Disclaimer:I do not own Kingdom Hearts and am not making any profit from writing this story.

Author's Note:I don't know how, but I completely skipped the editing process and looking over this chapter before putting it up. Now it's all edited and I'm quite pleased with how it came out for the most part. I've been working on it pretty much non-stop after putting up the prologue. Thanks for the reviews and alerts this story has already received and savor this chapter because I'm not entirely sure when the next one will be up. I'm going to try and switch to one of my other stories and get another chapter updated for them so there's a possibility of updates coming this way. ^^

To my anonymous reviewer Flightfoot: I'm glad you think it has potential, and I know I sort of failed to mention why only Ventus was taken, but it will be explained as the story goes on. Thank you for the review, by the way. ^^

Edit: I really didn't like the ending of this chapter so I went back and changed it.

Roxas wrapped his cloak around his body tightly as a fierce wind picked up threatening to rip it off him. He tried not to let it deter him from his destination and hunched forward as he trudged up along the dusty path that lead away from the only home he ever knew. He reached the top and stopped to catch his breath, turning his head to look at the lonely little house surrounded by lush green grass and cheerful flowers that waved back and forth in the wind. He had the oddest feeling they were waving goodbye to him and with a deep breath he lifted a shaky hand, returning the wave. A lone tear slid down his cheek as he stared down at his childhood home, trying to not to think of how empty it was now with his mother gone.

She had been with him all his life, but recently fell ill. The local physician had looked her over and the told Roxas the only thing he could think of that fit her condition. His mother was depressed. She always used to sit at the window, staring out at the sky with a sad expression, but whenever Roxas asked her what was wrong she only smiled and shook her head. He wished he knew what it was that made her so sad. But then death came and snatched her away just like another long ago. He couldn't remember exactly what it was, the niggling memory in the back of his mind, but something told him to leave and begin a search. If only he knew what it was he was searching for.

Roxas stared at his home a little longer, eyes glancing at the grave in which his mother now lay buried. Some of the villagers were very kind to him, coming over to pay their respects, and help him dig the grave. They even supplied a headstone for it. He was very grateful to them, hoping he would be able to do something to pay them back someday, after he returned from his search. He tore his gaze away from the grave and looked up at the sky, narrowing his eyes.

"I'll find you…" He whispered to the clear blue and cloudless sky. He frowned, surprised at his own words, wondering where they came from. But far back, deep in the confines of his mind, there was something calling to him. A faded memory, when he was so much younger. He heard a childish voice making a vow to someone, but couldn't remember the name or what they looked like.

"Because I promised." He found himself saying and this time didn't bother to question it. However, the next thing that happened made him wonder if he had gone insane. A soft male voice, whispered in the wind.

I know…

Roxas jumped, looking around with wide eyes. He looked all around him searching for the source of the voice he just heard. There was no one else on the hill but him. Had he imagined it? The wind had died down to a low whistling by now, it was very possible. He shook his head and chuckled. Maybe he was just losing it. He was probably still in shock over the loss of his mother. That had to be it. He was grief stricken from his mother's death and was now hearing voices because it.

It was best he was leaving then, if the villagers knew he was hearing voices he'd be declared mad, or bewitched. Either one wasn't very appealing to him. It was those very thoughts that spurred him onward and soon he broke into a run, feeling the wind rush through his hair and blood pounding in his ears. He looked up at the sky again and closed his eyes, imaging himself soaring through the clouds like a bird, relying on his feet and heart to guide him over the open fields. And the voice he heard before.

Please…hurry…

Roxas ran for a long time, never once stumbling, it was like his feet knew every contour of the land. When he finally stopped, his lungs demanding air and body begging for rest, he noticed the sun was beginning to set. The deep reds and oranges ran across the sky melding into one, like a very detailed painting. It was certainly a sight to behold and as Roxas stood there, looking up, taking in the beautiful sight he thought of his mother and how she would have loved to see it. His breath hitched as he was slammed back into reality, realizing he would never again get to enjoy another sunset with her. He would never see her smiling face or hear her laugh. He would never feel her warm embrace or smell that comforting lilac scent she always had that made him feel safe and loved. There would be no more of any of that…because she was gone.

Another breath caught in Roxas's throat and hot tears burned his eyes, but he struggled to keep them from spilling. He wasn't a little boy anymore and at the age of fifteen crying was considered a weakness in the male population. He didn't even cry during his mother's burial ceremony. He just remained standing next to one of the men who helped him dig, dry eyed and stony faced. One of his mother's friends, a woman who he knew as Tifa told him it wasn't healthy to bottle up his emotions like that. She tried to encourage him to just let it out, but he hadn't. Now he was beginning to feel the emotional strain of holding it in.

Forcibly he closed his eyes and balled his hands into fists, teeth grinding hard against each other as he fought to control himself. He released a shaky breath and reopened his eyes to see almost all daylight had just about disappeared. Now he was left alone in the dark to wander through the forest he realized that loomed before him. He could turn around now and forget about his journey, but that whispering voice, which he was beginning to realize, was so identical to his own pleaded for him not to. He must continue on, go through the forest and head for the mountains.

"…How do I know this?" Roxas held his head gently in his hands, feeling a small headache coming on. He knew he wouldn't be able to get much farther in his current condition and after a brief hesitation, entered the forest, searching for a good place to settle down and camp out for the night. He went about halfway in before seeing a nice little clearing and veered to his right.

Once he had built a small fire pit, he set to work on trying to get a fire going. He didn't think to bring any fire making tools and had to settle with banging two rocks together until he was finally rewarded with a few tiny sparks that faithfully leapt onto his pile of twigs and leaves he gathered. After he had a nice little fire going, Roxas sat quietly, looking into it with a small sigh. He found himself thinking of his mother again, imaging her gentle praise for completing the difficult task of lighting a fire without a char-cloth or striking flint. The painful clenching of emotions building up inside him made his gasp as his throat constricted. His headache was getting worse and a gnawing hunger in his belly was beginning to make him feel sick.

"Mother…" He moaned, curling into a ball as close to the fire as he could get without burning himself. He wrapped his traveling cloak around him like a blanket, and pulled his knees to his chest. Despite the fire's warmth he still felt biting cold of the evening and wished desperately that he was back home, stretched out on his comfortable straw mattress while his mother sang softly, lulling him to sleep. "I miss you so much..."

Roxas didn't even realize he fell asleep until he was awakened suddenly by loud, obnoxious laughter somewhere in the forest. He bolted upright, glancing around to see that it was completely pitch black, not even a sliver of light from the moon. He glanced upward quickly, but the moon wasn't out. Muttering a small prayer under his breath, Roxas looked around for something to defend himself with if needed, and settled on a nice sturdy stick that didn't quite make it in with the bundle of twigs and leaves that fed the fire. The laughter got louder, accompanied by voices, telling Roxas that whoever the newcomers were, there was more than one.

"Guuuys, I really don't like dark places. The woods are scary!" One of them whined, making Roxas wonder if they might be drunk. But the next one to speak had a quiet, mature voice that reprimanded the other.

"It's fine, Demyx," he sighed, sounding as though he would rather be anywhere but in the woods with his companion. "As long as we stick together and keep calm nothing is going to happen. That means keeping your voices down too."

There was a long pause in which Roxas took the opportunity to slowly get to his feet, holding his stick tightly as he strained his eyes for the intruders. He thought he could make out three figures silhouetted against inky blackness. How in the world would he ever take on three people with just a stick?

"Hey, don't look at me. I'm not the only one making noise." When the silence was broken once more, Roxas heard a deep voice with a slight drawl to it. He could tell from the tone the person was grinning. "Mr. Roving Musical Wonders here is the source of most of it!"

"Am not!"

"Sure are, Demy. Face it, you're definitely going to be the first to be eaten by whatever's out there."

"Axel, stop scaring him." The calmest of the three sighed as the one Roxas assumed was Demyx let out a whimper and mumbled something he couldn't hear. He slowly inched his way toward the bushes, keeping low and tried not to make a sound. But a twig snapped under his foot alerting the others to his presence.

"W-What was that?" Demyx stuttered, looking all around for the source of the noise. Roxas froze up when his gaze landed directly on him. He held his breath, squeezing his eyes shut and hoped they'd mistake him for a wild animal and turn tail and run.

"Probably a wild animal," Axel chuckled as their wimpy companion let out a small yelp.

"Be quiet!" The more reserved out of the three hissed. Surprisingly, they did as they were told and shut up. He spoke again in an even lower voice and Roxas had to really focus to hear him. "It's not an animal."

"Well tell us what it is then."

Roxas didn't hear any reply and he slowly opened his eyes to see one of the figures, noting he was rather short, was making his way toward him. Roxas tensed up getting the strangest feeling the quiet one knew he was there. He watched him stop by the fire pit, stirring a few embers to life, rekindling the fire. He fed the slowly rising flames a few small sticks and soon there was a warm crackling fire again. Then his head turned to look over where Roxas sat, clutching his stick.

Breath catching in his throat, Roxas tensed up, and tried to move back further into the safety of the leafy foliage. But then their eyes met and he froze.