noticed this amusement out of the corner of his eye, and his panicked mood suddenly grew cold. His head drooped as dismay took over him.

"It....It's Sunday, isn't it.....?" he grimaced.

"Ahahahahaha!! You fell for it again!" Sora's laughter echoed through their bedroom. He was soon stripped of his uniform top, and changed into an undershirt. He only bothered to put the top of that lie on, since Roxas couldn't see the bottom half of his body from his bed. So he was already wearing his typical lounge shorts. He did this quite often, tricking him into thinking there was school when there really wasn't. You'd think he'd learn one of these days. Roxas turned on his heel and charged at the brunette, tackling him onto one of their beds.

"You dirty little sneak!" he pinned the other down by the wrists, his legs straddling his stomach. The grin still didn't leave Sora's face. "It's your own fault for falling for it! Again!" His attitude was way too cheerful. He knew he wasn't going to apologize, not at this rate. Roxas then had to resort to....that.

"Roxas....what are you doing.....?" Sora's grin suddenly vanished. Roxas held a wide smile that had the aura of evil in it. The brunette knew something bad was going to happen. The blonde's lips parted slightly, and a trail of saliva began to run down from the tips of his lips. Oh great. The spit punishment.

"Ah! No! No! Anything but that!" Sora squirmed under Roxas's grasp, unable to break free. The string of spit grew closer and closer down towards the other's face. "Uncle! Uncle! I give up, I give up, I give up! I'm sorry for tricking you, Roxas!" he let out desperately. Satisfied, Roxas slurped up the trail and wiped his mouth with his sleeve.

"Let that be a lesson. Next time, I won't show any mercy no matter how much you beg."

He got off of the boy and stepped off of the bed, proceeding to walk out of the room. "I'm gonna go take a shower. I feel dirty now." Sora sat up. "You feel dirty? Why?"

"Because I had to touch you."

"Roxas! That's mean!" Appalled, Sora scrambled after him and tackled him to the ground. "Cootie attack!"

"God damnit, Sora! Get off!" Roxas struggled to get out of Sora's arms, but the brunette refused to let go. "No! Not unless I get to go with you!"

"IN THE SHOWER?!" Where did that request come from?!

"Yes!"

"WHY?!"

"Because I'm lonely and I need you~!" Sora always was such a clingy baby. The two lived alone, so it really was just the two of them all the time. Really, they were like brothers. Even though Sora was slightly older, he would always switch between acting like the "big brother" and the "little brother". It depended on what he wanted. At times like this, he acted like the little brother. Roxas sighed, admitting defeat. "Alright, fine...."

"Yay!"

It's okay. Because....I need you, too.

The hot water splayed down from the shower head, steam beginning to rise and collect on the mirrors. Roxas was in the middle of undressing, and Sora was sitting ontop of the counter, watching. Feeling his gaze, Roxas looked at Sora, before turning his torso away and acting as though he was woman by covering himself.

"Do you mind?" he asked, to which Sora responded with, "Geez, you're such a girl. You're acting like I've never seen you shirtless before."

That's because I'm about to go full-nude with you watching. How do you think that makes me feel?

"Whatever. Do what you want," he sighed heavily, and resumed to removing his pajama pants. Sora covered his eyes, at least giving him that much privacy while Roxas removed his boxers and stepped into the shower.

"You done yet?" Sora asked. "Yes, Sora. I am."

"Good. I don't like not being able to see."

"You don't like not being able to sing?" Roxas joked, pretending the noise from the shower was drowning out Sora's voice.

"No, see! SEE!" Sora replied, not catching the joke. "See? See what?"

"See you!"

"I can see me just fine. You're going crazy."

"That's not what I meant!!" Roxas laughed at Sora's frusteration. Whenever Sora was the "little brother", the task to be the "big brother" was forced upon Roxas. Following basic tradition, Roxas would have a little fun with Sora, the majority of that fun being taunts such as this. Who said he couldn't tease him every now and then? There was another reason why Roxas would tease him.

While the two weren't exactly related, they were just like a pair of brothers. Almost twins, actually. Their habits were the same, their peeves were the same, heck, sometimes even their thoughts were the same. Still, that's all they were. Whenever they went somewhere, like the market, or on their way to school, people would always comment on how much alike they looked when compared to the other. Roxas would always want to tell them that they're wrong, but Sora would usually interupt and say something stupidly amusing like, "Me? Look like this guy? No waaaay~".

It had been a couple of months since Roxas came to the Islands. He didn't live with anybody or have any relations with anyone. He didn't have a family; he never did. That only questioned his reasoning for existing in the first place. Sure, he had friends, if you could call them that. They were really just others like him: no family, nowhere to go, nothing to do, not a single thing that could make him stand out. None of them really cared for any of his talents, so he stopped practicing them altogether. Most of the time, they ignored him unless they needed him to do something, and that something was usually one of their chores. He got sick of them, so he decided to go for a chance in scenary and moved to the Islands. There was just something about this place that drew him there. He didn't know what it was or what was in store for him, but he knew that it existed, and that he was meant to be there, for reasons still unknown to him. He enrolled in the high school, wanting to get an education and make something of himself. Nobody really cared about what he was good at, so he had to do something to get him somewhere, right? His savings wouldn't last long. He brought over whatever munny he had, and almost all of that went to either rent for the apartment he was staying in or groceries.

The first day of school was awkward, but typical. There wasn't a single face he recognized, which didn't shock him. What did shock him was how little these people seemed to care that a new person showed up out of nowhere. After introducing himself, a small group of girls did take interest. But when they found out that he wasn't into partying or "roleplaying", whatever the hell that meant, they just ditched the thought of any relations with him completely. He kept to himself, mostly. Right now, his main focus was on studying and working hard. It was either that or starve.

When it came time for lunch, he sat by himself. Again, typical. He ate his bento outside under a tree, watching everyone else enjoy their time at school, laughing and chatting with friends. Loneliness began to set in. He shook it off, though, and resumed studying until the bell for the next class rang.

The next few days weren't much different. He was getting good grades from all that devotion to studying, so that was a plus. Pretty soon, he would be looking for a job. After what happened back home, he was used to balancing his tasks. But what job would he get? He could always be a cashier, it would certainly help with his math skills. Or maybe a babysitter; he did see plenty of little kids running about the island. The only problem with that one was that he didn't know how to properly handle kids. What would he do if they got hurt or something like that? A couple of times of going to the nearby convenience store during the later hours, he noted that some girls were dressed in somewhat clad clothing, usually acting as company for a man, who was almost always significantly older. Now that he thought about it, he noticed that a few of those girls were in his class....Were people honestly that desperate?

About a week after his enrollment, he realized that he had yet to explore the school fully. He really only knew where his classes were. But what about next year? Or if he had to run an errand? He needed to know his surroundings if he was going to survive. Deciding to explore the school was probably the best decision he ever made.

He wandered the halls, taking in the classroom numbers and subjects. Chemistry. English. Trigonometry. Biology. Algebra. Art. Hello, what was this? The blonde stumbled upon the school's music room. He did enjoy music; hell, he loved it. Did this room happen to have...--it did! There it was, gleaming in the fluorescent lighting of the room. A black grand piano. He loved the piano. It was the one thing he was really good at before he stopped playing altogether because nobody cared. Did he even remember how to play it...?

Time to find out.

Roxas set his bookbag down by the doorframe as he stepped towards the inanimate beauty. His hands moved in front of him as he neared for the sole purpose of lifting up the cover off of the keys, which when exposed were just lovely. Pearl white with coal-like sharp and flat keys. Just the sight wanted to bring a smile to his lips, but he needed to know how it sounded first. Even if it looked amazing, if it was poorly tuned, there was no way the two could ever go beyond this. The tip of his middle finger on his right hand hit a random note, which happened to be F. The sound it produced sent a melodious hum through his ears. His pinky finger hit another, B-flat. Again, it sounded beautifully. Thumb on E-flat, ring finger on A. Time to get the left hand involved. He raised it and rested the fingertips lightly upon the pure white keys. He was about to play when a thought suddenly crossed his mind: he didn't remember any songs he used to play. Oh, damn it all!

He sighed, pondering on what to do. After a moment of painful silence, he closed his eyes and allowed his fingers to dance on their own free will across the keys. His mind absorbed every single note, every sound that left that piano. And he loved every minute of it. It had been way too long he had heard anything like this. Now, maybe he had found a way to put some meaning into his dull life--

"Roxas...?"

A voice echoed in the empty room, pulling Roxas out of his thoughts and freezing his fingers onto chords that left such a horrid screech. Oh, damn! Someone was here?! His hands lifted from the piano keys and he turned his head towards the voice. It was a boy, his age, with spikey chocolate-brown hair and bright sea-blue eyes just like his. He had seen this kid before. Actually, he was in the majority of his classes. ...what was he doing here?

"I heard piano music from this room when I was passing by...That was you?" he asked, stepping towards the blonde. Oh damn, oh damn, oh damn! Was he about to be ridiculed, just like back home? Not again, oh please not again! He forced the cover shut and stood up, and was about to leave when the boy spoke again.

"Why did you stop? I liked it."

Roxas froze. He...liked it? "Y-....You did?"


"Yeah! I thought it was the prettiest music I've ever heard. I never thought the new kid would be able to be this good at something!" the boy was suddenly standing right by him and the piano, a wide smile on his face. "I don't think we've really been properly introduced. I'm Sora."

Was...was this guy trying to be...friendly? A warm, hopeful smile graced his own lips.

"I'm Roxas."

"So Roxas, how long have you been playing?" Sora asked, sitting cross-legged on the ground beside the piano bench. "A really long time. I don't really even remember how I got started. I just sat down and...." he looked wistfully down at the piano. "...played."

Sora looked up at Roxas, noticing the nostalgic look in his eyes. "I'm jealous." Those words brought the blonde out of his thoughts of the past and turned his attention to the brunette sitting on the floor. He saw a wide, sheepish grin plastered upon the boy's face.

"I wish I could play like you."

"Roxas?"

Once again, that voice dragged him out of his thoughts. It took him a moment to remember that he was still in the shower, hot water streaming down his body. How long had he been in there, thinking about what happened? "Yes, Sora?"

"I've been thinking...Maybe, we could spend today just staying here. We don't have to do anything, or go anywhere. Just stay here."

That sort of surprised him. Normally, Sora was really out-going and loved to be outside, exploring places and doing things with friends. So, why the sudden change in thought? Maybe he was just feeling lazy today. Hell, Sora was always lazy. That much wasn't really a surprise for him.

"Alright. If you want us to stay home, then we'll stay home," he responded over the noise of the running water. "Now get out. I'm finished and I need my privacy."

"Awwwh, but Rooxaas~! I'll get lonely if I leave~!" he whined. "Deal with it." And with that he turned off the water, rotating the shower nozzle with his hand to stop the flow of water. The instant the sound of running water was gone, there was the loud shuffle of a certain teenaged boy scrambling to get out of the bathroom. So Roxas had called his bluff. Bahahaha.

He stepped out of the shower, taking extra care not to slip on the tile, his arm extending to beside the shower curtain to grab hold of a soft cotton towel. Stepping the other foot out onto the tile, he wrapped the towel around his waist, tying it securely against his hip. Steam engulfed his body, the moist air feeling a bit heavy, especially after stepping out of a hot shower. Gradually cooling water ran down the warm skin of his back, chest, arms, and legs, and it dripped from his heavied, golden locks onto his face, which stuck to his forehead and the back of his neck. He didn't want to leave just yet; knowing his roommate, Sora was probably outside the door just waiting for him to come out so he could receive one of his tackle-hugs.

The blonde stepped towards the mirror, a hand wiping off some of the steam from the mirror. Through the hazy glass, he saw his own reflection, the same bright-blue eyes that he shared with Sora staring back at him. He just stood there, thinking. No, remembering. He mentally asked himself many things. How did he get to where he was now? How was it that he suddenly got a roommate to live with? And why did he choose that guy, of all people?

I think....it all started at that time.

He sighed, his eyes shifting from his reflection down to his hands which were supporting the weight of body against the counter. Those hands that were used to play such a beautiful instrument that produced such lovely sound, and were used to hold such an amazing and loving person, clenched into fists. They disgusted him. You're not the jealous one.

I am.

Author's Note:

Whoo! Does it feel good to get back into the fanfiction scene! I am so sorry to have been on hiatus for so long, but now I'm back! Didjyall miss me? Bahahahaha *shot*

I'm sorry for not getting Kokorogoroshi-hen or any of my other fanfictions up, and Futarigoroshi-hen is still in brainstorming mode..... But here's the first chapter of a little Roxas x Sora fanfiction! Yay for puppy love!

Now what could have dismayed Roxas like this? The majority of the story will be told in flashbacks, with the occasional return to the present. I want this story to be beautiful, and while I think it's too short to be considered a "good start", I think it has potential. Reviews, please?

They are my reason for living! D8