CH2: Uncertainty


Concentrate.

It's the word on the tip of his tongue, egging him to go on in this pointless scramble of the mind. Too much noise, not enough focus. Distraction comes with sharpened claws, and the attention span is spent once more.

Try again. Remember. You're forgetting something important.

It's almost like someone's speaking into his ear, but that can't be right. He was asleep; no, he is still asleep. There's a contradiction in his thoughts. Instead of dreams, intangibility haunts his consciousness. Something he can almost grasp with his fingers before it dissolves into the air, infuriatingly close. If only he could get his mind focused on the issue at hand, but a million other things pull on his awareness. He doesn't even know what he's trying to recall, only that he should know what it is by heart. Why? Just like if someone was smothering him with a pillow, or snuffing out a candle with pinched fingers. The image of a flame is oddly reminiscent, though. It serves as a source of light, doesn't it? A guide along a path urging him on, possibly, leading him somewhere. The destination didn't matter to him, just as long as he was headed in the right direction. And then-

Blink, blink. Stare.

Sora finds himself staring at a pitch black sky. Or is it the ceiling of his bedroom? Nothing remarkable meets his eyes, so at first he doesn't feel threatened by the darkness surrounding him for approximately two seconds. Delusion tells him that he's outside, but in the absence of sound, only silence assaults him in its full force. He finds himself straining to hear a voice besides his own raspy breathing and comes up empty-handed. Eventually, exposure catches up to him and his eyes gradually adjust, but it's no better. It only serves as a cold confirmation of the worry settling in him. There's only the endless stretch of filmy darkness to gaze upon, everywhere he turns. It reminds him of another place and time, one that evades his memory. The air is still too gauzy to give any clear description; he can barely see beyond a few feet before everything blurs. Sitting up, the only thing he's certain of is that the floor is real. Rising up to standing position, he begins to walk across the expanse. He isn't sure if he's gaining any distance, or if it's all a trick in his head, but the teenager swallows his doubts and continues with a renewed sense of confidence, descending further through this nowhere-place into probable madness.

So when he finally spots someone through the shadowy fog, it takes all his willpower to hold himself from racing toward the person in leaping steps. The brunette thus manages to hold onto the ideal of self-control, but he can't stop his smile from widening. The figure is sitting, head hidden behind its knees and shoulders hung low. Unrecognizable from a distance where distortions are ever-present and jumping to conclusions is a feasible option, when the said individual comes into direct view, Sora stops in his tracks, his smile disappearing under a line of indecision. His voice comes out a little stronger than he thought it would.

"...Roxas?"

For a long time, Roxas was just sitting there, oddly at peace. The darkness that had been so unnerving to Sora was a gentle backdrop to the blonde. His days revolved around reliving moments in his past. The time he had spent with the Organization, endlessly filled with missions. Afternoons with Axel on the clock tower, the salty-sweet taste lingering in his mouth. Companionship between two lonely individuals with no hearts, somehow, was comforting, the upsides of misery with company. There was the confrontation and battle with Riku, who fought for his friends and always his friends. Then, the drifting summer days of Twilight Town, procrastinating for hours in endless sunset with Hayner, Pence, Olette. They were real to him, despite everyone else telling him otherwise. Then, the meetings with Naminé, a so-called witch of sorts, who desperately wanted to help him, trying to convince him that everything would work out, that he wouldn't disappear into oblivion. DiZ, who manipulated him to the very end, plagued Roxas for a long time with the spell of hurt, but that, was over and done with, forgiven.

Finally, he came full circle, reuniting with his Other again. It was a lie to have said that he hadn't been afraid. That he faced Sora, the savior of countless worlds without any regrets. But he had been satisfied to see that he wasn't alone. Naminé joined her Somebody with open arms in the unfailing belief that she'd continue to exist, even more completely than before. And it would've been a weak defense to say that he couldn't do the same. It wasn't all like he thought it would be, though, resigning himself to that fate.

To put it bluntly, he hesitated at the last second before full synchronization, ending up stranded in the middle of nowhere, a region between nothingness and completion. Roxas was left to brood whatever lay in store for him, but he knew he couldn't stay long. He was receding back into the emptiness of inexistence ever second that passed, and the longer it took him to escape, the more he forgot. He had trouble remembering the faces of his allies and friends, and it scared him. It was sign that he was slowly but surely losing himself, and a reminder that one day, he wouldn't even have the need to escape. He would be already gone, a figment of even the hollow self he was.

So, like Sora, Roxas wandered the entire area in search of an exit, and found no consolation. There was no opening, doorway, or trial to pass through. There wasn't even the reassurance of Heartless or Nobodies, and whenever he tried to conjure up a portal of darkness, nothing occurred. He was stuck in this doldrums for eternity because he had last-second doubts about becoming Sora again. After passing through the customary stages of panic, grief, anger, and resignation, he decided that he'd at least attempt to gather his wits through memory. Not to mention, more comforting than screaming obscenities at the top of his lungs. He found that staying in one spot while doing so helped him better remember.

So hearing his name called was a huge surprise. His head snapped up, eyes dimmed and hair slightly askew, though still gravity-defying as usual. Then he saw the hero himself standing triumphantly in bunny slippers in the realm of nothingness, knocking at Roxas's head with one of his fists. He couldn't have been more surprised if Sora started barfing liquid rainbows. Speak of the devil.

''Heeelllooo, is anyone in there?''

It's hard not to gawk, with emotions of shock and surprise and – what the hell is he doing here?- hitting the blonde at 110%. ''I'm not sleeping!'' Roxas tersely replies at last, swatting at Sora and unconsciously scooting backwards.

''Obviously,'' Sora says, ignoring Roxas's passive resistance and taking a seat next to him. He's quiet for a moment, and then speaks up once more. ''Where are we?''

Roxas gapes at him. ''I could be asking you the same question. What are you doing here…?''

Sora exhales, a momentary grin fading from his face and a look of doubt dumbly crosses his face. ''That doesn't answer my question. Well, I guess that makes the two of us.''

A moment of awkward tension passes between the two, and Roxas finds his voice again. ''What happened?''

''I'm not sure. I was woken up in bed by this strange voice. The funny thing is it sounded a lot like you. I was kinda relieved, because I hadn't heard from you since, y'know, that time, but then I had this huge headache and-'' Sora stopped midsentence, stealing one quick glance at the other and shuddered.

''And?''

''I … I don't remember. I think I must've blacked out. The next second, I woke up in this place, walked around for a bit, and wound up bumping into you.''

''That's all?''

One feverish nod and a look of desperation flooded the brunette's face. ''Should there be something else?''

Roxas contemplated for a moment, trying to sort everything out, but it was just as meaningless as before. The tone of his voice lifted into a strange warble, coming out strangled at the very end. ''How can both of us be here at the same time? I have an excuse, but you …''

Sora leaped to his feet, and without a word, strode through thicker patches of fog and nearly out of sight. Roxas jumped up and joined him, breaking into a jog to catch up. ''Wait! Where are you going?''

''To find a way out of here,'' Sora answered, not slowing down in the slightest. ''You're welcome to join. Company does make the time go by, after all.''

''I don't think there's any way out of here just through walking.'' Roxas mutters, to himself more than Sora. He motions with his hands, trying to convey an idea that pops unannounced into his head and fails miserably. He groans in frustration. ''A puzzle, maybe?''

Sora stopped for one beat, proceeding to continue at a faster pace. Staring forward, Roxas couldn't see his expression. ''It could be. But I still think it's better if we look around while we think about it. At the very least, it's more productive, right?''

Roxas sighed, and then shrugged nonchalantly. ''Suit yourself.'' He tagged along behind him, and two disappeared into the mist with a little more than the soft patter of battered sneakers and worn-out bunny slippers leading the way.


''Are you going to eat that?'' A boy with spiky cinnamon-tinted hair and cerulean eyes gestured longingly toward the chocolate muffin, nearly drooling at the mouth.

''Erm, no. Go ahead and take it.'' His companion raises a speculating eyebrow at him, then the pastry, then throws it at him. ''I'm out, gonna' go play ball with the rest of them. You coming?''

The boy with the eerily similar resemblance of Sora catches the muffin, cheerily grinning. ''Nah, I have better things to do, but thanks anyway!'' He spins around and heads in the opposite direction. He smiles and waves at all the other bystanders until all the pedestrians leisurely walk right out of view, then the picturesque smile is replaced with a moping frown. He starts chomping down on the cake in quick fistfuls, downing it in less than three gulps. Still unsatisfied, he wipes the crumbs from his mouth with a free arm and shoves his hands into his pockets and blunders down the path in a forceful manner unbecoming of a usually happy-go-lucky boy.

''This is stupid. Every single day is the same, boring thing. Taking way too long.''

Not watching the scenery, he strays off the path and dives into brambles that cling at his clothes, trying to hold him back, but he pushes straight through them. Leaving the neatly lined, almost-identical houses of the small town, he walks straight off to the edge of a shore. Bluish water with hints of green foam and break at the edge, nearly rising up to meet him, but rushing back at a certain point. Farther ahead, an island shimmers like a mirage in the afternoon light, a haven for creatures and plants of all varieties. But the teenager isn't interested. He turns away from the shimmering view, uneasily choosing instead to stomp at crabs stumbling through cracks in the sand. So enveloped in the childish endeavor, he doesn't notice a redhead checking every nook and cranny for something until she spots what looks like Sora and tiptoes over. She strays to the point behind his shadow, and cautiously picking up one of the scuttling crabs at the tip, she delicately reaches higher and places it at the top of his head, then stands back and watches the scene unfold.

Sora doesn't notice it to the point a crab arm is dangling over his eyes, and with one snap of its wrist, it closes its claw on the adolescent's nose. ''What the – OOWWWW?'' He hops on both feet, arms flailing, and stumbles forward into the sand, sprawled in a perfect face plant.

Behind him, a girl giggles, then steps over and gently unhooks the claw from the boy's nose, despite his protests and struggles to remove it from a single yank. When the obstruction from his face is gone, he stands straight up, fuming. ''You had to do that why …?''

Kairi waves a hand at him, dismissing it with a laugh. ''That's what you get for hurting those poor defenseless crabs. They didn't do anything to you, meanie. Anyway, this makes us even.'' She stretches until her arms toward the sky until her joints crack, staring back at him with a budding of concern. ''Getting to the real point now. Sora, you haven't been yourself lately. What's up?''

Sora comments back, his voice a tad chipper than it was previously. ''Must be in your head, Kai. I'm fine, contrary to popular belief. Just tired, that's all.''

''Is that so?'' Kairi murmurs, stepping in closer contact to the brunette until they're facing each other at eye-level. ''Did you get in an argument with Riku again? It seems like you've been avoiding him. And you won't even go with us to the island anymore, either.''

'That's because he'll find out too quickly, even more so in that place.'

''For your information, I only wanted some fresh air, and to check out all the new faces around here. In case you haven't noticed, a lot has changed since I left Destiny Islands. It feels a little weird coming back now, after everything that happened. I... I don't feel like I belong anymore.'' Sora's breath catches staring at Kairi's eyes, a dazzling shade of violet, and he glares elsewhere to examine a blade of grass, cursing the fact that the keyblade wielder's stupid affections are catching up with him once more.

'It's been getting difficult to lie to this girl. She's suspicious as well,' he reasons to himself. 'At least it won't be for any longer. In a few days, this will all be over.'

The redhead's cheeks blush crimson at the retort, and she attentively places her hand on his shoulder, making him glance back at her. ''I'm sorry you feel that way. But Riku and I are your friends, Sora. If you have any problems, just tell us, okay?''

Sora doesn't answer, examining the girl, a weird glow glistening in his eyes and the smirk so unlike him. In the shifting sunlight, the orbs almost look golden. Kairi wonders why, her lips already forming the question of contacts. Before she gets a chance, though, the brown-haired boy leans down and quickly kisses her, his arms folding her in an embrace both tight and comforting. Taken aback, she doesn't put up any real counter-attacks, all her questions and accusations and doubts flying out of her head like pieces of paper in the wind. And when the kiss ends, she surprises even herself by reaching across the short distance and kissing him back.


Out of the blue, Sora pauses in his long trek and sneezes into his elbow. Roxas apprehensively watches him, eyes darting back and forth between the hero and the darkness around him. ''I can always continue on my own, Sora. You could wait here if you're feeling ill.'' The blonde points to a random spot on the ground, but the brunette shakes his head ruefully.

''I'm not sick; it's my intuition's telling me that someone's talking behind my back.''

''Is it really that reliable?'' Roxas scoffs pointedly. ''There's only the two of us here, as far as I can see.''

''Then a ghost is talking about me, duh.'' Sora leaps forward, swinging his arm around the other in a camaraderie sort of way, beaming foolishly like they were friends. ''I'm so bored I'm going to go crazy with it. Tell me ghost stories, Rox- asssss. ~''

The Nobody rolls his eyes, not amused by the Somebody's antics. ''That's such a great idea, given our current location: the middle of nowhere. And what makes you think exaggerating my name will somehow magically convince me of doing whatever you want?''

''Because you're cool beans,'' Sora says so gravely that Roxas takes him seriously, until the brunette dissolves into laughing.

''What does that even mean?'' Roxas glares at him, mad at himself for believing the boy for even a second.

''So many questions! I give, I give. Whatever you want it to mean,'' Sora stops his joking for a moment, appraising him with a swift bobble of approval. ''Thanks, Roxas.''

''For what?'' the blonde curiously asks.

''Everything.'' Sora self-consciously scratches his cheek. ''I don't have to repeat myself, do I?''

Roxas stares in disbelief, before the beginnings of a smile appear, the first time since he became entangled in the darkness around him. ''No, I hear you loud and clear.''

Sora grins lightheartedly, all awkwardness wiped clean once again. ''Now come on, how about that story?''

A groan could be heard echoing throughout the area. ''But I don't even know any good ones you've probably already heard a thousand times already…''


A/N: Next chapter will be more interesting? Gah, I'm pretty sure I screwed up with everything, though. /facepalm.

Disclaimer: Same deal, I don't own Square Enix or Disney; they belong to their respective authors. I don't get paid, I do this for fun, yeah, yeah ..