Roxas limped through the forest as fast as he could. He had to escape somehow, but everywhere that he looked there were only trees. He didn't recognize anything at all.

It was only when he tripped for the umpteenth time that the boy finally came to a complete stop, whining a little as he lifted himself out of the dirt. He pulled himself up to his knees and looked back down at his ankle. It was throbbing painfully and he could see purple starting to become visible even through the bandage. Roxas shuddered as a gust of cold air then blew past him, and he reached up to rub his arms lightly. It had to be below freezing tonight; he could see his breath on the air. That monster had dragged him out of the house without a cloak and now the sun was had set. He was cold and hungry and had no idea how to get home.

Roxas started suddenly when he heard a strange sound in the distance. It was a weird sound that he couldn't describe, it was so unnatural; but he thought he knew what it meant. It wasn't human in the least. Scrambling slightly, Roxas managed to get himself behind one of the trees just as the monster came out. It was a silverish-white...thing. Roxas shivered as he saw its mouth zip and unzip a few times, its 'head' whipping around as it searched for him.

Somehow, he just knew it was after him.

The blond kept as still as he could, and soon enough, the strange thing left. It moved at times as if it had no spine, billowing in the air like a clothes on a line. But that didn't mean for certain it was weak, or that it couldn't sense him...

Roxas slid down the back of the tree and released a shaky breath. Vexen had sent some new monsters to come after him now. One like that one, without a face, had dragged him all the way out here until he was almost too tired to move. He'd barely managed to escape...

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"Please," he begged softly, "Please can we stop, just for a moment? I'm tired."

The hooded figure ignored him. It merely tightened its hold on his wrist and pulled him forward harshly, causing Roxas to yelp as it put great pressure on his ankle. He could barely match the man's ludicrous pace, and now he was quickly growing exhausted. But that didn't stop him from fighting back.

With a growl, the boy tried to pull away from him. "Let me go!" He jerked at his wrist and planted his feet on the ground, but the stranger was still refusing to slow down. He made a strange sound, some variation of a hiss, Roxas thought, and tugged him forward just as before. Desperate, Roxas managed to work his way up beside the thing and shoved it hard to the right, hoping to topple it over. "I said let me go!"

Finally, his efforts seemed to work. The hooded figure fell to the side, dragging Roxas with him, and the two of the hit the ground hard. Roxas whimpered slightly at the throbbing, but his plan had worked. The man had temporarily let go of his arm. So before the being could get his bearings, the boy began to crawl away quietly.

He hoped he would have gone unnoticed, but then, barely a moment after he began his attempt, there was a sharp pain in his ankle, causing him to cry out in pained surprise and fall back a little. He looked back to see the figure had grabbed his injured ankle and was using it to drag him back, gripping harshly.

"No! Stop it! Ah!" As he scrambled for something to grab onto, Roxas kicked out his good leg wantonly and was rewarded with a audible thud. The grip on his ankle loosened and he jerked it away quickly, looking back to see the man collapsed in the dirt. The boy stopped there for a moment on his hands and knees, panting hard.

Did I...?

Despite his better instincts to just leave and make a direct run for it, Roxas got slowly and shakily to his feet and crept carefully over to the hooded man, bending slightly to remove the cloak. He wanted to know what sort of man Vexen had sent to-

It wasn't a man. Roxas gasped and jumped back slightly, putting a good distance between himself and the...thing. His back hit a tree when he finally stopped, and he looked down at the now lightly twitching creature with growing terror. It was several variations of silver, its face nothing but several slits in what looked like a cylindrical helmet. Its waist area was thin, but the hips were huge. It was human-shaped, in some ways, but it certainly was not human.

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Roxas pulled his knees up against his chest and held them tightly, burying his head in them. He was ashamed to admit he was afraid of that thing. He had no idea where it was now, but now that new thing had come after him, and it was almost worse. It was thin and had no eyes, not even as slits, as well as a creepy zipper for a mouth...

Another cool gust of wind blew past him, and Roxas looked up to see it growing even darker now. It was so late; Axel had to be home by now. He had to be so worried...

Roxas curled even further in on himself to keep warm, scowling down at himself when his stomach gave a loud, needy groan. He should be trying to find his way home now, but it was too painful to walk for long, and he was exhausted. But the blond knew he couldn't fall asleep. It was dangerous to just fall asleep out in the forest. And what if those...things came back? He shuddered to think...

So he sat there for a long while, keeping still and silent apart from trembling in the cold. He even felt a few frozen tears beginning to prick the corners of his eyes.

Oh how he wished he was still home and safe with Axel...

After sometime later (Roxas was surprised to find that he had dosed off again, however briefly) Roxas started when he heard footsteps approaching his spot. He lifted his head cautiously and saw a light drawing closer; a light so bright he had to cover his eyes. It looked like the light of a lantern...

"Oh my. I'm sorry, boy. I didn't know anyone else was out here."

Roxas lowered his hand and looked up, blinking rapidly as the lantern light glared down at him. The voice was male and sounded slightly aged, and as the lantern was lowered down to the ground, Roxas saw that it was a man with short silvery hair and blue-green eyes. He was dressed in traveling clothes and was bent forward slightly at the spine, very much like an old man, but more muscular. The blond blinked briefly before rubbing the semi-dried tears from his eyes.

"No, it's alright. I thought you might be someone else..."

The man looked at him curiously for a moment as he uncurled himself, before asking, "By any chance, are you lost? It isn't safe to be sleeping in these woods with so little on."

Roxas nodded sheepishly, embarrassed he had been caught like this. He probably looked like a fool. But he wasn't about to let this opportunity pass him by.

"Actually, sir, I am. Do you...could you maybe...?"

"Of course!" the older man replied cheerfully, seeming to understand his plight. "I take it you live around here?" The boy nodded again. The silvery-haired man smiled, taking his hand and pulling him to his feet. "I'll help you find your home. No problem. I have a spare cloak you can wear too, if you'd like."

"Yes, please."

Before they could move, however, Roxas winced noticeably when felt his bad leg wobbling beneath him. It didn't seem to want to let him walk very far. The stranger seemed to notice his predicament as well as he shrugged out of the pack he was shouldering, looking at him worriedly.

"You're injured?" Roxas nodded again. "Then it's all the more unwise for you to be out in these woods at night!"

The blond looked down, now very embarrassed. "I-I didn't mean for this to happen."

The man shook his head and passed him a warm, wool cloak from his bag. "Well, no harm done. You can ride on my back for a while, if that would make things easier."

Roxas wanted to protest, but he couldn't really. Not now. He was way beyond caring at this point. Besides, he already proved to this man that he was an idiot. What was the harm in just accepting his help?

He climbed onto the old man's back with amazing ease, and was lifted just as easily. He was surprised, because the old man looked slightly bent and the pack he carried looked heavy. But the stranger didn't complain. He simply asked which direction Roxas thought he lived in, and by vague remembrance of the setting sun's position, the two set off, hopefully in the right direction. Roxas did his best to stay awake, but now he was warm with the cloak over his back and shoulders, making him feel even sleepier than before. He yawned slightly and, without thinking about it, nuzzled the man's shoulder with his head. He heard a chuckle and blushed slightly at his actions, knowing he barely knew this man, but he was far too tired to care.

"Try not to fall asleep on me, boy. If we pass by your home, I won't know it's your home unless you tell me."

The blond nodded slowly, rubbing his eyes. "I'm sorry. I'll try." He would make no promises.

"Thank you for your help, Mr...?"

The man smirked, thought Roxas couldn't have seen it as he drifted off slowly.

"My name is Even."