Hi there loyal readers! I'm back with the next installment of KAIWS! I don't quite know how, as I was suffering from severe writer's block for this chapter, but I somehow managed to write over 6,000 words for this chapter, which is double what I usually write. Consider it a treat for all the lovely reviews last week, of which I think there were... eleven? Yay! ^^

The song for this chapter is 'Six Feet Under The Stars', by All Time Low. You'll see why :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts or Final Fantasy -cries-

Kiss and I Will Surrender

Five

Six Feet under the Stars

He felt heavy. That was the first thought that occurred to Sora when he next awoke. He was... lying down? It felt like it. There was something soft and comfortable running the length of the underside of his body, something that he was slightly sunken into. A bed? It was possible. He was warm too, a welcome change to the ice and snow he had been stuck in for god knew how long. His skin tingled, as warmth surged through his bloodstream, bringing his body back to a reasonable temperature.

Then the pain hit him, and he immediately forgot about being warm. His very nerves ached and throbbed, his head was pounding like a jackhammer, and his fingers were stiff and twinged sharply if he tried to move them. His face felt dry and rigid, as though he had dried mud all over it. Even his gums were pulsing with dull pain.

It occurred to him after a few minutes that voices were drifting around him, belonging to, as far as he could tell, three different people. One was female, the other two were male... and yes, one of the males was definitely Roxas. Sora relaxed immediately. Roxas was here. And by the sounds of it, he was irritated.

"A broken wrist is not going to stop me from coming to band practice, Zack!"

Ah, so Zack was the other voice. Sora vaguely remembered being put on Zack's motorcycle before, but after that it was just a blur of pain, cold and then the darkness of sleep. He didn't know where he was, or who the other person was that Zack and Roxas were talking to, though he knew it was a girl. It wasn't Kairi, he could tell that much.

"Roxas," this girl now said, sighing deeply as she did so, "You know that your injuries go far beyond that. How are you supposed to sing when you've got three broken ribs?"

Three? Had Seifer hit Roxas that hard? Sora could feel his blood starting to boil in a way that hadn't been possible when he was freezing and concussed in the alleyway. How dare Seifer lay a single finger on Roxas! Sora could have cared less what happened to himself, but the fact that Roxas was hurt made him so angry he wanted to punch something, even with a broken hand.

"I'll manage," Roxas replied to the girl curtly, and someone (Sora thought it was Zack) tutted loudly.

Sora went to giggle at Roxas's stubbornness, but it came out as more of a groan when his stomach suddenly cramped up, and shooting pain threw stars before his closed eyes. All arguments immediately ceased, and then he felt a warm hand on his forehead, pushing hair out his eyes.

"Sora?"

It was the girl's voice. The chocolate haired boy threw all his effort into opening his eyes, the lids creaking open like rusty hinges on a forgotten door, wincing as light (albeit a soothing, dim orange light) entered his eyes. The world was out of focus. There were colourful blobs hovering above him, the closest being a pale pink with a mass of warm brown surrounding it, with two blobs of green in the middle... he blinked a few times, trying to bring the world into focus, and then the blobs suddenly transformed into the face of a very pretty girl. She looked to be about Zack's age, with long curled tendrils of soft looking hair framing her delicate features; her large jade eyes were wide and concerned. It was her hand that was pushing his hair from his face; she had an incredibly calming aura. It was like she was Zen personified. Sora relaxed considerably, and the cramps in his stomach subsided somewhat.

"How are you feeling?" That was Roxas. Sora flicked his eyes away from the girl, to see the blonde angelic face with the crystal cerulean eyes hovering over him, his brow contorted in a worrying frown. The whole of the side of his face was swollen, and an angry, dark purple bruise marred the usually flawless skin. He had a band aid parallel to his hairline. His fringe was stained red with his blood, but his hair was still defiantly stuck up in its unique style. He had another band aid over his ear, where one of his earrings should be.

"Don't worry about me, what about you?" Sora rasped, his throat dry. He winced, clenching his eyes shut. It felt like he had been eating glass. The girl noticed this, and asked Zack, who was currently out of Sora's line of vision, to fetch a glass of water.

Roxas grinned, bathing Sora in his own personal form of sunlight. "I'm good, just a few scrapes and bruises. I'm doing a lot better than you at any rate."

The girl had a wet cloth now, and was dabbing at the sore parts of Sora's face. The water stung, making Sora hiss every now and then.

"What... happened?"

"Well," Zack's voice sounded from behind his head, "I found you guys half dead in that alley, and brought you to Aerith." When this name was mentioned the girl smiled, indicating that Aerith was her name. "You passed out immediately, and Roxas followed pretty soon after, so we patched you guys up while you were sleeping."

"Roxas didn't even wake up when we had to re-break his wrist so it wouldn't set awkwardly," Aerith said, flashing a smirk at Roxas who scowled. "Can you sit up, Sora?"

"I'll try..." It took a few minutes of shuffling and encouragement, but eventually Sora managed to prop himself in a satisfactory sitting position against the arm rest (it turned out he was on a couch after all), allowing him to survey his surroundings. He was in a small living room, which had an electric fire on the one wall, with a loveseat and an arm chair against the wall by the door, which opened onto a narrow corridor. There was a large mirror above the fire place, and a big lamp stood in the corner. This was casting the low orange glow he had first registered when he opened his eyes. Behind his couch was a window, currently covered by thick white curtains.

Roxas was perched on the edge of the sofa, next to his legs. He was still wearing what he had worn to the gig, his tight black t-shirt stretched over toned arms and a flat stomach. His pale arms were dotted with bruises, and his wrist was in a cast. His good arm was circled loosely around his own waist, holding his side gingerly.

There was movement behind him, and then Zack came into view, a grin on his face, still shirtless under his leather jacket, his black cargo pants slung low on his defined hips. He plopped himself down in the armchair, whilst Aerith helped Sora take a sip of water. The liquid felt like smooth honey as it slid down his throat, soothing the parched muscles. Aerith was sat on a stool next to where his head had been on the couch. She was wearing a fluffy pink nightgown and her hair was tied in a loose braid with a pink ribbon.

"I have some painkillers, if you want them," she offered, holding up a handful of different coloured tablets, which Sora graciously accepted. He took them one at a time, swallowing with difficulty, whilst Roxas and Zack continued with their previous argument.

"We've got a big gig on Monday, so I've got to come to the studio today," Roxas almost pleaded, his eyes staring down Zack's relentlessly. Zack shrugged.

"So? You know that Riku, Cloud and I can all do vocals. And there is no way your big brother is going to let you anywhere near a microphone with three busted ribs. And, as I consider myself your adoptive older brother, neither will I."

"Fuck you, I'm twenty years old, I can do what I like!"

"Language, Roxas Strife," Aerith warned, checking the splints on Sora's broken fingers. Sora watched the banter with interest as he continued to sip on his water. The painkillers must have been strong – already the pain wasn't as unbearable as before, and he felt distinctly more lucid now that his brain wasn't clouded with pain.

"Sorry Aerith, anyway Zack there is no way I am missing out on a gig that is on my birthday! I refuse!" Roxas had clenched his good fist, his frown still in place.

Zack sighed and waved apathetically. "Do what you like, but don't expect Cloud to be as easy to persuade."

"Does Cloud know yet?" Sora asked, his voice less ragged now that he had drunk some water.

"Um, no... I was going to wait until we got to the studio this morning..." Roxas muttered, looking at the floor guiltily.

"That'll be a nice surprise for him," Aerith laughed, her voice like chiming bells. Sora caught Zack flashing a lopsided grin at Aerith that didn't quite hide a flash of adoration in his glowing eyes. The sable-haired man was slouched down low in the arm chair – he hadn't slept yet but he didn't look tired in the slightest. His knee was bouncing with pent up energy, and his fingers drummed impatiently on the arm rest.

"What time is it?" Sora asked, stretching slowly and testing the strength of his limbs. Although aching and ridiculously painful, they worked. He guessed he had mostly gotten a lot of bruises, but the cramps in his stomach said otherwise. He would probably need to get that checked out; he had been kicked several times there with steel boots.

"It's almost eight," Roxas replied as he checked his chunky analogue watch. "Studio time starts in an hour..."

This seemed to set things in motion. Zack swung his legs up slightly, and then used the momentum of bringing them back down to flick himself upright, somehow managing to make his broad, muscled body look graceful and elegant. He checked his hair in the mirror, as Roxas eased himself into a standing position, still holding his side gingerly. Aerith then helped Sora swing his legs over the edge of the sofa. He planted his feet firmly on the ground, bunched his thighs, and then pushed himself into a wobbly but successful upright pose. He walked around the living room a few times, wincing and limping, but mobile.

"Maybe you two should wash up before you go," Aerith commented mildly to Sora and Roxas. Sora looked at himself in the mirror. The remnants of permanent marker stuck to his forehead, along with a whole lot of dried blood and mud. Ah, so that was why his face felt stiff. He and Roxas were directed to the bathroom, and Sora noted as they left the living room that Zack pulled Aerith into his arms and hugged her tightly.

The bathroom was large considering it was an apartment one, with two sinks, a large spotlight surrounded mirror, and a walk in shower. The two boys took a sink each and proceeded to carefully clean their faces and arms. The water that flushed down the drains was pink as Roxas stuck his head under the tap and tried to get the blood out of his hair, wincing as the movement agitated his ribs. Sora was rubbing at the permanent marker with his soap-covered finger, trying to get rid of the word 'Men' which was still stubbornly persisting.

Roxas towel dried his hair and then ruffled it with his fingers. It immediately assumed its usual messy spikes, and after some minor tweaking, he moved onto washing his arms. Sora finished cleaning himself, finding that the dried blood had hidden a lot of deep cuts and scrapes, and sat down on the closed toilet, waiting for Roxas to finish. He was content to admire the blonde as he primped, watching the way the muscles in his slight but toned back moved under the tight shirt, eyeing the slim waist and prominent hip bones. When Roxas stretched his arms up above his head to mess with his hair again, his t-shirt rode up, showing his pale lower back. Sora stared at the smooth skin with fascination; for some reason he felt incredibly compelled to touch it.

"Sora..." Roxas said suddenly, and Sora snapped his eyes away from watching (checking out) Roxas, to meet his gaze in the mirror. The singer looked incredibly sad. His eyes were dark and the corners of his mouth drooped in an almost comical fashion. He sighed, scratching the side of his face nervously. "I'm sorry about all this. I really am... it's my fault you got hurt so bad."

Sora rose to his feet and made his way to the counter where Roxas was leaning. The blonde turned to face him, looking distressed.

"Stop saying that," Sora murmured, his cobalt eyes averted to the side for a moment before sliding to meet the blonde's stare, a blush staining his tanned cheeks. "Even though this sucks, I don't regret meeting you at all. I want to be your friend, Roxas." Feeling incredibly stupid, he took Roxas's hand and held it tight, holding the boy's gaze adamantly.

"You're far too forgiving," Roxas muttered, but he didn't shrug out of the grip. For a moment, they just watched each other. Roxas looked slightly bewildered, but there was a glimmer of light in his eyes. His tongue slid out to moisten his dry lips, and Sora found himself watching this motion, fascinated. When had his heart started beating so fast?

"But I would love to have you as a friend, Sora," Roxas finally finished, averting his gaze.

Sora gave Roxas's hand a squeeze. "I'm glad," he said, smiling to show that his feelings were genuine. Their hands parted and they both cleared their throats loudly then, looking anywhere but each other as they marched back into the living room, where Zack and Aerith were still embracing. At 6'3", Zack towered over the small girl, his cheek resting on the top of her head whilst she pressed her face into his bare chest, her hands clutching the back of his jacket. They pulled away eventually, and Zack ducked down to kiss her cheek sweetly.

"I'll call you baby," he said, winking, making the usually calm and collected girl blush furiously. "Go back to bed and get some sleep, you need it."

She nodded, yawning as if to prove his point. "I'll see you later," she murmured sleepily, a tired smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

They left the apartment and emerged into a winter wonderland. The blizzard had finally ceased, and the wind had died, leaving a city caked in snow so thick it looked like icing. The air was crisp, but not as ridiculously cold as it had been the day before. Their breaths condensated before their eyes, and the snow crunched beneath their feet as they approached Zack's bike, which at some point he had moved from the sidewalk into the garage of the apartment block.

"So, do you fancy coming to watch us practice, Sora?" Roxas asked his new friend, smiling at the chocolate haired puppy as Zack checked his oil and started to warm up the bike. "Zack can drop you home if you don't want to though..." he added, looking a little down at the prospect.

Sora grinned. Although he was outrageously tired and sore, he had to admit that he was almost craving to hear Roxas sing again. The band's one song last night just hadn't been enough. And it meant spending more time with Roxas, which made him immediately agree to going.

Roxas took the front on the bike this time, because although Sora had a broken hand, he had less difficulty holding on to Zack than Roxas did, whose casted wrist was proving to be a great irritation to him. Zack gunned the bike to life and picked up Roxas like he was doll, plonking him on the bike before swinging his leg over to sit astride the enormous black machine. He gave Roxas a quick, brotherly hug, ruffling his hair, before reaching around him to grab the handlebars. They truly looked like family. Roxas was leaning back into Zack's chest as though it were a high backed chair, his eyes closed, looking relaxed. Sora noted this and smiled, Zack catching it and returning it with a grin.

"Hop on Sora," he said, and Sora scrambled onto the back of the bike, resting his sneakered feet on the pillion pedals. "Grip my legs with your knees," Zack instructed as Sora wrapped his arms cautiously around Zack's waist, his hands brushing against Roxas's coat as he did so. Zack was still not wearing a shirt under his open jacket, but his skin was impossibly warm, almost inhumanely hot. Sora clung to him, feeling the heat sooth his muscles slightly. Zack laughed before revving the throttle, causing Roxas to mutter irritably. He was dosing as he leant against the man, his face turned to side so that Sora could see his spiky hair over Zack's shoulder.

"Ready?" Zack called, and before he got an answer, he shifted into first and gunned the throttle, lurching them forwards into what felt like warp drive. The cold air was sharp against Sora's face as they turned onto the main strip that headed into central Midgar, Zack steadily working his way through the gears and humming to himself as he did so.

Kiosks and people walking their dogs became high street shops and early bird shoppers, as they entered into the central district. The buildings grew gradually taller, going from apartment blocks and garages to huge office buildings. They passed by ShinRa Electric, where Roxas had mentioned that both Zack and Cloud worked as bodyguards, and Zack waved at a slim red headed man in a black suit, stood in the doorway whilst smoking on a cigarette. The man waved back casually before stumping out the smoke and slouching through the revolving doors.

"Man, glad I don't work Saturdays," Zack said as he turned off the main road onto another block, which was mostly lined with bars and clubs. "Don't know what I'd do if work cut into my weekend, you know?"

Sora didn't reply verbally, just giving a noise of agreement. Roxas had slid down slightly in Zack's arms, and this had caused his t-shirt to catch on Sora's hands, pushing the garment up his back. The chocolate haired boy's hands were currently more or less pressed against the cool, smooth skin of the blonde singer, and he was finding it difficult to articulate coherent sentences.

This is freaking ridiculous, he thought to himself as Zack started to slow down. Roxas is a GUY. What am I, a silly little fan girl or something?! Get a GRIP Sora, he's your friend!

The motorbike came to a halt outside a bar called Seventh Heaven. Sora climbed off and Zack helped Roxas lift his leg over so he could jump onto the pavement, before the raven haired man drove the bike down a narrow alleyway between the bar and a nondescript building. Roxas immediately walked down the alleyway after Zack, motioning for Sora to follow.

A door had opened at the side of the bar, and a pale, tall girl with long black hair and a sizeable bust was stood in a white vest and a black mini skirt, watching as Zack killed the engine and locked his bike up. He climbed up the steps and swept the girl into a bone crushing hug.

"Hey Teefs!" he cried, swinging her round in a big circle.

"Zack!" she protested, giggling all the same.

"Tifa is Zack's sister," Roxas explained at Sora's confused expression. "She owns this bar, and the studio above it. It's kind of like our base, you know? Our regular hang out. Plus, we get all the studio time we want for free."

"Zack, put me down!" the girl whined, batting her fists ineffectively against the man's chest. "And do you EVER wear a shirt?"

"Hey! I wear a shirt and tie to work!" Zack laughed, placing her back on her feet as Sora and Roxas ascended the steps. Tifa's wine coloured eyes slid past Zack, and then widened when she saw the state of the two boys.

"R-Roxas?! What the hell?" she gasped, rushing forwards as if to hug him comfortingly, but stopping short when she realised that she might hurt him more by doing this. He leant against the wall by the side door, holding his ribs and wincing.

"I'm fine, just a little Seifer encounter," he muttered. "Cloud doesn't know yet, okay? This is Sora, by the way. He's Kairi's best friend... and my friend too," he added as an afterthought. Sora beamed at being publically acknowledged as Roxas's friend.

Tifa nodded, not asking questions, which relieved the two boys. Right now, the last thing they wanted to do was relive the events of last night. "Well, lets get inside and I'll get you some coffee, or whatever you like," she said, ushering her boisterous brother and the two older teens through the door.

They emerged into a dimly lit, wood panelled room, with lots of little booths lining the walls and low, round tables with stools dotted about the place. High stools lined the mahogany bar which had an artistic pyramid of wine glasses at one end, with a touch screen cash register glowing in the dark. It smelled of treated wood and cleaning products and the wooden flooring looked like it had just been mopped. Blinds were drawn over the narrow windows, letting some daylight in at the bottom. Tifa flicked on a light over the working area, revealing a sink and various tea and coffee amenities. She filled the kettle and set it on to boil, as the three boys settled themselves on the customer side, perching on the chairs.

"Kairi is upstairs with Riku, I think they're listening to one of your new recordings," Tifa informed them all, setting out three mugs on the counter. "Black coffee for you two?" she asked, looking at Roxas and Zack, who nodded eagerly at the prospect of strong caffeine. "And what about you, Sora?" she asked then, smiling warmly at the newcomer.

"Black coffee is good for me too," the art student replied. He had gotten his phone out of his pocket and was sending a text to his room mate, Tidus, to let him know he was alive and would be back later. A steaming mug was placed in front of him and he wrapped his hands around it quickly, enjoying the heat that spread through them.

"Cloud not here yet?" Roxas asked, immediately taking a gulp of the scalding drink, apparently unaffected by it. Zack was also drinking his coffee already, despite the fact that the water had only just boiled.

Tifa blushed for some reason and suddenly became very busy washing the coffee pot. "No, not yet..." she mumbled, sounding disappointed.

"Just ask him out already, Teefs, I don't even care anymore as long as you stop moping," Zack groaned, slamming his empty mug down on the counter.

"He doesn't like me that way!" she snapped back at her brother.

"Yes he does..." Roxas muttered under his breath. "He's just too stupid to say it." Tifa excused herself in a flustered fashion, mumbling something about checking the beer barrels.

"Seriously, we have got to hook those two up or something, or my head is going to explode," Zack groaned, slamming his head on the bar. "I'm so fed up I'm past the protective brother phase now, and that's saying something!"

"Tell me about it," Roxas sighed, swirling the dregs of his coffee around the mug. Sora took a tentative sip of his own drink, and finding it a reasonable temperature, took a longer gulp, welcoming the warm liquid. "Those two have been making eyes at each other for roughly ten years now," Roxas continued, rolling his eyes as he jerked his head in the direction Tifa had gone in. "Me and Zack are completely at our wits end, because neither of them realises that the other likes them."

Sora laughed as he took another sip of coffee. "So what, your typical teenage love story?"

"Pretty much," Zack answered, but his voice was drowned out by the rumbling of a loud engine outside. "Ah, speak of the devil!" A few minutes passed, and then Cloud entered through the side door, looking as impeccable as ever, with a pair of black matrix shades resting on top of his blonde spikes. He was wearing a black zip-up sweater with a high collar, and black baggy jeans with steel capped boots. A wolf earring dangled from his left ear. As usual, he looked like a supermodel.

His bright sky blue eyes focused immediately on Roxas's bruised face, and his golden lashes swept down in a slow blinking movement, as his blonde eyebrows pulled together in a frown. He didn't gasp and overreact as everyone else had done so far, but instead walked calmly over to the bar and took Roxas's chin in his gloved hand, turning his face so he could see the massive bruise properly.

"Let me guess. Seifer."

"You're quick Blondie!" Zack said, thumping Cloud on the back, causing the man to frown more.

"I heard... a rumour," he muttered, seating himself next to Sora. "I heard that his gang had been up to no good last night, and I put two and two together." Tifa emerged in the doorway as he was saying this, squeaked, and disappeared again with a blush on her face. She returned a few seconds later, her shirt straightened and her bangs rearranged, her face holding a carefully neutral expression.

"Oh, hello Cloud!" she cooed, putting the kettle back on to boil. "Coffee?" He nodded, his eyes looking anywhere but her. Sora snickered under his breath, but then wished he hadn't as his stomach cramped up violently.

After another twenty minutes of bantering, Riku and Kairi came down the stairs behind the bar and announced that the studio was set up and ready. Following more gasps and questions from the two about the beat-up condition of Sora and Roxas, the seven people trudged up the steep steps to the third floor of the building, where a modern recording studio had been built. Riku had brought everybody's instruments over in his van, and they were all set up and plugged in, waiting to be tuned and played. There was a piano in the corner, and behind a glass screen was the recording equipment. Tifa seated herself behind this screen, but told Sora and Kairi they could sit in the room with the band if they liked.

"Sora, I'm so sorry about what happened last night," Kairi said as the boys starting fiddling with guitar pegs and asking Riku to play notes on the piano as they tuned. Sora noted that Roxas also had an electric guitar, black with a pure white fret board that had black chequered squares arranged on it randomly.

"It's not your fault," he replied, sitting down on the bench in the corner. Kairi gave him a quick cuddle and a peck on the cheek.

"I am glad you're okay Sora, you mean a lot to me," she mumbled, resting her head gently on his shoulder and squeezing his arm.

"Thanks Kai," he mumbled, giving her red hair a kiss. Riku didn't bat an eye as this happened; he was used to the affectionate way Kairi and Sora treated each, and he knew they saw each other more as siblings than as friends anyway.

"Xion and her band are having a little get together tonight," she said then, lifting her head up again to regard him with sincere eyes. "They've invited you, and Riku, and the rest of the band along, if you want to come?" Sora shifted hesitantly, not sure if he felt up to one of Xion's 'get togethers', which these tended to involve copious amounts of drinking followed by raunchy strip poker or spin the bottle. "It'll be fun! You can sleep in my room on the blow up mattress," Kairi added when she saw his hesitancy.

"Well, if the rest of the band goes, then I'll go," Sora replied, sighing, slinging an arm around her waist and drawing her closer, seeking comfort in her soft embrace. She smiled and snuggled up to him, giving Riku a little wave as he sat down behind the drum kit.

"We ready to rock this party?" the silver haired boy called, his foot tapping the high-hat pedal impatiently. The three others gave their guitars one last strum, before nodding and standing before their microphones.

"What shall we play first?" Roxas asked, his grip on his guitar relaxed. His eyes cast over to the two snuggled up in the corner and smiled at Sora warmly.

"I vote Six Feet, as that's our opening song on Monday and we only wrote it a month ago," Cloud mumbled into his mike. There was a murmur of agreement amongst the men.

"Tifa, you ready?" Zack called, and Tifa waved in confirmation, a large pair of headphones fixed over her head and her fingers on the sliding controls.

Sora sat up a little straighter, as did Kairi. They leaned forwards eagerly, as Riku started up a beat, counting them in. Cloud started a fast riff, his long fingers moving quickly over the fret board, as Zack struck up a dark bass line, and then Roxas added in some heavy chords. The acoustics in the room were completely different to the underground room of the day before, much more crisp and clear, and there were no scary black-clad fans this time.

Roxas started to sing, and Sora found that this song was completely different in tone to the song that they had played at the gig. While The Sharpest Lives had been dark and wicked, Six Feet under the Stars was a lot lighter, happier, and it showed in Roxas's singing. Even though he had three busted ribs, he still sang steadily, his voice never wavering, hitting the notes perfectly as he continued to play chord combinations on his black and white guitar. As the band entered the second verse, Roxas's eyes flickered closed, the boy becoming lost in his singing. Cloud had ducked his head, and was watching his fingers with intense concentration as he played; only lifting his head when he was required for the occasional harmonised singing that the song involved. Zack also had his eyes closed, kissing the mike lightly as he sang in time with Roxas, his bass chords causing the floor to vibrate with their intensity. Riku's entire body moved with the beat as he played the drums, his head nodding and his silver hair swishing back and forth, his muscled arms throwing a lot of force into the beat.

Kairi squeezed Sora's arm again, and when he looked across to see her smiling openly at Riku, he realised that he also had a big grin plastered to his face. Whilst the first song he had heard Reizones play had been breathtaking, heart pounding, and blood frenzying, this song was incredible in that it evoked such uplifted emotions and just made you feel like you were glowing inside. Roxas's voice was proving to be extremely flexible – last night he had been verging on screaming, but today his voice sounded pure and almost sweet. He was mesmerizing, and Sora couldn't do much more than gape and listen in wonder.

The song ended with abrupt applause from Tifa, Kairi and Sora (well, Sora actually was tapping his arm because his fingers hurt too much to clap with), and the band stopped to catch their breath, grinning. Roxas opened his eyes and looked directly at Sora.

"What... did you... think?" he gasped. His hand had come up to hold his ribcage again, and his breath sounding asthmatic and forced. But Sora knew that if he pointed this out, Roxas would be just as stubborn as earlier, and so chose to just answer the question.

"I loved it," he admitted, his face nearly splitting in two, his grin was so wide. Roxas returned it with a smirk, flashing his straight white teeth, and Sora's stomach did a little somersault. He put that down to a result of being kicked there repeatedly though, and pushed the thought to the back of his mind.

The rest of the band practice went by quickly, even though they must have played at least twenty songs. Occasionally, Roxas would put his guitar down and play a piano accompaniment, and Zack and Cloud intermittently took over lead vocals for a couple of songs, showing how versatile the band actually was. Cloud's singing voice was like Roxas's, but it was more rough and gravely, and the songs they played when he was singing were usually extremely dark and almost gothic. Zack's voice in contrast was loud and deep, also sounding slightly rough, and the songs that accompanied him tended to feature heavy guitar chords and were generally more of the punk/grunge genre. Riku even took up vocals at one point; Cloud took over the drums, whilst Zack changed to a six string guitar, and Roxas played Zack's bass. The band really was multitalented, and it was obvious that if Roxas had to sit out on Monday because of his ribs, the band wouldn't have to cancel at all.

Tifa called it a day at lunch time, only because Roxas was now pale as a sheet and holding his side as if it was going to fall off. Sora guided him to the bench and sat him down, fishing some painkillers out of his pocket. Riku passed cans of coke around to everyone, and Roxas drank down the sugary refreshment and the painkillers eagerly, grateful for the opportunity to rest.

"That was really... incredible," Sora said as they all made their way back down to the bar for some lunch. Zack chuckled and ruffled his hair.

"Looks like we have a new fan, fellas," he announced, and Sora pouted and swatted the hand away. They seated themselves at the bar again, Sora feeling his stomach do that flipping thing again when he got to sit next to Roxas. Tifa began to cook burgers for them all, and they all relaxed, elbows on the bar as they chatted about the gig on Monday, and Xion's get-together.

"Are you going to go tonight?" Sora asked as Tifa passed him and Roxas their burgers and fries. Roxas picked up a fry and began to chew on it slowly.

"Maybe. I might just go to bed though," Roxas admitted, throwing a sideways grin at the chocolate haired boy. "Although I've heard that Xion's band mates are pretty wicked. It'd be cool to meet them and talk about... music and stuff..." he trailed off, as he started to eat more enthusiastically, clearly hungry. The painkillers seemed to be working, as he winced less and less as the meal continued, for which Sora was glad. He hated the idea of Roxas being in pain.

"Well, I have to head back to mine to shower and change," Sora said, taking a swig of coke. "As you live around the corner, want to head back together? I don't think the trains are running but we can call a cab..."

"No need," Roxas grinned, twisting in his seat to regard Sora properly. "My car is parked out the back. We can get ready together at mine, if you like. We'll pick up your stuff and then head over to mine in a minute."

Sora had to mentally force his stomach into submission as it started doing what felt like an Irish tap dance in his abdomen, as the concept of spending the afternoon with Roxas slowly materialised in his brain. Ducking his head to hide a rapidly rising blush, he replied, "Sure thing."

"Great," Roxas beamed, a genuine smile that sent the tap dance in Sora's belly into overdrive. "I can't wait!"

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, now please give me my review fix XD