You Deserve to be Alone

by Study in Elegant Death

Not everyone likes the company of others. Sora learns this after his Summer vacation ends and the school year begins. Wanting to be friendly to a new student, he does his best to befriend him. Despite his cold attitude and treatment toward Sora, he's still determined that they could be friends. Everyone else aren't so sure about that fact.

4. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Supernatural

He'd caused quite the stir, the previous day.

Roxas couldn't help but to wonder if there was anything at this point to 'regret'. The mantra of 'new school, new me' obviously wasn't working out. Not that he really was going to reinvent himself, or remotely try. His 'plan' so to speak had been just to try and blend into the background. To be that one kid in class people 'knew' but couldn't really recall. In his new high school he was to be nothing more than a nobody, someone who absconded from social obligation, and dared to be alone. Of all the contingencies he had in place, he never once thought of a 'Sora' type doing his damned hardest to try and ruin everything. Nor the behemoth of a friend who was always with him and yammering about 'Sora this, Sora that'. Was this how people played off typical friendships? You 'offend' one and the rest of the group has to all take turns trying to psych you out?

No, that wasn't exactly true, as Riku was the only one to really 'lash out'. Roxas had provoked him, but he had gotten the sense that he wasn't exactly 'welcome' in his presence. Not being in the mood to deal with petty antics, of course he stated his intentions outright- who the hell did that behemoth think he was? They didn't even know each other, and having heard some offhand comments from Sora, he made a judgment that wasn't exactly 'fair'. Not to be taken the wrong way, Roxas wasn't offended by that, he just couldn't stand people like Riku. They jumped into fights that weren't their own, tried to get in the middle of everything, as if that would solve anything.

Maybe this was another 'sacrifice' on Sora's part to ensure that they ended up friends- enduring through all of the harshness Roxas put him through just for that faint hope. At the very least, he couldn't give him any demerits for his resolve and perseverance. Charging toward a goal, no matter the odds- who could ever belittle a person for that? Not that he'd ever admit it out loud, Roxas saw another parallel between him and Sora; stubbornness. Scoffing a little bit, he had to wonder who'd win their little struggle. Little by little, Sora was worming his way into Roxas' world. So maybe he would end up losing their fight.

Even so, at the end of it all, Sora didn't like the way he was treated by Roxas.

And that was owing to the fact that Sora didn't really even know the first thing about him. Roxas liked it that way. 'Sharing' the tidbit about him fighting several classmates from a previous school and hopping towns had been a last ditch effort to try and sway Sora from thinking he was a 'good person' and someone he generally wanted to be around. There was no shame in finding out people weren't all they were cracked up to be. That they could turn on you at the flip of a dime and completely disregard years of comradery. But Sora didn't seem like one of those disagreeable people- he persevered no matter the odds, and regardless of the treatment he received, he kept at it. Just what was Roxas to the brunette? What made him so dead set on the fact that they be friends?

They had little to no similarities, save for the fact that they were both athletic. His cynicism toward the matter didn't seem to do anything to deter Sora in the slightest. Some people just honestly didn't know when to 'give up'. Maybe Roxas had been sending him mixed signals, what with aiding him in his homework and showing him what could be construed as 'kindness'. And despite what Roxas had heard about Sora through the majority of his classes and peers- he wasn't an idiot like played off to be. Clearly nobody had even bothered to try and simplify things for him to the point that he could understand and correctly learn. Sora seemed to be highly underestimated due to the fact that he was 'simple' and likewise needed those kinds of explanations to be able to move forward.

There was no shame in being a little 'slower' than the others. But there was shame to be found in those who belittled him for that. Maybe it humored other students, and Sora was moderately okay with it, but he honestly found that behavior disgusting. Why was it so hard for some people to actually be nice to another human being?

Of course, he could take a little of his own advice.

Walking to the 'spare room' of his apartment that he'd turned into a training room/gym, he wanted to practice for a bit. At the very least to see if his skills were slipping or not. Roxas would have to look into martial arts and see if any were offered in Twilight Town. Starting from scratch wasn't the most welcomed of ideas, but he could at the very least try something new. Maybe work a bit more on karate...that was a possibility.

Flicking on the lights, Roxas immediately made his way over to the equipment he'd need for the short session. Taking in a deep breath, Roxas made sure he wrapped his hands properly, as he didn't like the idea of splitting the skin once again.

Once they were secured, he started to hit the punching bag in front of him. Apparently he had pent up rage. Each of his hits sent the bag flying out of its anchored position. Roxas started off his training by using the standardized flying front kick all Taekwondo users were familiar with. The punching bag flew back, and he used the opportunity to work on his Two-Hit Crescent Kick. Once satisfied by his technique, he moved on to low/mid kicks following up into the flamingo stance. Although it was ideal for Taekwondo practitioners to use, if someone were to knock out your balancing leg, then it was lights out. One of the cons of using the punching bag was that he couldn't work on his grappling. Maybe this was one of those moments Sora was right that Roxas 'needed another person'. Shaking his head, Roxas needed to cast away such useless thoughts.

Only with a clear head, could someone effectively use their arts. There was no time to fiddle around with ideations.

Scowling at the punching bag, as if it had been the source of his lack of concentration, Roxas let out a little more effort into hitting it than perhaps he should have. Switching into his Ba Ji Quan teachings, he decided to work on punches. Although the stigma for Taekwondo was that you were kicks galore, there were punches to be used. Obviously not the ones he was about to use, as they were from an entirely different martial art. But they had saved him once or twice when he'd been competing. Hell, it was easy to say that he'd been using a Taekwondo technique when it was Ba Ji Quan. Who'd know the difference? Even his own master agreed that he'd been using Taekwondo. Maybe he knew the entire time and just decided to help Roxas fib once or twice. Inhaling and exhaling in between each of his Joho-Heichu punches, he held in a breath at the end of the set. Taking a low, almost crouching stance while straightening out his left arm, the right bending at not quite a 90 degree angle, he exhaled and let out a small 'battle cry'.

Although he hated distractions, Roxas couldn't help but to crack a smile and laugh for a good little bit. His former Ba Ji Quan master, when showing her students how to perform that action would always make a 'Haaaah!' noise while doing so. If she saw him right now, she'd probably give him a good scolding and demand to see just how well he was doing at blocking/grappling his opponent. 'Punishment' for making a mockery of your superior. Satisfied with his usage of Ba Ji Quan/Taekwondo, he decided to wrap things up. Hitting the bag once or twice more with a roundhouse, he gave up on training for the morning. Taking off the wraps on his hands, he discarded them and made his way to the front door. Grabbing his shoes, he sat on the stairs and untied the laces.

Putting each one on, he tightened the laces as far as he could and made sure they were to his liking. Satisfied, he walked to the front door and promptly stepped out into the hallway. Shutting and ensuring the door was locked behind him, Roxas made his way outside and began to jog. With no place in mind, he took off in whatever direction he thought was best. It wasn't as if he had anything better to do, and he needed to make sure his stamina was still at a good place. There were a few hours before school started, anyway. Taking in the scenery, he absentmindedly ran into a wooded area. Resolving to find out what was at the end (if there was one) he was eventually rewarded with what seemed to be a mansion.

At first glance, the place didn't seem to be all that special. Cracked windows, overgrown plants all around it, a rusted gate 'protecting' the entrance with what seemed to be a barely secured lock. Maybe for its time the place had been very luxurious, but it seemed time wasn't kind to the estate. Nor were the owners, apparently.

"They say it's haunted."

Startled, Roxas looked over at the speaker. Namine smiled kindly at the blonde boy, as if it were perfectly natural she met up with him in the woods, seemingly appearing out of nowhere.

"I didn't mean to scare you." Namine added.

"I just wasn't sure who was speaking." Roxas shrugged it off, playing the situation down. "And I don't really believe in ghosts or anything along those lines." He'd never been one to delve into the supernatural, but lots of people at his school loved their pass times of ouija boards and childish nonsense. To Roxas, they seemed like nothing more than childish stories to 'explain' things people didn't understand.

"Of course." Namine smiled, nodded and let out a small laugh. "You don't?" Namine folded her arms behind her back, "I like to believe that there are mysteries out there, that not even we can understand. Isn't there some part of you that has a curiosity to see the inside, and find out for yourself?" To be perfectly honest, she herself wanted to venture inside. Maybe today would be the day that she did so.

"No, I don't." Roxas shook his head, "Wouldn't the owners be annoyed that we were breaking and entering on their property?"

"I don't think we'd have to worry about that- this place has been abandoned for a very long time." Namine walked closer to the fence, smiling over at Roxas as she opened the rusted iron gates.

"I really don't think you should be doing that." Roxas honestly didn't think this was the way he'd be spending his morning. Sora really had odd taste in friends.

"I'm not scared, you're with me. You will come with me...won't you?" Namine asked, head cocked to the side as she did a semi-pleading look.

Roxas didn't know why she felt a compulsion to go in. To be honest, he vaguely felt one, but now honestly didn't feel like the time. They didn't know what the inside looked like, nobody knew where they were, and if they got into trouble, then there would be no one to bail them out. He didn't even have any family in town, and he knew very little about Namine in general to know if she had anyone. Sighing at her insistence to go in, he decided on a compromise. "How about...later on today? You can round up anyone else you want to join in your little adventure...and I'll come along, if you want." Offering to go seemed like the logical thing. He couldn't let her go alone right now, and giving her the option of doing so later with others seemed like a better idea.

"Alright." Namine nodded, "I'll get the others to go. I'll also figure out a good time for us all to meet...is there any restrictions on your end that I need to know about?"

Roxas thought about it, "No. I don't have anything to do after school." Well, maybe train a bit more, but that was honestly about all that he could think of for himself to do. And then it hit him- Sora. "Actually, I don't think I'll be able to do it today, after all. I have plans with Sora, and I don't think he's the type to want to investigate haunted houses." Well, maybe to get out of being tutored/learning math, maybe he was. Sora just seemed like the person to freak out in that kind of setting.

"Sora? I think he'd actually like to come along as well. Especially if he knew you were going. He'd be in for sure if he heard that." Namine honestly couldn't see Sora turning her idea down if Roxas came along.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Roxas found it a little strange that Sora would agree to something solely because he knew Roxas was going.

"Oh, nothing." Namine shook her head, "Don't worry about it- just leave the rest to me and be ready to go." Shutting the gates, she smiled at Roxas. He seemed a little hesitant when speaking to her, maybe he found her strange. But there was meaning behind her actions, not that she was about to give it up to Roxas.

"Alright..." Roxas let out a sigh, "I'll be ready." Glancing around the forest, he saw no companion with her. "Are you okay to be alone? Do you need me to escort you anywhere?"

"No." Namine shook her head, "I think I'll be alright. You can go on ahead and finish your run."

"Okay..." Roxas took her word for things. And, honestly, he just wanted the moment to be over with. Retracing his steps until he ended up back home, he climbed into the shower and wondered why things had been so weird around him lately. The answer always came up the same; Sora. Not that it really mattered, as he'd probably never get away from Sora and his group of friends. The more he struggled, the more he was dragged in to strange situations. Like his former companion- where had Namine come out from? It was a hell of a coincidence that the pair of them ran into each other, let alone in the woods. A mystery he'd probably never get the answer to.

Making his way inside, Roxas quickly kicked off his shoes and made short work of the trek to his bathroom. Peeling off his sweaty clothes, he tossed them into the hamper he kept in the bathroom. Turning on the shower, he quickly climbed in and set about cleaning himself off. Taking in deep breaths, he worked on slowing down his erratic heartbeats. He couldn't really blame himself, he'd already had quite the eventful morning. What was he supposed to do in the 'haunted house'? Did he have to bring along special items of some sort, or were they all just winging it? He supposed that a flashlight must be a given, considering the outward state of the building, it wasn't too farfetched to assume the inside would be dark, dank, and uninviting. What did Namine even hope to accomplish by getting her friends together to go with her?

Shutting off the water, he climbed out and promptly began to dry himself off. Staring at himself in the mirror for a moment, he compulsively fixed his hair. It'd still end up messy, but this way it wouldn't seem quite as unkempt. Walking out of the bathroom, he walked into his room and went through his clothes, finding an outfit he deemed acceptable. Baggy jeans, a long sleeve shirt, and a hoodie. Thankfully, he never seemed to run low on the dark pull over sweaters he enjoyed.

Making his way downstairs, Roxas quickly prepared himself a breakfast, sitting and eating alone. Periodically, he'd glance at the time. Even though there was still so much time left, he resolved to go school to early. Placing his dishes in the sink, he grabbed his bag and walked out the front door. Sighing to himself, he briskly walked to school and once more let himself in the empty classroom. Sitting as his desk, he placed his notebook, a pencil and an eraser in front of himself. Looking through his backpack, he frowned when he remembered that he'd forgotten to put an alternative light source in it. He had his cellphone, but it could still die in the middle of their trek through the house, so he wanted something a little more reliable.

Cursing his own stupidity, he'd just have to do without.

"Hey Roxas!" Sora smiled happily as he came into the room.

Obviously his friends hadn't gotten around to the 'haunted house' subject quite yet. "Sora what are your feelings on ghosts?" Perhaps out of morbid curiosity, he wanted to see if his assumptions on Sora being completely freaked out were correct.

"Ghosts?" Sora froze for a second, "Why...are you asking about ghosts? Did you see something?" He cautiously asked, looking around the room.

"No." Roxas shook his head, "Just curious." He tried to downplay the situation, considering Sora seemed to be getting antsy. Of course he didn't like 'ghosts'- the concept of dead people roaming the earth for unknown reasons and in some cases haunting the living. Roxas himself didn't believe in such faulty concepts, but Sora obviously felt differently.

"Oh..." Sora let out a nervous laugh, sitting beside Roxas. "I uh...I prefer to stay away from them."

"So you believe in ghosts?" Roxas decided to quiz him as much as he could before the others showed up an generally ruined the moment.

"I do." Sora nodded, "You don't?"

"No." Roxas shrugged his shoulders, "I don't really buy into it when people say they 'saw something' or 'heard _'. There's logical explanations to all of it. Just because you feel a chill on the nape of your neck doesn't mean that there's some dead person nearby. People tend to exaggerate when fear comes into the mix. It's one thing if multiple see one thing, but if it's just one person...then they honestly could be seeing what they want to see." Lots of 'believers' came up with shotty 'proof', at best. Blurred images and specks didn't really do it for Roxas. Nor did incoherent recordings of 'spirits speaking'.

"You think so?" Sora wasn't so sure, even if Roxas seemed certain ghosts weren't real. He believed that there had to be 'more' out there, despite what some people may think, maybe there was more than just humans sharing the world.

"I do." Roxas looked over, and Sora seemed content with his answer. Maybe he felt less afraid knowing someone else said that they weren't an actual thing.

"If you don't believe in them, then why are you asking?" Sora genuinely wanted to know. It was a strange topic to bring up, especially if you felt indifferent toward the subject.

Roxas let out a small sigh, and turned to completely face Sora. "Apparently there's some haunted house in town- your friend wanted to go in, but I suggested it be done at a different time...and she wants you to go with her. Well, not just you but the rest of your group. And I'll be going along." He had promised Namine that he'd go, so it was a little late to try and back out now.

"They...want to go exploring...a haunted house?" Sora tensed up a bit. "You're going along?" He asked, looking a bit hopeful at that fact. So long as there was a large group, then there'd be nothing to fear...right? Even if Roxas was wrong about ghosts, then there had to be strength in numbers.

"Well not so much 'they' as I ran into Namine this morning. She had a really keen interest in going inside, but I told her that it'd be better to do so later on. Maybe even after dark, if she wanted to try and see a 'ghost'. Yes, I'm going." Roxas wanted to see if Namine's theory about him going made Sora more inclined to do so.

"I'll go, too. Somehow...it seems a lot less scary if you're going." Sora sheepishly admitted. It honestly didn't seem as terrifying were Roxas to be going. He just felt safe knowing that he was coming along.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Roxas decidedly felt a bit embarrassed hearing Sora's confession that he felt safe around him.

"I don't know." Sora admitted, "I just feel better knowing that you're coming along." Smiling at Roxas, he didn't know how else to put it. There was just something oddly comforting knowing Roxas would be tagging along.

Roxas didn't know how to respond to that comment, so he turned away from Sora and faced the front of the class. Did he always have to utter carefree, embarrassing phrases? Thinking it over, he wanted to know why someone thought they could be safe with him. Let alone someone he treated with indifference. Maybe it was because he'd told him about the fact that he beat up a bunch of his old 'friends'. Not that such a statement should ensure confidence in someone he never called 'friend'. Logically speaking, if you were to hear such a thing about someone who supposedly had a likening to the people he'd done such things to, then how could you feel 'safe' around them?

To be so trusting of someone you barely even knew...he could only equate it to madness.

Sora wanted to say something to Roxas, but he had no idea how to remotely start. Judging from the way Roxas turned away, there'd be no point in trying. Sitting idly in the silence, he tried to keep himself busy. "Riku! Kairi! Namine!" Welcoming each of his friends as they entered the room, he was glad to have the distraction.

Riku promptly sat beside Sora, but he didn't seem too happy about it. He also didn't bother to respond to his greeting.

"Good morning, Sora!" Namine could see the tension between him and Riku, and she just wanted to do her best to gloss over it, for Sora. Maybe now would be the best time to invite them.

"Morning Sora!" Kairi smiled, though she could immediately sense the tension. Clearly their spat from the previous day was still going on. Riku really didn't like Roxas, apparently. How long was he going to shun Sora for? She honestly hoped that it would fly by, she hated to see Sora and Riku in a situation like this. Actually, she couldn't recall a time that she had seen them like this.

"Good morning!" Sora did his best to cheerfully return their greetings. Glancing over at Riku, he was met by a scowl. His smile faded a bit, but he decided to try and not dwell on things.

"So, I had an idea..." Namine did her best to strike up conversation with everyone. "...we all know about that house, right? The abandoned mansion in the woods? Well, I thought it would be a fun idea to explore it! What do you say?" Expectantly looking at each of her friends, she waited for a reply.

"What brought this on?" Kairi asked, a little surprised that Namine suggested they visit a haunted mansion. Everyone knew the lore that went along with that place, that supposedly a girl haunted the inside, and would sometimes be seen staring out the window. But no one dared to venture in, nor did they ever get too close. Some tried to see the girl, some claimed that they did, but nobody really knew for sure.

"I met Roxas this morning, in front of the mansion. Somehow...it just felt 'right' to be there." Namine admitted. She just had one of those 'feelings'. "Roxas and I are going, right, Roxas?"

"I did make a promise." Roxas nodded in agreement, he wouldn't go back on his word.

"Sora? Kairi? Riku?" Namine asked each one individually.

Initially, Riku didn't respond to her question. Sora wouldn't go, he knew that much. And if Sora wasn't going, then he honestly didn't have to bother. 'Haunted houses' weren't really on his list of things to do for the day.

"I'm going!" Sora didn't hesitate for a moment. Roxas was going, and even if Riku wouldn't- he'd still go.

Shocked by the fact that Sora readily volunteered for such a thing, he knew it had to be because of Roxas. Sora just seemed 'in' if his new blonde friend was. "I'll go."

"Me too!" Kairi would just have to do her best to intervene should things get heated. From what she heard and observed, Riku and Roxas didn't really get along, at all- and Sora was caught in the middle of things. She didn't know if Roxas got along with Sora individually, or if he was just less 'welcoming' in front of the group, but she aimed to find out for sure. She'd hate to see mistreatment of Sora.

"Then it's decided!" Namine smiled contentedly, "We'll all meet up there after school, alright?"

Everyone agreed to the terms, and sat down at their desks when the bell rang.

Sora thought about what would happen in the haunted mansion. Would they see something, or nothing at all? There was so many possibilities of what could and couldn't happen, he found himself distracted for the majority of the class thinking all of them through. Zexion wasn't going to like it, and Roxas would decidedly hate it just as much- considering he was his tutor, and all. Glancing over at the blonde, he hoped he wouldn't get scolded too badly for his lack of concentration. When Roxas' gaze met his own, he couldn't help but to guiltily look away. Especially when he felt Riku's glare on him.

Sitting idly by, he waited out the rest of class, and was the first one out the door. He didn't stop to wait for Roxas, because he knew Riku would get all the more angry at him and he couldn't deal with that stare anymore. It unfamiliar territory to himself, so he just had to try and tread carefully. Making his way to his locker, he grabbed his gym clothes and made his way to class. He'd have to ask Roxas for his notes, later on, and probably get scolded beyond all relief for ignoring the lesson. He couldn't help it! Someone was mad at him, and that person was sitting directly beside himself...how was he supposed to concentrate in math when every time he did anything, he was glared at?

Sora couldn't stand the idea that he was going to face 'wrath' from both Roxas and Riku.

Sighing to himself, he walked into the change rooms and swiftly changed outfits. Roxas was already in class and waiting for him. He wasn't scowling, or doing any scary sort of facial expressions like Riku had been doing, so maybe that was a good sign? He could only be hopeful. Sora didn't go out of his way to approach Roxas, somehow he felt like Riku would know and disapprove.

"What's gotten into you?" Roxas asked, immediately frowning.

"Nothing!" Sora tried to play the situation off as nothing at all.

"You're a bad liar. Anyone ever tell you that?" Roxas continued to frown and give him the third degree.

"I'm not lying!" Sora insisted on that fact, even though he was doing his best to deceive Roxas. It was for a good reason, so he likely wouldn't be too mad, would he?

"See? There you go, again. What is it? Did you not understand something in math? Do you need with the homework? Because you honestly know that no big deal, right? We can go over it while we're doing that 'haunted house' thing. Or we can figure something else out. I don't know how long we're hanging around that place, and you wanted to still come over, right?" Roxas seemed at the very least, a slight concerned. Or, that's how it appeared to Sora, at least.

Sora sheepishly looked away, "I didn't hear a single word the teacher said." Admitting it out loud, he knew he was in for it.

"That explains why you didn't cringe every time he sent a jab your way." Roxas scoffed a bit. "Is that why you're so worried? Are you scared of me, Sora?" That idea made him slightly amused.

"Well, you do get a little scary when you get mad..." Sora scratched the back of his head.

"Believe me, you've never seen me 'mad', Sora. It takes a lot to piss me off, and if you manage to do it- then you'd better run." Roxas was being absolutely serious. He had little to no patience when it came to others.

"And Riku's mad at me!" Sora whined, pouting as he admitted one of his worries aloud.

Everyone stared at the pair, and Roxas repaid their glances with a steely glare that promptly sent their attention elsewhere. "Not that I really care, but why is he angry at you? Is it because of that little lovers spat you had before?" If that was the reason, then it was absolutely a silly one.

"Yeah, he's still mad about that, I think." Sora honestly didn't know how to make amends with him. Well, he did. But that involved dropping his...whatever it was with Roxas entirely.

"What a brat." Roxas couldn't resist scoffing at the stupidity and childishness. "You sure you wanna make up with him? There has to be better candidates for friends, or whatever he is to you."

"It's never been like this before!" Sora sighed, "He just...he hates that I talk to you, and I don't even really know why! You're not a bad person, and it's all so confusing."

"Maybe he's jealous." Roxas shrugged, "And as I recall, Sora, one of his arguments was that you 'hate the way I treat you'."

"He said that!?" Sora's cheeks flushed red, he couldn't believe Riku said something to Roxas. How embarrassing!

"So, it's true." Roxas said flatly, "You know, you could have just told me? Not that it'd really change things. In case you didn't notice, I'm not really a 'kind' person, Sora." He stated what he thought to be the obvious.

"I don't think that's true." Sora didn't think Roxas was a mean person. Sometimes, he could be 'rude' but that just seemed to be the way he was. "You've done lots of things for me, when you honestly didn't have to. If you weren't a kind person, you wouldn't have helped me at all, right?"

Roxas thought that over for a moment. "If you say so." He semi-evaded giving a proper answer to Sora's question. Lots of people tended to say that. 'If you didn't care, you wouldn't bother, right?'. It was always something along those lines.

Sora didn't prod him any further. At the very least, he felt relief knowing that Roxas was willing to bail him out yet again. It was things like this that probably made him seem hopeless in Roxas' eyes. Maybe that was a bit true. He often made mistakes, but that was just the kind of person he'd always been.

Larxene stepped out, blew her whistle and decided that since it was nice outside, and the weekend, they'd all be going for a run. "The map is on the wall, study it, make sure you're back here by the time class comes to a finish- or you fail this run." The rules were simple, and she expected that they could follow such a simple task. Of course, she'd lead the pack. It was a requirement that P.E. teachers go on the runs, and let students know that it was humanly possible to do so. Despite their griping, if they managed their time wisely, then things would go by smoothly. Leading the class outside, she made all of them stand behind her, and she started the run.

Sora had studied the map, he had a good sense of where they were going, so he just did his best to stay ahead of the rest. Save for Roxas, he was doing a good job. Though it seemed Roxas didn't really have an adept sense of direction in his new town, so he was mostly just following Sora's lead. Getting further and further away from school, all of them ran through the outer parts of town, and eventually into a wooded area.

Roxas felt a slight nostalgia as they went through the thick area. Was this the same place from this morning?

Looking over, he saw the mansion. Some of the girls in the class did the stereotypical scream as they bypassed the place, some of the 'macho' guys gave vague promises of 'protecting them if anything were to happen'. If there was a spirit in that place, and all of the lore behind them held true, then what did they actually hope to accomplish? An incorporeal being would obviously have the advantage over some prideful morons who thought they were being chivalrous and not the biggest idiots in class. Thankfully, he'd never fawned over someone like that.

Crap.

In his distraction, he'd lost sight of Sora. Roxas ran forward, as that was the last direction he'd seen Sora going. Still not catching up, he put a little more effort into his run. Annoyed when he didn't gain on the brunette, he didn't know what else to do, but call his name. "Sora!" Letting out an annoyed huff, he tried yelling his name again. Walking through the forest while he tried to figure out which was he was supposed to go, he didn't know what to do other than wander and hope for the best.

Hearing the cracks of twigs, he wondered if it was an animal or classmate. Waiting for either or to come out, he felt even more annoyance when who or whatever it was didn't show themselves. Even if it was just a squirrel, he'd like to know about it. The cracking was getting closer, so he'd come face to face with whatever it was soon enough. Seeing Sora emerge from basically nowhere, he couldn't help but to snort when he saw twigs in the brunette's hair. He also seemed a tad bit messy. Bits of mud, and maybe a scrape or two. He definitely wasn't in that condition when Roxas had last seen him. "Did you fall?"

"Uh...yeah." Sora nodded his head, "I heard you yell my name- and I turned to look behind me, and...well, you know the rest."

Oh. So it had been Roxas' fault that Sora fell. "You hurt your knee."

"Huh?" Sora seemed a bit confused by Roxas' observation. Looking down at his knee, he saw that it was, in fact, bleeding. "Oh. Would you look at that." Brushing off the cut, he smiled and was ready for them to continue on their run. "It's this way." Sora began to lead Roxas off, but found himself stopped when the blonde tugged the back of his shirt. His head tilted to the side when Roxas didn't say anything. Why did he stop him?

"You're bleeding. It's not 'nothing'. You need to clean that out, otherwise it'll get infected. And I doubt you can run anymore after that." Sora could belittle wounds all he liked, Roxas knew better.

"I don't know how far we are from the school...and the more we wait, the worse it'll get, right?" Sora asked. "Let's get going."

Roxas didn't let him move an inch. "Hop on." He instructed Sora, walking in front of the brunette and kneeling.

"Are you sure...?" Sora thought he may be a little too heavy, and he didn't want to trouble Roxas. He also didn't like the idea of dripping blood on Roxas' clothing.

"My house is near here. We'll get you patched up there. If there's any blame to be had- I'll take it." Roxas noticed his hesitance, but there wasn't much else they could do. The school was a farther distance than his house, and Sora's leg needed attention. Even if they got scolded or didn't make it back in time, he'd still do as he said; take the blame.

"Sorry." Sora apologized, taking Roxas up on his offer. It felt odd, and at the same time, fun to be given a piggyback ride.

"You have nothing to apologize for." Roxas scoffed, it had been his fault. He made short work of the forest and eventually they were at his apartment complex. Gently helping Sora off himself, he opened the door to his apartment. "Don't bother." Sora was about to kick off his muddy shoes, but Roxas didn't care about that right now. He'd take care of it later.

"But they're dirty." Sora semi-argued.

"It's a floor. It can get cleaned up." Roxas still saw some hesitance, so he grabbed Sora's hand and led him to the living room. "Sit still." He instructed, disappearing for a moment while he grabbed the first aid kit.

Sora stared around Roxas' apartment, it wasn't at all like he'd pictured things. There weren't any pictures, or anything that wasn't a 'necessity' it seemed. Things were actually pretty...gloomy. Did he live alone? At first glance, it seemed like.

"You look a little down."

Startled, Sora couldn't help but to jump when Roxas spoke. Wincing from his hurt knee, "Ouch."

Roxas shook his head, "Okay, what were you doing?" Sora's reaction to him said 'guilty'.

"Nothing!" Sora raised his hands into the air and shook his head, this time trying to prove that he was perfectly innocent.

"Liar." Roxas scoffed, kneeling down in front of Sora. Taking out some bandages, disinfectant and gauze just in case Sora continued to bleed, he moved the first aid kit out of his way.

"I'm not lying! I swear!" Sora maintained his innocence.

"You really need to work on your lies." Roxas didn't know why he was teasing him. Maybe it was because Sora was making it so easy. Or it could have been because he reacted so much to all of it.

"I'm really not!" Sora whined, he didn't know how to get Roxas to believe him.

"Whatever you say." Roxas dabbed a bit of the disinfectant on Sora, who squirmed immediately when it touched the wound. Holding his leg perfectly still, Roxas bandaged it up. "How's that?"

"A lot better." Sora admitted, glad that Roxas knew a thing or two about patching a person up. "How are we doing for time?"

Roxas glanced at the clock, "We could make it. Do you think you can be quick?"

Sora stood up and tested his leg, "I think I can manage!"

"Don't think; do." Roxas wondered if they were going to end up failing the run or not. Sora didn't seem to think so.

"Let's go!" Sora was determined they make it back. He didn't want to be the reason that Roxas failed their run

"Right." Roxas nodded, following Sora. Periodically, he'd glance over just to make sure the brunette was okay. Even if he didn't outright say that he was hurting, every once in a while he heard him grunt. Pushing yourself when you were injured didn't help anything. He almost offered to carry Sora again, but the determination on his face quickly waved that concern away.

Barely making it to the gym in time, both boys were sweating profusely.

"I see you finally made it." Larxene scoffed, "You both pass- barely. Go get changed. A shower probably wouldn't hurt, either." Waving them off, she walked into her office and left them to their own machinations.

Roxas ordinarily wouldn't have bothered going to the change room, but this time he had to agree that he needed a shower.

"You're going into the change room?" Sora was a bit surprised by that fact.

"I have no choice." Roxas sighed, "You know, you're a lot heavier than you lead on to be." Trying to make 'light' of the situation- or maybe he just liked teasing Sora. At this point, it didn't really matter to him.

"You didn't have to carry me!" Sora called after him.

"You also didn't have to wipe out in the woods." Roxas stated the obvious. Walking into the showers, he was surprised they weren't the stereotypical strange ones that forced all of the boys naked and out in the open with one another. It was a decided improvement. He never cared for people who 'looked' and pretended they didn't at his old school- one of the (many) reasons he never dared use the change room.

"Well...yeah, but you were shouting my name...I was worried." Sora honestly hadn't known why Roxas had been shouting his name, and he decided to get there as quickly as possible. He just hadn't accounted for his own clumsiness.

"You...were gone. I didn't know which way we were supposed to go, and you seem to have a much more keen knowledge on the area." Roxas brushed it off, "I...wasn't worried or anything, alright? Don't get any funny ideas in that head of yours." He just wanted to be sure that he conveyed properly what had happened in that moment.

"I didn't have any 'funny ideas'. I just heard you calling for me, and I came running. Well, I tripped- and then I came running." Sora corrected himself. What kind of 'funny ideas' was Roxas talking about? When you hear a friend calling for you, naturally, you come running. Especially when they shout out your name in the middle of the woods. Truth be told, he hadn't even noticed that Roxas was left behind. His focus was solely on completing their run, and staying in front of everyone else.

"Is it still hurting, your cut?" Roxas was curious. And slightly guilty on the fact that he'd gotten hurt over him. It wasn't as if he was totally helpless in the wooded area, so why did he call Sora? He knew where he was, and it wouldn't exactly matter how he got back to school, so long as he did, right? Larxene wasn't with all of them, so there was no way she'd know anyone 'cheated' to get back.

"It feels a lot better, actually. Thanks to you, I guess." Sora sheepishly admitted, shutting off the shower and drying himself off. Looking down at his knee, he didn't see it being a lasting wound. Maybe a week or so until it was gone. He'd gotten a lot worse scrapes in a multitude of situations. Getting dressed in his normal outfit, Sora stuffed his filthy gym clothes into his bag, he'd have to remember to wash them sometime over the weekend.

Roxas hadn't meant to, but he'd gotten out the same time as Sora. Despite his best efforts, he stared at the other boy. Usually he was above such perversions, and he mentally scolded himself. Averting his eyes while Sora was busy, he got himself dressed. Embarrassed at his own actions, he felt his cheeks get hot.

"Roxas...are you okay?" Sora glanced over at his friend, and saw how red his face was. "Are you sick? Maybe you should go see the nurse."

"I'm fine." Roxas couldn't openly admit what he'd been doing. Especially not to Sora.

"Okay." Sora nodded, "Lunch?" He asked.

"I guess it is lunch time." Roxas was glad for the distraction. "You're not going to back out of the haunted house thing, are you?" He asked while Sora and he walked out of the change room.

Sora's breath hitched for a moment. "I'd forgotten about that..."

"You're afraid of 'ghosts' aren't you, Sora?" Roxas asked, "If you don't like what they're going to do, then why are you going along with it?" It was a simple matter for him to just say he didn't want to go. Why people decided to play martyr just for the sake of everyone else, he didn't know. Or maybe his friends should have known better and never bothered to invite him along.

"I...I don't like the fact that we may run into one...I know you said that they're not real, and I don't mean to doubt you- I just don't know if they are actually real or not." Sora fiddled with his hands while the two of them walked in the hallway, averting his eyes while he spoke. Truth be told, he was terrified of doing what they were going to, but he'd do his best to get through it. "Because it was something that they were all willing to do, and I didn't want to spoil their fun. Plus, I wasn't as afraid as I could be...knowing you were coming along."

Roxas let out a small scoff/laugh, "So it's for me that you're doing this? Maybe there's a lot of that going around." He was going to do the haunted house thing for Namine, Sora was going for Roxas/his friends, and the behemoth who seemed reluctant at first, was definitely going to go for Sora.

"Not just for you...but you were already going, right? Riku and I are fighting- and I don't know if we'd split off into groups or not...and I...I don't like him being mad at me." Sora was doing his best to explain the situation. "If they do decide to split off...then at the very least I wouldn't look like a wimp in front of the girls, right? You won't mind if I start freaking out, right?"

"If it's causing trouble between you and your friend, then why don't you just give him what he wants? Drop me, go back to doing your own thing- I won't mind. I can still tutor you and whatever else that comes along school-wise, don't talk me outside of necessity, and that'll be the end of things. It's an easy fix to your situation, you're just too stubborn to actually do it. Truth be told, I don't even know what you see in me to think that I'd be a good friend to you, Sora." Roxas downplayed himself for added affect. He didn't mind being alone. "No, Sora, I won't care if you get afraid. It takes more 'strength' to admit that you're afraid, let alone asking others for help. I take it you like one of those girls?"

"Because I don't find it fair that he's asking me to stop talking to you. I want us to be friends, and I know that we haven't known each other long- or really even know anything at all about one another, but I want to change that. I think we could be really good friends- even if you don't. I don't know what happened at your other school, or why what happened what did, but some day I hope you'll tell me." Maybe Sora was stubborn, and even though Roxas saw it as an 'easy' choice, Sora couldn't just cut someone out of his life. Riku would come around eventually, wouldn't he? "No!" Sora was quick to shake his head, denying the fact that he had a 'like' beyond friendship to Kairi or Namine.

"Do you really want to know? Because the answer is only going to make you uncomfortable and probably more than likely 'weird' around me. I know it did the same for my 'friends' back home." Some people had really strong opinions about things they factually knew nothing about. Roxas didn't know he'd let his secret 'slip' back home, it was the stupidest thing he ever could have done. He wasn't so sure Sora was telling the truth. Boys tended to love being seen as 'macho' in front of girls for one reason; they liked them.

"It can't be that bad, can it?" Sora asked, getting all the more curious about it. What kind of secret could be taken so harshly by others that resulted in literal fights?

"Just remember that you asked for this, alright?" Roxas didn't want others in the courtyard to overhear it, so he stood a little closer to Sora and whispered in his ear.

"Huh?" Sora blinked, trying to register what he'd just heard. It was something he hadn't really expected, but it didn't make him angry or really indifferent toward Roxas. "How did that make them so angry that they decided to fight you?" It was a very strange thing to pick fights over. Sora couldn't imagine why people deemed it worth such a pointless thing.

Roxas was the one mostly confused, it appeared. Sora didn't care at all, did he? Not in the 'rude sense' but in the 'it's not so much a big deal' way. "Doesn't it make you feel strange? Don't you not want to be around me, anymore?"

"Not really, no." Sora shook his head, "It honestly just fills me with more questions."

Roxas couldn't resist laughing. His laughter lasted for at least a few minutes, until his sides hurt. "Only you could have this kind of response."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sora was clueless on whether or not that was a good thing.

"It means that you exceed my expectations, more often than not." Roxas shrugged it off, "Ask whatever you want. I've nothing to hide." Well, there would be a few things along the way that he'd probably not answer. But they'd only come across them as the circumstance came around. "Come on." Finding them a secluded table not within earshot of others, he was ready for the barrage of questions.

"How did you know? That you were...you know...?" Sora trailed off, not finishing the sentence.

"Because I never was like other boys, I guess." Roxas didn't know how else to put it, but he knew that Sora would demand a better answer of him. "Most were concerned about 'girlfriends' and what they thought about them, but I never really cared at all." That was just one of the many contributing factors. "I guess what really pointed me in the 'right' direction was the fact that I had an apparent attraction to boys."

"Did you ever have a...boyfriend?" Sora was just doing his best to not offend Roxas, but this was such an interesting topic to him. He'd never met someone like Roxas, and he wanted to find out everything he possibly could.

"No." Roxas shrugged his shoulders, "You ever have a girlfriend?"

"No." Sora shook his head, he'd never ever gotten close.

He knew this was supposed to be a 'question and answering' period for himself, but he felt inclined to ask Sora. "First kiss?"

"No..." Sora's cheeks flushed at his admission. "What about you?"

"There was a girl who liked me in sixth grade...caught me off guard." Roxas thought about it, he honestly couldn't recall her name. "Apparently she and a bunch of her friends had some superficial crush on me because they thought I was 'cute'. I don't really care for people who make distinctions based upon appearance. They didn't know the first thing about me, and I'd rather not just end up some notch on a persons belt because they 'saw' a version of me that didn't exist. It's also probably one of the things that helped me to figure out I wasn't 'normal'. I felt nothing when she was doing it, and I didn't care to do it again." He had absolutely nothing to compare it to, but he did know that it hadn't come from the right person.

"But you are normal! You're you. What's more normal than being who you are?" Sora listened to everything Roxas had to say, but what he focused on was the portion where he said he wasn't like other people just because of his preference.

"Because people tend to not like the real me, Sora. I made the mistake of letting people get to know me, once. And I'm not really interested in doing it again."

"But you're doing that right now, aren't you? You're letting me know about you, right?"

"You said you wanted to know, to better understand why I did what I did. So I'm telling you." Roxas didn't know what else to say.

"Of course I want to know about you. We're friends. Even if you don't consider me one, I consider you one." Sora knew his statement was probably pushing it, but Roxas seemed to be declining that fact a lot less.

Roxas was about to respond, but the bell rang.

Sora and he made their way to English class, taking their respective seats in class. Sora wasn't kidding when he said he had a lot of questions for Roxas. Even going so far as to speak in between DiZ's teachings, which greatly infuriated the teacher who threatened both with detention if he saw both of them speaking to one another again. Naturally, Roxas obeyed the authoritative figure without question, but Sora did try once or twice- not that the blonde reciprocated in the slightest.

Eventually, Sora did give up and persevere through their assignment. He didn't end up getting this one finished, maybe Roxas could help him out with it, later?

Roxas swiftly walked past him, the two ending up at art class.

"Sora. I'll say this right now, your friend Namine is in this class. She will show up minute, there are plenty of people in earshot who could hear what you potentially have to say." Roxas made sure to carefully say everything he felt that he had to, "So, if you 'accidentally' tell anyone my secret, you will be in for a world of hurt, okay?"

Sora didn't really know what to do with the threat. Roxas was very much serious, and he seemed every bit terrifying when he'd said that. Swallowing, Sora nodded. "I won't say anything. I promise."

"Do you really promise, or are you lying, like earlier?" Roxas would probably never let Sora live that one down.

"I'm not lying! I swear!" Sora didn't know how to prove his loyalty. What else was there to say? He'd promised to not share Roxas' secret with anyone, so what could he do to make him believe that fact?

"I'd believe you, but you lie." Roxas still enjoyed tormenting the brunette. After Sora had proclaimed them 'friends' (without Roxas' consent) he decided that if this was what Sora liked, then there was an abundance of it at his disposal.

Sora couldn't argue with Roxas anymore. Placing his head down on the desk in defeat, he had no idea what to do.

"What's got you looking so down?" Namine asked, seeing a gloomy looking Sora and a relatively composed Roxas. "Is it still about Riku? Because you know he'll come around, right?"

"I wasn't thinking about that..." Sora groaned, "But I am now."

"Sorry." Namine did her best to seem completely apologetic. "So, are we still on for after school, boys?" Expectantly looking from one to the other for answers, she waited patiently.

"I'm not backing out." Roxas didn't hesitate for a moment.

"I'll still come along!" Sora said, getting a bit of his cheerful self back.

"Good! I'm glad." Namine knew that if Sora came, then Riku would come and if Roxas was going, then Sora would go. Such troubling boys they were. Although, she wasn't sure if any of them would abandon the girls, knowing fully well where they were going. Roxas didn't know the lore behind the house, the full lore, at least- maybe they'd fill him in once they stepped foot inside.

Marluxia came in, instructed everyone to grab their projects and continue from where they left off.

Roxas worked on his portrait of Sora, as per usual not really contributing to their conversation. Getting a tad bit frustrated with the face, the bane of his artistic career- he was trying to get it absolutely perfect. Eyes were a pain in the ass, because if you got one just the right way, you more than likely weren't going to get the other one just as well. Eyebrows also liked to screw you over from time to time. Narrowing his eyes a bit at his project, he furiously began to draw, erase, remove shavings from his paper, rinse and repeat.

"He looks really angry at that paper." Namine and Sora were staring at the spectacle before them.

"Some people strive to be perfectionists, Sora." Namine responded, staring at the display before her with great curiosity.

"I think you're guilty of that, too." Sora pointed out, looking down at her paper.

"So I am." Namine couldn't resist a small giggle, "You're also coming along very well!" His drawing of her was really coming along. Apparently Roxas' suggestion was really working for Sora.

"Thanks!" Sora knew that it would never be as good as either one of their projects, but he'd still do his best.

At the very end of the class, Roxas was satisfied with the spacing of everything on Sora's face. If any of the pencil dared to smudge- he swore he'd tear the paper to shreds.

"Remember, boys, meet up at the house!" Namine reminded the pair as she walked out of the room. She was going to get Kairi/Riku.

"Do you want to go together now, or meet up there later?" Sora asked.

"It's supposed to be after school, right? Then there's no point you not coming with me." Roxas packed up his things, and waited for Sora to come along with him. Walking out of the building, they started off toward the woods' general location.

"So...is there anyone you like at the school?" Sora asked, he actually wanted to know. For some reason, his curiosity kept getting the best of him.

"No." Roxas shook his head, "Despite what you may think, Sora, the stigma of 'any guy will do' doesn't apply to things. I'm actually very particular about people I 'like' be it 'friend' or otherwise."

"I didn't mean to make it sound like that! I'm sorry!" Sora didn't know what else to do, other than apologize.

"Why were you asking? Think I've got my sights set on you, or something?" Roxas asked. Maybe that was why some of the fighting had broken out at his previous school. Boys had egos that were far too large for their own good.

"No...nothing like that!" Sora's cheeks turned red, "I just...I thought...I wanted to know."

"You're surprisingly keen on wanting to know my business." Roxas commented, "What about you? Got some stuff you wanna tell me?"

"Not that I can think of..." And then it dawned on Sora. It was another question for Roxas, but this one was completely off topic. "Do you live alone?"

"I do." Roxas nodded, "So you noticed."

"It just...seemed like a small place for a family, but just fine for a person to live." Sora explained, "Plus there were no pictures or anything..."

"Oh. So that's why you basically flinched when I caught you snooping. Good to know. I don't like pictures, I keep things simple. It's not that I don't really have any, I just don't play them on display." Roxas shrugged, to him it was just another 'normal' thing.

"I wasn't snooping. I was...I couldn't help but to glance around." Sora defended himself, "Where are your parents?"

"They live back at home, in the Destiny Islands. It wasn't that they didn't want to come with me, they just couldn't. And I didn't want them to, either. They shouldn't have to uproot their lives just because of something stupid that happened." Roxas would never ask them to do something along those lines. It was nothing but selfish.

"Isn't it lonely not having anyone?" Sora asked, feeling a bit sorry for Roxas' living condition.

"Not really, no." Roxas shook his head, "It's not like they don't call to check up with me from time to time. There's also video chats, they don't ask as many questions as you- and I'm sure that they also don't lie to me as often."

Sora was about to argue once again that he wasn't lying, but they reached their destination. Staring at the rundown mansion, he swallowed nervously. The outside looked absolutely terrible, and he couldn't imagine what the inside was like. Namine, Kairi and Riku were all waiting for the duo.

"Ready for an adventure?" Namine asked the pair.

Roxas shrugged his shoulders. He didn't expect anything grand to come of their exploration. Maybe one of them would find a rotten floorboard and fall through it. Who could say?

"Yep!" Sora tried to portray confidence, though the rest of the group didn't really buy into it.

"I'm ready to go too!" Kairi smiled.

"I guess so." Riku finally spoke, but didn't bother to look over at Sora.

Just as before, Namine removed the lock and opened the gates.

"Anyone else feeling excited?" Namine asked, leading the pack inside of the mansion.

"I think you're excited enough for everyone." Roxas honestly responded to her, brushing past the others. He stared at what must have at one point or another been a grand staircase. Two separate rows of stairs led up to a balcony, with a large hall on either side. Running his fingers through his hair, Roxas decided to branch off and explore. "Meet up here at dark, I'm guessing?" He began to walk off.

"Yep!" Kairi called after him. "Are you going to go with Roxas, or stick with us?" She asked Sora directly.

"I think...I'll go with Roxas." Sora hoped there would be no hard feelings, though he knew Riku would be against it. "I'll see you guys later!" Doing his best to catch up with Roxas, he didn't even wait for a reply.

"Just you?" Roxas asked, hearing Sora behind him.

"Yeah." Sora nodded, doing his best to stay beside Roxas. He honestly didn't want to be alone in this creepy place, and he'd do his best to ensure nobody else had to, either. Examining their surroundings as they walked by, it added an eerie background. Paint peeling from the walls, rotten molding, scuffed and deteriorated floors, cobwebs covering left behind furniture. Each step in the home dislodged some dust, and was followed by squeaking of the boards beneath their feet.

Slowing himself down, and using the light from his camera, to combat the darkness, Roxas couldn't help but to notice Sora matching his pace. Even though they'd barely just started, Sora seemed completely afraid. Every new noise only served to spook him, and he seemed to be just waiting for something to jump out at them. Or at the very least a supernatural occurrence. "You're already wanting to leave, aren't you?"

"No. I'll stay. I'm fine." Sora did his best to seem like it wasn't bothering him as much as it was.

"Liar." Roxas could see the way his hands were balled into fists at his side. They were clenched so tight that his knuckles were turning white, and they were shaking. Grabbing Sora's left hand with his right, he forced it to relax, and slipped his fingers through Sora's, forcing their hands to intertwine. "You're going to seriously mess up your hands if you keep doing that. Get scared? Squeeze my hand."

"What if I end up hurting you?" Sora asked. But he was immensely grateful for the gesture. His heart was pounding, and it honestly took everything he had in himself to not run out of the house.

"You won't." Roxas seemed confident of that fact. "And even if you do, I've had worse. Like you said, we've both had a lot worse." He could deal with squeezing on his fingers, especially after all of the fighting competitions he'd been through, and learning the hard way how to properly punch an opponent. How strong would Sora's grip be?

"Okay." Sora was gentle at first, being self-conscious that he may end up hurting Roxas, despite his insistence that he wouldn't. Swallowing nervously, he hated this. Everything was so dark, and all they had aiding their exploration was the light from Roxas' phone. The creaking of a door opening slightly sent him a bit over edge, and Sora couldn't control the sharp grip he had on Roxas' hand. Letting out a small whimper, he refrained from full on freaking out.

Roxas watched Sora, and honestly wondered if they should continue on or not. "It's just the wind, Sora. There's probably a window open somewhere, or a crack in one, there's lots of explanations."

"Are you sure about that?" Sora asked.

Roxas hesitated for a moment, "Not really. I mean, I'll go check it out." He pulled his hand out of Sora's and began to walk forward.

"No! Wait! Don't go!" Sora immediately grabbed Roxas' hoodie and stopped him. He didn't want to be alone, and not in the hallway where potentially someone or thing could sneak up on him. The lack of light also was one of his major concerns.

"I'll be fine. Just stay out here, and you'll be okay." Roxas gave him a confident smirk and continued to walk forward. "Catch." He tossed his phone back to Sora, and walked to the offending door. Darkness never really bothered him, but it seemed to be a problem for Sora. Walking toward the door, he gripped the handle and pushed it open. There was some mild resistance from the door, and the hinges seemed to be in dire need of oil, as they let out a squeak. The room was very dark, the curtains seemed to soak up any residual sunlight that tried to break through. Any remaining furniture had been covered in what appeared to be at one time white sheets, that seemed to have turned to a dull grey.

Walking around the outer rim of the room, he found almost nothing of significance. Some papers scattered around, remnants of an old life. Was this the master bedroom? It was hard to tell in such a large home. A broken picture frame caught his eye, a family portrait still remained within. A young girl, and what he assumed to be her parents. How long had this place been abandoned for? Judging by the large amount of dust from beneath the photo frame, it seemed like quite a while. Placing it back down, he decided to further investigate the room.

"Sora." Sora flicked his head over in the direction he'd heard his name called.

"Hello? Kairi? Namine? Riku?" Assuming it to be one of them, and that they were trying to pull a joke on him, due to the fact that they knew he was uncomfortable being inside the home, he walked toward a newly opened doorway. "Guys? Is that you?" Cautiously walking forward, he used Roxas' phones light to illuminate the way. Seeing a shadow pass by the door, he felt relief. "Alright! You got me!" Sora called, walking through the doorway. "You can come out now...jokes over...no need to keep doing this..."

Continuing into the room, he saw no one.

"Guys?" Sora felt a little confused. Someone had definitely been in here. Walking around the room a little bit more, he searched around a little bit. Kneeling down, he picked up the blankets and looked under the bed. His heart started pounding, looking at the closet, he felt like he should and shouldn't look inside of it. If they were hiding, and he was supposed to find them, then why not keep up the game? If his friends were in here. Swallowing, Sora stood up and slowly walked toward the closet door.

Should I open the door? Why aren't they answering me?

Sora's hand reached out toward the knobs of the doors, but he stopped halfway through. No. Shaking his head, he walked toward the door. Feeling that feeling from behind him, the one where you instinctively felt, not so much knew something was behind you, he almost sprinted for the door. Shuddering while he did so, he felt a creeping fear go up his spine. Sora didn't dare to look behind him, his only focus was to get out of the room, and try to tell Roxas about what he felt and heard. Nearly diving for the door, it slammed shut in front of him. "Okay...I'm okay..." Sora felt like what could have been the beginnings of a panic attack. Trying to keep his breathing steady, and act like he wasn't completely afraid, he attempted to open the door.

It was then that he heard breathing. Thinking it was himself getting overly freaked out, he slowed down his breathing. The breathing didn't stop. Sora felt his hands begin to tremble, and his jaw clenched. Trying the door once again, he found it had been locked somehow. Quick observation showed that it was an olf fashioned door, and he couldn't simply unlock it. The mechanism needed a key. That didn't help him, especially when he wasn't going to dare look behind himself. Feeling a sudden coldness in the room, he couldn't resist the cry that came out. Hopefully someone would hear him and come to his rescue.

Hearing what he assumed to be Sora whimpering again, Roxas went back to the hallway, only to find it empty. "Sora!" He called out for the brunette, were one of his asshole friends scaring him? Someone was in for a dropkick if they decided to screw with Sora in what was literally called a 'haunted house'. They all had to on some level know that he was scared of their current location. Hell, Roxas knew that fact and he barely knew Sora at all.

"I'm in here!" Sora called from another room, the handle of a door furiously turning and trying to open. "I'm stuck! Help me!" His cries for help seemed to be very frantic.

"Give me a second!" Roxas tried to open the door from his end, but it refused to budge. Had it somehow locked behind Sora? "Step away from the door!" Roxas instructed him, he was going to have to break it open.

"Okay!" Sora did as he was told.

Roxas knew that he was away from the door when he heard more squeaking from the floorboards. Stepping back, he decided to kick open the door. Roundhousing the door, he was successful in opening it. "Sora?" Roxas asked, walking into the room. Seeing Sora crouching in the middle of the room, his head in his hands, and Roxas' phone beneath him, as if the light was being used for protection, he instantly felt guilty. Sora was obviously scared out of his wits. Closing the space between them, he knelt in front of Sora and pulled him in to a hug. He hadn't known from first glance, but Sora was crying. The wetness on his face had transferred onto Roxas' the moment they hugged.

"I..I heard someone call my name...then I saw someone in here, and...I asked you not to leave me!" Sora choked out, holding onto Roxas for dear life. After what he'd just been through, he honestly wouldn't ever contest the fact that ghosts had to be real. It wasn't any of his friends, none of them were that mean. Not to mention the breathing he'd heard.

"And I thought I told you to stay put." Roxas didn't use his usual smart-ass tone when speaking. What good what it do, right now? "Why the hell did you come in here? Did it sound like someone you know? Or did you just wander in here, thinking you could play hero to...who or whatever it was? I'm not saying ghosts are real, Sora, but if they were and you just wandered in here...then what do you think you could have done?"

"I-I heard someone...at least...I think I did." Sora explained, "I swear that someone said something...and I-I wanted to see if it was one of my friends! They weren't in here...I searched the whole room. When I found out it wasn't them, I tried to go...and the door locked right in front of me. I was stuck...and then there was this...coldness on the back of my neck. I didn't know what to do." He didn't think he could 'help a ghost' he just thought that one of his friends had been playing around.

"Maybe next time...don't follow the ominous voice in the haunted house? I'm sure your parents taught you the basic rules of 'stranger danger' and I'm pretty sure that also applies to 'ghosts'. Don't just walk up to people you don't know. But I've got it, okay? I'm not leaving you. We'll stick together through the whole thing. We also won't go where we you don't want to. And don't you dare pull the 'I'm okay but I'm really not' crap on me, alright? Because if you do- I'll know, because you're such a crap liar, and I'll get mad and more than likely hit you for being a dumbass." Roxas tried to lighten the mood, even if it didn't really come off as a joke.

"Okay." Sora was honestly trying his best to calm down, he wanted them to leave the current room they were stuck in. Well, they weren't stuck inside of it, but he had been. Thankfully, he knew now that Roxas could open any doors that decided to do the same thing. "I...I honestly thought it was one of my friends." At the very least, Roxas had to understand from that stand point.

"If one of them did that to you, then I would have broken their nose." Roxas didn't hesitate to say it.

"I don't think...something like that, wouldn't be necessary." Sora shook his head. How could or would violence solve that situation? Yeah, it would have been a horribly mean thing to do, but hurting them wouldn't be the right thing to do.

"I'm serious, you know? Especially if the big one pulled a stunt like this. I'd drop kick him before he could say 'oops'." Roxas knew what it was like to be joked around with by a friend, he'd been best friends with a serial prankster. Something like this would only be screwed up to ever joke about. Haunted house, luring a friend into a room all alone, locking them in and making them essentially have a breakdown.

"Please don't hurt my friends." Sora pleaded with Roxas. Doing his best to wipe away a few stray tears and calm himself down, he really didn't want Roxas to hurt anyone on his behalf. But the sentiment was very much appreciated.

"Are you okay to go now?" Roxas asked. He didn't bother to make a promise he couldn't keep. Being the 'strong personality' that he was, he didn't put up with mistreatment of others in front of himself. Even if that seemed like blatant hypocrisy, considering his initial treatment of Sora.

Sora nodded in response, so the blonde let go of him and the pair stood up. Shuddering upon standing up, Sora still felt that 'chill'. "Let's get out of here." He still didn't dare to look behind himself, he was afraid to see something.

Roxas took off his hoodie and handed it to Sora. "You should have bundled up a bit better."

"Won't you be cold?" Sora asked, he knew that he himself was.

"I'm fine." Roxas shrugged it off, "You look like you need it far more than I do."

Sora nodded, though Roxas probably wouldn't see it. Putting on the hoodie, he was grateful for its warmth. Shuddering a bit as they walked, he waited for the coldness in the air to go away. It was so dark and scary inside this place, how could Roxas be so at ease? Even with the light source they had, it still wasn't enough to quell away his fears. Feeling something touch his shoulder, he looked over and saw Roxas holding out his hand. Maybe he'd been fidgeting too much and Roxas decided to take pity on him.

Accepting his hand, the two walked down the long hallway, into what appeared to be an abandoned dining room.

"Are you okay?" Roxas wanted to make sure he wasn't pushing Sora to do anything more that he didn't want to.

"I think so." Sora felt a little more at ease. Roxas probably hated having to baby him like this, but he was honestly so grateful for what he was doing. He didn't know what he'd do, if Kairi, Namine and Riku saw him like this.

"We can leave any time you want. It's the weekend, and I don't think you want to spend the better part of it wondering if there's ghosts hanging around or not." Roxas honestly didn't mind exploring the strange house. There were a surprising amount of belongings left behind, as if the people were very keen on leaving right then and there. What logical reason could they have for discarding so many things that at one point in time could have been held very dear? One possible explanation could have been that there was the vague possibility the home actually had been haunted, and they felt there was no other option than to flee. Another could have been that they didn't deem anything worthy of accompanying them to their new home.

Examining the contents of the room, Roxas couldn't help but to think though all of the varying possibilities. So many questions, so little answers.

One of the things in the room that caught his eye was a large portrait of a family. Their faces had been obscured. Who had gone to the trouble of tearing the painting? Frowning, a few things were starting to seem a little more eerie. "Tell me I'm not seeing things." Finally breaking the silence, he had to wonder if Sora was seeing the strangeness.

"You're not." Sora shook his head, "Did it just happen on its own? Or did someone else do this...?"

"I don't know." Roxas had no idea, and he didn't like that fact. "We should probably leave." It seemed like the most logical thing to do. Who or whatever had done this clearly had a firm 'dislike' for people, and who was to say on the fact of whether or not they were still here?

"You don't want to stay?" Sora found himself surprised. If Roxas wanted to leave, then surely something was wrong...?

"I'm not trying to scare you, Sora, but I don't think we should stay here. We should try to find your friends, and tell them we're leaving." Judging by the lack of sunlight (not that there had been very much, due to the very dark curtains), it'd be dangerous to continue staying inside the place, anyway.

"I'm with you." Sora was more than happy they were to be leaving the house. He never felt comfortable from the moment they'd gone inside. Something about this place...just rubbed him the wrong way. Walking briskly with Roxas, he tripped over something and instinctively pulled the blonde down with him. Groaning as both collided on the floor, a strange noise rang through the room.

Roxas didn't know why he'd pulled Sora on top of him. Maybe it was because he thought he could take the brunt of it a lot better than the brunette. "Did you hear that?"

"I don't think I want to know what that was..." Sora stood up, and offered his hand to Roxas.

Roxas took Sora's hand. "No way." Apparently, they'd found some sort of 'secret passage' in the house. According to the rules of any horror movie out there, both were now supposed to go down to whatever was waiting down there, and probably more than likely die. Thankfully, this wasn't some typical horror movie. "We're going."

"I'll stay here! I'm not going down there." Sora shook his head, that was way too dangerous, and he wouldn't dare to attempt such a thing.

"We're not going down there." Roxas grabbed Sora by the hand and began to drag him back to the place that they'd originally started. Namine, Kairi and Riku weren't anywhere to be seen. Creaking floorboards above them hinted at the fact that it was either the trio or...something else. "If you want to stay here, or wait outside...I won't mind." Giving Sora the option to back out, just in case.

"I'm going with you." Sora took the lead, pulling Roxas along with him. "We can't leave anyone behind."

Roxas was surprised by Sora's initiative. Despite his prior behavior in the house, he was actually taking charge of the situation. Was it because he thought his friends could be in danger? Maybe he'd been wrong in his assumptions of Sora. If someone was in danger, then he'd overcome his fears, just to make sure they were okay.

He'd do anything for a friend.

Even if that meant wiping out in the forest, charging through a haunted house, being scared beyond all relief, still insisting that he persevere through the situation.

Sora led Roxas through each individual room, the two of them coming up empty for the longest time. Coming up to the last door, both stepped through and came face to face with the trio.

"What the...?" Roxas couldn't help but to stare at the room they were all inside of. For one thing, everything was white. Not to mention everything seemed perfectly new, and well kept.

"How'd your adventure go?" Namine asked, "Anything interesting happen?"

"We're leaving." Sora didn't hesitate to let them know he and Roxas had enough of their current location.

"Oh?" Kairi asked, "Sora...are you wearing Roxas' hoodie...? And how come you're holding hands?"

"About that..." Sora didn't really know how to explain the ordeal they'd been through. At the mention of their hand holding, both immediately let go and took a few steps away from one another. "There was...something happened while we were off exploring. And, I was cold." So his explanation on the matter may have sucked.

"Something." Riku scoffed a bit, "Sora. Are you two...?" He wasn't quite sure how to say this.

"Huh?" Sora was surprised on the fact that Riku was actually speaking to him. "Wait! Are you talking to me again!?"

"...never mind." Riku shook his head, he decided that he didn't want to know the answer. Sora obviously had no idea on what he was talking about, so there was no point in pressing him on the matter.

"Okay." Sora just focused on the fact that Riku was speaking to him again. He was glad that they weren't fighting anymore.

Roxas walked out of the room, deciding it best to leave Sora behind with his friends.

"You're just going to go?" Namine asked, she couldn't help but to notice Roxas leave. Even if the others were too busy in their conversation, she didn't like to ignore other people. Plus, it seemed Sora and Riku were having a moment.

"He's with you guys. He'll be fine. You can all babysit a lot better than I can. I've got things to do, and I don't need to loiter around this place anymore. Every second I stay in this place, it just gets weirder." Roxas brushed it off, deciding it best to just go home. All white rooms, secret passages...damaged items from within the home. Maybe it wasn't necessarily a ghost in the home, but there was a very real possibility someone still inhabited the place. Dealing with psychopaths wasn't necessarily his cup of tea.

"This is a very strange place, isn't it?" Namine couldn't help but to feel that way. "Won't Sora be sad, knowing you left without saying anything?"

"I think he'll be more focused on getting out of here than bothering for 'goodbyes'. If you guys have any common sense, you'll get out of here, too." Roxas didn't factually know if Sora saw or heard something when he was off in that room. But he knew that Sora believed it to the point that he'd displayed an immense level of fear. It wasn't necessarily enough to sway his opinion on the supernatural, but people began to see and hear strange things when their fear reached its pique.

"We were actually just wrapping up. We'd only gotten into that room just moments before you two came in. Kind of eerie, isn't it?" In a home where everything else was either neglected or in shambles, one room remained that had an apparent theme, and was apparently kept very well. Who could have taken the time to do so? In either case, it seemed all of them should get out of the home.

"You don't even know the half of it." Roxas shook his head, "I wasn't kidding when I said you should leave. Maybe this goes beyond just a 'haunted house'." About all that he could do was was warn her to go, and leave it at that. Walking off without saying anymore, Roxas made his way to the front door. Thankfully, his eyes were adjusted to the dark fairly well, and he could make out a few obstructions in his walk. Effortlessly stepping over them, he made it to the staircase and began his descent. To be honest, he'd be glad to get out of this house.

Prepared for the doors to somehow not open, he was ready for a flying kick of some sort to kick open the door. To his (somewhat disappointment) the door opened without any resistance. Greeted with the night sky, he wondered how long they'd been in that place. Reaching for a pocket that was no longer there, he frowned. Sora has my phone. Looking back at the doorway for a moment, "Nah." In staying with his 'this isn't a horror movie' mantra, he decided not to do the typical stigma of reentering the house and somehow ending up locked inside. Sora would probably return the items to him, so he could leave well enough alone and just go home.

Walking away from the home, he started off in the general direction he believed to be his home. It was hard to tell, due to his trekking through the forest only at day time. A few trees and things along the path seemed vaguely familiar, so he believed himself to be going the right way. And then he heard something running in his general direction. Deciding not to be an idiot, he took off. There was no point in getting caught by what could easily be an animal, or just a late night jogger.

After a few minutes of continuous running, he was rewarded by getting out of the forest. Grateful to be near home and other people, Roxas began to hurry home.

Footsteps.

"Hey!"

Looking behind him, it was Sora, panting as he caught up with Roxas.

"You're really fast!" Sora huffed, trying to catch his breath. "You forgot your stuff..." He held out Roxas' phone and hoodie.

"Your friends let you just run through a forest at night alone?" Roxas asked, scoffing at the group, how could they let someone who was clearly scared of the dark do something like this?

"They offered to come with me...but I said I'd be fine. You didn't have that much of a start on me, and I thought I could catch up- but you're so fast!" Clearly Roxas had been holding back in a lot of their runs at school.

"Am I fast, or are you slow?" Roxas asked, "What time is it?" He flicked through his phone and found that they'd stayed in the home a lot longer than he'd originally thought. "What do your parents actually think you were doing tonight?"

"I'm not slow!" Maybe it was Sora's knee that slowed him down. "They...kinda thought I was staying at a friends house."

"Would this friend be a behemoth who just started talking to you again?" Roxas asked.

"That would be on the one..." Sora nodded, maybe he could just say he didn't feel like sleeping out.

"Liar." Roxas scoffed, "Do you want to just spend the night at my place? I know that it's small- but I can take the couch or something."

This time, Sora couldn't really argue with the fact that he had lied. "Sure!" He jumped at the chance, grateful that he wouldn't have to face his parents.

"Well, come on then." Roxas didn't know why he offered. Maybe it was because a lot of nonsense had gone down for Sora in the course of this one day that had been his fault. Walking side by side without anything to really say about their experiences in the house, they eventually made it to Roxas' apartment. Roxas held open the door for Sora and flicked on the lights when they walked inside. Seeing the dried tracks of mud that had occurred earlier on in the day, he'd get to them in the morning.

Sora seemed very tired, and his clothes were all covered in dust from the mansion.

"I'll get you some clothes." Roxas disappeared for a moment or two, coming back with pajamas for Sora to wear.

"Thank you." Sora looked around for a moment or two.

"Down the hall. Middle door." Roxas knew that Sora was probably wondering where the bathroom was.

Sora disappeared for a moment or two, and came out in the baggy clothing. While it may have fit Roxas perfectly, it was definitely a size or two too big for him. Roxas couldn't resist a small laugh when he saw how big his clothes were on Sora. He wondered if Sora had to tighten the waistband on the bottoms just to keep them from falling down.

"My room's down the hall. Feel free to take it. I'll take the couch." Roxas went to the closet and grabbed some spare bedding for himself. He was too lazy to bother changing clothes, so he'd sleep in his current outfit.

"Goodnight!" Sora called after him, rubbing his eyes while he yawned.

"Goodnight, Sora." Roxas walked over to the couch, hearing his door shut while he did so. Falling into the couch cushions, he barely pulled the blankets over himself before falling asleep.