Disclaimer: I don't own Disney, Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, etc.

A/N: Another chapter! Okay, so I'll admit this is probably the most boring one of the entire story, but trust me it gets better again. Not really much else to say except that reviews would be much appreciated. Enjoy!

The Eyes Of Twilight

Chapter 5: Silence

Sora

Station Heights, The Usual Spot

Strolling along Market Street through the area in Twilight Town known as Station Heights, once again doing his best to keep both himself and the other side of his heart completely out of sight from prying eyes, (especially those dangerous blue orbs belonging to a certain fair-haired member of the Twilight Disciplinary Committee) Sora cautiously made his way down what was a surprisingly quiet street, something he had not noticed at first, but the longer he studied his surroundings, the more he started to realize just how quiet the atmosphere had become, not only around Station Heights, but also around the rest of Twilight Town. The plaza below the clock tower had been the same way.

I didn't notice it before, but even the Tram Common wasn't as crowded as it had been before we went into the forest. I can't explain it, but...ever since our trip into the woods, it feels as if Twilight Town has started to become less and less populated. It's almost as if...this town...It feels...darker somehow, like there's a shadow hanging over the city.

Yes, it was indeed quiet. A little too quiet, in fact.

The lack of noise, and more importantly the lack of people, seemed rather odd, especially considering the time of day it was, but despite the sudden uneasiness in his heart, Sora quickly took the path that would eventually lead both himself and his companion down a narrow street known as the back alley, and from there it was only a short walk to reach the small building Hayner had dubbed 'the usual spot'. It was a path the two wielders of the Keyblade had travelled once already that day, and although Sora felt a strong desire to interrupt the uneasy silence that was threatening to overwhelm him, he contented himself with remaining quiet, his gaze coming to rest every so often on the golden-haired Nobody keeping pace beside him. Roxas hadn't said a single word since their decent from the clock tower, and recognizing there was something not quite right with his other half, Sora hadn't even attempted to start up a conversation. Roxas was clearly lost in thought, and judging from the expression on the golden-haired Nobody's face, it looked as if his thoughts were causing him a lot of stress.

I don't get it, he was fine earlier. I wonder what's wrong. What is it he's so afraid to tell me?

Sora frowned to himself, and almost against his will, his mind suddenly wandered back to the strange conversation that had taken place between himself and his Nobody on top of the station tower. At first, their conversation hadn't contained anything out of the ordinary, but then somewhere along the line Roxas had started to act like someone who was doubting not only himself, but also all those around him, and even reality itself.

I thought meeting Hayner and the others would make Roxas smile more often, but...what if I was wrong?

No, that wasn't it. Roxas was happy. Well, as happy as one could be while still mourning the loss on one of his best friends. There was no denying the obvious. Hayner and the rest of the Twilight Town gang weren't the problem. There was definitely something else bothering Roxas, something that was clearly having a profound effect on the golden-haired Nobody.

But...what could it be?

Despite the fact that Roxas had refused to tell him what was wrong earlier, Sora did not feel at all offended. There was a simple reason for his lack of indignation, and it all came down to the fact that he trusted Roxas completely. He knew his other half would tell him what was wrong eventually, and although he had a habit of getting a little impatient at times, when it came to the other side of his heart, he was willing to wait if it meant Roxas would open up to him a little bit more, though that wasn't to say he did not think Roxas had any faith in him. Quite the contrary, actually. He knew Roxas trusted him just as much as he trusted the golden-haired Nobody. That too wasn't the problem. Unlike himself, Sora knew Roxas sometimes had difficulty expressing his emotions, not because he was a Nobody, of that the Keyblade Master was quite sure of, though Roxas might disagree, it was mostly due to the fact that Roxas was surprisingly quiet by nature, which completely contradicted Sora's own personality. It was truly astonishing how two people could be so similar and yet at the same time they were so different, but even so Sora knew it was only a matter of time before Roxas would start to become just a little bit more adventurous with his feelings.

I wonder if Roxas realizes...well...he's one of the reasons why I'm so glad I'm me. If I had been anyone else, then he wouldn't be Roxas and I don't think I'd like that very much...

Sora believed with all his heart that Roxas was in no way an accident, but even so a Nobody's attitude and appearance were never set in stone. In fact, until a heart was actually taken by the Heartless, it was pretty much impossible to tell what kind of a Nobody would be born, due to the simple fact that there were so many possibilities when it came to issues dealing with the heart. Roxas could have turned out to be a Nobody completely different from the thoughtful blond teen whose light seemed to glimmer from somewhere deep inside of him, but luckily fate had intervened and Sora knew he had been given a gift so valuable it was something that could never be replaced. Cutting Roxas out of his life now would have been as painful as severing one of his own limbs. He couldn't do either and still feel whole.

After meeting the golden-haired Nobody, Sora had finally realized just how glad he was to be himself and he knew there was no way he could ever have a Nobody other than Roxas. Xemnas had brought Roxas into the Organization for the sole purpose of gaining the upper hand in his quest to reclaim the lost hearts of the Nobodies under his command, and his own of course, but ironically enough, recruiting Roxas turned out to be possibly his greatest mistake.

Why? Because Xemnas had completely underestimated the strength of Roxas' heart.

Unlike the other members of the Organization, Roxas was the only one Xemnas had never truly been able to manipulate, the only one who had questioned the powerful Nobody's plans and his motives, though never in front of the other members of the Organization. Even Axel had faithfully followed his Superior's orders. That is...until the day he met Roxas. The day everything changed, not only for Axel, but perhaps for the rest of the Organization, as well. They, too, must have been captivated by the mystery surrounding the golden-haired Nobody, whether they ever admitted it to themselves or not. His unusual aura and his ability to wield light were just that irresistible. Roxas might believe the other members of the Organization never paid much attention to him, but Sora knew better. Everything about Roxas had fascinated them, he was sure of it, and perhaps they had even been a little bit envious of the golden-haired Nobody, if of course it was possible for Nobodies to feel envy. After all, Roxas had something Xaldin and the others didn't have. His heart. As a result, maybe the other members of the Organization, excluding Axel, had even felt a little bit of resentment towards Roxas.

Did they ignore him? Not at all. In fact, they had paid very close attention to him. Very close attention, indeed.

Is it because of me? Roxas abandoned the Organization because he wanted to know why the Keyblade had chosen him. Roxas says my heart was calling to him. Is the lure of my heart really that powerful? Is my heart really that strong? Am I really that strong?

Sora didn't know, but either way it didn't change what had happened. The cracks marring the unity of the Organization had started to show very early on, especially after Castle Oblivion, but the day Roxas had finally decided to leave the Organization...that had been the final nail in the metaphorical coffin for the Organization. Xemnas should have known then that he had already been defeated.

The Key of Destiny. Such a fitting name.

I don't think Xemnas ever trusted Roxas. He should have known. He should have realized Roxas would be the one to bring the Organization to its very knees.

In essence, that was exactly what had happened, and Xemnas only had himself to blame. Was Roxas merely a twist of fate, a stroke of good luck? No, Sora didn't believe that for a second. It was destiny. Roxas didn't happen by chance. He was meant to happen, and the key Xemnas had tried so hard to use for his own personal gain had turned out to be the key to his destruction.

A sudden thought occurred to Sora, and turning his head slightly he looked at Roxas out of the corner of his eye. "Hey, Roxas...what did Vexen think of you?"

Roxas looked at him in surprise and letting out a soft snort he said bitterly, "Not much, from what I can remember. He only wanted to use me as a science experiment, but the Superior put a stop to that pretty quick. Why do you ask?"

"No reason."

"He treated me more like a lab rat than a fellow member of the Organization," Roxas said quietly, a sigh escaping his lips. "Can you blame him, though? A Nobody whose heart was still free from the darkness. I was a perfect specimen for studying purposes. If I recall, Axel didn't like it too much. Every time Vexen would approach me, Axel would threaten to slice him up with his chakrams."

Thinking back to his final encounter with Vexen, Sora smiled sadly to himself. "Another thing I never got to thank Axel for."

"Huh?"

"Listen, Sora, we've got more in common than you think..."

Axel tried to hide the truth from me by getting rid of Vexen, but...there were times when he acted as if he wanted me to know what the Organization was hiding. It's like he wanted to tell me about Roxas, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. I'm not sure why, but maybe it was because...because he was afraid. Maybe he was afraid I would make Roxas disappear...

"Sora?"

Jumping at the sudden feel of Roxas' hand on his shoulder, Sora turned quickly to gaze at his Nobody, trying unsuccessfully to smile. "It's nothing. I know Axel was trying to hide the truth from me, but after what you just said, maybe it's for the best he took out Vexen. My only complaint is that I didn't get to do it first!"

Roxas stared at him, and to his surprise the golden-haired Nobody started to laugh. "Axel would have been proud to hear you say something like that."

"It wasn't...you know...like that for all of them. I mean...I felt bad taking Demyx out. He seemed...more like you."

"He made his choice," Roxas said quietly, the smile slipping suddenly from his face. "Just like Axel. Just like I did. Come on, I can hear the others complaining about us taking so long. We should get inside."

Lifting his head, Sora blinked at the sudden sound of carefree voices drifting towards him through the air, and turning to look in the direction Roxas was pointing at, he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. Apparently the two of them had just emerged from the back alley, their bodies facing the small house Hayner and the Twilight Town gang used for a hangout, and sensing the golden-haired Nobody's eyes on him, Sora felt his face turn a deep shade of red. He was pleased he had been able to make Roxas smile, but thanks to his big mouth he had once again effectively ruined the moment.

I'm always saying something to upset him. Maybe I should just keep my mouth shut from now on...

"Thanks for trying to cheer me up," Roxas said suddenly, as if reading his mind. "Let's hurry before Hayner starts yelling at us."

"Yeah, he's as bad as Riku."

Smiling at each other, the two of them quickly entered the usual spot, fully expecting to receive a scolding from at least one of their friends, if not more of them.

Sure enough, almost before they had made it through the door, Hayner grabbed Roxas by the arm, and frowning he gave the golden-haired Nobody a light punch in the ribs. "Hey, what took you so long? We've been waiting forever here!"

"As much as I'd love to stay longer, we really should get going," Kairi sighed, hopping reluctantly to her feet. "It might not look like it here in Twilight Town, but it's getting late. By now, the sun is probably starting to set back on Destiny Islands."

"She's right," Riku agreed, pushing away from the wall he had been leaning casually against only moments before. "We can beam back to the Gummi Ship from here."

"You're leaving already?" Olette asked, looking slightly disappointed. "But..."

"They'll come back soon and visit us. Right, Sora?" Pence asked hesitantly.

"Of course! We'll be back before you know it."

"You'd better be or you're going to have to answer to me!" Hayner threatened.

"Riku? Could we maybe...Is it okay if we warp back to the Gummi Ship on Sunset Hill?" Namine asked softly, glancing uncertainly at the silver-haired wielder of the Keyblade.

"Well...we don't have any munny to take the train again..."

Turning to gaze at Namine, Sora gave the female Nobody a warm smile. "We could always take the tunnel way."

"But...Seifer might still be hanging around Sunset Terrace!" Roxas protested. "We didn't see him in the plaza earlier, which means he must have gotten on the train to Sunset Station. If that's the case then he's probably wandering around Sunset Terrace right now. Don't get me wrong, I'd love a chance to get back at him for his earlier comments, but..."

That's strange. Earlier, I'd gotten the impression Roxas wanted to meet up with Seifer again. He seemed only too eager before. I wonder why the sudden change...

"We'll go to Sunset Hill," Riku said pleasantly. "Sunset Terrace is a big place. I doubt we'll have any trouble avoiding Seifer, especially if we go through the tunnel way."

"I don't know..."

Turning slightly to look at Roxas, Sora gave the golden-haired Nobody a quick smile. "It'll be okay. If Namine really wants to see Sunset Hill again, then I don't see why there's any reason not to go. Personally, I agree with Riku. I doubt Seifer will be a problem."

"Thank you, Sora," Namine said happily, a bright smile appearing suddenly on her face.

"Thanks a lot, Sora. That's the last time I ever stick up for you," Roxas grumbled, giving him a dirty look.

Leaning close to the golden-haired Nobody, Sora whispered, "Come on, you said you wanted to tell Namine how you feel on Sunset Hill, right? Now would be the perfect opportunity to say something!"

"Sora, I told you! I...I don't feel like doing it today..."

"But-"

"Well, if we're going to get going, let's hurry up already!" Hayner said impatiently.

"Hey, Sora, if you guys can beam up to the Gummi Ship right here in our hangout, why didn't you just beam straight here when you first came to Twilight Town?" Pence asked curiously.

"Gawrsh, we didn't want to scare you guys," Goofy explained, looking a little sheepish. "Besides, it's not very polite to enter without knocking."

"Can you imagine how you guys would have reacted if we had just suddenly appeared out of nowhere?" Kairi laughed, shaking her head. "We thought it would be more polite if we caught up to you the old fashion way."

"Yeah, I can imagine how Hayner would have reacted!" Olette giggled. "It'd be Axel all over again. So, is everyone ready to go?"

"I guess," Roxas mumbled, though he looked a little bit uncertain.

Frowning slightly, Sora grabbed Roxas by the arm, and ignoring the other boy's protests he proceeded to drag his Nobody out the door. Much to his surprise, for some odd reason Roxas kept glancing anxiously towards the back alley, and although it was hard to tell, it looked as if the golden-haired Nobody was especially interested in the dark shadows lurking in the corners of the gloomy path leading back towards Station Heights.

What is he looking at? Wait, no...he's not really looking at anything. It's more like he's looking for something, or someone...I don't get it, what am I missing?

Truthfully, he didn't have a clue, but there was one thing he was sure of. Roxas needed his help and despite what the golden-haired Nobody had said earlier, Sora knew he needed to find out what was going on before it was too late...