By: whitewingedsoldier

Rated: T

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Square-Enix, Disney, or any of their characters.

Kingdom Hearts

"Somebody"

Roxas' Story

06//the fourth day

Now the memories were chained together by one link: friendship. Roxas knew now that the name of the boy in the dream was Sora. He had friends, Donald and Goofy, and another named Riku. There was also a girl he seemed to have feelings for, and up until now, Roxas had not known her name. But now he did. Kairi.

"Wherever you go...I'm always with you." Those were the last words Roxas heard before he awoke, sitting up in bed again. His head was filled with images. "Right... 'promise'," he said to himself. He held out his arm and swung an imaginary weapon through the air. "What a mess..." Hayner is probably still mad, too...

Some time later, Roxas burst out of the hideout, heading for the sandlot. "Hurry! You're gonna be late!" warned the shopkeeper. Roxas nodded and doubled his speed, rushing down the steps to the sandlot, where the entire town had gathered to watch that day's main event, the Struggle championship tournament.

As Roxas passed his friends, he heard Pence and Olette talking amongst themselves. "Who you gonna root for?" asked Pence. Olette laughed. "Both of them, silly," she answered. Roxas climbed up on stage, where the announcer and the other contestants were gathered. Once the crowd had quieted somewhat, the announcer spoke in a loud, clear, and obviously excited tone.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Struggle-fiends of Twilight Town! It's time for summer's most sizzling clash! That's right! Today is the day for the Struggle and title match! Who will be the one to break through the ranks and take on our champion, Setzer?!" You have to hand it to him, thought Roxas, trying not to smile. "Seifer, y'know?" Rai called out from the crowd. "And who will leave today as our new Struggle champion?" the announcer continued. "Hayner! Roxas!" Pence and Olette called, but they were drowned out as a large group of giggling girls screamed out a name in unison: "SETZEEEEERRRR!!"

Roxas wheeled around to find that the current champion and local heartthrob, Setzer, had arrived and was waving to his fans, which seemed to include the entire crowd now. They were all chanting his name excitedly. "Yes, the crowd is fired up, so you know what comes next!" the announcer shouted. "Let's..." He held up his hands, and the entire crowd screamed at the same time; "STRUGGLE!!!"

Roxas looked up a set of fireworks exploded above them. They're sure making extra effort, he thought. The announcer quickly changed placed with another announcer, who, once having caught the attention of the crowd, began to introduce them to the fans.

"Hey, now. It's time to introduce today's combatants! The four bad boys who struggled their way through the preliminaries!" He looked around, then began to read off the names. "Regular finalist and head of the Twilight Disciplinary Committee: Seifer!" He pointed Seifer out, and did the same once he called off the others. "Completely out of nowhere—who thought he'd make it this far? Vivi! An underground favorite and local attitude problem: Hayner! It's his first trip to the finals! And struggler number 4, who happens to be my absolute favorite customer: Roxas!"

Roxas noticed Hayner looking at him and met his eyes, but the other boy turned away quickly. Roxas continued to try and get him to look up, while still listening as the announcer went on. "So—who will win this sweltering summer Struggle? Who will take home the grand prize? The summa cum laude of Struggle—the Four Crystal Trophy! AND a chance to take on our defending champion, Setzer!"

Roxas looked to Setzer, who was holding aloft the championship belt he had won the year before. "It won't be long now, folks," the announcer assured the anxious fans. "I suggest our challengers go over the official Struggle Rules before we begin!" Roxas followed the others to the board in the corner, and they quickly ran over the rules, which Roxas knew already, to ensure that they remembered them.

Roxas and Hayner were first up to fight. They were both handed Struggle bats by the first announcer, who patted them on the shoulder, then left. Hayner pointed his bat at Roxas, whose face fell. "Hey...sorry about yesterday," Roxas said, releasing his feelings before they overloaded and drove him insane. "What, you still worried about that?" asked Hayner, surprised. "You need to learn to let that stuff go." Roxas shrugged one shoulder. "I've got a lot on my mind," he replied simply.

"Sorry, man," said Hayner sympathetically. Roxas shook his head, and then Hayner wondered, "Wait, what am I sorry for?" He grinned, and Roxas returned the smile, his feelings soaring. So he's not mad! Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Olette and Pence exchange what could pass for smirks. He saw the announcer make the sign and prepared for battle, hearing the words blare out around him. "Our first match of today's Struggle tournament will be between Roxas and his best friend, Hayner!"

If the announcer had said anything more, Roxas didn't hear it. He and Hayner rushed at one another, the old playful fighting breaking out and then escalating into a true, heated battle. Roxas had to hand it to Hayner, he was talented, but Roxas was quicker. He knocked Hayner to the ground, and his friend didn't get back up.

"And the winner is Roxas!" the announcer declared, a minute or so later. Roxas felt his arm being raised up into the air, and with his free arm he waved to the crowd. "Not even friendship will slow this kid down. And Hayner put up a great fight, too," the announcer said. Once he let go, Roxas ran over to where Hayner was still lying on the ground. "I lost. Aww, I can't believe it!" he exclaimed, obviously disappointed.

Roxas backed away as Hayner slowly got to his feet. "I guess I taught you well," he said, smiling. Roxas returned it. "I had a lot of fun fighting you," he said. Hayner's smile grew wider, and then it faded completely. He crossed his arms. "Yeah, well I didn't, wise guy," he shot back. Roxas knew Hayner was only kidding, but unwanted disgust bubbled inside him. Sore loser, he thought, completely inappropriately. Wait, where did that come from? I've never thought that about Hayner before...even if it is kind of true.

"Hey, let's find a way to cheer you up," Roxas suggested, but Hayner shrugged him off. "Nah, that's all right." He playfully punched Roxas' hand and then turned to leave, nearly crashing into Seifer as he came up onto the stage. "Out of the way," Seifer commanded. "You in a rush to lose?" Hayner retorted. Roxas looked down and nearly jumped out of his skin at the fact that Vivi had silently appeared there, like a ghost. The smaller boy looked up at him and laughed eerily. It made the hair at the back of Roxas' neck stand up. "Don't mess with your elders," he heard Seifer say to Vivi.

After Roxas jumped off stage, leaving Seifer and Vivi there alone, the announcer set them up and then grabbed the microphone, speaking to the crowd again. "Whew, just look at those sparks fly! I guess Seifer didn't expect to fight one of his own boys!" Roxas joined his friends at the sidelines to watch the fight, and they stared in amazement as an abnormally swift Vivi chased Seifer down. "When did Vivi get so tough?" Hayner wondered. Roxas just shrugged.

The battle progressed until finally, Seifer managed to block Vivi's attacks and knock him away, a glowing orb of Vivi's falling to the ground. Seifer spotted it and a look of greed appeared in his eyes. "You're mine!" he cried, diving for it, but Vivi came hurtling out of nowhere to defend his orb, knocking Seifer to the ground. He lay there, immobile.

The crowd was startled; anxious whispers were being exchanged among them. Even the announcer was confused. "I-I'm not sure what just happened...um...but...the winner is Vivi! In a positively blistering comeback!" As Roxas approached the stage, Seifer got up, coming closer to him. "That's not Vivi," he stated. Roxas blinked. "Huh?" But Seifer said nothing else except, "Thrash 'im."

Roxas watched as Seifer left the sandlot, flanked by Rai and Fuu. "It looks like Seifer's withdrawn from the Struggle for third place," said the announcer, and Hayner's eyes lit up. "So I'm in third now? Aw, baby!" He punched the air triumphantly. Guess Seifer can't handle it if he's not in first place, an evil voice at the back of Roxas' mind crowed. He stared at the ground, horrified. What is wrong with me? I really...really...haven't been myself lately.

Roxas walked over to the opposite side of the stage to face Vivi, and he was again given a bat. "Keep it clean, fellas," reminded the announcer, and moved off. Roxas eyed Vivi a bit nervously. Seifer had told him that it wasn't Vivi, and that Roxas should defeat him. "And now, the match you've been waiting for: Roxas vs. Vivi!" the announcer cried, and the crowd went wild.

The battle with Vivi went rather smoothly, as far as Roxas was concerned. He had the upper hand, it seemed, but just as he went in for the finishing blow, time froze around him. Vivi was still moving, but as Roxas watched, he turned into one of the same white creatures he had been seeing the last few days. A Dusk, said the voice at the back of his head. Okay, so it could give advice too. But what was a Dusk? He watched as more of them appeared on the scene.

"Again?!" Roxas protested, knowing this could mean nothing good. He held up his sword, and it transformed into the Keyblade. "Again..." Roxas voiced his thought aloud. But there was no time to think. He quickly finished off the Dusks, but he was only human. He was flat-out exhausted. Roxas slumped over to catch his breath, but was then alerted of another presence through the sound of...applause.

"Roxas. All right. Fight fight fight." Roxas turned around to see someone wearing a black cloak identical to the one the man had worn yesterday. He could tell, however, that it was not the same man; his voice was different. The man standing in front of Roxas walked across the Struggle stage so that he was facing him. "You really don't remember? It's me. You know..." The man reached up and pushed back his hood, revealing a mass of spiky dark red hair and green eyes. "Axel."

If the Dusks had been familiar, and Naminé had been familiar, then Axel definitely was familiar. A bell was ringing in the back of his head but he didn't know why. Should I know him? Roxas wondered. And if I should...who is he? "Axel?" Roxas asked, listening to the way it sounded in his voice. I feel like I've said this name hundreds, thousands of times. But...but...when? And why?

"Talk about blank with a capital 'B'," sighed Axel. "Man oh man, even the Dusks aren't gonna crack this one." Roxas raised an eyebrow. What's he talking about? What are the Dusks doing here? And how does he know that they're here? Is he with them? Roxas wondered. He was alarmed as Axel held out his hands, two blazing pinwheels of flame appearing in them: chakrams.

"Wait a sec, tell me what's going on!" Roxas demanded, his harsh tone sounding strange but yet appropriate to his ears. Axel looked around at the frozen crowd. "This town is his creation, right? Which means we don't have time for a Q and A. You're coming with me, conscious or not. Then you'll hear the story," he said. This was not the answer Roxas wanted to hear.

Axel bent down in an aggressive position, as though meaning to attack Roxas, but before Roxas could do anything he became aware of something bizarre near him. "Uh-oh," said Axel, looking disturbed. Roxas stared at the Keyblade in his hand, realizing what it meant. Maybe I can scare him with this. Maybe I can hurt him with this. I just want an answer! Roxas sighed heavily. "What's going ON!" At the word "on" he pulled back his arm and flung the Keyblade onto the ground with all the force he could muster.

Roxas had meant this as a message to Axel that he was frustrated, confused, and just wanted a straight answer, but it didn't seem to get across because the Keyblade appeared back in Roxas' hand the next instant. He looked to Axel to see if he could get an answer for that, too. "Number 13. Roxas. The Keyblade's chosen one," Axel clarified, but that still didn't answer anything.

Roxas noticed that Axel had bent down again in a fighting stance. He looked back at the Keyblade, realizing that if it wouldn't go down and stay down, he would have to use it. "Okay, fine! You asked for it!" Roxas challenged, and faced Axel head-on. The two clashed several times until, from out of nowhere, a mysterious man covered in crimson bandages appeared at the sidelines.

"So it was you," said Axel, as though he'd known this all along. He flung his blazing chakrams at the man, but they had no effect. "Roxas, this man speaks nonsense!" the man thundered at Roxas. Once more, he wouldn't ask how he knew his name. "Roxas, don't let him decieve you!" Axel shouted back. Apparently, it was all up to Roxas now. They were shouting his name, but Roxas could care less. He couldn't pledge loyalty to one side or the other. He didn't know either of the men, and while Axel seemed a little friendlier, he was still not to be trusted.

Roxas clamped his hands over his ears. No more... The names of his friends came unbidden to his lips. "Hayner...Pence...Olette..." He raised his head to the sky, shouting as loudly as he could in hopes that his feelings would drown out the madness. "Hayner! Pence! Olette!"

By some random miracle, that did the trick. Time began to flow normally again, and the Struggle tournament returned. Roxas looked around, confused. The crowd was cheering him in his defeat of Vivi...he had defeated Vivi? He looked across the stage to where Vivi stood, just as confused as he was. "What? What just happened?" asked the bewildered announcer. "Huh...? How did I get here?" Vivi looked around, disoriented. He hopped off the stage.

Roxas looked up as his friends appeared in front of him. "Roxas!" Olette called, smiling at him. "Ladies and gentlemen, Roxas—our new top Struggler!" said the announcer, and the crowd burst into fresh cheers. Hayner noticed Roxas's troubled expression, and peered at him with concern. "Roxas?" All of them were brought back to reality as the horde of fangirls screamed Setzer's name again, and the crowd was once more attracted to his apparently ethereal glow. Glory hound, growled the evil voice at the back of Roxas' head. He told it to shut up.

Suddenly, Roxas realized that Setzer was there to fight him. "Roxas, it's starting!" said Olette in hushed excitement. "You two, play fair now," said the announcer. "You're at the top of the bracket." Roxas looked nervously at Setzer, who never once lost his calm. "There's only room for one up here," he said. "Well, may the best man win!" said the announcer, and walked off. Roxas stole another glance at Setzer, who was staring at him as though he was a rather unpleasant bug. "Hey, Rucksack. How about you throw the match for me?" he asked.

"Roxas! Focus!" called Hayner, and Roxas nodded. He wasn't about to lose to some pretty boy, as the voice in his head called him. Shut up, he told it again. Make me, said the voice. Or at least, that was what it seemed to say.

"Let me win, and I'll make it worth your while," Setzer said. He wasn't giving up. "Get real!" Roxas shot back. Kill him dead, growled the voice. Roxas ignored it. "Roxas, our underdog hero, versus Setzer, our defending champion!" said the announcer. "The winner of this match will be the true champion! That's bragging rights for a whole year, folks!"

"Whatever you think is right, you're wrong," Setzer said, his voice dangerously low. "And that is a big mistake." Roxas only glared in response and went on to defeat him.

The crowd was now chanting Roxas' name. Even Setzer acknowledged his victory, and Roxas' friends crowded around him. "Roxas!" Hayner exclaimed. "You did it!" cried Olette. Roxas noticed Setzer leave, but was too happy to care. "That was awesome, Roxas!" Pence praised. Roxas waved to the crowd, their cheers ringing in his ears and filling him with a wonderful kind of pride, as he was presented with the championship belt. He held it up above his head to a deafening roar.

Later that afternoon, Roxas found himself sitting on the ledge of the clock tower with the others, the crystal trophy in hand. Slowly, he pulled off the yellow, green, and red crystals and tossed them to his friends, keeping the blue one for himself. He held it in his hand fondly, and then held it up to the setting sun, enthralled by the way it bent the light.

"As promised," Roxas said to them. Pence held up his crystal as well. "Thanks a ton, Roxas!" he said happily. "One more treasure for us to share," Hayner added. He held his out, and Olette copied him. Then she reached behind her, pulling something secret out. "I've got a present, too...for all of us." She wordlessly held out four ice cream bars. "Whoa!" said Hayner, surprised but pleased. Roxas stood up on the ledge, but as he did so, his foot slipped and he began to sway. He swung precariously from the ledge for a moment or so, and then turned and fell, the world slowing; seconds became hours...

Roxas was suddenly aware of another consciousness, a girl's, overlapping with his. He was still falling but wasn't aware of that fact. He presumed it to be Naminé and so called out to her. "Naminé? What's happening to me?" "Who are you? And that's not my name. I'm Kairi," replied the other conciousness. Kairi...it rings a bell. And then Roxas remembered. "Kairi...I know you. You're that girl he likes," he said. "Who? Please, a name!" Kairi pleaded.

"I'm Roxas," said Roxas, not knowing what else to say. "Okay, Roxas, but can you tell me HIS name?" Kairi asked. And then Roxas both felt and heard a voice answer her, though not his own. It was similar to the voice he heard so often in his dreams, but it was different. Older. Deeper. "You don't remember my name? Thanks a lot, Kairi! Okay, I guess I can give you a hint. Starts with an 'S'!"

It was all Roxas remembered before he fell into the void of darkness again. It seemed to know him well now.