A/N-Another part. 'Tis longer. Hurray! :D (Remember, spelling! Those little error creep up on me, especially when I'm editing at 11pm-1am) Enjoys! (Also, I have no idea for this ending cause I'm winging this. So if updates slow down after a few more chapters that's why. 'Tis cause I'm stuck. Also, if you're wondering if this is going to end soon, well...I can't say since I didn't write this all at once. Whoo! The thrills of the unknown!)

Roxas felt his mind wake up before the rest of his body. His skin tingled with the lingering sensation of sleep. He pressed his face deeper into the pillow and found it had a trace of a scent of strawberries. 'Right, this room belonged to some girl before. Kairi, was it?' Roxas pondered.

He sat up with a soft moan and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Roxas looked for a clock but didn't see one. What he did see was a clean pair of clothes sitting on the dresser. Roxas climbed from beneath the sheets and quickly changed. It wasn't anything special: grey sweats with a white tank top. Roxas left his new room and ducked inside the bathroom to fix his hair. Then he made his way downstairs.

Upon reaching the main floor, his stomach growled loudly at the smell of food floating from the kitchen. Roxas went into autopilot and steered towards the prospect of a meal. Xion was busy cooking some chicken in a pan with a salad tossed in a big bowl on the counter. She looked up at the sound of someone else in the room.

"Oh! Good morning, er, noon. Did you sleep well?" she asked.

"Noon?" Roxas pressed, pausing to look at the food on the counter.

"Yeah. You must have been exhausted. Are you feeling better?" Roxas nodded, earning a large smile from Xion. "That's great!" Roxas felt his face flush. Xion giggled. "You must be hungry."

"Starving," Roxas confirmed.

"Well, lunch is almost ready. Naminé should be back soon and then we can eat." Roxas stepped over to the table but paused before sitting down. He looked back at Xion, who had turned back to her cooking. Roxas walked over to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"Thank you," he muttered. Xion smiled lightly.

"It's just what we do. After the worlds turned to…"

"Shit."

"Yeah, shit, we had to start looking out for each other."

"What happened that day?" Xion poked the chicken in the pan with her tongs. Roxas could tell she was a bit deflated at the subject.

"It's not what you think."

"What do you mean?" Roxas let Xion go and leaned backwards against the counter, crossing his arms.

"I mean we didn't do anything wrong. Xemnas just attacked Radiant Garden out of spite and greed. There was no uprising or rebellion. It was just chaos and confusion." Xion took a deep breath as the memories of her past resurfaced. Roxas waited patiently for her to continue.

"Radiant Garden was a special world. It was created from light and it could push back the darkness in anyone's heart. This light was coveted by the worlds and so they kept our world safe. The King grew jealous of what we had and wanted it for himself. The day things went to Hell, it was the Festival of Radiance. Ever hear of it?" Xion turned to Roxas but he merely shook his head. Xion nodded and turned back to her chicken. It was done so she turned off the burner and dumped the chicken on top of the salad.

"The Festival of Radiance happens every year. It's a three day celebration of the light we share with the other worlds. Children loved the Festival since there was games, treats, a parade, everything! The children were also given special treatment by the adults since they are the true lights of Radiant Garden. It was the first day of the festival when Xemnas first came. He asked us to hand over something that doesn't exist. He grew angry and set on destroying us. If he couldn't have what we had, we didn't deserve it."

"What did he want?" Roxas asked.

"A myth. Have you ever heard of Kingdom Hearts?"

"No." Xion brought the food on the counter to the table. Roxas followed her and took a seat.

"Well, you wouldn't be the first. It's a legend from Radiant Garden. A mythical crystal created from the hearts of the worlds said to give the power to control the worlds to whoever wields it."

"Not to be rude, but that sounds a bit far-fetched."

"It's not rude, Roxas. Everyone in Radiant Garden felt that way. Why would something so powerful ever be created?"

"So Xemnas was after Kingdom Hearts?"

"You betcha'! The only problem was we didn't have it. We never did."

"Is it even real?"

"Most would say no, but there are still some who believe." Xion grabbed some plates and forks from the kitchen and brought them to the table. Then she sat next to Roxas and they dug into the salad. "You see, it's all about the legend."

"What does it say?" Roxas asked between bites. His stomach was squealing with delight as he finally had a decent meal.

"Long ago, Kingdom Hearts looked out for the worlds to keep them safe. Then darkness was created and it wanted to taint Kingdom Hearts. So, in order to protect itself, it destroyed itself."

"That seems a bit odd."

"Well, that was only half of it. Kingdom Hearts divided itself into seven pieces known as the Shards of Eternal Radiance, or Shards for short. It imbued the Shards into the hearts of seven people in one of the millions of worlds. This was to throw off the darkness. The light binding Kingdom Hearts was scattered. And then it fell into mystery."

"Do you believe it exists?" Xion paused, chewing thoughtfully on her lettuce.

"As a child, I did. Then there was a period of time when I refused its existence. Now I'm not so sure. Naminé believes in it. I guess Xemnas does to because he destroyed us for it."

"Say it did exist. How would he know he was in the right world or found the right people? And how would he get the Shards from the people's hearts?"

"He'd have to remove their hearts."

"Xemnas isn't a heartless. He doesn't have that kind of power," Roxas argued. Xion chewed on her bottom lip.

"Well, he could. Potentially."

"Potentially?" Xion stood and stepped back from the table.

"Don't freak out, okay?" Roxas gave her a puzzled look. She held out her hand in front of her. Particles of light flurried around her hand, causing Roxas to squint. Then something materialized and Xion grasped it tightly. It was a large key with a gold base and a silver shaft. A long keychain hung from the end with a tiny crown at the end.

Roxas was left speechless.

"As a child, you learn how to summon your key. The Keyblade. It's a weapon and a tool. It can fight off darkness but it can also unlock a person's heart, so long as the Keyblade belongs to the master. Not everyone can summon their key, though. It only appears for those with the purest of hearts." Xion let go of the Keyblade and it dissipated into a flurry of light particles.

"So if Xemnas gets his hands on a Keyblade, he can remove people's hearts?"

"Only the heart of the one the key belongs too," Xion reminded. "Otherwise, if someone was corrupted, they'd go around and steal everyone's heart."

"Makes sense." Xion sat back down and continued eating. "So Xemnas destroyed Radiant Garden because you didn't give him Kingdom Hearts?"

"Yup. Trust me, we were extremely confused with his request and when he had his soldiers attack, we were equally confounded. People started to load up the children and young adults to get them away from the chaos so the light in their hearts wouldn't waver. We had no idea it saved our lives." Roxas chewed slowly as Xion's words set in.

The front door was heard being opened and shut. Naminé entered the kitchen a moment later and dropped a messenger bag on the floor.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry I'm late…oh! You must be Roxas," she exclaimed, noticing the male's presence at the table. "I'm Naminé. It's nice to meet you."

"Hello," Roxas greeted. Naminé sported a white sun dress and matching sandals. It went surprisingly well with her shoulder length blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Xion herself was wearing a dark grey sundress and black heels.

"Naminé's attending art school. She has quite the talent with drawing," Xion stated. Naminé blushed at the compliment.

"Oh, it's not that great. I just needed a hobby. Did you have any hobbies, Roxas?" the blonde girl asked.

"I didn't have time," Roxas replied. "I was too busy fighting on attacking soldiers."

"Oh! You can fight? That's amazing! I wish I was brave enough to fight." Naminé picked at her salad, slightly deflated.

"It's not too hard. I could teach you if you'd like."

"Would you?!" Naminé's eyes sparkled.

"Nam, don't pressure him," Xion warned.

"It's fine. I don't have anything else to do," Roxas stated.

"This is so exciting!" Naminé exclaimed. "You're from Twilight Town, right?"

"Yes."

"So you were a Twilight Guard?"

"Yes." Naminé could tell Roxas was avoiding her questions.

"Oh, um, sorry. I didn't mean to pry. I was just curious about you. Xion didn't say much when I got home last night."

"It's fine."

"Roxas, even I can tell I'm bothering you. I'm really sorry, okay?" Roxas felt bad for making Naminé feel guilty. He pressed a smile on his face.

"It's alright. I don't mind. I'm curious about Radiant Garden myself."

"Roxas, please stop lying," Xion said quietly. Roxas's face fell into a frown. "We're not stupid. You don't have to lie to us to make us feel better. You're hearts shattered, filled with conflicting emotions."

"How…?" Roxas pressed.

"We can read hearts. Well, Xion has a natural talent for it. Someone tried to teach me once but I never got the hang of it," Naminé explained.

"Is this a common talent?" the male asked.

"Um, I don't really know. I know anyone has the ability to do it but it comes naturally for some. Why do you ask?" Xion pressed. Roxas set down his fork and stared at his plate.

"I met someone who could read hearts. They could tell I was broken inside too." Xion pursed her lips while Naminé seemed a bit more flustered.

"Who was it?!" the blonde girl shot out. Roxas felt slightly taken aback by her sudden outburst. Naminé was typically soft-spoken.

"His name was Axel." Naminé instantly deflated and returned to poking her salad with her fork. "I assume you thought it was someone else?" Naminé nodded.

"His name was Lea. He disappeared about six or seven years ago. He was kind of the reason why my sister left. See, she couldn't take the destruction of Radiant Garden very well and he helped her get through it. Then one day he went up and left. Kairi was distraught and so she left Traverse Town with someone she met from Destiny Islands. She hasn't come back home since."

"Sorry. It wasn't him. Axel wasn't from Radiant Garden. He said he came from Traverse Town, though. He might have picked it up from the Radiant Garden refugees while he was here."

"That is a definite possibility. Either that or he picked it up on his own because he's naturally attuned to it," Xion predicted. "I've met some travelers from other worlds who had the same ability."

An awkward silence washed over the table. Naminé finished eating and they stared at different corners of the room waiting for someone to speak first. Xion cleared the table and the silence continued. Finally, Naminé shifted in her seat and turned to Roxas.

"So, would you like to go into town and find some clothes? I picked those up early this morning but I know you probably don't want to live in sweats the rest of your life," she noted.

"Sure," Roxas agreed. "Can we stop by the Restoration Committee? I want to see what I can do to help."

"Oh! Sure! We can stop by on our way back home."

"Leon perk your interest?" Xion asked.

"You could say that. Plus I feel rather useless sitting around after being busy my entire life."

"Getting itchy, huh? Don't worry, if you ask they'll put you to work." Naminé rose and Roxas followed her.

"Thanks for the food," Roxas muttered before leaving. Xion shot him a smile that made his stomach twist.

Naminé led the way to the Districts of Traverse Town where they would be spending most of the day. Most of the shops were located there. The spent most of the afternoon going from shop to shop finding Roxas clothes to wear or various items for his room. Roxas wasn't so keen on all the attention Naminé was giving him but he indulged her and went along with what she wanted to do.

By the early evening, they were set on heading back to Xion's house. Loaded down with various shopping bags, Naminé led the way while Roxas carried a stack of boxes close behind. He had to watch were Naminé was going out of the corner of his eye since the boxes blocked most of his view. Despite being careful, he still managed to run into someone.

More particularly, tripped over them.

Roxas stumbled as someone crashed into his legs and he lunged forward, boxes flying from his arms. Naminé turned and gasped as both the blonde male and the packages slammed into the pavement. Roxas could taste blood in his mouth after his chin collided with the street.

"Oh my gosh, are you okay? I wasn't even paying attention! I'm so sorry!" Naminé gushed as she hurried over to help the fallen soldier. Roxas shakily pushed himself to his hands and knees. His attention then turned to the person he ran into.

His eyes widened.

It was a little boy no older than eight. He hugged his elbow close to his chest and blood freely flowed from the abrasion upon it. Pained tears were beaded on the edges of his bright blue eyes. His golden blonde hair was unkempt and brushed up like a large cow-lick.

Roxas rolled over and sat back on his rear. He simply stared at the boy with the incredible likeness of himself. Naminé saw Roxas was staring and went over to check on the boy.

"Ven!" Roxas looked over his shoulder and saw a woman running towards them in a light blue sundress. Her hair was a strange shade of sapphire and curved to her face. It complimented her blue eyes. She saw Roxas on the ground and the boy being consoled by Naminé, easily putting the facts together. "I'm sorry! Ven just took off. Here, let me help you." The woman offered Roxas a hand. Roxas accepted it and was pulled to his feet. She was surprisingly strong.

"Thanks. It's my fault, really. I couldn't see where I was going," Roxas replied, motioning towards the boxes. The woman nodded, but then she tilted her head to the side. "I'm Roxas, by the way. I'm new here," the blonde stated, trying to break the woman's awkward stare.

"Oh! Sorry, you just look so much like Ven. My name is Aqua." Aqua went over to Ven and Naminé. Naminé had patched up Ven's elbow with a couple of spare bandages she kept in her purse. Aqua chatted lightly with Aqua while Ven clung tightly to the blue haired woman.

"You're a new face." Roxas turned to find a tall man with dark brown hair and faded blue eyes walking up to him. He wore a white t-shirt and khakis.

"Roxas," the blonde greeted.

"Terra. I see you met Aqua and Ventus. Sorry about the trouble," Terra apologized.

"It's alright. Are you from around here?"

"Radiant Garden. Aqua and I escaped. We managed to start a family here. Ven's the light to our world. We would be lost without him, despite the fact he runs away whenever he's upset. We'll just keep going after him. He's all we've got."

"So he's a new generation. I wonder how long it will be before that happens with my world." Roxas turned his gaze to the street. Terra picked up a couple of the boxes Roxas dropped and handed them over.

"Are you from Halloween Town? You don't really look like it."

"No, Twilight Town."

"Ah. That makes sense. Halloween Town was hit hard a few days ago. Many of the people fled here for sanctuary. Twilight Town was hit harder, though I guess. My sympathy."

"Thanks. It's hard enough knowing you're home's at war, but to have it completely destroyed is something no one should go through."

"Agreed," Terra said with a nod. They turned as Naminé and Aqua approached them. Ven was half asleep on Aqua's back.

"Hey," she greeted Terra, kissing him on the cheek.

"Hey there. Is he okay?" Terra pressed, motioning towards Ven.

"He's fine. I think he's just a bit spooked."

"I'm more spooked by how Ven looks so much like Roxas," Naminé stated. Everyone chuckled. "Maybe Terra and Aqua are your real parents."

"Get real! I'm eighteen!" Roxas protested. "And I was born in Twilight Town and my parents died in a raid six years ago." Terra and Aqua snickered some more.

"Yeah, that would make it rather hard. Aqua would have only been ten when Roxas was born and I would have been fourteen," Terra added.

"That's creepy," Ven muttered into Aqua's shoulder. Roxas smirked. He set the boxes he was holding down and stepped over to Ven.

"You doing alright?" he asked softly.

"Yeah. Sorry I ran into you," Ven apologized. Roxas ruffled the boy's hair.

"You have nothing to apologize for."

"Why do you look like me?" Ven wondered.

"I don't know. I was told once that statistically speaking there are six people amongst the other worlds that look exactly like you."

"So there are six of me running around? Awh, I wanted to be original." Ven pouted.

"You are original. The others may look like you but they can't be you. Look at me, for example. You probably have a lot more fun than I do."

"I haven't seen war either." Roxas frowned. Ven sat up and poked the X on Roxas's neck. "You have. And that makes scars no one can see." Ven pointed to Roxas's chest. "The heart is not easily healed. You'd best be careful."

"Ven, don't be so depressing," Terra stated. Ven giggled and gave Aqua a hug.

"Awh, you're no fun." Roxas smiled and ruffled Ven's hair again.

"Stay out of trouble," he requested.

"'Kay. See you around, older me." Aqua and Terra said their good-byes and Ven waved back at Roxas. The older replica waved back at him.

"That was sweet of you," Naminé commented. "The kids must have loved you back home."

"There were no kids. Twilight Town hadn't had a birth in ten years. There was no point until the war was over. Now there isn't much of a chance left." Roxas staked the boxes and started heading back.

Naminé remained rooted to the spot. Her hands clenched tightly over her chest. 'A world without children? How cruel.' She hurried after Roxas as they made their way back to Xion's house.

XxXxX

Roxas stood outside the house in the Third District with a frown on his face. Naminé had given him directions scribbled on a piece of paper since she was more in the mood to draw than talk to the Committee. Roxas didn't mind going by himself. He was rather intrigued by who would all be there.

Roxas stepped forward and knocked on the door. It opened a moment later with a smiling woman with short black hair wearing a tank top and short shorts.

"Hiya! How can we help you?" she asked.

"Is Leon here?" Roxas asked. He had changed into black cargo pants and had a pair of checkered cuffs on his wrists.

"Sure! Come on in! He's in a meeting but it'll be over in a second." The woman let Roxas in and they headed towards a round table back in the kitchen. Upon their arrival, the meeting broke apart and the group started opening cans of beer or munching on chips.

"Roxas, good to see you," Leon greeted. He offered Roxas his chair and sat on a footstool next to him. "Welcome to the Committee. Let me introduce you. I'm head of housing. That's Cloud, head of defenses. Yuffie's on refugee support. Aerith's our medic. Cid's our mechanic. Tifa deals with trade. Merlin's in the research department. Together we make up the Restoration Committee."

"What are you restoring exactly?" Roxas asked, accepting a beer from Yuffie, the woman in short shorts. Leon took the beer from him and took a swig.

"Balance amongst the refugees. Many people come here from unstable worlds torn by war. We're trying to make a peaceful community here for them to claim sanctuary in. Everyone tries to help out and Traverse Town has really boomed over the years."

"It's sad to see so many people displaced from their homes," Aerith commented, her long brown hair tied back in a braid with a pink ribbon.

"Us included," Cloud muttered into his beer can, his blond spikes shooting off in every direction.

"Don't be so mopey," Tifa said, hitting Cloud's shoulder. Her long black hair was pulled back behind her ears.

"Eeeh, let him mope," Cid growled, a long toothpick sticking out of the side of his mouth. "He's been through enough to earn that right."

"Here here," Merlin agreed, stroking his long white beard.

"So are you all from other worlds?" Roxas asked.

"Correct. Yuffie, Aerith and I are from Radiant Garden. Cloud is Cid's son and they're from Olympus. Cloud lost his brother, Zack, to the war. Tifa is actually a refugee from Hollow Bastion. She fled shortly after the war started. Merlin's from right here in Traverse Town," Leon explained.

"Are there others?"

"Sure, the Gullwings!" Cid interrupted, taking a large draw from his beer.

"They're pilots for Traverse Town," Leon added. "Yuna, Rikku, and Paine. They deal with trading with other worlds. When they need to, they run transports. They would have gone to Twilight Town if the news hadn't reached us so late. We didn't find out until the first wave of refugees arrived. By then, the Gullwings were out on a trade run. If we had known, we could have gotten more out."

"Don't beat yourself up, Leon. We knew Hollow Bastion was going to attack but we had no idea they wanted to end the fight so quickly. We were outmatched and lacking the airpower," Roxas replied.

"It still sucks," Yuffie stated, shoving a handful of chip into her mouth.

"Are you interested in joining?" Aerith asked.

"I might as well. I have nothing else to do with my time," Roxas said, popping a chip into his mouth.

"You'll be a welcomed addition," Leon agreed. "Why don't you stop by in the morning? We'll have something for you to do by then." Roxas said this thanks and farewells. The Committee was enthused to have him aboard.

Roxas stepped out into the cool night air and took a deep breath. He thought of returning through the door connecting the First and Third District, but the night was pleasant so he decided to make a long detour through the Second.

He stared up at the stars as he walked along with his hands in his pockets. "No use trying to fight it here. This is my new home and I have to be there for the rest of Twilight Town. Strange how I've been fighting for so long and now I have to sit on the sides and wait."

Roxas turned at the sound of the clock tower chiming. It was dull and flat, nothing like the clock tower back home. It made Roxas's chest clench painfully.

His gaze was altered when he noticed a shadow pass by him. Roxas turned and was knocked aside. He rolled painfully across the ground and smashed into a bench. He wiped his jaw and blood smeared on his hand. Roxas looked up and found a tall man with long silver hair stalking towards him. He was dressed in black and silver armor and an eight foot katana was sheathed at his side. Roxas wondered how the man could even draw such an immense sword.

"You are not welcome here." The man said coldly.

"Who the Hell are you?!" Roxas barked.

"My name is Sephiroth, but it doesn't matter to scum like you. Stay out of our world." A large black wing unfolded from behind Sephiroth and the man drew his katana in a blink of an eye. "Prepare yourself." Roxas's eyes widened.

The blonde leapt aside as the katana swept past. There was no way he would be able to reach Sephiroth with his fists. The man clearly had the advantage of reach. All Roxas had left was his light magic.

Roxas summoned his four beams of light and sent them flying at Sephiroth. The man vanished and the light simply crashed into a fountain. Roxas looked around wildly. Sephiroth suddenly reappeared and knocked Roxas skyward with the back of his sword. The blonde was bashed over and over again until he was thirty feet in the air. Then he was backhanded into the side of a building. Roxas saw stars and crumpled towards the ground. He pushed off the building and rolled, injuring his shoulder in the process.

Roxas shakily got to his feet and sent a ball of light at Sephiroth. He simply side stepped it. "Damn," Roxas cursed under his breath. He sent another barrage of light beams at Sephiroth but the man would simply teleport out of the way.

Roxas was running out of options.

"You cannot win," Sephiroth called. "Face your demise and I will make it swift."

"Just fuck off!" Roxas spat. Sephiroth launched forward and slashed Roxas across the collar bone. Roxas dropped to his knees, panting at the pain filling his body.

His body was soon lifted up against his will. His wrists were bound together above his head and feet dangled above the ground. Roxas squirmed to no avail. Sephiroth walked up to Roxas. The man stared the blonde in the face and Roxas glared back at him.

Then Sephiroth placed a finger on Roxas's forehead.

"Sin Harvest."

Roxas screamed in agony as images of his past wrought pain onto his body. Every man his killed sent a painful jolt through his system. Every supply he looted made him feel like his insides were being burned with molten steel. Every person he left behind to die made him feel like he was being stabbed with a thousand blades.

"Please! Stop!" Roxas cried. Tears coursed down his cheeks at the pain. His muscles clenched painfully and his teeth ground together.

"Don't fight it," Sephiroth ordered.

The man turned and leapt back as a ball of fire flew by his head. Roxas could still feel the effects of the spell coursing through his body.

"Let him go!" Xion barked. She was wielding her Keyblade.

"You wish to save the man who will bring out demise?" Sephiroth asked.

"You don't know that!" Xion spat.

"The King let him come here for a reason. We must exterminate him before that reason can be fulfilled."

"Under who's orders?" Sephiroth remained silent. "Release him or I'll report you to the King."

"Neither King holds ground here," Sephiroth reminded.

"Then I'll report you to Mother." Sephiroth frowned.

"Don't regret this, Xion."

Roxas was released from his magical bonds and the spell vanished. His body ached and screamed as it crashed into the ground. Xion rushed over to Roxas and cradled him in her arms.

"Are you alright?" she asked, concern written all over her face.

"Oh!" Xion turned to see Aerith as she was making her way home. "Roxas!" She hurried over and pulled out an Elixer. "Here, drink this." She poured the liquid into Roxas's cracked lips and he felt the strength return to his body. Roxas sat up stiffly as Aerith began patching up his chest. "Sephiroth, you took this too far!" Aerith said, raising her voice.

"My apologies. I was unaware you wanted him unharmed," the silver haired man replied.

"Of course we do! Why wouldn't we?" Xion snapped.

"The King knows about him. Who knows what sort of plots he is conducting?"

"That doesn't give you the right to beat the shit out of him!"

"My apologies. I was just doing my duty."

"Leave it, Xion," Aerith interrupted. Xion scowled heavily. Sephiroth sheathed his blade and his wing folded gently against his back.

"Who is this guy?" Roxas asked, flinching at the sting of alcohol in his laceration.

"Sephiroth. He's a cyborg from Radiant Garden with the duty to protect. You must have triggered something in his security functions when he noticed you were dropped off by a Hollow Bastion ship. Normally he keeps to himself," Aerith explained.

"That explains why he can hit so damn hard." Aerith nodded grimly. "What is Mother?"

"A program we developed in Radiant Garden to keep the cyborgs under control. If they misbehave, we enter it in the program and they're punished. It's the only way to keep them in line since they don't feel pain."

"I'm so sorry, Roxas. I completely forgot about him. I should have warned you," Xion grumbled, angry with herself. Aerith finished fixing up Roxas and helped the teen to his feet. Roxas was still feeling the after effects of the spell pulse through his body but the Elixir had helped immensely.

"Take him home, Xion. I'll deal with Sephiroth," Aerith offered. Xion nodded and had Roxas lean against her as they made their way back home.

"Are you okay?" Xion asked as they left the Districts.

"Just a bit bruised. I suffered worse," Roxas responded.

"Yeah?"

"I nearly died after the G. Ship I was in was shot down. Axel took me in and watched over me."

"That was rather kind of him."

"More like rather strange of him. Axel was a Knight." Xion stopped dead, making Roxas flinch.

"A Knight?! Seriously?! And he didn't kill you on sight?!"

"No. That wasn't the weirdest part either. The King spared my life too." Xion was floored. She was completely stunned.

"…what…but…how?!" was all she could manage.

"I honestly don't know. They said it was because I had a strong heart but I think they're hiding something." Xion resumed walking and chewed on her lower lip thoughtfully.

"Strange…" she breathed. "Maybe Sephiroth was right. Maybe the King is up to something with you."

"I wouldn't doubt it."

"But that still doesn't give him the right to beat you up. It's not your fault if the King decides to play twisted games. Besides, the people of Radiant Garden have been part of his sick minded ways since the beginning of the war. If anything, we're just as guilty." Roxas smiled lightly.

"Thanks, Xion." Xion smiled back at him. Roxas's face blushed lightly.

"What's with you? Are you compliment shy?" she teased. Roxas frowned and turned his gaze to the ground.

"No…"

"What, no cute girls back home?" she teased. Roxas's ears burned.

"There were…some…no one I was interested in. I was too focused on the war."

"Well, not anymore. You get to start a new life. Reach out, Roxas, and breath in that fresh air. It's freedom! Do what you have to do or do what you want to do. It's your choice now. The war's not here, and I dearly hope it stays that way. So enjoy it! Enjoy the peace and relax for once. And if you can't do that, then at least pretend you're enjoying yourself." Roxas chuckled.

"I don't think I have to pretend. I'm capable of emotions."

"Oh good!" Xion said sarcastically. They burst out laughing.

The pair made it back home only to be gushed over by Naminé. She felt like it was her fault Roxas was beat up but Roxas quickly told her there was nothing she could have done. He retired early, climbing into a freshly washed pair of short, courtesy of Xion.

Hours later he woke staring at the ceiling. His mind tossed and turned in his sleep, replaying the flashes of memories brought up from his past. Roxas groaned and rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingers. Then he rolled over and tried to forget them.

XxXxX

Axel woke in the middle of the night. He sat up and rubbed his face with his hand.

"Another dream about him…" he muttered. Then he lay back down and returned to an uneasy sleep.

A/N- Musical Muses: If I Die Young-The Band Perry; One Winged Angel-FFVII (All rights to respective owners)

(And honestly, how else do you write Sephiroth without One Winged Angel in the background ;D)