I was actually worried about this chapter at first. I was worried that there wouldn't be enough sections about Sora (who is the main character) and that Roxas, Axel and Tidus (who are important characters, but are not the main characters) would steal the chapter. Surprisingly, this did not happen as Sora had more to say then I thought he did, and Riku(who is another main character even though at times it doesn't seem like it) who was hardly going to be in this chapter found a way to weasel his part in. Thank you, Riku.

And a big Thank you to all reviewed!

Chapter Four: Reality Crashes

Sora ran with tangled thoughts crowding his mind. Physically he was unaware of himself, but his internal processes were reeling.

This deranged world had sprung up because he had entered this labyrinth, and Sora was sure that the way back home was somewhere back within the depths. He replayed last night's hazy memories: it was raining, he had dashed through the gates of the garden, he had felt so lost then, but last night didn't even compare to what he was feeling now. Hope and hopelessness, it all felt the same. It was a giant void sucking him into a narrowing tunnel of despair.

"Roxas!" he rasped, his throat felt raw with overuse.

Night descended, granting ghoulish figures of the gnarled plants and the path beneath Sora's feet felt like never-ending winding snakes. Their jaws poised in wait to swallow him into deeper depression.

Another dead end! Sora spun around, but tripped over his feet. Energy still coursed through his body, and he was back up in an instant, but instead of running on, he darted back to the dead end and started to claw a doorway out of the wall.

He snatched at cutting leaves and biting branches to push his way through their unforgiving cage.

"Roxas!" his voice was hoarse and scratchy, and the snarling edges of the broken labyrinth wall ripped at the skin on his hands and arms.

His drive came to a sudden halt the second he toppled to the other side of the wall and crashed against the callous ground.

He was not racked with sobs as his body was too emotionally and physically tired. Instead silent tears spilled from his eyes, but he was too drained to rub them away. He let them sting his cheeks as they fell.

Was he stuck forever in this nightmare?

Sora was not sure how long he laid there as he was unaware of the world around him, until he heard the sound of approaching feet. His fingers twitched and he whispered uncertainly, "Roxas?"

"Sora," was the soft reply. Sora groaned, knowing that the voice did not belong to his brother, but rather to Riku, "If you could only see yourself."

"I'm so lost," Sora murmured.

"I know," Riku knelt on his knees beside Sora's broken form, "but it's alright to be lost."

"How?" Sora pleaded.

"So, that you can be found," Riku ever so hesitantly brushed Sora's cheek with a touch as light as a feather. He wiped away a tear, tickling Sora's skin, "Here, I'm going to help you up."

Sora let himself be pulled to his feet; he was once again that puppet controlled by invisible strings. Riku hooked Sora's arm over his shoulder and guided him past the haunts of the labyrinth.

Sora stared at the ground watching both Riku's and his own feet gliding in and out of view.

When they passed through the gates that separated the land of the labyrinth to the outside world, Sora was disappointed that Riku didn't disappear.

"Roxas…"

Riku merely looked ahead with eyes that concealed his sorrow.

-xxx-

Apparently in Axel's household "Hey, mom! I'm going to borrow the car" meant that the car had a sudden prior engagement.

Axel signed heavily; knowing that he would have to walk to Roxas' house, because not only was the car "unavailable" but the front wheel on his bike had a flat tire. He was almost 110% certain that the flat tire was all of his sister's fault. My God, that girl could hold on to a grudge! He had only melted two of her Barbie dolls. Only two!

It was 7:26. Axel could have kicked himself in the head for agreeing to meet up so early. His unforgiving alarm clock had woken him just eleven minutes ago. He had finally rolled out of bed six minutes ago, and after scrounging around his room he found if not clean then a decent array of clothes that he threw on.

Now he stood in front of the mirror with a tooth brush in hand and toothpaste swirling against his teeth.

"Hey, Axel!"

Axel choked (on toothpaste no less), at the sudden appearance of a bouncing, inhumanly perky and blonde twelve year old.

"Are you ready to go?" Tidus inquired, oblivious to the sight of Axel coughing up toothpaste in the bathroom sink.

"Fucking A!" Axel screeched when he could speak again.

"Oooh, Axel cussed!"

"Shut the fuck up twerp," Axel snarled and threw Tidus out of the bathroom, "Wait out here! I could have been pissing for all that you know! I'm in the bathroom, damn it, you knock."

Axel slammed the door, and locked it. Then he checked to see if it was really locked. He checked a second time too as there was no telling what the twelve year old would do.

A few minutes later, Axel left the bathroom and almost collided into Tidus who had been sitting just a foot away from the bathroom door.

"You are the creepiest perv that I have ever known," Axel said as he ruffled Tidus' hair.

"That you've ever had the pleasure of knowing," Tidus corrected.

"Let's go. We have a long walk to make once again."

"Don't worry, Axel. I will make sure that none of the monsters in the woods will eat you," Tidus said as he bounced in Axel's wake.

"Thanks…kid," Axel smirked, but soon regretted it later as he had to deal with Tidus' complaints about not being a kid the full 30 minutes it took to get to Roxas' house.

-xxx-

The sheets strangled his body, and the pillows were knocked to the floor. The noontime sun invaded the bedroom and seemed to concentrate every fiber of its being on the closed eyes of the boy who was well awake.

Sora's hands clenched the sheets, yet other than that he was perfectly still. He wasn't sure what he was waiting for: Roxas to toss a pillow at his head, his grandmother to come to the door and softly sing a sunny good morning, or would it be the man in black with clawed hands reaching out to squeeze the breath from his throat?

He knew that he had not departed from this nightmare even though he had woken up. When he opened his eyes there would be no clouds of dust or peeling paint. And both his grandmother and brother would be strangely absent.

A sudden thought made Sora's back shoot up from the bed and open his eyes. "D-did I do this?"

When he had run away from Roxas and his grandmother, was there any sort of wishing or longing for them to disappear? The longer he thought about it, the harder it became to tell fiction from truth. Had he or not? He had wished for something, hadn't he?

"I've got to get out of here," Sora groaned into his hands. He swung his legs off the bed and let the rest of his body slide after him.

Last night, Riku had not taken Sora to the unbroken mirror bedroom; instead Sora had been half carried and half dragged to the third floor and into one of the many bedrooms that resided there. Riku had even taken the time to gently place Sora on the bed and tuck the troubled boy in.

Sora sighed, feeling somewhat guilty for a reason he could not name. He needed to find his brother, and the reason for this big cosmic screw up, or whatever it was that had brought him here, but most importantly he had to start searching for a way back.

But where to start?

Sephiroth was out of the question and so was Marluxa, but then it wasn't like he knew where to find those jerks. Riku and Selphe introduced themselves as his friends, but Sora still felt a little bit wary about Selphe. And that left Riku. The silver haired boy was the first person that Sora had met, so by default didn't that mean he would know something?

Sora supposed that if Riku lived here then he would eventually run into him. Sora glanced at the door, but didn't feel particularly inclined to leave the room. In fact his stomach felt sick at the thought.

So instead, Sora looked around at his new bedroom. It was quite a bit larger than the one he had chosen before, about three times the size even the furniture was bigger: the bed with its majestic bed curtains and the elegant maroon dresser with silver handles. The room looked like it belonged to someone with its stone fire place, crystal chandelier; classic rosewood sled and a lounging forest green cushioned loveseat with tons of plump pillows and a matching comfy chair.

A picture frame with the shape of a book stood upon the top of the bedside table, and curious, Sora wandered over to it. Ever so gently he picked it up. The cold gold frame shocked him, and it dropped from his hands. Sora's eyes widened and he dove to catch it before it crashed against the soldier straight wood floor. As the frame fell it slipped shut, but Sora's quick reaction saved it from the merciless collision.

Sora flipped open the picture frame and gasped in surprise. Standing in front of an eerily familiar man was a young unsmiling boy with spiky brown hair. Sora recognized himself within an instant, but not the place where the picture had been taken. Maybe, maybe it wasn't him. Maybe there were two Soras. It would explain why everyone thought they knew him but the idea of having someone look so jarringly similar who even had the same name was practically impossible.

"This is a mistake or something," Sora whispered to himself.

Sora was about to snap close the frame when his eyes came to rest on the tall, severe man standing behind 'him'. That man really was familiar, but Sora just couldn't place his finger on who he reminded him of. The dark eyes and the set of his mouth…

Slightly frustrated that he couldn't put a name to the face, Sora turned his attention to the other photograph. He recognized Riku immediately. The silver haired boy had his head titled to the side and it seemed to Sora as if Riku's mouth couldn't decide upon staying neutral or letting slip a smile. To Riku's left was the Selphe girl. Her arms were wrapped around Riku's almost possessively. And to Riku's left was the Sora imposter. Unlike in the other photograph the Sora imposter had the barest hint of a smile.

Sora replaced the picture frame, and turned once more to the door. It loomed ahead of him like a gate of Hell, but he had to open it. He couldn't stay in this cage for the rest of his life. He had to figure out what the hell was going on.

Taking a brave breath, Sora opened the door.

-xxx-

Roxas tip-toed down to the first floor, he could hear the bitch in the kitchen and on the phone with the lawn company. Just the sound of her scratchy voice irritated him, and he had to resist the urge to stomp down the stairs and start something.

There was a slight fear of Sora coming back to the house while he was out searching for him, but Roxas did his best to ignore it.

With keys in hand, Roxas softly shut the front door, and then he strode to his car. He rested his back against it while waiting for the punk and the kid.

They didn't disappoint as he heard the voices of the two bickering at exactly 8:00am. The tall, lean red head and the bobbling ball of energy at his side approached Roxas and stopped just a few feet away from him.

Upon seeing Roxas, Axel gave him a two finger salute.

"Hello, Roxas! We're here!" Tidus announced.

"Obviously," Roxas raised his eyebrows and squinted his eyes, clearly not impressed. He inclined his head towards his car, "Get in."

"Thank God," Tidus let out a big breath, and then made a heroic pose, "No more walking!"

Tidus moved as if to get in the passenger seat, but Axel spun him around to face the car door that led to the dreaded backseat.

"Shotgun," Axel smirked.

"Next time it's mine," Tidus warned.

Roxas twisted the key and the car putt-putted; he twisted the key again and met with the same result.

"Hold on a moment," Roxas sighed, and gave the key one more twist. This time the putt-putting was met with a steady hum and Roxas backed the car out of the driveway.

"Your car acting a little funny?" Axel observed.

"Just needs a tune up," Roxas grumbled, but then after a pause he said, almost apologetically, "and every once and a while the breaks are a little slow."

"Ooh, we're in a danger vehicle," Tidus exclaimed with a wide toothy smile.

"We're not in a da…" Roxas began.

"Are the breaks going to be a problem?" Axel turned in his seat to face Roxas. The other's hands gripped the wheel so tightly that his knuckles were white. 'Where did all that anger come from?' Axel thought.

"No, it'll be fine."

-xxx-

Sora wandered the halls like a ghost, disturbing nothing and unseen. The problem was that everyone else was acting like a ghost too. So far he had yet to encounter Riku or his father, Selphe or Marluxa. True, he would rather not see half of those people, but the empty feeling of the house was starting to oppress him. He was also feeling a little hungry, and while this was kind of, sort of, technically his house he wasn't sure if he was allowed to go and chow down on their food.

He had calmed down a considerable amount since last night. With a clearer head and a silent house, Sora found that he could just be himself and think.

While going over the facts or what they appeared to be, he always started with who he was: Sora, a seventeen year old with a twin whose parents had died and who lived with his grandmother. In this reality or dream or whatever it was, the Sora Imposter seemed to be under the care of Sephiroth and living with Marluxa and his sister, and Riku. The Sora Imposter didn't have a brother named Roxas and all of his grandparents had passed away.

Everything was different except for the house and the garden…or was it everything was the same except for the people?

"What is this place?" Sora wondered aloud.

"Sora, is that you?"

Sora's eyes widened in surprise and he spun around to see Selphe rounding the corner. She had on a pale pink dress and a pair of silk slippers that matched. The question in her eyes was answered when she spotted Sora.

"Selphe," Sora said, it was less of a question and more of a word to fill the awkward silence.

"I didn't expect you to be…" Selphe briefly touched a hand to her lips, and then smiled. Her whole demeanor seemed to change, and she skipped up to Sora until they were almost touching nose to nose.

"To be what?" Sora leaned back a bit, yet hoped that he would not offend the girl.

The girl ignored him, favoring a new topic, "Have you eating yet?" She smiled and hooked her arm through Sora's. "You must be hungry. I bet you haven't eaten all day."

"Well, now that you mention it," Sora could barely get this out while being rushed towards the kitchen. Did he have a choice? No, oh well. He was hungry.

Now that Sora could interrogate his first suspect (Suspect of what? Kidnapping?), his mind drew a blank. He had no solid theory and so he hadn't really come up with any questions.

When they entered the kitchen, Selphe practically shoved him on to a stool and then tore open the fridge door. Sora watched in awe as Selphe shuffled ingredients out of the fridge and the cupboards, and then worked her magic at cooking.

"Wow, you seem to really know what you're doing," Sora smiled.

"Well, everything I learned my mother taught me," Selphe purred happily.

"What are you making?" Sora hopped down from the stool and started hunting around for the plates and silverware.

"The silverware is in the third drawer down and the plates are over there," Selphe pointed a large wooden spoon at a grand cupboard filled with multiple sets of china plates, "And I'm making chocolate chip scones, bacon, and freshly squeezed fruit juice. That reminds me, the cups are behind me."

"I love chocolate!"

"I know," Selphe laughed, and Sora paused in his task, not sharing in her laughter, and yet not sub-coming to tears. 'It's just for a little while, I'll find a way out of here.'

Sora set up two places on the counter, and then picked up an orange, "I'll help…ow!"

"No, you won't," Selphe peered dangerously behind the same wooden spoon she had used to whack him with, "The kitchen belongs to me."

"The kitchen is all yours," Sora put back the orange and backed away towards the stool with his innocent hands in the air.

Sora sat on the stool, and contented himself with observing Selphe's whirlwind cooking tactics.

"Riku said that you're very lost right now," Selphe commented.

Caught by surprise, it took a while for Sora to answer, "He said that?"

"Yes, he's worried about you. We all are…well, except Marluxa, but who cares what he thinks anyways."

Sora wasn't really sure how he was supposed to respond to that. Obviously, the Sora Imposter was important to these people, but Sora didn't really feel anything for them other than confusion.

Selphe noticed his discomfort, girls were good at that sort of thing, Sora supposed. She grabbed the pitcher teaming with freshly squeezed juice and filled both Sora's cup and her own.

With averted eyes, she said softly, "It must be hard to be thrust into everything so quickly. I don't know how I would fare if I lost all my memories."

"I have memories."

"Yes, Sephiroth explained to us that you experienced vivid dreams."

"They aren't dreams!"

Selphe looked away, and except the ticking of the oven baking the scones it was silent once again, until, "You must be wondering about yourself."

"About the other Sora…yes."

"The other Sora?" Selphe half asked him, and half asked herself, but decided not to pursue the subject, "It may be easier to know how things work here. Let's see, where to start…"

"How about starting with the accident," Sora supplied. His hand unconsciously rubbed the bump on his head that had appeared from out of nowhere.

"The accident?"

"How I 'lost' my memories."

"Oh, that. Of course you wouldn't remember…I don't think I'm allowed to tell you that, so I'll begin with your…"

"Why wouldn't you be allowed to tell me?"

"It's complicated. I think if you want to know about that then you should ask Sephiroth before he leaves to go join your father."

"My father?"

Selphe smiled, "Now here is where I should start! Lord Auron, there is nothing that could kill that man. He's practically invincible. Right now he's doing business like half way around the world."

"My father's alive?" Sora whispered unbelieving. And the name, Auron. That was his real father's name.

Selphe didn't seem to hear him, "If I remember correctly then there is a photograph of him in your room."

-xxx-

Three photographs sat on the dashboard of Roxas' car. Axel snaked a hand over to them and picked them up. Roxas glanced at Axel, and seeing no objection, Axel flipped through them.

"I wanna see!" Tidus exclaimed, his head popped out from the backseat and he peered over Axel's shoulder to get a better view.

The first was of the spooky house: large, rundown with a twisted tower included. It may have looked cool in a different light, but Axel didn't understand why anybody would want to live there.

The second photograph was of a young man and woman. They were so caught up in each other's eyes that they failed to give a smile for the camera. There was nothing in their eyes except love, and Axel felt a pang in his own heart.

"Those were my parents," Roxas interrupted Axel's thoughts, and Axel's head shot up to look at him, "It was taken before I was born and before they were married."

"They look good together," Axel commented.

"Yeah," Roxas pulled a half smile, but kept his eyes to the road. Axel watched him trying to find the angry young man he had seen before.

"Next picture," Tidus hummed and tapped Axel on the shoulder. Axel complied and shuffled the photograph of Roxas' parents to the end of the pile.

In the last photograph, Axel recognized the younger Roxas right away, and yet it seemed to Axel that the Roxas with him now was only a pale imitation of the one in the photograph. His eyes weren't guarded, but filled with mirth. There was a softness in his face that could be contributed to innocence. The blonde haired boy had an arm loosely wrapped around another boy who could have been his twin. The other in turn had an arm around Roxas' shoulders and a smile so bright and cheery that Axel let slip a smile of his own.

"Sora does that to people."

Again, Axel turned to look at Roxas, and was surprised to find that the half smile of before had transformed into a whole one.

"Is Sora your twin?" Tidus asked.

"Yeah, he is," Roxas nodded, "but I'm a whole two hours older."

"And that's a fact that you won't let him forget?" Axel smirked.

"Damn right," Roxas replied.

Axel's eyes wandered back to the eternal image of the two brothers. Their expressions were so blissful here, but now when he looked at Roxas all he could see was a world weariness and a surprising amount of anger for one so young. What had happened that brought about this change? He wondered how Sora had fared throughout the years. Had he too grown calluses and resentment? And why had he run away?

-xxx-

He could see it now, the reason why the man had been so eerily familiar. There was the square of his jaw that hadn't been passed down to either him or Roxas and the proud way in which he carried himself. There were also changes, compared to the Auron of old, this one had shadows beneath his distant eyes, more lines on his face and a firm set to his mouth that Sora didn't remember being there at all…

But this wasn't his real dad, Sora tried to reason with himself. Yet, just the fact that he existed, was alive and just beyond arms reach was enough for Sora to want to meet him.

Selphe had told him over brunch that his father had left to travel around the world when the Sora Imposter's mother died. Auron hadn't been home since, but had instructed that the Sora Imposter be put under Sephiroth's care.

"Why Sephiroth?" Sora inquired, in his mind Sephiroth would not have been an ideal candidate for childrearing.

"Lord Auron and Sephiroth along with Marluxa and Namine's father were all childhood friends," Selphe giggled, "They must have had the most silent conversations ever. Mind to mind, you know?"

Looking at the man in the photograph, Sora couldn't agree more. His father, or rather the Sora Imposter's father seemed to be the type of person who hid most of his suffering internally…like Roxas.

What was Roxas doing now? Did Roxas remember him? Or had he forgotten about him as soon as these people had "remembered" him? That was a thought that Sora did not want to dwell on.

"If I write him a letter will he be able to get it?" Sora asked.

"If you give it to Riku's father then I'm sure Lord Auron will get it," Selphe laid her hand over Sora's as she said this.

"When is he leaving?"

"Sometime this week. Might even be tomorrow," Selphe gently slid her hand off of Sora's and winked at him, "So, you better start writing the letter today!"

Sora had found an elegant calligraphy pen and stationary set in a drawer from a desk in "his" room. Delicate black ribbons intertwined themselves on the head of the paper that he had chosen, and a glob of ink had spattered at the very bottom of the paper. He would be the first to admit that he didn't know the basics about calligraphy, but he hoped that the ink scratches were legible. He could read them, so that was good enough, right?

A knock at his door removed Sora from his thoughts, "Come in!"

Sora was half expecting the person in the doorway to be Selphe, and so he was slightly surprised to see that instead it was Riku. The silver haired young man was wearing an off white button up shirt with the top three buttons undone, and a delicate silver necklace with a winking crown charm peeked through. Riku had brought with him a breath of fresh air. Sora couldn't put a finger to what Riku smelled like only that he smelled good. Where had he been all day?

"How was your day?" Riku fidgeted with his necklace, and only took a step or two further into the room.

Sora wasn't about to lie, but he would feel guilty if he were to go off and blame all of this world hopping or alternate reality crap that had got him stuck here on Riku, and so he settled for a half truth, "Selphe kind of cheered me up a bit."

"How did she accomplish that?" Riku noticed what his hand was doing and stiffly dropped it to his side.

"She told me that my father is alive."

"He's practically invincible," Riku smiled.

"That's what Selphe said," Sora returned the smile, but it was a sad one. Auron may have been invincible in this world, but not in his own…

As if sensing his mood, Riku's own smile dimmed, and he invited himself further in the room, "What are you writing?"

"A letter to… him," Sora wanted so badly to call this Lord Auron his father, but he knew that in doing so he would just be leading his heart to break further. When he was back in his own world he would be fatherless once again.

"May I see?" Riku inclined his head towards the letter resting in Sora's hands.

"Eh? Sure," Sora handed Riku the letter, "The writing isn't exactly readable, but you're welcome to try. "

Sora studied Riku as he read the letter. Silver bangs obscured ocean green eyes, and there was a hint of lean muscle under his shirt. And he smelled like…

"Heaven," Sora whispered.

"What?" Riku looked up and met Sora's eyes with his own.

"Did you finish reading?" Sora asked quickly.

"Hmm, yeah," Riku gave Sora back the letter, "Sephiroth will be leaving sometime this week, so you better make sure to give it to him."

"If I can find him," Sora mumbled.

Riku laughed, "Yeah, he can only be found when he wants to be, but I'm sure he'll come and talk to you before he leaves. He always does."

Sora wanted to send his letter off to his…the Sora Imposter's father, but he was less than thrilled about the whole concept of actually exchanging words with Riku's father.

"Sephiroth will give your letter to your father," Riku said misreading the reason behind the pout on Sora's lips.

Sora nodded his head, "Riku, can I ask you a question?"

"Of course," Riku smiled.

"Why do you call your father by his name?"

"Because, I can't see him as anything else," Riku said carefully.

"I can see what you mean," Sora rubbed the back of his head. His fingers brushed against the mysterious bump, "I was surprised to learn that my father had appointed yours as my guardian. He doesn't look like babysitter material."

It wasn't until after he said this that Sora realized his mistake. He had said 'my father' and 'my guardian'.

"Sephiroth couldn't tell a diaper from a baby," Riku said dryly, and Sora laughed, but mostly to block out his mistake on words. That's all they were after all, words not feelings.

"Imagine him trying to change one," Sora feigned smelling a diaper, and he screwed his eyes and pinched his nose in pretend disgust.

Riku laughed, a warm and inviting sound, and Sora found himself genuinely laughing too. Apparently, the laughter was not only contagious, but long lasting. Sora found himself falling on his bed giggling, and Riku's arms wrapped around his stomach unable to stop snickering despite the pain in his side.

The laughter was a form of relief for Sora, and he looked over at Riku and for some reason he just knew that Riku's laughter came from the same place.

Another realization struck Sora. The reason why Riku had defended him, took care of him, and acted so awkward when he had first entered. When he could finally catch his breath and Riku's laughter had subsided into a few chuckles, Sora said, "We used to be friends, didn't we?"

"Best friends," Riku corrected, "Pretty much grew up together."

Riku's mouth turned down at the corners, he walked up to the bed then plopped down beside Sora. The bed sank where he landed and Sora felt himself slide closer to the other.

"You knew so much about me, and I you, but now, that's all gone. You're like a different person now, and I'm not sure where I fit in your life anymore."

"I'm sorry," Sora said. It was all that he could think of to say. He had never thought that someone else in this house would be swarmed with feelings of loss and loneliness like he was.

Riku's chin rested in one hand and his other reached over to Sora and brushed a stray hair from his face, "The old Sora would never have apologized."

-xxx-

Roxas would never admit it, but he was actually enjoying the company of both the punk and the kid. He hadn't expected to find Sora, and the current 'investigation' (as Tidus called it) had turned up nothing. Despite this Roxas had kept his eyes peeled for any sign of his brother. Roxas was disappointed, but the presence of the others gave him the optimism that there was still tomorrow. Sora would come back. He couldn't stay mad forever.

It was getting dark, and Tidus had to be home for a late dinner so their search was put on hold until tomorrow.

"And you take a right, right here," Roxas caught Tidus pointing in the rearview mirror.

"Is that right?" Axel joked.

"Stupid," Roxas murmured, but a tiny smile found its way on his face. He quickly whipped it off, and glanced at Axel to see if he had caught it. He had, and gave Roxas a smile of his own.

"Keep your eyes on the road," Axel scolded.

"You're not my mother," Roxas snapped, but there wasn't any of his usual anger in the remark.

"Axel's not even a girl, I saw," Tidus chirped. Roxas burst out laughing.

"What?! You were spying on me!" Axel choked out, "How in all the seven Hell's did you become such a pervert?"

"How dare you! I'm not a pervert!" Tidus' hands balled into fists and he rough housed with the air, " Roxas, what's a pervert?"

"A kid named Tidus, apparently," Roxas shrugged.

"Well, then it must be a good thing," Tidus concluded.

"Not where you're concerned," Axel flicked Tidus' forehead, and Tidus let out a series of complaints.

Roxas let the chuckle die on his lips, should he really be so content when his brother was missing? Swearing to redeem himself, Roxas attempted to double his search.

Tidus' house, while not as far out as his, was a ways from town and buried out in the lighter section of the woods. A triangular, yellow sign warning of deer fleshed in and out of Roxas' window. The trees also whizzed by, their dark earthy shades blending into one long, extending shadow.

Up ahead on the road, what Roxas had once thought of as a shadow seemed to morph into the form of a person. Darkness cloaked the figure and Roxas felt like he had the only time he had ever been on a rollercoaster, the time the doctors loomed over Sora and him to deliver life altering news, and the time his grandmother's clawed hand had dug into his shoulder as she hissed, 'Don't tell Sora…'

The darkness opened its timeless, amber, abyss eyes and in them Roxas saw a vision.

Flitting light in a twisted tower,

sky blue eyes like his own…

Sora?

Tears hitting the window panes

of an all too familiar house. The back

of a tall man, he turns

a scar divides his face. A fierce

storm, and a split mirror.

The reflection is a sinister shadow

And Roxas is looking in the mirror or is it

Sora?

Shadow with a bleeding heart and

Silver hair, the face is clear

'It hurts.'

"Fucking stop the car!"

Roxas awoke from the spell of the amber eyes with Axel's frantic cry. He shook his head, and the shadow in the middle of the road became clear, and Roxas hit the brakes, but as luck would have it the brakes made a gutting sound, and the car's speed remained the same.

"Shit!" Roxas' hands clenched tightly on the wheel. Axel tried to reach the wheel and Tidus screamed.

They were going to crash.

Side Note- There is quite a bit of hints and foreshadowing in this chapter and all in all it was fun to write. I'm working on the next chapter of this and I hope to get it out soon(ish)!!!

Please review, I really appreciate when you do! I like to know what you think. Not to mention it encourages me to get to work on the next chapter!