Fall to Pieces

Author(ess): the Maria half of Zeida and Maria

Summery: What if my freakish fleeting thought, the result of not having finished the first game, and not having played Chain of Memories, was true? Basically, Sora was... not... just not. and Riku was trying to make him again.

Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts (is Riku in bondage?)

-ooOOoo-

Ch.2: Old Friend

-ooOOoo-

Roxas leapt out of bed, throwing his blankets over the intruder. He rolled to the left and grabbed his struggle club. That black-cloaked freak was doing nothing to him!

Wham!

"Roxas!" a voice cried out in alarm, stumbling dizzily over to the bed. The semi-sleepy boy pulled the blanket off, revealing curly blond hair. "What the hell! You're hyped up for the Struggle, ain't cha?" Hayner exclaimed. He rubbed a newfound sore spot on his head tenderly, before flopping down on the bed.

Roxas forced a laugh, "Sorry, I thought my dream was real... again..." he sat back on the bed, next to his best friend.

Hayner looked him up and down, worried, "I hope you're ready..." he said.

"Yeah." Roxas muttered, looking tired.

"Those dreams are causing a lot of trouble. Maybe it's a- never mind. But tomorrow we're all going around town to try and figure out what's happening to you." Hayner wrapped an arm around Roxas' shoulders and squeezed comfortingly. "Anyway, get dressed quick, Struggle's in half an hour."

"What!?" Roxas looked up, alarmed. He leapt out of bed, and began shoving Hayner out of the room. "Out!" he squawked, then diving at the closet in hopes of finding clean clothes.

When Hayner was gone, Roxas collapsed back on the bed. "I guess it couldn't be real..." he thought out loud. "I have this strange feeling that I would be dead it was."

The blond groaned as he rolled over to see his clock had just ticked by five more minutes. He quickly began to dress.

-ooOOoo-

Preliminaries always went fast in the Struggle. The people who entered were always very, very good, or disturbingly bad. This year, to everybody's surprise, Vivi made it into the finals. The diminutive boy fought ferociously, and no one was really looking forward to fighting him.

Vivi was a small, young boy who was fairly new to Seifer's 'Disciplinary Gang'. Seifer himself, of course, also made it. Hayner and his friends didn't get along with Seifer and his gang. Really, seeing as this tournament happened constantly, the Struggle was just a legal way of beating each other up.

The first fight, to their own distress, was Roxas vs. 'his best friend and local attitude problem' Hayner. To a roar of astonishment and approval from the crowd, he beat Hayner. The boy in question just laughed it off. As far as he was concerned, it just meant he had trained Roxas well. Besides, after that thwack this morning, how could anyone expect him to do well?

Both boys stood on the sidelines together, to watch the next fight. They looked on as their archenemy fought it out with the new battle-ready Vivi. That little thing was fast! Roxas and Hayner stared as Vivi bounced around the ring, leaving various hard blows all over Seifer. The older boy was growing mad, he was just about to release his special attack, when Vivi seemed to explode. It seemed like his bat grew, leaving no room for escape.

WHAM! The blow was far more forceful than anyone used in the tournament, strengths and grudges be damned!

Seifer slid across the arena floor; his bat flew to the other side. There was a collective gasp. The ref, very confused, named Vivi the victor. An odd laugh echoed across the Sand Pit, hee hee hee, and Roxas shivered. Strangely, no one else seemed to have noticed it.

Roxas had started to climb into the ring as soon as everyone was ready for the next match, when he heard a voice behind him, addressing him. "That's not Vivi, thrash 'em!" Seifer said as he walked away.

Roxas and his friends watched him leave, looking at him strangely. "Wow. Seifer wants us to win?"

"He's just sore" Hayner objected.

"I actually kind of wanted to face him." Roxas sighed. Guess there's always the next Struggle.

In the ring the ref gave both Roxas and Vivi long blue and yellow clubs and briefly explained the rules. "Play fair now!" he exclaimed then motion for them to begin. That last bit was directed at who knows who. Roxas wasn't exactly known for fighting honestly, but after Vivi...

The blond had an easier time than he had imagined. Vivi was going all out, but Roxas was matching him blow for blow, He even got in a couple nice hits. All in all, he was winning.

"Time's up! Roxas wins!" the ref yelled. The announcer mimicked him and the crowd roared.

Then, it stopped.

Roxas looked around in confusion, nothing was moving. He spotted his friends, cheering, and frozen in their jubilant positions. Suddenly he noticed a movement at the edge of his vision. Vivi. The creature lunged at him, going from small be-hatted boy to a long white monster in a strange broken blur. The thing looked as though it was only held together by the many zippers running down its length. It let out a silent roar, ripping open the zipper that was its mouth. Roxas leapt out of the way as the white-clawed hand slashed the air. It landed on all fours, rising to face him again in halting movements, like a broken toy. Roxas backed up, attempting to flee the mysterious foe, but he couldn't leave the arena for some reason.

"Guess I'll have to fight!"

Roxas thrust out his hand with the club, quickly going into his favorite fighting stance. He gaped at his hand as the weapon that was previously a Struggle bat turned into a beautifully simple, and strangely key-shaped, sword.

Something else seemed to take him over after that. Roxas utterly destroyed the colorless creature and several others when the appeared to back up their fellow.

"Go, Roxas!" He spun in surprise to see a male, black robed figure speaking to him "Fight, fight, fight!" the strange man said.

"You!" Roxas exclaimed.

The black clad man, the one who... well, Roxas wasn't sure what he had done, but he didn't like it!

The man froze, then reached up and pulled off his hood. "You... remember me?" he asked. His previous cocky attitude was gone, he sounded almost relieved. Hopeful.

Roxas looked at the tall man in front of him, frowning. This wasn't the silver haired boy. This man had the brightest red hair he was sure he'd ever see. The person didn't even have to same colored eyes; his were a dark, forest green. They were like exact opposites. Although, he had to admit, they were amazing looking people. Everyone in Twilight looked so ordinary.

"I'm sorry, " Roxas said to him, "I mistook you for someone else."

The poor man drooped, depressed, before he shot up again, looking furious. "You- you mistook me for someone ELSE!" He stalked up to Roxas, who took a step back warily, and put a hand to his forehead. "Nope, not warm, so you're not delirious... Who the hell could you mistake me for!"

Roxas opened his mouth, intending to answer, when he was interrupted by the very topic of their discussion.

"He confused you for me, although I can't for the life of me figure out how." Riku stepped through a portal of darkness, looking at the red-head with contempt. "Organization member, it's too late for you."

"You... No! Get away from him! I'm taking him!"

Roxas turned to stare at him. "...Axel...?" He mumbled suddenly. Why did that name sound so familiar?

"Now you remember? Come over here, don't let him near you."

Riku ignored him, stepping out to the boy. "Roxas, I... need to ask a favor."

Roxas blinked in surprise and noticed, by his reaction, that Axel hadn't expected this either. "W-what?" he didn't mean to stutter, he really didn't!

Riku opened his mouth, closed it again. He sighed; he really didn't want to do this! "Would you make a deal," he finally said, "with Sora? I'll take you to him"

"No! Don't do it! He'll just steal your body!" Axel yelled dramatically, stepping forward. He hated this. He hated choosing. He hated... both of them at the moment.

Roxas spun again, in surprise. "What?" He demanded of Riku, "That's what you did to me! That's- that's disgusting!" He was utterly horrified at this epiphany.

There was a pause, a long one. No one spoke and all stared at Roxas.

Still no one spoke.

Finally, "You... think that I-" Riku began.

"Bastard!" Axel lunged at him although he knew, somewhere in a dark corner of his mind that Roxas had gotten really mixed up. And that the silver haired boy wasn't like that. But unfortunately, he was really panicking now.

"Use your common sense! Roxas jumped to conclusions!" Riku yelled to the furious red head while dodging the pair of large, brightly colored, spiky rings being thrown at him.

Chakram

Surprisingly, this stopped the man and he just stared, confused, at the silver haired boy. Sense. Yes, sense was good. Sense said that if he separated them, he wouldn't have to choose. Choose was bad...

"Then you didn't...?" the red head asked suddenly.

"Nope" Riku chirped. Something in his head said to save himself, anyway.

"So he's still..." Axel continued.

"Yep." was the chirp.

"But you're-!"

"Yep."

"And now you're-!"

"Correct, for Sora." The boy finished.

"Oh..." Axel thought for a second then turned to his favorite blond, considering that Riku's hair was indeed silver. "Roxas, say no to everything he says! Got it memorized?"

"Roxas, would you not come with me to talk to Sora?" Riku asked, smirking at Axel.

Despite himself, Roxas laughed. "Well, I don't know why I'm saying this, but... I'll come, on three conditions."

Riku frowned, he hadn't expected that. Then again he hadn't expected Roxas to comply at all. "What?" was all he responded.

"One: Make it so they," he gestured to the audience, "aren't frozen."

"Later."

"Two: I don't know why, but take Axel too."

The two young men looked at him in surprise. This boy was good.

"Why-" began Axel. Did they both recognize him suddenly? They were acting awful familiar.

"Only if he forfeits his weapons over too me." interrupted Riku. He wanted this to be as peaceful as possible. It wasn't because he liked to annoy the older man... No, of course not. Although he did.

"Three: you.. um... you didn't really, well... to me... did you?" the blond asked tentatively. The silver haired boy's eyes grew wide.

"No, goddamnit! I. Don't. Like. You!" Riku exclaimed, turning red. "There! All your needs met! Come on! " He stalked back to his portal, looking like a wet cat. A really wet one... With tape stuck all over it! Axel decided.

Roxas took a last look behind him. He saw his friends and smiled sadly. For some reason, this felt like the last time he would see them. He turned once again, following Riku into the darkness. Axel trailed slightly behind, trying desperately not to put a comforting arm around Roxas' shoulders. The boy would freak if he couldn't remember him. Then again, he wanted to dump water all over Riku...

"Axel, give me those wagon wheels you call weapons," ordered Riku. Axel grudgingly tossed the chakram over Roxas' head - who twitched - and Riku caught them. The blond took a look at his surroundings, not that there was much to see. It was a vast black nothingness.

"Where's your friend?" Axel spat at Riku. Ouch... now that non-existent spot in his chest hurt.

The boy glared at him, but turned to the nothingness with his hands cupping his mouth. "Sora!" he yelled.

Roxas looked around, seeing no one coming. He looked quizzically to Riku, and jumped.

A delicate looking boy had wrapped his arms around his neck and was leaning his translucent head against Riku's own. The boy had to be floating because you could tell by proportions that he as much shorter than the silver haired boy he was wrapping himself around.

Riku looked very happy to see the transparent boy, but his eyes were very sad. Roxas turned to see Axel's reaction. Even he looked depressed at the sight of the boy, or rather, the sight of them both.

-ooOOoo-

Note: Well, there is another, I suppose. I don't know how to pace myself. Is anyone mad at me for not at the mo' working on OTWOR? Cause I am.

Again, rip my work to shreds. I want to know every little mistake, or strained section. Anything I can improve on. I MUST KNOW! ((laughs insanely))

Another thing, I realize in the original, something's were VERY different, but that is because, while connected to it, I wrote this before Coming to Terms. I wanted to stick hints of that in here.

I wuvvles you all!

Queen of the MEEP