A.N.) I apologize for the delay. I just started college, so adjusting has become time-consuming, but I tried to make this as best as it could possibly be.

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

At First Sight

Chapter 3: At First Sight

"Welcome!" a kind-faced elder man cheered to the group as they hesitantly wandered into the well-lite dance hall. The music was so load, near deafening with erupting horns; Roxas could relax, no longer being able to hear the beating of his throbbing heart. Crowds of others pushed their ways in or out, shuffling through XIII and his companions like a deck of cards, but soon he was dealt to the railed-ring overlooking the lower-level dance floor of the swinging couples. This grand room turned to be a cage of battering waves of people, sound, and energy seeming to constantly nudge and shove the Key of Destiny to the site of those twirling so gracefully.

He'd lost his friends to the room. So boring and meaningless being here had this expedition become for the young man. To see others happy with others and to have so much time getting to know their hearts. They must have had no trouble finding that missing part of them. It was the only explanation for how they could be so happy.

Glancing over those lucky, darn lucky lives that were beneath his nose to look across the hall on the other side was Hayner, Olette and Pence trying to squeeze past a thick tide of moshing teenagers with great priority not to be visible, keeping their faces low. Looking off to the corner, Roxas could see the source repelling his friends was the inconspicuous Rai, Fuu, and Vivi sitting on some higher ground.

Lea was also found in Roxas's view, with his hair blazing like an SOS flare, charming the slightly older cougars by standing near them and complimenting the sandwiches he was swallowing clean one after another.

Oh, Lea… Roxas sighed with a sweatdrop. One day, he will be a million pounds.

Meanwhile, from the high ground that Seifer's subordinates seemed to use as a security watchtower, Fuu with eagle eyes caught enough view to spot the spiky-haired blonde leaning over the railing across the way. If Roxas was present, chances inferred Hayner and his band of monkeys were also, in her very space.

"Unacceptable," she growled.

"Huh?" Vivi perked.

Fuu answered with words, pointing to Roxas and glaring with eyes that could freeze the sun.

"Oh, I get it. Rai?"

The dullest of brains had broken from whatever thought of occupying him before to give attention. Fuu's distressed glare had been Rai's motivation to use as much mental power as he could to put together that Roxas was in the room, and Hayner was probably hiding.

Fuu only saw Roxas and what Roxas's presence could mean. Vivi, on the other hand, saw Roxas's face and him peering away from a tall, fire-head to the crowd of dancer below. Those cerulean pupils lazily focused and then widened as if the boy had been struck down. Kudos to the bodybuilding –esque hulk though. Only he noticed that their enemy was indeed struck down. A spark of determination was lit in the face of that young Key; one fist clenched to the railing, the other to his pierced heart. And only he noticed that the young Key was not looking at just anyone, but the white clad Xion, being swung around by their trusted leader, Seifer.

Despite seeing more that anyone else, comprehension was where Rai's genius stopped.

"He sees Seifer," he commented.

"Alert."

"Fuu and I will wait by the exit. Rai, grab Seifer and bring him out so we can discuss a plan discreetly. He'll want to start a fight, but we can't afford to get in trouble," Vivi enforced, hopping down, with Fuu copying.

"Wait! Do I bring Xion? She probably has opinions too, y'know?"

"Wrong."

"Xion doesn't care about this stuff, Rai. Better just bring Seifer. Leave her in a chair—no. Someone might hit on her and Seifer will start more fights… Uh… Just leave her standing somewhere!"

The only thing emerging over the blurs of combining people was a white feather standing straight, pointing to the ceiling. It hypnotized Roxas to follow its movements, but it only wanted to mock him, being the only clear thing of the melting pot.

Focusing with little ambition, the feather teased him saying, "Watch the birdie", trying to keep his notice and jerk some reaction. Uninterested with just the feather, Roxas expanded his circle of vision to see where the joker was sprouting. It was attached to a bell-shaped, pearly hat that sought to compliment a head of raven teases that popped with contrasted color from the white cap and the pale, slightly scared skin of a short-statured lady. A lady was what Roxas identified. Not a girl as he usually referred to when he saw females who weren't women or ma'ams or majesties.

This lady was probably as bored as Roxas, seeing that her partner, that Roxas had absolutely no interest in profiling, was swinging her around like a ragdoll. A pang of poison chilled Roxas's heart, leaving a weight of emptiness from the sight of a white dove being manhandled by a toad. Because the toad would not allow the lady a second to get her footing or ever slow the pace, Roxas would not get to see the face of the pure maiden.

Purpose fought the venom and became the drive to go to the lady trapped by the swine and the forces that trapped him in this very cage as well. The very aura of the crystal that could not be melted was gesturing him to reach out to her. Her white dress reflected the lights like she was the shine from behind the Door to Light looking to liberate the aching in his heart.

Impulsive to hope that this lady, whose face he didn't know, was the answer to what was missing was foolish, and Roxas knew it. But he was so tired of waiting, praying that the absent piece would wash up on the shore one day. He was tired of asking questions and never finding the answer. In that dove, he was having something so beautiful and inviting standing out from the others, dangling some fire of knowledge that could make him a whole.

He'd chase her till the end of time for that fire she was glowing.

What luck! New ingredients were thrown into the mix of dancers to the flea that had no business with a lady and pulled him away. Not without whispering something over to the maiden, while covering her completely from the admiring Roxas. Only in the back of his mind did he take notice of the eggshell coat and dark beanie, but he did catch the drift of longing from still not seeing the face of the lady even though she was finally allowed to be still.

What luck! The dragon-swine left with those other insignificant people while the maiden stood for a second, then headed toward the east stairs that would take her to level Roxas was.

That second was imprinted in Roxas's mind.

The face of Kairi. His heart was aching with pain, desire, triggering the familiar feeling of tears in his eyes. This face was special, because he saw Kairi and her Nobody almost everyday but never had he felt so strongly for it until this blessed soul revealed herself to his peasant worthiness.

He knew he never felt such solid emotion till now. This girl was the missing piece. She could trigger the true potential of his heart. How could he know for sure if he never felt it before, so new, so young? Nonetheless, there was no denying it.

He had been struck. He was in love.

Furthermore, it made sense to see that it was not Naminé's face the lady was wearing. Naminé and Kairi were wearing the face of that queen.

As his body pushed pass the forces of the hall, fighting to catch the lady for just a touch of her hand and the pleasure of her voice, Roxas's inner mind allowed him to notice that his love was not new at all, or at least didn't feel like it. With how desperate his passion was, he considered his love was like a fire bursting at first sight of the maiden, but that was wrong. His identified his love more like an ocean's worth of water held by a dam, only to be broken and love came as a crashing tsunami to eventually become a healthy, comforting rhythm of flow. The fires could not settle. If that be true, his love was not young, but aged and oppressed. He knew this dove before and loved her, but when? The only way to find out was to pursue her.

He spotted her leaning on a pillar, patiently waiting for the swine to come back. Some popular song must had been playing because more of the people seemed to clear out to the dance floor, giving him and the maiden plenty of space.

The eyes of his love were dead. Roxas saw her soul chained by strings, and without hesitation, reached out to grasp her hand, not sure what exactly he could say. He loved her and wouldn't let her go back to swine, so he had to do something that proved he was the more worthy of the lowest.

The contact enlightened floods of memories unlocked from within his heart. In rushing memories awakening within his already exhausted heart was enough to rattle his body and punch his head. It appeared his heart always was stronger than any other part of him, even when it wasn't technically there.

He remembered, and understood why this lady was the key to his heart.

The source of his love.

The hooded XIV that asked his for his name almost two years prior was the lady that unlocked his ability to feel. He very best friend. The one he would kill to protect, the one he'd die for, the one he wanted to live his days with till the end of time. He remembered feeling so strongly as Number XIII of the Organization, particularly in regards for the XIV, without truly understanding why he felt so.

The one he lost.

Xion.

She shook for a moment, and in seconds, the hazy in her eyes faded away. Sapphires glistened with relief as she gazed back at Roxas. There was no doubt in his heart that he would cherish her for the rest of his days. But she said nothing. Whether it was because she did or did not remember him, he would not try to bury his feelings like he had as a dense-headed Nobody. He'd earn her love, no matter the situation.

"I have missed you, my dear friend. (My lost love), Our memories were left to wilt. And I, So unworthy, could not recall enough. Though have my love, and grant a chance of time."

If it were possible to stop the brain from telling Roxas how embarrassing saying all this to a lady who might not even remember him, his heart forced it to happen. One of the things he learned about himself from being force to go to school lately was his favorite subject was writing. Apparently, he liked to mess with words (and hated the clear monotony of science. [Oh goodness, did he hate it.]). Saying those words was another subject, but again, brain was off. He could just say whatever sentiment was coming from the fluid passion that would drown him if he ignored it.

Kingdom Hearts knows, if he was still that husk of a Nobody, none of this would be coming out of his mouth, despite how truly he thought it. But the heart that pounded in his chest at that very moment was guiding him to regions beyond a Nobody's ignorance. If Xion hated him after every word, if he ending up looking like to most overemphasized creeper in Twilight Town, he'd regret nothing. There would be drawbacks, yes, but he couldn't think of doing anything different.

Yet Xion did not back away or shriek or shoot him down on the spot. She said, "I beg you not to judge yourself so cruel."

To hear her voice for the first time since her death was truly bittersweet. It was indeed wonderful, and made his senses flutter in his stomach. But it made him reminiscence in a flash on the last time he heard her, and see her death in a much more grotesque light.

"But I'm to blame for what happened that day. You don't remember but I was a fool. Forgive me, Xion…" Something was blocking his ability to speak. Something that might get him beaten by a frightened Keyblade wielder. A thought. A desire. May the heart be his guide? "Please don't hit me, 'kay?"

Before the dove could ask what he meant, Roxas pulled her to him with bold hubris, proving that he had lost his consciousness of disapproval.

He kissed her. Only for a few seconds, but tore away any distance that was left. Roxas questioned if he could ever let go if Xion turned to wish that. How had his feeling become so overpowering if he didn't realize it was there? It must grow somehow.

Xion shook again after their lips parted but tried to hide her face by looking anywhere but right in front of her. Eventually, she had to face the knight who was as awkwardly anchored as her. Roxas noted to scraping blush that powdered her cheeks to compliment a frown of shame and eyes of infinite humiliation. Of course, he didn't like that.

"If I had been honest with whom I was—"

"They tricked us, Xion! You're not a puppet," he injected, unwavering to never hear her associated with "doll", "It", or "puppet" ever again. He could only take it one battle at a time when he was in the Organization against Saïx, but now no one could say it. Not even herself.

But wait…

"Oh no, you need to hide now. Here he comes," she said lowly, while nudging Roxas to the thickening crowd.

Here he comes? Oh, the swine was to return (FYI, Roxas was subconsciously aware that it was kind of cold to say some guy he didn't know was a pig just for dancing with the lady of his affections, but that teenage heart of his said "Hate his guts". And so it goes). Despite so, Roxas was determined to stay. Well, he hadn't strictly been "shot down", as Pence would put it, not yet at least.

"Never! I'll follow you to the summit."

"Roxas, please! You must go now. But thank you," she hushed and shoved him with her ridiculously strong biceps.

But wait.

"Wait! Xion, do you remember…?" he called out while those forces that he could fight before were pulling him back into the bombardment of people and music, like the ocean pulling from the shore. Though, with one last glance at her face and the small veil of smile and a radiant tint on her cheeks, he knew most definitely, "You do!"

He was quick to find the highest ground he could to overlook the hall and spot a white dove. Like how he saw the fight on the clock tower, he saw Seifer and Hayner butting heads and cause a whirlpool of ripples that would make the entire room rave in negative conformity. Not a brawl yet, but had the potential to be. But what caught his eye was the white feather pointing out the place of Xion standing near Fuu, but carefully edging to the direction of the door.

"That's Seifer's new crewmember; the one with the hat," said a group of girls, entertained by the feud that would leave everyone dirty with malice.

"They say Seifer has a crush on her. Do you think it'll happen?"

"Maybe? I don't know. She's usually kind of icy and stiff."

"I'm sure they'll make a cute couple."

Over my dead body.

Xion may be with Seifer, the biggest jerk on that side of the universe, but she was his love.

And something he was sure about was that the waves would meet the ocean again. Oh, he'd make it happen.

A.N.) I hope you like it, and please review.

P.S. The dialogue is so hokey for a special reason. It is my homage to a similar seen in Shakespeare's play. That play had a specific scheme to fill and so did the dialogue here.