Disclaimer: All characters belong to Square Enix/Disney and Tetsuya Nomura.

Chapter 20

"So, what's the trouble that this friend of yours is in, Axel?" Demyx decided to listen to what Axel had to say, but only as he packed up his instrument as the other band members of the small band started to leave for the night.

Axel sat on the edge of the stage as he began his conversation, "It seems he got caught up in something that got him busted for taking the place of the one who should've been in his place," he was trying to explain his "problem" without making it obvious of whom it he was talking about.

Demyx raised a brow as he clicked the locks shut on the instrument case, "If you're looking for help or sympathy in regards to the kid, then forget about it, not happening…"

"Come on Demyx! I've saved your hide numerous times before when I should've left you for dead as per the Boss' instructions in the case of a man down in the line of duty!"

Footsteps stopped inches from the doorway of the Club as he turned around, a look of 'I know you're going to say, so just say it,' but that wasn't the case with Axel; he had too much interest in the kid, not a case of love interest, just an interest in making sure the kid didn't fall down the same path he had fallen down at his age. Axel looked at the back of his friend's head with a look of anger, and spiteful hatred if the man was to think not even twice about it.

"You know its true…"

Demyx knew better then to get into a war of words with the fiery redhead, too many had he had been on the bad receiving end of that war or even fight at best and this time; he was about to walk out and not saying anything, but there was something nagging at him. His conscience, was it that? That stupid little nagging voice that he had managed to shut up with liquor and other things that would've shut it up years ago, no, it was just a tiny shred of human decency left in him from being apart of the family for so long. Or so it was for a fleeting moment until he took the final step out the doors that left Axel with his answer.

"I'm sorry Axel, but…you just don't turn your back on the Family."

The days following the bust at the small family Club had become a slight blur of events for those that had been involved in on it as well as the only thing still left on their lips, especially on the Boss' lips; he was continuously thinking about the boy he had left to take the fall for him. Roxas had been kept in the hospital for as long as it was needed until Captain Setzer had determined that the boy was free to go under the watchful eye and guardianship of his older brother, Detective Strife, but only after spending a momentary stay over in the prison because it didn't seem that the right boy didn't serve at least a limited prison sentence for his crimes, and then after that, he had been released to his brother. Upon his release, he was given an Immunity that would be helpful upon the trial to put his former Boss and the rest of the family in Prison without putting his life at stake, but under the condition that he would help them bring the Family in, upon which he humbly agreed upon.

The day he was released, the only there to meet him was his brother, "Well, you're a free man for once in two years," Captain Setzer's voice sounded more sarcastic then cheerful for the boy as he walked the boy to Cloud's car.

"As if it couldn't get here any sooner…?" Roxas was not in the mood for small talk with a man that had given him no end of grief during his stay in the Prison after being released from the Hospital.

Cloud walked around the car to open the car to let his brother in, it had been too long since he had seen him or had done that for his brother; before all of this, he would have just relied on Roxas to help himself to get into the car, "Shooting off the mouth already, even after you were just released? That doesn't sound like any brother of mine," the older sibling had his own way of joking about the situation.

"Hey kid," Captain Setzer called out to Roxas as the teen poked his head out the passenger side window; "be grateful you have someone like your brother to be there for you when you get out…not many your age that end up in here are that lucky."

What did it matter to Roxas what the Captain said, he wasn't one of those kids; it was a fact, but what he did care about other kids his age? He had all but been desensitized to the feeling of feeling compassion for others since being in with the Family; he had learned early on that you didn't give another human life another glance or ounce of sympathy, if they were going to die; it was their own damn fault. The car ride home was deadly silent between the two brothers as Roxas just watched the scenery pass by him as he watched it out through the passenger window. Hoping with any hope that Cloud wouldn't want to talk, but that hope didn't last too long, it didn't last as long as the length of the driveway they were now pulling into; it had been familiar at one time, but right now it didn't click with Roxas' mind.

"Why are we here?" Roxas asked as he looked around and saw Cloud unlocking the doors of the car with his fingers, moving out of the Driver's seat without another word.

Cloud turned back to Roxas for a moment, "What do you think?" it still wasn't clicking with the boy; he had been gone for clear on two years, home as it may have well been was back at the huge Manor with the Family, not at this small country home, "This is your home."

A short stature brunet bobbed away from the window as he saw the first sight of the blond haired teen as he turned towards a man that had the same messy mop of brunet hair on his hair, "Hey Squall, do you think Roxas will remember me?"

"Who knows, Sora, we've just got to wait and see," Squall ruffled his younger brother's hair, but it stopped midway as they heard the sound of the door opening, "Here he comes, Sora."

At first, Roxas was hesitant about the surroundings, but after a little while, it all came back to him as a small, soft smile crept onto his face and it had stayed that way after he had started to remember the mop headed brunet teen that had reminded him that he was Roxas' childhood friend. Both boys spent a good portion of the night reminiscing in a way that you would have done with an amnesia patient to help them remember everything about who they use to be before an accident. They had bonded and remembered one another up until the time dinner had been called on and that smile had never left Roxas' face, not even one second. Oh but if they only knew what a false mask it was.

"I'm going to bed," Roxas let the others know as he pushed away from the table and went off to bed; his bed that had been left as it had been the day he had disappeared over two years ago.

Cloud played with what was left of the leftover apple pie on his plate in front of him as the vanilla ice cream that had been sitting on it since the start had started to work its way down into the crevices and broken parts of the flaky crusted pie slice; "He's changed, hasn't he, Squall?"

"One would have to be blind to not see it," Squall remarked as he went over and scooped up his sleeping brother, "Give him time, he'll come around."

"I want to, but, I don't think the Roxas that I knew back then is even there anymore or even here anymore…its as if I'm looking into the eyes of an adult in a young teen's body."

Roxas couldn't fall asleep on the old bed, no matter how many positions he flopped and twisted into; he simply lied there with his eyes open as he listened to his brother and his friend continue to talk about him; he couldn't sleep knowing he could be putting his family and friends in danger. He made the decision that sleep wasn't what he wanted or needed at the moment as he got up and started to write a letter that would be an almost final goodbye, should he not come back from what he was about to do. He was going to go and speak to the Boss of the Family about trying to get out of the Family and if it didn't seem like he'd make home alive aside from coming home in a wooden box or at the bottom of the sea. A fond farewell that it was which would later be found pinned to his bed pillow as he took to leaving out the bedroom window, not a single word uttered to anyone, just a solitary slip out into the night to change what he had done.

Dear Brother,

I am sorry to have leave like this, but my reason for doing what I'm doing is only to protect you and those close to me, especially you. I could never forgive myself if any harm were to come to those close to me…especially you, because I know how Aerith has a thing for you. She may not have told you yet, but she does have a mild crush on you…you should treat her right, brother; she may become the next Mrs. Strife. When the time arrives, I will return home…

I'm sorry, but this is something I must do…

Sorry,

Roxas