"Hey Roxas, wake up."

"Mmm?" Roxas stretched and blinked, opening his eyes to find Sora leaning over him.

"What is it?"

"What are we going to tell everyone?"

Roxas snorted and looked at Sora for a moment as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"We aren't going to tell them anything are we?"

"We aren't?"

Roxas sighed as he sat up and stretched again. "What time is it?"

"Early."

"What are we supposed to tell them anyways? That we have these keyblade things that appear at our command? That we had a bizarre shared dream at a wizard's tower that didn't seem to make any structural sense? That your friend has the same ability that we do? Sora they'd just call us crazy, besides Mom and Dad didn't even realize we were gone remember?"

"But we can show them the keyblades."

Roxas shook his head. "And that somehow makes things better? I think we should just leave it alone. We don't even know what we're supposed to do with them, now go back to sleep."

"But—"

"I'm going to sleep Sora, goodnight."

"Morning."

"What?"

"It's morning."

Roxas sighed and looked over at the clock, it was indeed morning. He scowled, laying back down and pulling up his sheets. "I don't care what it is, we aren't telling anyone, now go back to sleep."

Sora frowned and climbed back up to his bunk, laying in bed and staring at the ceiling. He held out his hand, and with a snap his keyblade appeared.

His mattress jolted, "Sora!"

"Yeah, sorry," he rolled over and closed his eyes, trying his best to sleep he couldn't help but agree with what Roxas had said. That didn't make him feel any better; he wished Leon was there to tell him what he needed to do.

Dear Sora, Riku told us where you lived, I'm sorry we never wrote. Things are so different here than on the islands. Everything happens so fast in the city, I miss the quiet and the sound of the ocean. Leon came by to see Namine and I, he's the one that's mailing this for us. You should see him in his uniform, he looks so funny. I met your cousin Cloud too, he's sweet even if he doesn't say very much and acts like he doesn't care. I want to see you again soon; maybe Leon can bring us with him when he goes back to Twilight Town for leave.

Love, Kairi

Sora read the letter again, his heart beating rapidly as he read each word as if they were priceless treasures. He felt a pang of jealousy that Leon had gotten to see Kairi and he couldn't, but that was to be expected wasn't it? He couldn't exactly run off to Hollow Bastion whenever he wanted.

Roxas came up behind him and peered over Sora's shoulder. "She's cute, is that her sister?"

Sora jumped, dropping the picture that had come with the letter, Roxas scooped it up and handed it to him.

"Sorry." He said with a smile.

"I haven't seen them in two years Roxas…they don't look that different at least."

Roxas slapped him on the back. "Don't be so down about it. She wrote to you didn't she? Write something back."

"I," Sora's face flushed red. "I don't know what to write."

Roxas considered for a moment. "Well then why don't you just start with 'hello'?"

Sora looked up at him with a sheepish smile. "When was the last time you had to write to a girl?"

Roxas blushed this time. "Uh…never I guess."

"Yeah so you don't have any idea either."

Roxas pulled up a chair to the desk and sprawled on it next to Sora. "So why don't we try writing it together?"

"You can't write a letter together! Besides you don't even know her."

Roxas smiled. "Yeah but you do, doesn't that count?"

"You're impossible."

Roxas snorted. "I'm not the one that wanted to tell the world we have magic swords."

"Be quiet, let's just write the letter." Sora muttered.

Roxas grinned and leaned over his shoulder. "You're on."

The rain was pouring as Sora and Roxas ran under the awning and stood there shivering.

Roxas glared at Sora from under his black coat. "Who was it that said it wouldn't rain and we could walk home?"

"Aw come on Roxas, they're never right."

Roxas shoved Sora out into the rain, the latter scrambled back under the awning, smiling sheepishly from under his own hooded coat.

"At least we have our coats."

"Yeah, because I said we'd need them. You convinced me not to bring umbrellas genius."

Sora laughed. "A little walking never killed anyone."

"Oh really," Roxas growled. "What about pneumonia?"

"That's why we have doctors."

Roxas shoved Sora back out into the rain and they commenced their argument again.

Several minutes later they were still standing at the trolley station, waiting.

"Sora, is it getting colder?"

"Oh stop it; you've made your point." A thoroughly drenched Sora muttered.

Roxas shook his head. "No I mean it; it's getting colder…and darker."

Sora looked at him. "How can it be getting darker? It's already…."

He stopped as the light above their heads flickered out of existence; Roxas swallowed and looked around the lights along the street had all gone out. He could barely see.

"Sora, what's going on?"

"I don't know."

They were standing close now, and they'd each clasped the other's hand as they stood in the near pitch black that now enveloped them.

"Do you see that?"

Roxas looked where Sora was pointing; two glowing points of gold light had appeared up the street and were bobbing towards them. It was the only source of light anywhere on the entire street.

"I don't think that's the trolley."

"Hello?" Sora called.

More lights appeared, always in pairs, bobbing in the darkness all around them. The boys moved closer together.

Roxas swallowed. "Do you hear that?"

Sora nodded, the sound was like hundreds of skittering insect legs on the cobbled pavement, accompanied by an endless chattering. He was still shivering, but it wasn't from the cold.

One of the bobbing pairs of light's finally stopped moving as it came close, the boys looked at the strange thing before them. It was blacker than the darkness that was covering everything else, which was the only reason they could see it. The thing hugged the ground and eyed them with two golden glowing eyes. Antennae stuck out of its head and hung over its face as it stared at them, scraping its hands together, part of what was making the maddening sound.

It edged closer to them, Roxas' heart was in his throat as it did so. Its feet made scraping sounds as they shuffled along the pavement. It reached out a hand, after a moment, Sora reached out his. Roxas wanted to scream at him, wanted to tell him to stop but he couldn't, or didn't, he wasn't sure which it was. Right before Sora and the creature touched; there was a snap, and a blinding light. Sora's keyblade appeared and the creature shrieked and leapt away hissing and howling wildly.

That was all it took, the dozens of bobbing paired gold eyes converged on them, Roxas held out his hands and two snaps and the same light as Sora's signaled the appearance of his own blades.

Neither boy thought, there was no time for it, they began swinging and every time they connected with a slashing, hissing creature it disintegrated before the keyblades. Thus encouraged they continued to fight the things assaulting them.

They'd thought there was only one type of the black creatures, but there were different kinds, they glimpsed them in half shadows within shadows, never truly seeing the forms they took as they fought. At times it seemed as if several of the creatures were all one giant monster. Neither boy paused to consider any of this; they simply fought with everything they had. Something inside them told them that they wouldn't live to ponder the knowledge anyways if they did not fight.

Roxas slumped against the bench, panting heavily, his breath rising in front of his face. Sora sprawled against one of the awning supports, the lights had come back on as the creatures vanished and the darkness receded.

"What were those things?"

Roxas shook his head, unable to answer through his pants.

Sora leaned forwards; he'd lost his jacket, just like Roxas and his shirt hung heavily on him, drenched by the water. Roxas tried to move away as Sora leaned close to him and touched his own drenched shirt.

"Wha—?"

He cut off with a sharp intake of breath as pain lanced through his head and his world spun. He looked down to see Sora's fingers came away from his chest red, he blinked in surprise, where did that come from?

"What?" He murmured.

Sora shook his head, pulling off his shirt and pressing it against the wound, his face white as he did his best to staunch the bleeding.

He smiled weakly. "Just like a Struggle Battle."

Roxas managed a ragged laugh, still staring down disbelievingly at his torn chest. He hadn't felt a thing, he still didn't, was that a good thing?

Further thoughts were interrupted by the chiming of the trolley. It pulled up to their stop and the doors swung open.

"Help," cried Sora.

The conductor appeared in the doorway, staring at them in bewilderment. "What the Devil are ye doing down there and without jackets! By God you'll—eh, what's wrong with 'im?"

"He's hurt, help me!"

The conductor didn't ask, he'd seen a lot in his time and hurried to scoop Roxas up in his arms and aboard the trolley. He laid Roxas down on a seat; Sora followed and pressed his shirt against Roxas' chest again. The bleeding hadn't stopped.

"Sora…." Roxas whispered, his eyes weighing heavily on his vision.

"It's okay Roxas, I'm right here, we'll be fine."

The conductor called back from his seat atop the trolley.

"Keep yer hats on lads, I'll be damned if I'll be the first trolleymen to lose a passenger!"

Sora sat on the chair outside the operating room quietly staring down at Roxas' dried blood on his hands and the bloodied shirt besides him. The nurses at the hospital had given him a new one which he wore, but he'd held onto his old one relentlessly.

"Sora!"

He looked up in time to see Aunt Tara descend on him and wrap her arms around him, pulling him close as she stroked his hair.

"It's okay, you're okay."

Sora shut his eyes and wrapped his arms around his aunt, his eyes clenched against tears. Tara knelt in front of him and put her hand on his cheek.

"They told me everything on the phone, what happened at the trolley station Sora?"

She didn't let him answer, frowning and fussing at a cut above his eye, it gave him a chance to think. What was he supposed to say? They were attacked by shadows? Roxas had been cut by shadows hadn't he? Could he tell her that? He didn't think so.

"I don't know."

"What?" Tara frowned and looked into his blue eyes, they looked just like her sisters and the memory both stung and reassured her.

"What did you say Sora?" She coaxed gently.

"I don't know what happened." Sora said again.

"But you were there weren't you?"

Sora swallowed, "the lights went out, and it was dark. Roxas and I were holding hands then something pulled us apart. I didn't see anything again until the lights came back on and Roxas was on the ground."

Tara frowned, Sora didn't think she believed him, but she wasn't going to press him, he hoped not.

"It's okay Sora, you did everything you could I'm sure."

The door opened and Tara stood as the doctor approached her, he looked puzzled, but he smiled just the same.

"Your boy's going to be fine. We stitched him up just fine and our healers were able to close the wound without leaving a scar."

"Do you know what happened?"

The doctor shook his head. "I don't know."

Tara blinked, her frown intensifying. "What?"

"It looks like a wild animal attack. Like a big cat or, the lacerations are about right, but when I made a call to the Royal Guard they said there were no escaped animals reported, and there isn't anything that lives here naturally that could have made that wound."

"But Roxas will be alright?"

The doctor nodded. "Yes, he'll be fine. We're going to keep him here overnight, but he should be up and about by tomorrow."

Tara nodded; she began to lead Sora down the hall, Sora pulled back. "What is it dear?"

"I want to stay with Roxas."

Tara blinked. "I was going to take you home first, then come back Sora. Allen is out of town, you know that."

Sora shook his head. "I'm staying."

Tara blinked and then nodded with a smile. "Alright, doctor could we have a pair of chairs and some blankets put into Roxas' room?"

"Of course, I'll have one of the nurses show you to the room."