A/N- I don't own Kingdom Hearts. Square and Disney do. (

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Chapter 2-"Twilight Town"

Roxas looked up at the man who stood before him, staring back intently at the amber eyes that glowered at him. "Ahh…my apologies" said the man, pulling his hood back and revealing a mane of spiked, silvery hair that lay over bronze skin. "My name is Xemnas," he stated mildly, "but you may call me the Superior"

Roxas looked back at the man, his instinct telling him that he should be frightened. "You really shouldn't act like that," cut in a sarcastic voice behind. "You're scaring the kid, boss…"

Behind them, another swirling portal admitted a tall man dressed in the same style of coat as Xemnas. The latter turned to face the former. The newcomer stepped forward and swept his hood off his face. His face was more youthful than the Superior, and he had an air about him that was certainly less oppressing than him. He had a tall, skinny body, with lanky arms that hung at his side. His long red hair was spiked back like a hedgehog, his emerald green eyes were filled with an unstable energy, and to top it off he had a tear-sized, kite-shaped, black tattoo under each eye. "Yo…Superior…" he said idly as he sauntered over to Roxas. "The name's Axel," he said, pointing a finger to his temple as he added, "Got it memorized?"

Axel extended out a hand to shake the young boy's hand. "My name's Roxas, nice to meet you" the other replied, somewhat taken aback by the sudden drop in the tension surrounding him.

Xemnas, meanwhile, looked on at the two somewhat impatiently. "Since you two seem to like each other so much," he said sardonically, "you will be partners for now..."

He turned to Axel. "I expect that you show him around this world," he said in a business-like manner. "I'll send for you when I have your next mission lined up." With a swish of his coat, he disappeared into a portal.

Axel turned to his new partner with an jovial look. "Looks like we got the rest of the day off, partner" he said with a grin. "C'mere, I'll show you around the place"

He walked into the forest, beckoning for Roxas to follow. Slowly and tentatively, Roxas ambled after his new companion. When he managed to catch up with Axel's long strides, he looked up at his new partner's face. Like the other man, he saw a veil of apathy hide itself the moment they faced each other. As he turned around to look back at Roxas, his face rejoined its dynamic composure; a perfect façade of emotion.

Axel turned towards him. "So then," began the man, "who was your real self?"

Roxas looked down at the ground as he walked. "I…don't really know…" he admitted embarrassingly.

Axel scoffed and replied, "Man, that's one of the things you've got to know! Got it memorized?"

Roxas stared at him, slightly miffed at being schooled. "Well, where did you come from?"

Axel grinned and walked on wordlessly. As the other end of the forest began to dissipate, the walls of a large town came into view. On one side of the wall was a large hole that had a few broken strands of "CAUTION" tape clinging to the sides. Axel's face took a distant look as his eye flashed. "I came from a place called Gongaga…it's been destroyed now…" Without another word, he stepped through the hole, with Roxas following soon after.

After five meters of rubble and twisted metal, Roxas emerged out of the hole. As his eyes re-adjusted to the light, he beheld the town for the first time; the warm, familiar feeling that lingered in the air, the plainly decorated, almost Italian style houses, the old fashioned tram that ran around the tracks, and even the massive clock tower that stood in the center like an ancient guardian to the people below. Axel turned to him. "Welcome to Twilight Town."

The two of them strode through the streets, the older one pointing out key locations and their use for future visits, as well as places for entertainment. They passed by the train station, taking note of the strange train that was parked there; the place dubbed "the Usual Spot" which would be good for hiding; and they even went so far as to go to Sunset Hill, albeit during the day.

Their tour came to a halt at a back street that overlooked an open courtyard. In the center was a makeshift arena, where the older boys from throughout the town battled each other. Roxas looked up just in time to see a tall, blue haired man to send a short, squat boy flying into the air in a cloud of pink orbs. "That," explained Axel with a flourish, "is the Sandlot. They hold contests called Struggles there. From what I've seen, the goal is to collect the most orbs before time runs out."

"Yeah, currently Setzer is the hands-down favorite for this year" interrupted voice.

Roxas wheeled about only to come face to face with a young, pretty brunette with long, shimmering hair that accented her green eyes nicely. She wore a yellow tank top and blue capris, and held herself in a way many of the town boys found endearing. He was flustered for a brief moment, then inquired calmly, "Who are you?"

The girl giggled. "My name's Olette, what's yours?"

Roxas never noticed how simple the design of his shoes were. "My name's Roxas." he said softly "I'm new here."

Olette smiled pleasantly. "Really? So, what grade will you be attending this year then?" she asked sincerely.

Before he could answer, Axel butted in. "Yo, Roxas, we'd better get going if we want to be done by sunset!" he shouted from ten yards away.

Roxas nodded in acknowledgement and turned towards the girl. "Sorry, but it was nice meeting you" he said politely.

The girl smiled and clasped her hands behind her back. "It's alright, it was a pleasure," she said happily, "I hope we can meet again sometime"

"Yeah…" he said cheerfully as he turned to rejoin his partner.