Author's note: Hey everyone. Thank you so much for your continuing support on this story. I have been getting a lot of questions asking about future events in the story and about what Roxas's abilities are. Do you guys want me to give you spoilers about what is going to happen in the future? It's up to you. Leave a review and let me know. If you truly want me to answer your questions, I will give some insights. But truthfully, I myself don't really like spoilers and I can imagine that a many of you don't like them as well, which is why I haven't answered a lot of questions yet.

Anyhow, I am sorry if I take a little bit to get out each chapter. The reason is because it takes a while to write a decent size chapter for you all. I try to make each one at least five to seven thousand words. Not to mention that I am a college student who is constantly swamped with homework. Luckily, writing helps me relieve stress and expands my imagination, so I am going to keep at it.

For those of you who review, thank you so much. It means a lot to me. Whether it is just a few lines that say you enjoy the chapter, or just to call me out on the spelling mistakes I make, I appreciate them. Anyway, enjoy the chapter.

Warning: Spelling is my Achilles Heel. I am so sorry if you find some.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.


A Heart in the Void

Chapter 4

The next few days were quite eventful for Roxas. Louise had finally calmed down a bit after the stunt he pulled. He couldn't even count the number of projectiles he had to dodge when he went up to her room the next morning. But she finally gave up when he refused to hand over the Oblivion. She had promised to starve him until he gave it to her, but seeing as he could go to the kitchen anytime he wanted to, the threat was absolutely worthless.

He was permitted to attend a few classes with the rest of the students, but he quickly found himself board with the lectures. The type of magic he could do was very different than what was taught in the academy, so learning about it was rather useless.

However, there was one thing that he did notice each time he went to class with Louise. The other students would always relentlessly pick on her, constantly calling her Louise the Zero. He had no idea why they were mocking her. Wasn't she just like them? Wasn't she a noble? No matter what class they were in, there were always a few students that would make fun of her.

If it bothered her, she never expressed it on her face. Every mock that was thrown her way, she brushed it off without a second thought and continued to pay attention to the lessons. Roxas on the other hand would look around the classroom in confusion before he looked at her. Even he was not so oblivious to know that they were insulting her. Why didn't she react to any of it?

It was later that day when Roxas and Louise were walking down a hallway. The lesson was a bit more interesting this time. It turs out that the mages of this world had a special affinity for a certain element. The basic elements that could be used were Fire, Earth, Wind, and water. However, there was one specific element that caught Roxas's attention.

Void.

It was not mentioned that much, but from what he understood from the lesson, the Void was used by a man named Brimir. To these people, he was almost like their God. Roxas himself could use different magic spells, but he had never heard of Void before. What kind of element was that supposed to be?

Roxas stored that question in the back of his mind as he looked at the pink-haired girl who was walking beside him. She was oddly quiet after the lesson, and Roxas couldn't blame her. She had been the punch-line of all the jokes for nearly the entire class. Even though the teacher tried to stop the harassment, it just kept on continuing to the point that even Roxas was getting annoyed with it. It was just Zero this, and Zero that. Why where they so cruel to her?

He glanced at her again, this time looking at her face. He blinked a few times to make sure he was seeing this right. Her face held an emotion that looked almost alien on her. Her eyes looked towards the ground, and her head was slightly declined. Just barely, her brows were scrunched up and her lips were pursed.

If you glanced at her, you would have missed the look because it was so minimal, but Roxas saw it. To see that look on her usually prideful face was almost wrong. It was an expression he had seen quite a few times in his life.

Sadness.

"Louise." He started.

Louise seemed to jerk for a second before her expression steeled over. Her usual look covered her face before she turned to him. "What is it?"

Roxas stared at her for the longest time. There was no sign of the emotion left, jus the usual glare. It was obvious that she was unhappy about how the lesson went, so why was she hiding it?

"What is it?" Louise said again, this time a little more frustrated.

"…Why do they call you that?"

For a brief instant, that same look came over her face before she quickly covered it up with a glare. She turned away from him and walked forward a few paced. "That is none of your business." She growled as she continued to storm away.

"I will be happy to oblige you." Said a voice.

Roxas and Louise turned to see Kirche and Tabitha walking up to them. Kirche fixed Roxas with a seductive grin while Tabitha had her face buried in a book.

"Go away Zerbst." Louise growled out before she turned away again.

"Don't be like that Zero. Doesn't your powerful familiar deserve to know about his failure of a master?"

Louise turned around and fixed Kirche with the most deadly glare she could muster. "Don't you dare!"

Kirche grinned again before she turned to Roxas. "You see handsome, we call Louise a Zero because that is exactly what she is. Ever since she came here, she has never managed to cast one spell correctly. Not a single one. That is why she is Louise the Zero."

Louise felt her hands clench into fists and her hair overshadowed her eyes to hide her emotions. Why was everything in her life like this? She had no elemental affinity, she could not cast a single spell successfully, and now her familiar was going to think of her the same way as the other students, like she wasn't good at magic, like she was a zero.

Like she was a nothing.

"And I am supposed to care?"

Louise blinked a few times before her eyes widened. She looked up to see Roxas standing there in front of an equally shocked Kirche. Even Tabitha lowered her book slightly to see where this was going.

"W-What do you mean? Of course you are supposed to care. She can't cast any magic whatsoever. For a noble, that is the pinnacle of our pride, and as her familiar you should be disappointed that she is a complete failure."

Roxas shook his head. "I don't care about magic. Nor do I care about money, or power. The only things that are important to me are the people I care about and existence itself. So why would it matter to me if she can or can't cast magic. Just being my own person and having my friends around me is enough."

Kirche, Tabitha, and Louise stared at him for the longest time. His words were so contradictory to what they believed. A familiar took great pride in the power of their master, but Roxas didn't care about any of that. He didn't care if someone could cast magic or not.

Kirche was the first to break out of her befuddlement. She gave a soft laugh before shaking her head. "I don't understand how you can live with such little pride."

"And I can't understand how you can live with so much of it." Roxas said before he turned and began to walk away. "Lest go Louise."

Usually, Louise would have yelled at him for giving her an order, but her mind was so wrapped around his words that she just gave Kirche one last glare before she turned and left as well.

There was an awkward silence between Roxas and Louise as they walked back to their room. Louise was staring at his back as he walked in front of her, the words playing through her mind. How could he look so simply on life and be so content. He didn't seek for power, pride, or money, yet he was happy with just living and having his friends with him. That explained why he fought so hard to protect the maid because that was something he cared about, but how could someone be content with so little?


It was the next morning that Roxas and Louise got into another argument about his Keyblade. She once again demanded the powerful weapon, but Roxas refused to hand it over.

"You said yesterday that you were content with just existing, so there is no need for you to have the weapon." She said as she crossed her arms.

"You don't get it, do you? This weapon I have will not work for just anyone. It will only work for me."

"But I summoned you, so therefore it should work for me also. You must be doing something that makes me unable to use it. What use do you have for it anyway?"

"To protect the people I care about." Roxas said immediately.

Louise grits her teeth before she gave a defeated sigh. This conversation was going nowhere and she could not pull out her riding crop because Roxas had broken it when she tried to use it on him again. She glanced outside the window to see the sun was in the middle of the sky. It was the day of void today, so there were no classes.

Suddenly, an idea popped into her head. She turned to see Roxas rolling his shoulder, ready to walk out the door to do god knows what.

"Hold it!" Louise said as she stood up.

"What now."

"Since today is the day of void, we have no classes. I need a few things in the nearest town Tristania and you are to accompany me."

Roxas stared at her for a few seconds before he reluctantly agreed. He had to admit he was curious what was outside the academy walls.

It was an unpleasant horse ride later that Roxas found himself in the middle of a large city. It was rural compared to the World that never was, but it was a decent size nonetheless. The streets were busy with people rushing into building, or displaying their merchandise on stands for others to buy.

Louise and Roxas walked down the crowded street for a little while until Louse turned to him.

"I am going to get the things I need. I permit you to walk around and familiarize yourself with the town. We will be coming back and I may need you to know your way around. Meet back here in an hour." She said.

Roxas rolled his eyes as he nodded. Louise huffed before she departed into the crowd. They all split the way for her as she walked by; obviously recognizing by her attire that she was a noble. Some even had a slight fear in their eyes.

Roxas waited until she was gone before walking in the opposite direction. The town very busy so there was always something interesting going on. Most of the merchants sold various food, while others sold potions and clothing. It even surprised him when he heard someone call out sales on Elixirs. That was something that caught his interest. He, along with a number of people went to check it out. When he got there however, the Elixirs that were displayed were vastly different than the ones he had. While the elixirs he had were almost like liquid gold in color, the ones that were on display were a nasty brown.

Roxas gave a small huff of disappointment. He should have known that no one could synthesize potions like the Moogles. He was about to turn and continue exploring the town when a small cry caught his attention.

"You stupid brat! Do you know how much this robe is worth? Or that Elixir you just wasted?" Snarled an angry voice.

"I-I'm sorry Sir." A small voice squeaked.

"Please forgive her Count Mott. She is just a girl. She didn't mean to. It won't happen again."

"Your right, it won't."

Roxas turned his gaze toward the commotion before he heard a sickening squelch. Through the crowd, he saw an older man in elegant clothing pointing a staff at a young girl, who couldn't be older than ten years old. Roxas's eyes widened when he saw a few jagged pieces of ice embedded in the girl's stomach. Blood started to leak from the wound before pooling on the ground.

A woman was cradling the girl while crying hysterically.

"Shut up woman or you will be next." he snarled out. The woman quieted down, nearly chocking on her own sobs as tears leaked down her face. "You see what happens when you assault a noble? Let this be a lesson to you."

The woman looked up in disbelief, anger welling up in her eyes. "Assault! She bumped into you on accident!" She screamed at him.

"You are trying my patience woman. Once more word and you will have the same fate as the girl." He said. The woman glared up at the Count before she turned her attention back to the bleeding girl. Count Mott gave a twisted smile before he walked past the crowd.

Just as Count Mott vanished from sight, the woman started to cry again over the whimpering girl. "Ellie!" she shouted before she looked around at the surrounding people. "Someone please help. She's going to die."

Roxas looked around at the people. Most of them were turning away while holding their potions a bit closer to them. A few walked away from the scene. Was no one going to help them? Why not? This scene was so sad it was disgusting. It pained his heart to even witness it, so how could anyone just stand by and watch. Quickly, Roxas walked forward and approached the two.

The woman saw him walking toward them, a look of urgency and panic in her eyes. "Please help us. We need to get to a doctor. Please, I'll do anything!" She sobbed out, more tears running down her face.

Roxas looked down at the bleeding girl. The woman had her hands over the wounds in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding. The girl was gasping out in pain while whimpering; the color in her face was slowly fading. The ice spikes had melted, leaving two gaping wounds in the girl's abdomen.

Roxas knelt down next to them. "Lay her on the ground and remove your hands."

"What are you talking about? We need to get a doctor."

"Please, just trust me." Roxas said, looking her straight in the eye with clear conviction.

The mother stared at him, seeing the look in his eyes before slowly nodding. She gingerly placed her daughter on the ground and removed her blood stained hands from the wounds. Roxas extended his hands over the damaged area and summoning the magic within him, calling forth his most useful spell.

"Curaga."

Immediately, a green light encompassed the dyeing girl. All in the current vicinity watched in amazement as the wounds began to slowly heal over. Roxas grunted as he pushed more magic into the spell to increase the effects. The severity of the wound required quite a bit of magic.

Soon, the girl's whimpers faded as she took more prolonged and soothing breaths of air. The color in her face began to return as her features became more relaxed. The woman could only watch in wonder as the girl was healing under the hue of the green light. She glanced up at Roxas, whose face showed signs of strain and concentration.

Soon, the gaping holes were replaced by sensitive skin. Roxas released the spell before panting a bit, exhausted at the amount of magic he just used. Usually, that spell was for quick recovery when he was in the midst of battle, but with fatal wounds like those, he had to use a massive amount of magic.

Soon, the girl's eyes fluttered open. She sat up slowly, wincing because of the tender skin on her stomach. She looked up at the woman. "Mom?"

Frantically, the woman looked down at her daughter. "Ellie!" the mother exclaimed as she gingerly wrapped her arms around the girl and held her close.

"Mom!" Ellie cried as she wrapped her little arm around the woman's neck. "That hurt so much. I was so scared that I was going to die." She sobbed out.

"It's ok Ellie. Shhh. It's fine now."

Roxas curiously watched the interaction between the two. For some reason, a new and warm feeling spread through his body. Was it a result of helping these two? What he was witnessing, seeing how much this mother cared for her child, it was…beautiful in a way.

No

This was beyond just caring for someone.

Roxas thought back on the interaction between Bell and the Beast at their castle. That was the first time that he witnessed what something called Love was.

Love.

Was he witnessing love between two people again?

Suddenly, the mother and child turned to Roxas, knocking him from his thoughts. The mother bowed her head low. "Thank you so much!" she exclaimed.

Roxas blinked a few times before giving them a small smile. "Don't worry about it. Helping people is half of who I am." Roxas said. "What happened anyway?"

The mother bit her lower lip. "We knew there was a sale today, so we saved up for an elixir in case we had an emergency. But they were still a bit too expensive. I told Ellie we could eat at her favorite place and she got too excited. She ran into Count Mott and he spilled his elixir on his coat as a result."

Roxas felt his eyes widen. "Just because she accidently bumped into him, he tried to kill her?"

The mother nodded. "Nobles are not supposed to attack commoners without being assaulted first, but they can sometimes bend the truth in order to get away with it. He had done worse for less. There are still a number of girls from this town that he had taken to be his mistresses."

"A mistress?"

The mother nodded. "It's a very terrible fate, but we can't do anything about it because Count Mott is the royal messenger to the palace." She said sadly.

"I see." Roxas said, his anger rising again. He couldn't believe these nobles. How could they do this to people?

What in the world was that?

I don't know! That healing spell was powerful enough to save that girls life.

He didn't have a wand

Is he an elf?

No, his ears aren't pointed.

Roxas looked around and noticed that a lot of eyes were on them. It was really making him uncomfortable. He decided it was his time to leave. "I have to go. Take care of yourselves." Roxas said as he was about to stand from his kneeling position.

"Waite!"

Roxas turned to see the little girl gingerly stand and push away from her mother's arms. She shyly approached Roxas before extending her arms and wrapping them around his neck tightly.

Roxas sat there like a statue. He was not use to this kind of physical contact. Back in twilight town, Hayner would sometimes catch him in a headlock for a noogie, but this was much gentler.

A Hug.

He had not experienced many hugs in his life, but this was definitely one. He felt the girls grip on his neck lessen and thought she was about to peel herself off him, but then he felt a small peck on his cheek, causing him to look at the beaming girl. "Thanks for saving me, Mr." She said before she turned back to her mother. "Mom! I kissed his cheek!" she exclaimed with an embarrassed blush.

Roxas blinked a few times before he touched the place where she kissed him.

A Kiss.

Now that was something Roxas was very unfamiliar with. Sure Louise had done that to him against this will, and Siesta had given him a kiss as a token of gratitude, but what did it really mean? Was it just a way to say thanks? Or did it mean something more?

Again, Roxas saved that thought for a later time. He gave the mother and daughter one more small smile before he stood and left through the crowd. People parted the way as he walked, whispers flying from every direction. Their comments didn't bother him because he felt really happy for some reason. He could not keep the smile off his face.

Little did he know, there was a red-head and her petite friend that saw the whole thing from the alleyway.

"Tabitha, tell me you saw that!" Kirche whispered to her friend.

Tabitha nodded only once to give the indication that she heard, but she was too focused on what just happened. Louise's familiar had just used a healing spell that would have given a square class water Mage a run for their money. And he did it without a wand.

"Who are you?" Tabitha whispered.


It was an hour later that Roxas met Louise at the designated spot. She had a few bags and a vile grin on her face as she beckoned him to follow. It was another quick ride before they were back at the academy.

Soon they were back in her room, but Roxas wasn't paying attention. His mind was too focused on what happened that day. He actually got to see something incredible between a parent and child firsthand. He could not help but think.

Was that what it would have been like if he had parents?

Had he just witnessed love between a parent and child?

A Sudden crack jolted Roxas from his thoughts. He looked at Louise to notice she was holding a particularly nasty whip in her hands. It wasn't like the riding crop because it was long, and had jagged spikes running along the side. Just the look of it made Roxas want to cringe.

"Now since you decided to go against my orders and you also broke my whip, I was forced to get something that will be more effective."

There was silence between them for a few moments as Roxas stared at the nasty whip before looking at Louise. "So the only reason that you wanted to go to town was so you could get a new whip?"

Louise gave a smile as she nodded before she turned her attention to the second bag. "Not only that, but I also bought a few extra riding crops, just to give you more motivation to obey me." She said as she turned her attention back to Roxas. There was only one problem though.

He was long gone, the only indication that he was ever there was the open door.

Louise felt her mouth drop opened again. How did he do that? He slipped out the door in less than a second. "GET BACK HERE FAMILIAR." Louise screamed as she darted after him.

Roxas shook his head as he heard Louise screech from her bedroom. Usually, he would have argued with her a lot more, but right now, he had too much on his mind to be angry. It was so much easier to leave. He extended his hand, ready to open a corridor or darkness, but a voice stopped him.

"Roxas, this way!"

Roxas looked to his side to see a familiar face poking her head out of a doorway. It was Kirche. Immediately, he lowered his hand. He was not about to open a corridor of darkness in front of her. This was bad. He did not get enough of a head start to escape Louise without the Corridor. So the choice was between Kirche and Louise.

It didn't take a genius to make the best choice. He blindly rushed into Kirche's room and she closed the door behind them. Both Roxas and Kirche leaned against the door and listened as Louise rushed down the hallway, cracking her whip in anger as she shouted his name.

Roxas gave a frustrated sigh before he sat on the grown. If there was one thing he was learning the quickest, it was patience. He didn't even know he had this much patience in him for that girl. "There is no way I am getting whipped."

Kirche sat down beside him and leaned her head against his shoulder. "Why do you let her do that to you? With your strength, you could easily stop her."

"I have never let her whip me." He said as he looked at her curiously before he saw what she was wearing…or rather, what she was not wearing. Her clothing was so skimpy, he was curious if it even counted as clothing. For some reason, just looking was making his heart thump in his chest. His face grew a little warmer. As he continued to glance at her, he noticed that his heart was beating even faster. What was going on?

He looked away and took a deep breath to try and calm himself down before he attempted to nudge her head off of his shoulder, but she refused to move. Why was his body reacting like this? It was very similar to the time when Siesta kissed his cheek, but also a little different at the same time.

"You know, today was the day of void. I saw you left with Louise to the town." Kirche started, distracting him from his thoughts.

Roxas glanced at her again before diverting his eyes away from her body when he felt his heart act up again. "Ok…"

Kirche moved away from him before looking his face. "Tabitha and I followed you. We used her dragon to get to town." She said before fixing him with a strong gaze. "We saw what you did to that little girl."

Roxas looked over at her. Well, so much for keeping most of his abilities a secret. "So what? I wanted to help her, so I did."

"Roxas, she was on the brink of death. Healing her from those wounds should have taken much longer with very expensive remedies. Yet you managed to do it instantly."

"And?"

Kirche sighed. "You don't understand, do you? Not only did you use magic, but it was so powerful that you healed someone almost instantly. You're supposed to be a commoner, and yet you know incredibly powerful spells. And not only that, you can cast them without a wand. How?" She said as she took a glance at his ears to make sure they weren't pointed. "You're not an elf."

"I learned how to use magic from someone."

Kirche gave a frustrated sigh at the lack of answers. "So you can use magic. That means you are a noble then, right? If that's true, then why are you still Louise's familiar. A noble cannot be a familiar."

"I'm not a noble."

"But you can use magic."

"So? Just because I can use magic doesn't mean I am a noble."

Kirche frowned. "Then what are you? Who are you?"

"Just a nobody." Roxas replied solemnly.

Kirche stared at him for a long time before she shook her head. It didn't look like she was going to get any answers out of him.

"Alright then, Mystery man." She said seductively as she rested her head on his shoulder again before draping one of her arms over his chest. Roxas felt a small chill travel down his spine as her finger gently traced over his chest.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing~ you know, it was really sweet of you to heal that little girl."

Roxas scrunched his eyebrows in confusion as she looked at her. "And why do you care? She was a commoner."

Kirche winced slightly. "A lot of nobles are brought up to think they are above commoners, but many of them are not so heartless to think it is ok to kill an innocent girl."

"Buts it's ok to kill someone like Siesta?" He growled out.

"Guiche may have reacted a bit harsh. Any noble who has their pride injured will lash out. Why did you fight so hard to protect her?"

"Because she is my friend and I will never lose another friend ever again."

Kirche blinked as a small fraction of Roxas's past was reviled. "You lost someone?"

"I-I" Roxas started as the memory of that mysterious girl flashed through his mind again. He didn't know why, but his heart aced every time he thought about it. "I think I did." He said sadly.

"Hmmm." Kirche hummed as she saw the look on his face. "Well, why don't you let me make the pain go away?"

Roxas looked up at her, seeing the seductive look in her eye. "How?"

"With my love. Even since I saw you defeat Guiche, and when you selflessly healed that girl, I have fallen in love with you Roxas."

Love.

An emotion that he hadn't even come close to understanding. No one in the organization was willing, or was even able to explain it to him when he asked. Xaldin said that it was a worthless emotion that only resulted in weakness. But the interaction between the Beast and Bell displayed anything but weakness. So what was Love exactly?

"Kirche." Roxas started.

Kirche, who thought she had Roxas in the palm of her hand, looked up into his confused eyes. "Yes?"

"What is Love?"

Kirche blinked. Then blinked again, almost unsure if she heard him right. "What?"

"What is Love?"

Kirche blinked again. She had been expecting him to say a lot of things, but this was not one of them. How in the world could he not understand what love was? That was almost a basic human instinct, something that you learn when you are brought up.

"You don't know what love is?"

Roxas shook his head. "Love…Is something that I have yet to understand."

Again, Kirche was without words, and that was saying something. "How?"

"Never had the chance to learn…I guess."

"But, what about your parents? Didn't they ever teach you about Love?"

Roxas wanted to laugh bitterly. "I never had parents." Technically, he was only a couple years old. Parents were what somebody's had, not nobody's.

"You're an orphan? Then who taught you magic? Didn't they ever teach you about love?"

Again, Roxas wanted to laugh. He was taught magic by multiple people in the organization, who were just at emotionless as he was. "No. I was not. So what is it?"

Kirche stared at him for the longest time, trying to understand why this conversation was happening. She expected something so simple. She would seduce Roxas and they would have a steamy, passionate night together. But it quickly turned into something incredibly different. She was staring at a person who literally didn't know what love was. He didn't have parents, and from what it sounded like, he never had anyone to shown him what love was when he was growing up. What kind of life had he lived before he was summoned?

Roxas was staring at her expectantly as she stared right back at him. She wasn't answering her question. Did that mean she didn't know either? Roxas gave a small sigh as he stood from his position, Kirche's eyes following him.

"Thanks for hiding me." He said as he grasped the doorknob and pulled it open. Kirche could only watch as he walked out her door, being too puzzled to stop him as the conversation she had with the mysterious boy played through her mind.


Roxas found himself on the top of the academy tower again watching the sunset over the horizon. A lot had happened today, and his mind was filled with questions. There were still so many things that he didn't understand. So many questions that were left unanswered. He really wished that Axel was here now. Even if he was a nobody, Axel always seemed to know what to say when Roxas was confused like this.

But Axel was gone, just like she was…

Roxas frowned as another memory played though his mind. It was the same one that had been plaguing his dreams for the past few days. Every day, that dream was becoming more and more vivid, even to the point where he almost had tears in his eyes when he woke up.

"Who are you?" Roxas asked out loud as the girls face flashed through his mind. "And why do I feel so sad every time I see you? Why do I even feel at all? Aren't I supposed to not have a heart?"

He was knocked from his thoughts when he felt a familiar wind slap against his back. He turned to see Tabitha and Sylphid land on the tower behind him. Tabitha didn't have her face buried in a book today, which was a rare occurrence. She was staring at him though with her penetrative gaze as she hopped off her dragon. Slowly, she approached Roxas while continuing to stare at him.

"So, you and Kirche followed me today?"

Tabitha gave a small nod before sitting next to him on the ledge. She was staring at him, opening and closing her mouth a few times before she finally spoke.

"Your healing spell…" she asked quietly. "How strong is it?"

Roxas was once again surprise that he got that many words out of her in one sentence. He was slightly more surprised that she didn't ask any questions that were similar to Kirche's. "It depends on how much magic I use. I don't really have something to compare it too, but it saved me many times when I was on the brink of death." He replied, thinking back to the countless Heartless and Nobody's that he fought in the past. Without that healing spell, he would have died many times already.

Tabitha bit her lip slightly before she opened her mouth. Quickly she shut it again before pulling out a book and stuffing it in her face. Roxas looked at her curiously before he turned back to the sunset. He thought that Tabitha's actions where extremely strange. For some reason, she looked…sad, almost desperate. But he didn't let that worry him. If she wanted to ask him something, she would, Right?


It was a few days later and Roxas had continued to avoid Louise and her whip. It was so much easier than constantly arguing with her and Sylphid was nice enough to be his sleeping buddy for a few days.

There were many things that Louise would order him to do, but Roxas would refuse most of them. However, there was only one chore that he would help her with because it had a mutual benefit.

Laundry.

Why? It was because it would give him time wash his own cloths and talk with Siesta. Siesta and Roxas had made it a usual pattern every day to meet at the same spot to do laundry so they could have the chance to just chat about the day and enjoy each other's company. Siesta was her usual happy and cheerful self, which was something that brightened Roxas's day. Even if he had to do some laundry, it was nice to talk with the girl.

He also saw Tabitha every day as the sun went down. They would meet on the academy tower and usually Tabitha would spare a few words before she went back to her book as Roxas watched the sunset. It was a really peaceful time for both of them. It allowed Roxas to unwind and prepare for another day of craziness at this academy. Even though it was a rocky start, he was really enjoying the life that Louise had given him. Even Louise was getting better with her attitude. She still said and did a lot of things that really bothered him, but it was becoming easier to tolerate her.

Kirche on the other hand was acting really strange towards him. The first day after their conversation, she was staring at him with a curious gaze. Every time he would glance back at her, she would grin at him and wink.

Overall, he was really starting to enjoy his time at the academy.


"Hey Siesta."

"Roxas."

Siesta and Roxas had met at their usual place to do laundry and chat. Usually Roxas just listened as she rattled off about certain topics, but occasionally she would ask a question. Truthfully, he felt bad that he had not told her much about himself, but she seemed to not mind that much.

"Thanks as always Siesta." Roxas said with a smile as he scooped up the rest of the laundry.

"It's not a problem. It's always nice talking with you." She replied before she gave him a sad smile. "Roxas?"

"Hmm?"

Siesta's lower lip trembled slightly before she suddenly bowed to him, causing him to raise his eyebrows. "Thank you so much."

Roxas blinked a few times. "For what?"

"Just everything you have done for me. Saving my life, meeting here every day and listening to me rattle on about stuff, and just being my friend. Seeing the strength you have has given me the strength to continue moving forward." She said a bright smile. Though this time, Roxas could tell that something was off about it.

"Siesta. Is something wrong?"

Siesta's eyes widened before she frantically shook her head. "No."

Again Roxas could tell that something was wrong, but didn't push. If something was wrong, she you just tell him, Right?

"Okay. If you need something, just let know. Were friend, Right?"

Siesta bit her lip. "You are so kind Roxas. But no, nothing is wrong. Goodbye." She said as she quickly turned and walked away.

Roxas frowned as he watched her retreating form. Something about this situation was very wrong. Even he could tell. Tomorrow, he would ask again. But if something was wrong, why would she hide it from him?

Slowly, he walked back up to Louis's room to drop the laundry off.

It was the next morning that Roxas found himself in the kitchen again, eating breakfast. It was delicious as usual. Curiously he looked around for Siesta.

"Hey Marteau, Where's Siesta?"

Marteau suddenly stopped working; a sorrowful look crossed his face. "You didn't hear? She was hired somewhere else."

Roxas dropped his spoon. "She is gone."

Marteau grunted. "Not by choice. One of the nobles saw her and...Took fancy, if you know what I mean. Since he is in direct relation to the royal palace, we can't do a thing about it, even if she was hired to be a mistress." He said before he gave a long sigh. "In the end, commoners are powerless against nobles."

Roxas's eyes widened. That job description sounded extremely familiar. He only prayed he was wrong. "What is the noble's name?"

"Count Mott." Merteau replied as he went back to work.

There were many times he had been angry ever since he was summoned to this world, But all of them paled in compared to the pure rage he felt burning inside him as soon as those words left Marteau's mouth. He was shaking when he remembered the bleeding girl on the road, her mother crying over her body as the Count sneered over them. Siesta would be forced to work for that man? Being a mistress was a terrible fate according to Ellie's mother, and he was not going to let that happen.

Immediately, without even finishing his food, Roxas bolted out of the kitchen. He knew something was wrong with Siesta last night. Why didn't she tell him? He could have helped her.

He didn't even know how to find Count Mott, but he knew a few people who should. He immediately raced to Kirche's room before knocking. When no answer came, he could only assume it was because she was in class, but he didn't have the patience to wait for her. He raced down the hall toward the classroom. He was running so fast that he didn't see the blond hared boy until it was too late. He violently collided with the boy and they were both sent to the ground. Roxas looked over and saw it was Guiche.

Guiche on the other hand looked at Roxas with slight fear in his eyes, but also a little respect as well. The past few days had been really humbling for the boy as he thought about his actions. Not to mention he was desperately trying to win Montmorency over again. He quickly got to his feet. "What's the rush Roxas? It's dangerous to run through the halls like that." He said dramatically, not even angry that he was knocked over.

Roxas looked at Guiche for a second. He was still a little pissed off at the boy for almost hurting Siesta, but he had other things to worry about. And besides, Guiche hadn't done anything since.

Wait.

Guiche was a noble, so it couldn't hurt to ask. "Guiche, do you know who Count Mott is?"

In a second, the playful flamboyancy in his eyes was replaced by anger and irritation. "Yes I know who Count Mott is. He and my family have never really been on good terms. Why?"

Roxas clenched his fists. "He took Siesta to be his mistress." He said as he leveled the boy with a glare. "You know what happens to people who mess with my friends."

Guiche raised his hand in a peaceful gesture, but he had a smirk on his face again. "Yes I am well aware. If you plan to do the same thing to Count Mott, then I have no problems pointing you in the right direction. Though I have to warn you, Count Mott is a triangle class mage, and there might be political issues if you attack him."

"I don't care. Siesta is my friend and I will protect her. Now, where does he live?"


Authors Note: There you have it. Roxas is pissed off. Anyways, I introduced a couple of OC's who will appear in further chapters. Yes, Derflinger is not here yet, but don't worry, he will make his appearance. Not soon, but he will. Sorry if anyone thinks that Curaga was to OP in this story, but even in the games, when the characters had a tiny bit of health, Curaga would fix them right up. Anyway, how did I do? Please leave a review and look forward to the next chapter.

Later!