Chapter 7

Axel sat on the edge of a tall building, watching the lazy city below. It felt as though he'd been waiting for a very long time.

'For what? What am I waiting for?' he wondered silently.

"Hey! Sorry I'm late! That Heartless in Halloweentown was ridiculously hard to find… But, I brought ice cream!" the blonde boy smiled as he perched next to Axel.

'Is this Roxas? No… it can't be… That'd be too weird.'

"If it wasn't for the ice cream, I'd never forgive you." Axel found himself teasing, shifting to sit closer to the blonde.

"Aw, did I keep you waiting that long?" the boys blue eyes twinkled mischievously.

"Roxy, you have no idea."

"I don't know about you guys, but I am so sick of the same dream every night…" Demyx sighed as he took his seat in front of Axel and Roxas on the bus.

"Same here." Larxene growled. "I mean, seriously! How many of those black creatures am I gonna have to fight?"

"You dream about those, too?" Demyx gasped. "How do you fight 'em off?"

"I normally zap 'em with lightening, and if that doesn't work, I stab them with some daggers."

"Sweet! I always have this giant sitar, and I can use it to control water and stuff… One time, I conjured up these awesome water clones and they did all the fighting for me!"

"I usually trap them with vines before finishing them off with one fell swoop of my elegant scythe." Marluxia interjected with an arrogant sniff.

"My dreams feature the same creatures…" Zexion mused. "I typically am able to confuse them with some kind of illusion before eliminating them with a rather large book."

As everyone on the bus became involved with the discussion, including Xigbar, Axel noticed that Roxas was silent.

"What about you, Rox?" he nudged his friend. "How do you defeat the dark creatures?"

"I don't dream about creatures…" Roxas trailed off, lost in thought.

"I don't either!" Axel blinked. "What do you normally dream about?"

"Well, I've only dreamed twice… But both times, I've been wandering through a tunnel of darkness, with no way out. It felt like I was searching for something."

"Probably a way out. Yikes! Talk about creepy." Demyx shuddered. "What do you dream about, Axel?"

"Not the creepy black things, that's for sure." Axel smirked before frowning. "Every night without fail, I dream that I'm on top of this building thing, looking out on a city at sunset, waiting for someone. But last night, that changed."

"Oh? What changed?" Demyx asked. "My dreams never change too drastically…"

"Well… the person I was waiting for showed up."

"Then what happened?" Roxas cocked his head to the side.

"Then… I woke up." Axel sighed. "It was kinda anti-climactic, ya know?"

"Were you expecting fireworks or something?" Naminé giggled from the seat behind them. "These things take time…"

"Whoa! When did you get here?" Demyx exclaimed.

"I came in with Roxas and Axel." She smiled. "I'm starting school with you all today!"

"Awesome! Another girl!" Larxene cheered. "Now I don't have to do so many chick roles!"

"Maybe I can get out of being Juliet…" Roxas murmured.

"No way, man. Not if Ms. Ser is doing our version of the play." Axel shook his head. "Besides, I don't wanna be her Romeo! I wanna be your Romeo!"

Roxas blushed, falling silent for the rest of the ride.