Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts, I'm not making any money off this, etc. We all know the drill. :)

Chapter Four

The lights in the bar were pretty dim, and a thin layer of smoke hung in the air. Some people were laughing loudly, waving mugs of beer around, while others were seated in booths, hunched over with red-rimmed eyes, whispering and muttering to themselves. The small group that I had joined with was something else, though.

There was a tall blond guy, smiling brightly and chattering away, while his friend was seated so tensely that he looked like he was about to bolt up and get out of this place. Namine was a strange mix of relieved and worried, and I could tell that there was something wrong with this picture. Unfortunately, I knew next to nothing about the entire situation, and I wasn't sure how to tell what was off.

I suspected that there was more to the story than what I was told. The blond guy, who had introduced himself as Myde, claimed that Namine was his sister, and inside the bag was a small collection of gems. Their entire house had caught on fire, killing their mother and father, and the only salvageable things left were the gems. He and Namine had been visiting their friend Ienzo, who was the one sulking over on the other side of the table, and had only found out about the fire once it was too late. Namine had kept most of the gems after they bought themselves new belongings, and stayed behind while Myde traveled to Midgar and started working, so she could take care of business in their home town.

I wasn't sure if it was the truth or not, but I really did suspect that they were hiding something.

Nevertheless, it wasn't my place to pry. I didn't know them very well at all, and I didn't want to be rude. But they were nice on some level, at least, as Myde had bought me a late lunch. My stomach fell in love with him. I wasn't exactly sure what I was eating, but it involved peas, mashed potatoes, an unfamiliar meat, and cheese. And it was delicious.

The entire meal would've been more enjoyable, of course, if Ienzo hadn't been staring at me as if I was an alien. I tried to ignore him, but it was extremely unsettling. Eventually, I decided to actually pay attention to what Myde was saying.

"... and of course, they worshiped Xigbar. I don't like war and stuff, so I was kinda like, not happy there. It was weird, y'know? What about you? Where are you from? What god does your town worship?" He was grinning at me, waiting for an answer. So I definitely tuned in right on time.

"I'm from Destiny. You probably don't know it. It's a very small town, right by the sea. So we worship Demyx, mainly."

Myde perked up, a gleam of satisfaction in his eyes. "Now there's a god! Isn't his shrine awesome?"

I couldn't help but laugh a little. This guy was really enthusiastic about the gods. "Yeah. It's one of my favorites, I think. The water always looks like it's dancing."

"As it should! Did you know that the way it's designed, sound waves can bounce around and actually move the water, so if you play some kind of instruments right near it, the water's movements change! I find it works best with a sitar." He seemed excited about it, and I got caught up in the feeling, too. My eyes widened.

"No way! I've gotta try that sometime!"

"Yeah! I'd show you, but... y'know. No sitar, no shrine. But if I ever see you again, we should go find a shrine and I'll play some songs for you!"

"Cool-"

"Roxas," addressed Ienzo, cutting in without apology. I stopped talking and stared at him. His eyes were narrowed slightly, and he was frowning. "would you agree to a favor?"

"Um... sure. What do you want?"

He lowered his gaze to his fingers, which tapped smoothly against the table. Namine seemed surprised that he was talking to me. "Circumstances are, quite frankly, unsatisfactory at the moment. You see, Myde hasn't actually found anywhere to live yet. Poor Namine is bound to suffer the misfortunes of homelessness if she remains in Midgar. I must request that you allow her to intrude upon your own home for a period of time."

My jaw dropped. That was not just a favor. It was really a big deal, and I wasn't sure how I supposed to react. Namine beat me to it, however.

"Ienzo! I can't do that to him. He's already been so helpful, it would be so rude to ask any more of him."

"I-It's okay," I began, but Ienzo ignored me and stood up, pulling the blonde girl a few yards away and leaning toward her ear, whispering something. She tensed, turned to look at me briefly, then looked back at him and shook her head. His foot tapped in annoyance, and he nodded firmly, whispering some more. She hesitated, then bowed her head and returned to the table, followed by the man.

"Namine, I don't mind. It's a sudden request, but I'm sure my family won't mind."

She smiled weakly at me, something in her eyes that hadn't been there just moments ago. "Thank you so much, Roxas. It's very kind of you."

"Don't... don't worry about it. But speaking of home... if we want to get there in time for dinner, we've got to leave immediately. It's a good distance."

She gazed at Myde and Ienzo. Myde seemed a bit confused, but he cheerily waved. "As soon as I get a place, I'll come pick you up, alright? Be good! And Roxas, make sure she doesn't get in trouble. Thanks for helping us out!" Ienzo just waved at the both of us, as we stood to leave.

Outside, it was still nice and bright. Just a bit past mid-day, luckily. People were milling around, and with horror, I realized something. "Shit," I mumbled. Namine sent me a concerned look.

"Roxas? What's wrong?"

"Well..." I spotted a familiar woman leaning against a nearby wall. She caught my eye and grinned, tugging at the sleeve of a younger woman beside her and pointing at me. I closed my eyes and sighed. "Namine, I promise... this lady is completely harmless."

"What do you-" I pulled her across the street before she could finish her sentence, and stopped in front of the leering, scantily clad women.

"Hey, kid. Ya reconsider my offer?"

"No. But I need help."

"It only costs 50 gil. This here is Noni, by the way. Real cutie, ain't she?" Noni was obviously distracted, though, and Namine had hidden behind me as soon as she realized that she was the cause.

"Not at all. Which way goes to the western road?"

The prostitute huffed. "Geez, kid. Ya got no sense o' direction. Come along, chickadees."

The velvet bag was soft in my hand. I extended my arm, holding the bag over the large, glass pot. I tipped it, and all the little pebbles slipped out, clinking against each other as they joined the mass of other pebbles. Other hearts. All thrown together, to remind us of every sin. Every death at our hands. Every child, every mother, every father we had killed. Every lover we had murdered and every warrior we had bested. Each mistake we made was lying in that pot, some stained red, and others burnt black.

There used to be so many of us, sinning together and soothing our guilt. But along with the other 37 original survivors, that guilt had been done away with. After that biggest mistake of all, we had learned that this wasn't just a pursuit of death; it was a struggle to survive long enough to find that death. So many things had been dangerous before, and we thought that that would be the worst of it. We thought that, if we could get past the guilt, learn to help each other like we used to, then we could make it. We could get to the end.

But the most dangerous thing is that which we don't know of, and that was a lesson learned the hard way.

When we got frustrated, we tried to hurry the process along. The murder was massive. Millions fell to our blades and our furious desperation that one night, and it still wasn't enough. It would never be enough. We were left with the planet just as we left it. Until, of course, Sirxes was killed.

Slashed open.

Destroyed.

And Kingdom Hearts, that glorious afterlife we searched for so hopelessly, still was not open.

Where had he gone? What kind of afterlife awaited him? With our heaven still locked, it could not have been a good one.

But then we heard it.

We heard his screams.

In our heads, always screaming in agony, suffering relentlessly and forcing us to listen. So we knew that something was horribly wrong. But how had he died? What happened to him?

The slaughter that followed answered our questions more than well enough. Humans became demons of the light, wielding keys to mock our plight (that they can unlock what we need, the mother-fuckers) as they cut us open and ripped us apart, leaving us to fade away in the darkness by ourselves. They acted like they were so much better than us, those damned Keywielders, with their sunshine and their insistence that we were evil. They actually believed that we were the bad ones! And for that, they damned us all.

By the time we had finally defeated them all, there were only twelve of us left, even including our leader. As we tried to pick up the pieces, as we taught ourselves to fight and to prepare better for anything unexpected like that, Xemnas brought us closer. He formed us into a real group, not just an unorganized cause, and he called us Organization XIII, to remind us that our creator was still out there somewhere. Still watching over us, somehow, and we needed to remember that. He was with us. We weren't only twelve. We weren't alone.

One day, he'd find us again.

"Roxas?" Namine was quiet, but sounded very curious.

"Yeah?"

"What's your family like?"

I had to think about it, honestly. It was difficult to describe my family, honestly. Partly because the only one who wasn't hiding anything was Sora.

"Well... they're all nice enough. Mom and Dad are pretty secretive, though, so it's useless to ask them anything about themselves. Otherwise, Dad is just a quiet kind of guy. He's pretty calm. Mom can be really energetic, and as long as you do what she says, she's completely harmless. I also have a brother, Sora. He's like Mom. Energetic, optimistic, and generally fun. He's engaged, actually. He'll be marrying Kairi at the beginning of summer." I found myself getting distracted by thoughts. "... Soon..."

"Do... you love Kairi?" Namine hesitantly ventured. I tensed. She was really good at observation.

"No, I don't."

"Did... Did you?"

"No... maybe." I flicked the reins, urging Cinna to go faster. "I thought I did, anyway."

We were both quiet for a little while.

"Is it okay if I ask what happened?"

She sounded so timid, and I knew she meant no harm by her curiosity. I couldn't blame her, anyway. So I gave in and answered.

"When we were all younger, she and Sora were best friends. She'd always be hanging out at our house, and tried to include me in their games. At first, I just had a crush on her. But as we grew up, it never really went away, and the feelings grew stronger. Eventually, when she was 17 and I was 16, I asked her if she'd marry me. But she was in love with Sora, and Sora was in love with her, and there wasn't a place for me anymore. I was upset about it, but... there was nothing I could do. I'd been trying to separate them for a long time, but I recognized defeat. Only a month later, Sora proposed to her, and she said yes. And here we are. Half a month, and they will officially be husband and wife."

Namine didn't seem to know what to say about that, but she rested a hand on my shoulder, gently. I knew she meant it as support, and I appreciated it. Unwilling to make any sort of deal over it, though, I glanced at the sky. The sun was getting close to setting, sinking down toward the horizon as it began to spread its pink and orange wings.

"We should be home in half an hour or so," I informed. Namine hummed her acknowledgment, and the silence was comfortable once again. I mused to myself about how my family would take the news of our new household member. She'd surely fit right in...

After an increasingly chilly 40 minutes, we finally arrived at my house. Through one of the windows, we could see the fire roaring in the living room, with Mom, Sora, Kairi, and Riku all laughing and chatting as they sat on the couches and chairs. I longed to join with them immediately, but... Cinna. We needed to return Cinna to the blacksmith before he got too frustrated about the momentary loss of his horse.

As though Cinna could read my mind, could feel my anticipation, my knowledge that we were almost done with the journey, she broke into a gallop. Namine gasped in surprise and clutched onto me. That blessed horse made the last leg of the trip nice and quick, and when we got to her stable, we jumped down and put her into a stall, taking off the saddle and everything and neglecting to inform the blacksmith of our arrival. He'd figure it out.

Namine and I looked at each other, eyes meeting, and we grinned. We were both thinking the same thing. I held my hand out, and she grasped onto it as we took off down the road, path seen only because of the full moon slowly rising in the darkened skies. Her dress was pale, one of the only things really visible, and I couldn't help but think she looked almost fae, as her bright eyes shone and her hair streamed out behind her as we sprinted and stumbled. We'd been taken hold of by something strange, possessing us, making us giddy without reason. I liked it.

The small house swam into view through the shadows and trees, and we burst through the front door to a room full of shocked people. Everyone's jaws were dropped, and Namine and I had the grace to blush and let go of each other. I cleared my throat.

"Hey, guys. Um... this is Namine. She's kind of in need of a place to live right now, so I said she could stay here for a while." My grin was nervous, and the room was silent. Namine uncomfortably shifted.

"I'll try not to be too much of a bother, ma'am. I'll help with any work you wish, and-"

"Roxas, I need to see you in the kitchen for a minute," my mother ordered, trying to size up Namine, but not really certain of what to think. I hurried to follow her as she disappeared into the other room, listening to Kairi offering a seat for my new friend.

Mom dragged me into the pantry and slammed the door shut.

"Mom, what the-"

"Don't finish that sentence!" She hissed, brandishing a candle. Her expression was that of disbelief and frustration.

"What's wrong?"

"You just waltzed in here with a strange girl, whom none of us have ever met, laughing and red-faced and holding hands, knees dirty, asking if she can stay! What do you think?"

"Mom, I swear, there's nothing going on!"

"Where did you meet this girl? You know you can't just pick up any pretty face in the slums and bring her home! She could have all sorts of diseases! You don't know what she's done, or anything!"

"She's not from Midgar! I met her when Leon and I were heading to the city, and she was getting mugged! We got her away, and we separated ways in the city. I ran into her again later, and found out that her house had just burned down, with her parents in it! She was going to the city to meet up with her brother, who had been trying to get enough money for a house, but he hadn't earned enough yet, and he didn't want her to have to be on the streets with him!"

"Oh, dear..." Mom trailed off. "But are you sure this isn't some kind of con?"

"I'm very sure. Please, just trust me! Talk to her for just a little while and you'll know."

Mom seemed uncertain, but she decided to believe me for the moment. We left the pantry, and reentered the living room, where we found everyone else smiling and chatting, already comfortable with the new addition to our home. Namine seemed happy, surrounded by people, and I dropped down next to her on the couch. Kairi looked like she'd already grown fond of the sweet blonde, and was giggling about something or other.

After a quick observation of how everyone had grown closer already, Mom smiled and sat back in her chair. "So, Namine, welcome to the family!" She chirped. The girl burst into a smile and her eyes seemed to light up.

"Thank you!"

"Now what kind of food do you like, sweetie? I was just about to start making dinner, so I may as well make a real nice one to celebrate your arrival!" Mom was already planning on cooking to suit Namine's preferences? Oh, yeah, she was in alright. Something about that made me feel warmer inside than usual, and it was a pleasant sensation.

Sora perked up at the suggestion of a celebration, and he grinned in excitement. "Oh, Mom, seriously? Are we gonna have drinks? Tell me we're going to have drinks! Please!" Mom ignored him to listen to Namine's shy murmuring, and Kairi frowned playfully, whacking my brother over the head.

"Sora, you're such a little alcoholic. I am never letting you bring any beer in our house." She paused. "How's that coming along, by the way?"

Sora scowled a little. "There's no beer in it, if that's what you're asking."

"It's not, but I guess that's good, too. I just mean... will it be ready in time for the wedding?" Sora wrapped an arm around his soon-to-be bride, kissing her cheek.

"Of course, Kai. But it'll be done sooner if I get beer!"

"That doesn't even make sense," Kairi scolded, whacking him again.

He stuck his tongue out at her and they both turned back to the other conversation. I just tore my eyes away from Kairi before she could notice that I'd been staring, and I focused more on Namine. She was already getting along with Mom really well, and she really seemed to be so much happier than she was before. It was like... something in her eyes, almost. As if they were brighter. Even so, there was something hanging over her. Something unpleasant, like bad memories or fear or something.

Of course! Her parents had just died. I nearly shook my head at myself for forgetting something like that. No wonder she seemed a little reserved. It was only natural.

After all, she was young. How much else could she have even gone through?

Under the light of the pale moon, Namine perched on the edge of one of the cliffs, watching the waters below glisten. A small frown tugged at the corners of her lips, and she sighed, with a melancholy air hanging about her. Crickets chirped softly, and the waves splashed against the rocks, holding off what would have otherwise been a silence very near oppressive. Even so, at this late hour, there was hardly any noise.

"Namine... what would you say if I told you that we could be together, suspended in youth, forever?"

"Why would you tell me that?"

"What would you say?"

"I'd say... forget happy endings. A happy eternity would be so much better."

"I love you, Namine."

"I love you, too..."

The small blonde sighed, pulling her knees against her chest and wrapping her arms around them. "A happy eternity..." She murmured to herself, closing light blue eyes and remembering a warm body pressed against hers. That slender figure, with his warm lips and his soft hair, his charming reservation and even his scent, like old books. He wasn't perfect, and she never thought he was. He came and went with no warning, offered no explanation for his actions, often trying to hide his frustration, which he said stemmed from his cousin, and was always present.

But he saved her. He saved her and damned her and left her. For all his intellect, he had been a fool, and she knew he'd never forgive himself for that, whether or not she already had.

It had all fallen apart, that night. The deed was done, and the secrets, the lies, the bitter truths, had all been revealed. Her world was crashing down around her, for the second time, but then... there wasn't anybody who could save her.

Never again.

A/N: So... there you have it! Chapter 4! More information was given out, hopefully a good amount. I've got a better idea than before about when Axel first meets Roxas, and it won't be too much longer! :D

I have decided to just abandon any real schedule (or set length) and just update once a week, no matter the day. I was trying to be organized, but it kind of... well. Anyway. The lateness of this particular chapter can be attributed to a one-shot I wrote, that stole my attention. Many apologies!

And by the way, I apologize for the weird rambling last time. I was really sick, and somehow got it into my head that if I didn't update immediately, the entire story would implode, and I just had to add my delirious 2 cents in at the end. Probably won't happen again, but I make no promises. :3

Anyway... this chapter made me unhappy. Why? Because I love RikuxSora. But I couldn't get it in for the story, because... yeah. The Roxas issue. It's relevant. But now I feel bad for Riku being all alone! DX Any pairing suggestions for Riku? The gender doesn't really matter. He strikes me as irrepressibly gay (though not flamboyant either), no matter what time period he's in, but I can still write him as straight...

And one last thing! Does Roxas really show much of a personality? Does anyone? I can't quite tell, honestly.

Lifeslover: Thank you so much for reviewing! I'm glad the pace is alright, too. I'm sure there are quite a few people who aren't going to keep with the story because it's taking longer, so it's wonderful to hear that someone is actually fine with it. :D Haha, well, anyway, there's the fourth chapter! A little more for you. :) And yeah, bad grammar can be so distracting. So thank you for noticing that I've been trying to keep it good! :D