A.N.) I would like to thank those who reviewed, favorited, and/or followed. I really appreciate it.

Disclaimer) I do not own Kingdom Hearts. (I've been doing this disclaimer. Always will do it.)

At First Sight

Chapter 2: A Far-Off Memory That's Like a Scattered Dream

The sound was so artificial to him when it was truly the real thing.

Roxas sat on the beach of his home, Destiny Islands, watching the waves flow over the white sand before receding back to it's center. This isle was beautiful to look at truly, and he'd taken a liking to collect seashells even though he didn't do anything with them except clean and store them. Not even that much, as when he found when he cleaned them, they were more fragile and easier to chip and break, and the lovely smell that told of their past in the fresh ocean would disappear and be replaced with either a sharp alcohol scent or no scent at all. So at his current routine, it was truer to say he just stored them.

There was something about the ocean itself and how vast it was. Ever going. He couldn't get over how he identified with it. With how new and complicated his heart was, he felt that maybe it was as infinite. But also as unknown.

He had the luxury of first waking with most of his memories already unlocked. Being inside Sora's heart and being able to physically contact him made it possible for Roxas to be reminded of moments that Sora held strong precedent and of the memories he gave to Sora. Sora was the key to his problems involving Riku and the simulated Twilight Town, so he woke up knowing that. He was brought to Yen Sid where Axel—or Lea, as he stated he wanted to be called now—was waiting and patted him on the back. The contact and hearing Lea's voice made Roxas remember the Organization, not fully but most of it. But that was the defining parts of life though. Correct?

Organization and Post-Organization were the two parts, right?

Then he couldn't place why he felt something was still in that heart of his.

Something big. Something passionate. Something strong.

Something as endless as the sea.

"Struggle? Tell me," Fuu asked in her underused, raspy voice, as she and Xion walked to the Sandlot, where Seifer and the others waited for their arrival. Xion, herself, looked straight ahead and had Fuu not added the command, would not have paid the time to decipher what Fuu was talking about.

They took the back routes than the main streets because of how crowded they were. Tomorrow night would be the Night of Lights, sending everyone of Twilight Town into a frenzy of preparation to consume or attract consumers, be it the boys working any odd job for as much money possible, the ladies trying to find a durable dress for games and dance halls, or the store clerks stocking up extra heavy with snacks to sell to the hungry, hungry future-customers. The Sandlot was not going to be open to the public daytime-tomorrow for the obvious need to have whatever festivities set up, so Seifer was adamant about them getting to leg over Hayner's group and training this one last morning.

And making sure Hayner didn't get one useful second on the field himself.

Fuu studied her delicate little dolly from the corner of her eye to admire the outfit she put together for her: a normal jeans and tank top combination, but Fuu still made her wear the black cloak as a jacket. I was winter, after all. Besides that cloak, everything else Xion wore that first night when the group found her had been disposed of.

"Seifer says to wait and see," Xion said in the most straightforward monotone, even worse than Fuu's own one-tone.

As time had passed for Fuu's robot, Xion gained the ability to speak long and to comprehend more. However, Xion was becoming grounded into a routine of having a commander and taking those commands given. Even if she did want something, she had not the ability to see herself as something that could chase desires.

It seemed that Rai and Vivi had little stock in her hierarchy of those who took precedent over others. Though, to be honest, both were the ones to treat the puppet like another on their level and only asked favors or wanted mutual respect. They held little stock in Xion's usefulness, but they did find something to understand.

The big commanders in Xion's life were Seifer and Fuu.

Seifer had taken Xion as a lovely doll that had the ability to impress him. He liked her; that was sure in Fuu's mind. Seifer tried to talk sweet, but that only got him blank stares from Xion's darkened, hazed pupils. Yet, even after being shot down so blatantly, he kept her around, tried to be nice and trustful. Fuu was so remorseful when she heard Seifer thought Xion could be valuable in Struggle; that could have two different truths: either Seifer saw Xion as an equal that could contribute better than others, or Xion was a valued tool.

Seifer probably didn't see clearly—that his infatuation with the cute little puppet could end up with a destroyed friendship.

Fuu would be the first to admit the two were not a match-made-in-heaven. A narcissist needed someone to fawn over them, and that would not be Xion. Not willingly, at least.

Although Fuu was disapproving on how Seifer would command the girl to hang out with him exclusively, she took to commanding Xion just as much, if not more. Though, in her own defense, she felt justified. Xion would not have progressed as much as she had, had Fuu not made her go outside and forced her to talk about whatever went on in the head of a zombie-dumb puppet, to think of why she was doing what she was, how she felt. Moreover, Fuu wanted it to be noted that Xion didn't eat without being told to. Thank goodness, the puppet did hygienic things on her own, but that was because Fuu told her people had to bathe, groom and such every single day in the ordering-fashion. But apparently, when Fuu said she had to eat everyday, Xion would bite some food once only, and that was filling the order for the day. Xion had become very thin because of this. Yet, if not for Fuu remembering to command her to eat a plate's contents a few times a day, the girl would be near emaciated.

Hopefully, Xion would be free from whatever made her cling to this wooden soldier persona and become a real girl. Then maybe Fuu could be confident she'd stay with the crew.

She first told them that she was waiting for friends, but later it was discovered through Fuu's question-commanding that she did not even know what friends were or why she cared about them so much. She didn't care. The doll was working out an order she made herself, but never did that again. Now that there were others around her to give orders, she shut down the ability to want anything more.

Her friends were what kept her from fully committing to Seifer's gang; those mystery no-shows were why she wasn't as loyal to Seifer as Fuu or Rai were.

One command from Fuu would be all it'd take. Just one.

She couldn't say, "Never leave the crew", because that would be taken literal to Xion; meaning she'd always stay close to someone. That was not the same from what Fuu wanted.

However, if she'd say, "Be Seifer's girlfriend and please him forever" to Xion, Xion would fulfill her orders to the end of time, and as long as she kept Seifer happy, they'd never break up! Perhaps Fuu would have to explain what a girlfriend was or say "life-long companion" instead, but the order had little loopholes or misinterpretations for Xion to make. She'd be committed to Seifer, and therefore with them, and Fuu would never fear her safe zone of people to fill that void in her heart to be shattered or fractured.

But even that crossed Fuu's lines of honor. Xion did not like Seifer that way, or even know what a boyfriend was, and Xion was Fuu's friend. That was enough to stop her. And she was thankful Seifer hadn't quite caught on to the condition that Xion would do whatever ordered of her, because she was sure Seifer would seriously consider doing it.

"Festival," Fuu started, entering the Sandlot, looking ahead to see Hayner and Seifer arguing again with their distinguished crews behind them. Except for Roxas… she noticed.

"Yes?" Xion coaxed. An accomplishment that she had the state of mind to reply.

"Stay with Seifer." See if you like him.

Xion nodded as they made one last step to be in the middle of the two crowds. "As directed," she whispered.

"This is a public place; we have every right to be here!" Olette yelled as backlash to something Seifer had said.

"But we were here first, y'know?" Rai rebutted very weakly.

Hayner growled, directly facing Fuu's leader. "Get a life, Seifer, and find something better to do than being a pri—!"

"Hayner, don't!" scolded Olette.

"But he is one! Tell it like it is!" Hayner protested, turning his head to speak to her straight, but jumped as he caught sight of the two near mute girls. "Whoa, you came out of nowhere!" He tilted his head at the sight of Xion. "Wait, I've seen you at school. What're you doing with them?"

"She's our deadly weapon for the Struggle," Seifer snarled with a tone of pride and anger.

"Her?"

"I guess you'll get your wish to loose to a girl over Seifer…" Pence said emerging from behind the two to get a good look at the Deadly Weapon. And her face seemed…

"Do you even like these guys?" he asked perplexed. She just seemed so dead inside!

"Of course she does!" Seifer barked!

"There's no chain on her ankles, y'know!"

Vivi, who was so silent throughout this quarrel, he was barely noticed to have shrugged.

"Pence, she's not denying them. Seifer just has another flunky for his death fodder!" Hayner yelled.

Olette looked to the puppet with gentle sympathy and reached out her hand. "I'm Ole—"

Alarmed, Fuu grabbed Xion by the shoulders and jerked her out of reach. "Clueless!" she barked. They didn't even know Xion, therefore couldn't take her.

The fact that Xion didn't move once to or from Seifer's people made Fuu's points look plausible; yet, since it looked more like she was a ragdoll being hogged by a bunch of princesses, Pence seemed just as correct.

"She doesn't want to be with you guys, so let her go," Pence pleaded.

Seifer had had enough. "Have the field! We're leaving!"

Rai shoved Hayner and Pence down with his bulky biceps, while Seifer slugged the submissive Xion over his shoulders and fled with the others of the crew following.

"Wonder where they went off to…" Roxas mumbled to no one before chopping on his ice cream, glancing about. People were going to think he was crazy with how much he'd been talking to himself as of late.

He was lounging alone in the Usual Spot under the tracks for no particular reason than to find something to do. There weren't any plans in mind till the Night of Lights, and his friends on Destiny Islands were partaking in their own preparations. An example: Sora, along with Naminé and Riku, were being dragged around the shopping mall in freezing, ocean-wind temperatures by his girlfriend for… whatever had popped up in Kairi's impulsive mind. And Lea was in the middle of a planned hibernation. The strategy was to sleep all week and be rested for the night to come. Good idea in theory, but Roxas was skeptical.

This couch that Hayner said he found abandoned on the side of the road was not as merciful to his back as it always was, and his ice cream was too salty today. Groaning at the tragedy, he tossed his dissatisfying treat into the battered wastebasket Olette brought when her mother told her to throw it out.

"What a conceited simpleton!" Olette growled storming in from behind the unsuspecting curtains and dropping to sit on a tire with a hidden hole somewhere (from Pence's dad's car).

"I know! Right?!" Hayner said doing the exact same thing.

Pence walked in more pensive and sat next to Roxas, who had sat up. "Where does a guy get the notion that an obvious depressed girl is happy because she with him?" he mumbled to himself, sounding defeated.

"What's going on?" Roxas asked, turning to Pence.

"Seifer recruited some girl to compete in the Struggle with him, but I'm sure he's just forcing her to stay with them. Hayner and Olette, on the other hand, thinks she's just another Fuu."

"No worries, though, because Roxas and I could probably beat her anyways! She was so stiff, she's probably waits for orders like Seifer's lapdog," Hayner lashed with no kindness.

Soon the sun was receding again, and the trio of Twilight Town left for home.

Roxas trudged threw The Woods to where he parked the gummi ship, wallowing in despair.

"To forget and send my thoughts somewhere else? I don't think I can. In my heart, there's a feeling of tortured agony— and anticipation. It's longing for something so close. It knows it more than my mind.

"Memories made my soul before my heart even existed, and now they're failing to bring me clarity.

"May my heart be my true guide then, I guess."

…

"I have to stop talking to myself."

"C'mon, Fuu! We gotta go!" Seifer screamed to the second floor of the brownstone-esque home that belong to the female companion of choice words. The crew leader stood beside his wingman, Rai, and Vivi as they waited for ladies of the group to grace the world with their presence, but slowly his patience disintegrated. Glancing to the sky, Seifer's face laced with anxiety. Cupping his hands over his mouth he shouted louder than the speaker tests a good few miles away, "The sun has just about set! Wasn't this week of shopping together so that you and Xion wouldn't take all night to get dressed?"

"Quiet!" Fuu roared from the window before turning her attention back into the room.

"Seifer," Rai began, swaying back and forth as he waited patiently for his friends. Never looking away from Fuu's window, he noted the previous day, "About what you told Hayner about the Struggle… I thought you said we were going to wait to see if Xion could handle it, y'know?"

"That was just to ruffle Hayner's temper. She's going to be my girlfriend, so I won't endanger her."

"Going to be?" Vivi perked his hat up slightly.

"Yeah," Seifer agreed with a smirk of charm. "Xion can't deny me, and I think she might like me as much as I like her. I'll just tell her at the fireworks ceremony, 'Babe, be my girlfriend, because you know you want me.' Girls like confidence and romantic sappy stuff like that. Got me?"

"Uh…?"

"You'll make a nice couple, 'cause… you just will, y'know?"

"Yup, I know."

The metal screen door unlocked and swung to reveal Fuu in a modest lavender dress, and that was all that change. No makeup or new hairstyle. She simply slipped on a nice dress.

"Wonderful!" Vivi cheered clapping.

"Looks great and everything, y'know!" Rai grinned.

Fuu made the decision to say nothing, but after realizing she had debuted alone, she reached into the darkness of the building to yank out the unresponsive Xion. It seemed Fuu was having a fun time playing with her seeing her dress, though only moonlight white in color, was slightly longer and had a more flowing, loose fit. No noticeably visible make-up could be seen from the males' visions, but the fact that Fuu was examining her face for a moment caused Seifer to infer that Fuu actual did know how to apply make discreetly (and probably was wearing some herself, just even less noticeable). The only major thing that stood out besides that was the matching white flapper, feathered cloche hat that hugged the young girl's short black hair.

"Good sale," Fuu informed smiling, clearly proud of herself.

"Wonderful too!" Vivi continued to praise.

"Well done, Fuu!" Seifer applauded with a big smile.

"Fuu, why'd you take so long just to wrap her in a sheet? Seems unappealing, y'know?"

"Shut it!" Fuu barked.

"Yeah, Rai, can it!" Seifer agreed. He stomped over to the girls, grabbed Xion and practically dragged her down the street to the large festers of lights in the Tram Common, leaving Rai, Vivi, and Fuu alone.

As Fuu descended from the steps to join the two on their walk to catch up, Rai stopped her for a moment to say with forcefulness in the tone, "Babe, be my girlfriend! Because you know you want me! Y'know?"

That earned him nothing but a glare, a kick below the belt, and being left to lie in the fetal position. "Idiot," being the only worded response.

This was it.

The night of the year (besides Christmas Eve and Prom, of course).

Everything felt energetic and happy. People were having fun and that just motivation the person beside them to have more fun and it radiated such as this till the music in the dance hall were beating loud and the lights were trying to outshine the moon. Roxas with Lea, Hayner's trio, and Sora's trio were slowly pushing their ways through the Tram Common that was a flooding sight for carnival games. Roxas saw no fun to be had, but Sora insisted they try every single game. Kairi and Hayner tried a few, but lost more than won. Sora, Riku, Pence, and Olette, on the other side of the spectrum, had a fair amount of wins under their belts; enough for them to pat it a little at least. Lea… Lea was another story, out making everyone look like losers when he dominated every game… even the ones that were rigged. Bet that made some of the clerks scratch their heads.

Know what? It was just then that Roxas noticed Naminé wasn't with them.

Huh… Alright then.

"Guys, we lost Naminé," Roxas called out to the others competing at some ring tossing game.

Kairi was the first to look back and drop her rings. "Uh no, where'd we loose her?"

Sora threw one ring before noticing Kairi's distress and lending over his heroic nature. "She might still be at that concession stand. We'll go get her." As quick as it took to get his sentence out, Sora and Kairi detached from the group to find the blonde artist.

"Should we wait?" Pence asked everyone.

"Nah, they'll catch up—Let's go!" Hayner affirmed before grabbing Olette and pulling her toward the nearest hall for more fun. Dear Olette, as they got closer to what she figured was a dancehall, it was too loud for Hayner to hear her screaming, "You're going too fast! Slow down! Let go!"

Then, like that, only Roxas, Lea, Riku and Pence remained of the original group. Ironically they were also the only single guys.

"Wait, I get why Hayner stormed off, but why did he have to grab Olette?" Roxas asked.

Lea let out a hardy laugh at his clueless protégé. Patting the boy on his very special hairdo, he told the reasoning that, "He did it subconsciously."

I still don't get it, but okay.

"Well, should we follow them?" Pence added with his lightened spirit.

"I'll just go help look for Naminé," Roxas declared but was halted by Pence's protest on why. "They went into a dancehall and not only do I not know how to dance, but my heart seems to be weighing me down as if retaining a sea of confusion and regret, though for what, I can't tell. And what was that term about dancing? 'Be light on your feet?'"

"You have to dance, Roxas! It'll be fun!"

"Yeah, poet boy! If that's how you're thinking, just borrow that heart guy, Cupid's, wings. It'll make you lighter!" Lea remarked, laughing at Roxas look of hopeless glum. "You think too much."

"Doesn't this Cupid have arrows? Maybe he struck me down, because sometimes I feel piercing to my heart…" Roxas asked out of trailing thought. Then it hit him. "Was I struck, Lea?" he exclaimed, trying to shield his heart with his hand.

Lea could only chuckle at his best friend but also be exasperated with his denseness. "It was a figure of speech, Roxas. And if you were," he gestured air quotes, "'struck', then that'd mean you're in love. Got it memorized?"

"Oh…"

Riku seemed to be the silent observer in all this, but found it more as entertaining. Here was someone so different from Sora but sure did remind him of Sora.

"But…" Roxas continued, rubbing the back of his neck while slouched over with nervousness. "I don't know if it's a good idea for me to be here. I had a pretty weird dream last night…"

"Nonsense! Let's get going before we loose Hayner and Olette! Trust me, it'll be fun!" Pence replied.

The "Bachelor Group" headed to the hall Hayner dove for, not eager but tired of the night passing them by.

But my dream… Roxas thought. I was standing at the bottom of the ocean, and my heart was heavy and swollen with longing… What can I make of that?

A.N.) So what do you guys think? For those waiting for Roxas and Xion to finally meet, rest assured that that is going to be the next chapter. Please review if you're up to it.

Have a nice day, everyone!