obviously i do not own anything in this story with the exception of raiex/michiko/ray &yes they're all the same person hehe

copyright goes to: Square Enix&Masashi Kishimoto.

NINJA HEARTS 05; oh, it is love.

It is love, from the first time I pressed my hand into yours, thinkink 'oh is it love?'

"W-What do you mean by 'not good'? Some tough guys kidnapped him? We can handle 'em!" You answer trying to be optimistic, Axel only shakes his head, looking really down. The look on his face made you want to cry, you've never seen Axel so..crushed.

"Then what? It can't be that bad?" You ask, worried.

"I...I, well...It's difficult to say...but he..." He stammers.

"Just tell me already!" You say frustrated, you wanted to know what happened to Roxas, your best friend.

You started to remember all the good times you had with him, you'd known him and Axel since you were about six or seven, and could never forget all the memories. The three of you were inseparable, it was always 'Ray, Roxas and Axel' not just Ray or just Roxas,

you were like family, a very dorky family, but a family nonetheless.

"He...he..." Axel took a deep breath and spit it out, "He doesn't remember either of us..."

"What? You've got to be kidding me! Roxas could never just...forget." Axel shook his head again.

"No, while you were out on your 'date' with Naruto, I went to the first place I could think of...and he was there." Axel said, dropping his voice on the last part, lowering his eyes to the ground.

"I was NOT on a date! And don't be stupid Axel, he could never forget!"

You almost shout back. 'He's being ridiculous, he would never forget me, he promised. No matter what happens I'll remember this, got it Ray? That's what he said! That's what he said when we were at the beach one day. No, I don't know what Axel's doing, but Roxas would never forget, never.' You think to yourself.

"Ray, I know what you're thinking, but he attacked me! If Roxas could remember me, would he freakin' try to fight me?" Axel yelled out.

"I don't believe you! Are you jealous or something? Because before he was kidnapped he was spending so much time with me and not you?! Is that it Axel?" You scream back at him, then realizing what you just said. Axel stayed quiet for a minute, then began to speak again, quietly.

"Fine, if you don't believe me then you'll just have to see for yourself..." He walked slowly back to the ship, not making eye contact with you the whole way. You felt sorry for what you said after his reaction, but the whole thing was so stupid you didn't know what to believe.

When you two got on the ship, Axel just took the controls and stayed silent the whole way. You didn't want to face Naruto or...your brother

at the moment, but it had to happen. And it had, the moment you stepped on the ship, apparently Naruto didn't see the sad look on your face, so he just blew up at you with all these questions, which was what you expected.

"So what the hell Ray? What is up with you? You are such a mystery, you just show up one day, and I don't know get on Gaara's bad side,

activate Sharingan AND Byakugan on the same day, end up in the hospital, then you tell me about your weird family history and now we're on this weird ship going where?!"

"Naruto, I'm sorry. I didn't know things were going to happen this way. It's been like a blast from the past, and I should have known that this was going to happen sooner or later, I wish it was later..." You answer quietly, then glance up over at Neji.

"Neji..." you say, barley audible, forgetting all the bitterness you had towards him since the last time you spoke to him.

"Michiko. I'm so sorry-" He begins. "No, it's okay. I understand." You interrupt, realizing why he was so cold to you before, he missed his father,

and was a bit jealous that you still had a family to care for you. You run over to hug him, as tears streak your cheeks. And there was Naruto

again, confused as all hell, not caring that this wasn't the moment for it began babbling again.

"YOU STILL HAVEN'T ANSWERED MY QUESTIONS RAY!"

"Naruto!" Neji shouts.

"I see you two are having a 'moment', but again, what the hell?!"

"I understand your confused but have you ever thought that this was never you business?" Neji retorts.

"No, no. It's okay Neji, I brought him into all this," You tell your brother, whom you are still hugging.

"Okay Naruto, I'll tell you everything..." You say, letting Neji go.

"Start with him." Naruto scoffs and points at Neji.

"He's my brother."

"Your brother?!"

"Actually half brother, but yeah."

"What? So your from Konoha?"

"You you remember when I said I was half Hyuga and Uchiha, well I lived in the Leaf Village since I was five or six, and then..."

At this, Neji looked up curious to know what happened to you then, he thought you'd died with the rest of the Uchiha.

"I went to Suna, that's how I met Gaara. I stayed with him, I was his first friend, I imagine he was angry when I left. I guess he didn't know I was kidnapped..." Axel was listening the whole time and when he heard this he winced, there was something he knew that you didn't.

"You were kidnapped?! By who?" Naruto questioned.

"Well the Organization. I was taken to another world, or kingdom I should say." You answered.

"Huh? What's this Organization? And a kingdom? Whaaa?"

"The Organization Thirteen, well it's Fourteen now that I joined. It's a group that Axel and I are in with 12 others. And one of those others is why we are on this ship right now. Roxas." You explain to Naruto.

"Roxas? How come? Where is he?"

"He was kidnapped too, or that's what we were led to believe." You glare up at Axel, who was still not looking in your direction. "Axel is taking us to him right now." You add, leaving out what Axel had told you earlier, you didn't want to think that Roxas would really forget about you.

"To show her what they did to him." Axel says angrily, not turning to face any of you.

"What is he talking about Ray?" Naruto asks in a small voice. You turn your head to hide the tears about to fall from your watering eyes.

"Nothing." You answer in an even smaller voice, and you feel your face getting hot with anger, or was it sadness and for once Naruto seemed

to acknowledge it. He left that subject alone and started asking you about your Uchiha half.

"So did you have any family on your Uchiha side?"

"Yeah I HAD two brothers." You answer, thinking angrily of your eldest brother Itachi.

"Before you continue on with stories of your other life, we're here." Axel states meanly. You glare at him once again and open the ship door

to see a place you've been to many times before, Twilight Town.

"What? Here? We've checked here hundreds of times." You ask, but the next thing you know you're looking at the back of Roxas' blonde head.

"ROXAS!" You scream out, running toward him, excitedly.

"Uhh, yeah? Who are you?" He asks, giving you a weird look. Your face fell, he really didn't remember.

"I-I...You don't...Roxas? You don't remember?" You say in a quiet voice. He looks over at Axel.

"You again? Gosh, is this a joke or something? Why do you weirdos keep coming over here claiming I know you, when I don't?!" Roxas shouts. "Let's go guys." He turns to his friends, and stalks away. A girl with brown hair gives you a sad, worried look. From far away you could hear to say, "I don't know Roxas, maybe you were a little harsh. Are you sure you don't remember that girl?" He shakes his head and starts to walk faster, not turning back to look at you again.

'Axel was right. I lost one of my best friends, one of the closest people to me, a real brother who was always there for me, and I may have lost Axel too.'

AXEL POV

I can't even put into words how Ray made me feel that day, just disappointment after disappointment. First I was invisible, then I was this jealous freak who wanted to ruin her life, and then the look on her face when she realized I was right, she was crushed. I wish I'd never told her, I wish I'd never found him, came to this stupid place. I couldn't stand seeing Ray like that, she was usually fun and happy, and even when she wasn't she could hide it well, but not then, she let it all out. She ran to the ship, locked herself in there for a good hour, all by herself, crying all the while. I could hear it all, she cried, and cried, and cried. I wanted so much to go back in time and make it so that none of this ever happened, or at least to comfort her, apologize for being a jerk, I thought nobodies couldn't feel anything, I knew I was feeling something, and it was pain, pain for my best friend, pain for the girl I loved. Yes there it was, another emotion I wasn't supposed to experience, love. I could finally let myself realize that I loved Ray, I loved her even though I didn't know who she was anymore.

END AXEL POV

When you were done crying, thinking, and crying some more, you opened the door to see Axel and the others waiting for you.

'I couldn't stand to look at them, their faces...their faces had almost as much pain in them as mine probably did and it was on a count of me.'

You called Axel up, you need to talk to him, the other of your best friends, the other closest person to you, another real brother who'd been there for you throughout it all, who you'd been treating like crap since you got to Konoha, you couldn't lose him too.

"Axel.." You managed to get out, still shaking from all the crying. "I'm so sorry, I should have-"

"No, I shouldn't have told you, I knew it would hurt you. I thought you needed to know the truth, but there was nothing you could do about it. I should have just stayed quiet." Axel interrupted.

"I still should have believed you, I knew you weren't jealous, and I knew that you'd never lie to me. I didn't want to believe he would forget me, or us. And I'm sorry I've been a jerk, not including you with my...other life. I should have told you from the beginning." You say, rubbing your puffy eyes.

"I understand, I'll always understand, Ray. You didn't wanna relive that, and I didn't ask because I could tell it hurt you, and I didn't want that."

Axel hugs you, warmly. You start to sob into his chest, sad again thinking of all the people you've lost, but happy because you realized that you had someone that you would never lose.

"I love you, Axel." You say quietly, looking up into his twinkling emerald eyes.

"Finally." He says, hugging you tighter, kissing you on the forehead.

A few minutes later you fall asleep in Axel's arms. When he heard a knock on the ship door, he sat you on a chair, and lets the boys in.

Again Naruto realizes that this was not the time for questioning, although he still did not get all his answers, he sat quiet the whole ride home.

Neji took the seat next to you and took your hand, he was worried about you.

"She'll be fine now, don't worry." Axel stated glancing back at him from the front of the ship, then looking to Naruto who hadn't spoken the entire time, which was a first. "I don't know about him though." He points to the boy haired boy staring out the window.

"Naruto. Are you worried also?" Neji asks, wondering why he was being so quiet.

"Yes, but I keep wondering about her, you know? She's so different, this whole weird past and everything, I mean what's up with her?" Naruto answers looking over at Axel. He made a face, and Naruto knew that Axel was hiding something.

"Axel, you know something don't you?"

"How can you tell?"

"You're not very good at keeping things hidden, well from us anyway." Neji could tell too.