Beneath the Blue Sky

Disclaimer: Kingdom Hearts and all related characters belong to Square Enix.
Rated: T+ (15+)
Pairings: (Main) Axel x Roxas, (Side) Riku x Sora, (Hints of) Zexion x Demyx / Leon x Cloud
Chapter Word Count: 2,160
Total Word Count (Ch. 1-4): 12,811
Beta'd by: Karinta24

Authoress Notes: Okay, so this chapter is kind of filler… It starts to get into the plot a little more, which is good, but it's kind of short. The X in Organization X is the actual letter, not the number 10. It would be weird to call them Organization XIII if there aren't thirteen members… But other than that, I think we're set to go! Enjoy the chapter!

Chapter Four: Crimson Nightmares and White Windows

The Usual Spot was nothing too special, but it was something that Hayner, Pence, and Olette obviously cherished. They moved through the better parts of Hollow Bastion until they came upon an alleyway. It zigzagged in multiple places and it was easy to get lost if one didn't know the way. Roxas attempted to memorize each turn they took, but lost track after the fifth turn.

They turned into a final alley and came upon an entrance that was covered by a large blanket. Hayner moved forward to hold the blanket to the side and let the other four enter before him. Inside the makeshift room was a large couch and a couple of mismatched chairs spread out. A dart board hung up on a wall and a small cooler was situated next to the couch. A faded red rug sat in the middle.

Hayner moved to sit on top of the cooler while Pence and Olette took seats in chairs. Roxas led Sora over to the couch and took a seat on it. Sora looped his arm with Roxas's, perfectly content now that his brother was back by his side. Sometimes, Roxas wondered if Sora would even be able to function without him around. And, for some reason, Roxas liked that Sora was so dependable of him. He was the closest person he had, and he was a person who actually cared about Roxas.

"So…" Sora started, looking among the group of friends. The three exchanged glances before Olette nodded and started.

"You remember when I talked about the Restoration Committee?" The twins nodded and Olette continued. "The Restoration Committee originally was created after the War of Radiance about fifty years ago. You guys know the story of the War of Radiance, right?"

"I… think so." Roxas started, to which his brother blinked blankly at him. "The War of Radiance was when Radiant Garden was changed into Hollow Bastion, right?"

Olette nodded. "Yeah. It's rumored that an army from a neighboring country stormed into Radiant Garden after some political disputes and took over, renaming the city in their honor. Since then, a lot of the city has been in ruins. The Restoration Committee formed under a man named Merlin, and has been running strong since then."

"Alright… But when did they become keepers of the peace?" Roxas questioned, remembering the little detail Olette had told him before.

"Roughly seven years ago." Pence piped up. "There really wasn't much trouble in Hollow Bastion after the war. Things calmed down and people accepted the fact that Radiant Garden was no more. The people here were never fighters, so they didn't think to fight for the honor of their city." He shrugged before continuing. "About ten years ago, we gained a new governor of Hollow Bastion. For forty years or so, there were foreign soldiers watching over their territory, but when the new governor, Ansem, took office, he dismissed the soldiers, and they, for some reason, listened. We're not really too sure on the details." Another shrug.

"But after that." Hayner cut in. "About three years passed before trouble started up in Hollow Bastion. A group of five kids from Radiance High School started up some weird-ass cult thing. They called themselves 'Organization X' and believed they were the best things next to sliced bread."

"They're called Organization X for multiple reasons." Olette continued. "For one, all of their members have the letter 'x' somewhere in their names. Another reason for their name, usually used by other people, is because they are very picky about who is in their group and target people with the letter 'x' in their names. This has happened multiple times throughout our years of school."

"The letter 'x'…?" Sora asked, visibly paling. He tightened his grip on Roxas's arm.

"Exactly why I was a little worried when Roxas had gone off on his own." Olette said with a grim look. "Organization X is dangerous. At first, they were considered virtually harmless… Until they completely destroyed a laboratory in downtown Hollow Bastion, doing some weird experiments. Since then, they've been watched carefully by the Restoration Committee. And because of Organization X, other gangs have risen up from the slums and have been trying to challenge them for the spot of 'top gang of Hollow Bastion.' The Disciplinary Committee formed just a few years ago with the rising gang activity."

The twins were silent for a long moment. Roxas finally spoke up.

"What in the world have we gotten ourselves into?" He asked, a small laugh erupting from the back of his throat. He shook his head and laughed a little more as Sora looked at him as if he'd gone crazy. Roxas laughed for a moment longer before settling down and sighing. "I miss the simple island life…"

The three natives to the city exchanged worried glances, to which Roxas looked back up at them and quickly spoke. "Not to say that I hate it here. It's not that bad. Just… some of the weird gangs are something I don't quite care for."

"That's why you stick with us. The bigger the group, the less likely you're to be targeted." And with that, Hayner stood from the cooler and opened it, cool air blasting up at him. He reached in and pulled out a box of popsicles. "Who wants popsicles?" He asked, to which Sora perked up. Roxas couldn't help but snort lightly at his brother, who was scared shitless one second, and perking up at the mention of a popsicle the next.

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"Simply amazing, Roxas."

"Axel…"

"You really do remember me this time? I'm SO FLATTERED! But you're too late!!"

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"NO!"

Sora shot up in bed at the sound of his brother's cry. He looked over to see Roxas sitting up in bed, hunched over himself and breathing hard. His face was covered in sweat and he was shaking.

Roxas felt like he was on fire. His skin burned and he threw his blankets off in order to open himself up to the cool air of the bedroom. He gasped for air, and he was parched, as if he hadn't had anything to drink for days.

Sora bolted over to his brother's bed and sat next to him, placing his hands on Roxas's arm. "Roxas?!" He called out in worry, to which he was met with distant blue eyes. It was a few seconds before the eyes came into focus and blinked.

"S…Sora?"

"I'm here, Roxas. What's wrong? Do you feel sick?" Roxas shook his head.

"I just… had a weird dream…" He shook his head again and ran his fingers through his damp, blonde locks, grimacing at the feel. He would definitely need to take a shower. "I'm… going to go take a shower." He moved to get up from the bed, but Sora stopped him, gazing at him in concern.

"Maybe you should lie back down…" He suggested, but his twin merely shook his head.

"I don't want to lie back down… I just want to go take a cold shower." He glanced over at the clock. "And I only have about five minutes to do that."

"You should stay home today…"

"Mom wouldn't be too pleased."

"You look like a wreck!"

"Oh, gee, thanks, Sora."

"I'm not saying it to be mean… You look like you might be coming down with something, though… I'm sure Mom would understand you missing just one day, just in case you might be getting sick."

Roxas sighed. Sora was stubborn and Roxas had no energy to argue with the boy. "Fine… You go tell Mom, I'm going to take my shower."

The blonde got up from the bed and left the room, walking to the bathroom just next door. He turned the hot water on just enough that he wouldn't freeze to death when he turned the cold water all the way up. He stripped of his damp bed clothes and stepped under the water. He let out a small gasp at the feeling of the water, but didn't make any motion to change the temperature.

After his shower, as he re-entered his bedroom, he found Sora dressed for school, pulling his backpack on. The brunette glanced over at his brother and gave him a smile.

"Mom said you could stay home today. I'll see you after school, kay?"

Roxas gave a faint nod as his brother gave him a hug and walked out of the room. The blonde stood in the middle of the room for a long moment before he walked over to his window, gazing out it. He couldn't see much other than the houses that surrounded his and let out a sigh before walking back to his dresser. He simply pulled out a pair of blue boxers and dried himself off with his towel before sliding them on.

When he walked over to his bed, he raised an eyebrow. Weren't his sheets blue earlier…? Now they were dark green. When he sat down, he felt the cool material beneath him and he found that his whole bed had been remade. He felt his chest clench slightly. Sora must have done this for him while he was in the shower…

He fell back to lie on his bed and stare up at the ceiling.

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"You… you were never supposed to exist, Roxas."

"What…? How could you even say such a thing… even if it were true?"

"I'm sorry. I guess some things are better left unsaid."

"Roxas?"

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When his eyes snapped open, Sora was sitting next to him, his eyes gazing down at his brother in concern. Roxas's eyebrows narrowed in confusion and he glanced over at the clock, which read four o'clock. Had he fallen asleep again?

"Are you okay?" The brunette asked, to which the blonde sat up and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Y-yeah… Just another weird dream… I think." He blinked before shaking his head. "How was school?"

Sora paused before deciding to drop the previous subject and move into the next one. "It was pretty cool, actually. Hayner, Pence, and Olette were busy at lunch today, so I started to eat by myself, but I met two new friends who let me sit at their table with them!"

"Oh? What are their names?" Roxas asked, trying to ignore the pang of jealousy that hit his chest.

"One of them is a junior named Riku Miyano, and the other is a girl in my Home Economics class named Kairi Uchida. They're really nice~!" Sora gave a big grin, to which his brother couldn't help but give a small smile in return.

"That's cool, Sora. I'm glad you're making so many new friends."

And Roxas was happy for his brother. Roxas didn't mind solitude or the fact that most of his friends were gained through Sora. Sora was someone who thrived on the attention and friendship of others.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Sora hopped off the bed and walked over to pick up his backpack. He shuffled through it before he took out a packet of paper. He returned to Roxas and held the packet out, to which the blonde took it and looked through it with a raised eyebrow. "A girl with blonde hair and lots of white came up and told me to give this to you."

Only the first page was instructions for an art project. The second page was a note.

'Roxas,

We're doing a partner art project in art class. Since you weren't here today, I had the teacher make you my partner so you wouldn't be left out. The following pages are a few sketches that we could use for the project. Let me know what you think next time you're in class.

Naminé'

"She gave it to me at lunch and told me to tell you that she hopes you feel better."

"Naminé came to you at lunch…?" Roxas looked up, a small frown placed on his lips.

"Yeah, but just long enough to drop off the packet." Sora shrugged. "Why?"

"No reason…" Roxas shook his head and set the packet back down on the bed. He swung his legs over the edge and stood up, stretching his arms out. He'd slept the whole day, yet he still felt so worn out.

"Hey, you wanna go play Soul Calibur?" Sora suddenly asked, his eyes lighting up. Roxas raised an eyebrow, but couldn't help but smile.

"Sure, but don't cry when I kick your ass."

"You're on!!"

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Another story has begun.

Age old friends have found each other again. I wonder if they both dream, just like the light and the flame… It doesn't matter, though. Just as long as I can see their story… I just have to wonder if they'll start remembering.

I suppose I should be getting a new sketch book… Now, where did I put my wallet…