Here we go. And for those unfamiliar with Loveless…

Ears/Tail: I know it's strange to picture Roxas and Hayner, Pence and Olette or any person with a cat tail and cat ears. But it's actually quite interesting.

In Loveless, people are born with the cat ears and tails. They have them all the way up until they lose their virginity. So it's like this. The first time you have sex, you end up losing the ears and tail. And that's all there is to it.

It's funny though. How embarrassing would it be to go to school one week with your ears, and then after the weekend you go in without your ears. EVERYONE would be talking! That's so embarrassing! But I still wish I had ears.

Oh and yes, when I refer to ears, normally I mean the cat ears. That's how they are referenced in Loveless. But if it's someone (like a parent) and I say ear, picture them with normal human ears, since they obviously lost theirs. A bit confusing, but I'll try my best to really set to two apart.

So, if you have any questions at all, please feel free to ask me. I love answering people's questions. If you find yourself confused, I'll do my best to explain things to you.

Disclaimer: Forever the same.

Please enjoy chapter 1!

"And I woke up one morning, the morning, to find that the normally occupied space next to me was empty. I just thought he was in the bathroom or something. Then I found the note. And I read it. And realized that he wasn't in the bathroom."

My mind seemed to be clouded, my eyes blurred as I ran, ran so fast, pushing my legs to their limit. All I kept thinking was, "I've got to find him!" It was such an urgent thing, I had to find him, nothing else mattered now.

Those bastards had separated us. It had to have been part of their plan. Never had we planned that our enemies would be so cunning, and yet here I am, trying to locate my Fighter unit. I cried his name out desperately in my mind, but heard nothing. What was going on? Why wasn't he answering me! He always answered me when I called out to him. Maybe something was wrong. Had they gotten him?

I stopped to catch my breath and did my best to clear my mind in order to feel the energies around me. If I could sense where he was, then I'd be able to locate him.

In that instant, I felt an agonizing pain in my chest and I gasped, clenching my torso and nearly fell to the ground by the force of blow. I hadn't been hit, but he'd been hit. I could feel his pain. I had to get him. I was the only one who was supposed to get hurt. I was supposed to protect him. Save him from this…

Running faster than before, I made it through the twists and turns of the castle that we were in, following the now spastic force I felt.

After turning one last corner, I saw them. But in the dim lighting of the castle, they were only dark shadows. I could still tell that they were the enemies. One was hovering above another who was crumpled to the ground. 'No!' my mind cried frantically. No, it couldn't be.

A hellish looking attack erupted from the enemy and struck the person on the floor. Again my body was overwhelmed with pain, and this time it did bring me to my knees. My ears sank against my head, my tail drooping behind me. I let out a small cry of pain and forced my eyes open.

"No!" I shouted loudly at them. I could see the shadows turn their heads, gazing directly at me. I wasn't intimidated. I was beyond furious. The anger building within me clouded my vision, turning it white around the edges. That was my fighter unit. That was my love. No one was allowed to touch him, only me.

My legs seemed to move on their own and I stood and began running outwards them, a wicked hiss leaving my lips. I got close and was ready to pounce when my vision turned black and I fell into unconsciousness.

Waking with a start, I sat up in bed panting heavily. Sweat dripped down my forehead, off my nose and over my lips, the salty taste sinking into my mouth. My chest rose and fell erratically as I did my best to try and calm myself. I felt sick. My stomach was churning uncomfortably and I knew to get up and run. I got out of bed and ran to the bathroom, falling to my knees and emptying some of the acids from my stomach into the toilet. I panted more and fell back onto my backside, running a hand through my hair.

That had been way too real to be a dream. I placed a hand over my chest, the pain I had felt still lingering. That pain had been real. And my nose was sensitive to the memory of blood in the air, the metallic scent still hanging around. My stomach roiled again but I withheld the possibility of throwing up once more. I leaned back into the bathtub behind me, my breathing finally starting to calm a bit. Uncontrollably my tail flopped against the floor, giving off a sign of my anxiety.

That had been one rude wake up call. Never had I ever had such a graphic dream, one that seemed to last this long. It was so fresh in my mind. And I had such a strong feeling that that was more than a dream. All of my dreams lately had been so realistic and in a way, familiar. It was unnerving and I knew that there was more to this than what I had previously thought.

Sighing, I rubbed my forehead and stood up, my legs wobbly. I gripped the counter and flushed the toilet before moving to head back to my bedroom. I sat on the edge of my bed, just staring at the floor. There had to be a reason as to why I was having these dreams. Such vivid images that could affect me physically. It wasn't normal and there had to definitely be an explanation.

But at the moment, I'd rather not dwell on the manner and instead take a shower to rid my body of sweat.

So after gathering clothes to wear I walked back to the bathroom, my legs still unsteady. I took a deep breath and closed the door behind me. I was still shaken up and I gripped the counter top, just standing and breathing for a few minutes before finally grabbing the bottom hem of my shirt and pulling it up and over my head.

That was when I first saw it.

It was faint, but it was all too obvious.

At first, when I looked at it, I just thought it was a bruise. I bruise easily, so that wouldn't have mattered. But it was the size that caught my attention. It was larger than an ordinary bruise that I would get.

It was on my hip and like I said, it was faint. I gulped and inched my face closer to the mirror and looked at the marking on my hip. It was black and to be quite honest, it looked like a tattoo. I looked down at my hip and brought a finger down to trace the strange mark. The skin was flat and smooth, and there was no elevated parts to give any indication that the mark was engraved there recently.

I looked in the mirror again. It was hard to tell, but the mark was a pattern and I squinted, trying to determine what it was. Slowly my mind began to understand the meaning of the letters that I noticed. An X and three I's following it. Thirteen. It was the roman numeral for the number thirteen.

Alright, now I was freaked out.

What was this? Where did this mark come from!

I traced the number with my fingers, my eyes incredibly wide. I'd never gotten a tattoo before. And this was too faint to be a tattoo, so where in the world did it come from? Marks like this don't just appear on their own. And it couldn't be a bruise or something like that. The lines were too neatly done, like it was made by another person.

My breathing started to pick up again.

Alright, this was just something…freaky and it didn't mean anything. Nope, it couldn't. This was just some stupid coincidence or occurrence. Just like the dream. There was no meaning behind this…was there?

My brows were marred as I traced the numeral once more.

XIII

Hayner and I loved doing odd jobs. Getting a decent amount of munny for doing simple tasks was just something that we liked doing. It was always fun to see what job you'd get and between the two of us, it was sort of a competition; see who gets the most munny by the end of the day.

That was our plan for the summer. While Pence was away and Olette worked her normal job at the hospital, we thought that earning a small amount of munny for the two of us would be enough to handle our everyday costs. Not only that, but it gave us something to do. And it was always great running around the small town and catching each other in the middle of a job, running in opposite directions and calling things out to each other before continuing on. It also made both of us realize that the people of Twilight Town were sorta helpless or just plain lazy. That and some of them were actually too busy to handle small, trivial things. And that's were the two of us come in, saving the day.

Today we were planning on doing the jobs, but my mind was way too occupied to even think about work. Luckily mom had left the house by the time I finished freaking out and showered. I didn't eat this morning, any appetite I may have had being sapped away by this morning's events. And by the time Hayner barged in like he did every morning, I was sitting at the kitchen table, my hand resting on my hip and my brain busy at work trying to think of an explanation as to where the thirteen came from.

"Twilight Town to Roxas," Hayner said while tugging one of my blonde ears. I hissed and bared my small fanged teeth. I seriously hated people touching my ears. "You've been staring at the wall and I'm afraid it's going to start burning in the next few minutes."

I just shook my head in response as my best friend took a seat beside me. "What's gotten into you?" He looked around the kitchen and I could tell that he was decided on what he would grab to eat.

"Nothing important," I mumbled. Of course I wasn't going to say anything about what happened to me. The dream alone would earn me a look of 'what the fuck?' and showing him the mark would earn me a comment of "alright, you belong in an insane home." I wasn't really warm to the idea of either of those. I didn't need my friends thinking that I was going insane. Just knowing that myself was more than enough.

"Well, you've got to get pumped up for today," he said and opened the fridge door. "Remember, we're hanging Struggle posters. The tournament is next week."

How could I have forgotten about one of my favorite summer events? Just thinking about the Struggle made me feel a slight pulse of excitement. Hopefully working today would be just what I need to get my mind off of everything.

Hayner returned to the table, setting his newly poured glass of orange juice down. He looked at me with narrowed brown eyes. "You sure you're okay? You don't look it. D'you want to stay home or what?"

I knew I should try and at least look alright, contradictory to what I was feeling. I really didn't like it when my friends worried over me. Forcing a smile, I nodded. "I'm fine. I haven't been sleeping well, that's all."

My best friend seemed accept this answer. I was glad that he was seemingly oblivious to obvious problems. If it were Olette sitting across from me though, that would be a whole other story included a game of twenty questions.

"Then try and look energetic. If Olette saw you looking like this, she'd probably bring you into the hospital with her, strap you to a bed and make sure you got better."

I swallowed. That was a scary thought.

So hanging posters wasn't the most ideal job, but it was good munny that we got paid for doing it. But it was insulting. And not in a 'haha, you losers,' kind of way. No, it was insulting to my height.

They always said to get the posters high so people could see them. And I tried, really I did, but my arms just didn't reach. I stood on my tip-toes as I attempted to get one poster up high enough on the wall of the candy shop. I gritted my teeth and stretched, feeling my muscles pulling not only in my arms and legs, but also my stomach and back. Such a pain.

But then an arm shot up next to me and took the poster from my hand, easily moving it up and sticking it effectively to the wall. I stared at the poster for a moment before turning around, ready to give whoever was behind me a good piece of my mind.

So I turned.

And I stopped.

And I stared.

I kind of wished that my eyes had deceived me. That I wasn't looking at the grinning face of the guy that I saw yesterday at the train station. He gave me such a start that I jumped back and planted myself against the wall, thinking that maybe if I thought hard enough I could turn into a chameleon and blend in with my surroundings.

"Well you're welcome, shorty," the guy said in a delicate baritone. I stupidly opened my mouth, then closed it like a gaping fish. Those animalistic jade eyes studied my intimidated exterior curiously, then he let out a soft chuckle. "I'm not gonna eat ya," he said. Then he leaned down close to me and I swear to you his hand slid over my ass. "At least, if I can control myself."

With one last laugh, he backed away from me slowly, his eyes never leaving me. When he was a few paces away, he finally turned around and left me there alone, my heart pumping in my chest. I watched the shock of red hair, the color sticking out like a red rose among a bouquet of yellow.

Bewilderment caught up with me and when I found myself finally able to move, I had the strongest urge to follow in the direction that that guy had gone, posters be damned! The desire was there, I wanted to see him, to follow him, to go with him so badly. It was so strange too. This was someone who I didn't even know and I wanted to basically stalk him?

I was caught up with thinking that I never noticed my legs unconsciously walking forward, obviously intent on following the redhead. I was freaked out at this point, so confused as to why I was so focused on following him. This was ridiculous!

I shook my head and my ears twitched a bit. I let out a long delayed sigh and turned to walk off to my next destination and finish hanging the rest of the posters.

"Roxas? Are you alright?"

"Huh?" I looked up to my best female friend and avoided looking her directly in the eyes. They were so green, just like his. But his were a better shade, more vivid and captivating.

Oh sweet dear lord.

I groaned and splayed my hands across my face. Today was weird. Not only did I have that realistic dream, but I wake to notice some strange tattoo appear out of nowhere on my skin. And besides that, I was suddenly finding some man that I have never met before floating around my head with no intention of leaving. "Fine," I muttered unconvincingly. I was too preoccupied with trying to figure what the hell was going on with me that I didn't take notice to anything my friends were saying.

It was evening and Olette, Hayner and I were in the Usual Spot, just lounging around as usual. We were all bored and Hayner and Olette had taken to playing a game of darts while I laid back on our worn out couch. I felt the slight drumming of a headache behind my eyes and clenched my eyelids shut after one particular throb.

"Do you have a headache? I've got medicine," Olette said, one dart in her hand, poised to be thrown. She was glancing over at me though, and her arm was moving as she was getting ready to throw the object. Hayner backed away from her arm precautiously. Her bushy brown tail twitched anxiously, a move that normally happened when she knew something was wrong with one of us.

"I'm fine Olette, thanks," I said. She was sweet, really, but sometimes she overdid it. Unless you were perfectly fine and smiling, she wasn't satisfied. "I think I might just head home. I haven't been feeling well all day." This was true. My nerves had shocked my system and my stomach had been fluttering nervously all day.

She watched as I stood up, her frown all to obvious even when I wasn't facing her. "Alright," she said quietly, her voice filled with disappointment. "Oh, hey Roxas you dropped something." I turned back and looked down, finding a folded piece of paper on the ground.

"Must have fallen out of your pocket," Hayner said as he took aim, throwing the dart. It hit the board with a dull thud. "I win Olette. Again." He took the darts from the girl and stuck them and his own back into the board. "I'm heading out too. Got a struggle rematch with Seifer." He grinned. "And I'm totally going to kick his ass this time!" he cheered while pumping a fist in his air.

Olette rolled her eyes and turned to me. "He just wants Seifer to pin him to the ground like he did last time again." She giggled after speaking and then squeaked as Hayner slapped her arm.

"Never say that again," he growled. He turned on me suddenly. "And don't believe her."

"I didn't say anything," I said defensively. He walked by the two of us and down the alley towards the sandlot.

"It's only a matter of time," Olette chuckled, watching the other blonde walk away. "You want to come watch the fireworks that are bound to go off? I'm not sure I can hold Seifer and Rai off of Hayner when they start talking." She talked as if she knew that a confrontation would be inevitable.

"I have faith in you," I spoke, looking down at the small paper in my hand. Now I know I hadn't put anything in my pockets today. So where did this come from?

"Alright, we'll see you later Roxas. Have a good night."

"You too," I answered back and watched her take off.

Standing in the doorway of our hangout, I turned the paper in my hands before slowly opening it up. It looked as if it had been ripped from a notebook; the edges were torn and uneven, the holes that bounded it into the notebook still present. It was almost as if it were all done in a hurry.

Once it was completely unfolded, I looked down at the far from perfect writing, large and a bit messy; this too looked like it was done in a hurry.

My brows came together as I studied the words and wondered if they were truly meant for me. Maybe this was something that someone else lost and it was blown into the spot, or maybe someone had wandered into our place. Seifer and his group maybe? Who knows. But it was peculiar that something like this had made its way to me.

Top of the clock tower

7:00 P.M.

I really didn't want to believe that the note was for me.

I arrived at home at quarter after six. Mom hadn't come home yet and I remembered she had said something the day before about working the late shift. The thought made me frown upon how hard she worked. I would have to go out and find a steady job soon. I felt bad having her trying to support the two of us alone. I was old enough that I could help.

By now I was starving since I hadn't eaten all day. That possibly caused my headache or at least contributed to it along with the stress I was feeling. Sadly though it was one of those situations where there was just nothing in the house that you wanted to eat. I frowned as I closed the food cabinet. My stomach grumbled miserably in response. Maybe if mom had any money I could go shopping for her tomorrow.

I looked around the house. It felt so empty in here. Though it was small and full of furniture and other various objects, I just got this bare feeling being in here. But it wasn't an unfamiliar feeling. I was usually home by myself when we didn't have school.

The minutes rolled by and I sat on the couch, staring down at the paper in my hands. Could it be that this was written for me? Just the feeling of having it in my hands; it was like there was some residual energy on it or something. I know if I said that to anyone, they would probably look at me like I'm insane. I was suddenly getting used to the thought of people thinking of me as crazy. But the paper just felt…warm. It was so unusual and unnatural that I felt like I should put the thing down or throw it away.

But it was the strangest thing. I almost felt as though I were…drawn to it. It was such an indescribable feeling, but then I started to think that maybe it really was for me. So…who could it be from?

There was only one way to find out.

With a glance at the clock, I realized that I didn't have a lot of time to get to the clock tower. I briskly moved to the front door while shoving the note in my back pocket. I locked the door behind me and touched the key that hung around my neck. It was there, just like always.

My legs moved like they had a mind of their own and I don't exactly know when I realized that I was running. It was like I was running to save a life or something. I wanted to stop, to slow down and figure out why I was reacting so rashly, but I couldn't, my body wouldn't stop. My eyes stayed focused on the street ahead of me, the buildings around me like blinders leading me forward to my destination. The orange sky above grew slightly darker, never turning to dark just like it never truly turned to light.

I could see it, the clock tower in the distance. It stood tall, towering over everything else in the town. From where I was, I couldn't tell if there was someone up there or not. I wasn't even sure if someone would be up there. But it was like a gut feeling that pushed me forward, telling me that I had to get up there.

So I ran through the streets. I felt an odd sense of desperation build within me. It felt like I was way too anxious to see this person. A smile spread across my face and I didn't know where it came from. I was just so excited.

But for what? Why was my mind telling me to run faster, to get there so I could see him?

Him? Who the hell…

That thought made me almost stop. At least, I slowed to a walk as I ascended up the hill that lead to the train station. Just as I did get up over the hill though, the scene that suddenly appeared made me stop in my tracks and take a few steps backwards.

I took shelter in the shadows of the buildings as I did my best to stay covered while also trying to get a good look at what was going on.

As far as I could see, there were four figures and it looked as though they were having a standoff. Immediately my eyes jumped to flaming red hair. I could only see the back of his head, but already I knew who it was. He was dressed, instead of the street clothes he'd been in before, in a long black leather cloak, pants, and what seemed to be black combat boots.

To his left was a shorter blonde, whose hair was spiked up on top, a bit hanging down along the base of his neck. He stood close to the redhead, his head turning in different directions as he looked back and forth from the other two and the one standing next to him. He was dressed similarly in all black. I noticed that he had ears that were turned out towards the side in what looked like a nervous way and his long skinny blonde tail curled around his right leg.

I couldn't see all too well, but I noticed the other two figures were dressed in black as well. It was a hard thing to see, but I noticed that the taller of the other two had his dark hair pulled back into a low ponytail while his shorter companion had long blonde hair.

One thing I love was that I had good hearing. So hearing what they were saying was only a bit of a stretch, but it was possible. I took a few steps forward, hoping that I wouldn't be noticed.

"…says you'll find him?"

I assumed that the blonde with the long hair was talking this time.

"What if I already have?" By the motioning of his hands, I guessed that the redhead said this line. The blonde by his side moved in a startled motion as though he were shocked or something.

"Oh ho ho. Then again, it shouldn't have been a problem for you. You still have a good sense of his energy, don't cha?"

"Naturally." Even I could hear the bitterness of those words. "I'd never be able to forget his energy." Just then he turned his head back and I could have sworn he saw me. I nearly let out a squeak and moved back out of view. I shuffled back into the alley that was directly behind me and just sat there for a moment.

My first question was who were those people? More importantly, who was the redhead? Seeing him around the past two days, he appeared seemingly normal besides my extremely weird fixation with him. Now he seemed to have just changed into something different. I wasn't one to judge and I couldn't since I didn't even know who he was. But what were they anyways? The strange coats and everything. Like they were part of the mafia or something.

My mind then seemed to alarm me, reminding me that I had to be at the top of the tower now. But what if the others were still there, blocking the only entrance I had? Well, I'd have to chance it. Maybe they wouldn't notice.

I walked out from the alley and walked to the circled in front of the station. Alright, they were gone. There was no one here, no one in sight. The sun hung in the sky, shining brightly in my face as I looked out at the landscape. Then my eyes turned up to the tower and I let out a sigh. Better get this over with. Either I'll get answers or I'll be so embarrassed I'd probably just jump off the tower then and there.

The staircase in the station to get to the top was a killer. 182 steps. No lie. Hayner and I counted once when we got bored and were sitting on top of the tower. We counted once going down, bought some ice cream, then we counted on our way back up. 182 each time.

Once I reached the top I walked around to the front, only to discover that no one was there. So, to stay, or not to stay, that is the question. I pulled my cell phone from my pocket and examined it. 7:03. Could that be considered early? Maybe I should stick around for a little bit and see if they show up? I didn't exactly have anything else to do.

Sitting on the edge of the tower, I gazed out at the orange sky. It was something that I had to look at everyday, yet it never got tiring or bland or anything. It was such a unique colored sky, something that people in other worlds maybe only get to see at certain times or maybe not at all. I cherish our sky. It's beautiful to me. Even when the sun went down and the moon shone brightly in the sky, it was never really all that dark, instead a sort of deep mixture of celestial blues and purples in the sky and a purple orange hue along the horizon.

But now I got to thinking; what would the sky be like in another worlds? Completely different, or maybe the same? What about everything else? My interest in discovery had always been there and I was naturally a curious person. What if I had the option of leaving here, of being in a different world. Would I take it? Sure my life was wonderful, but I was also someone who liked change. And the everyday drill here seemed to be too standard. This was my summer vacation and I pretty much did the same thing everyday with only the slightest of changes. Sure I loved how things were but…if only something exciting were to happen.

Well wasn't I getting that? I looked down at my body, my hands slowly lifting my shirt as I examined the XIII marking for the umpteenth time today. It was still very faded and hard to make out, but I was sure of what it was. Where in the world could this have come from? It was such an odd thing to randomly appear etched in your skin. Was I being possessed by a spirit or something? Certainly this wasn't normal. There had to be answers somewhere.

"You seem to be lost in thought little buddy." I glanced up, shocked. I never heard any footsteps or anything.

The shock sent through my system caused me to jump suddenly upon seeing who was standing behind me that I nearly flung myself forward and over the edge. A hand clamped down on my shoulder and ultimately saved me. My heart beat erratically in my chest and I held my breath.

I was met by amused emerald eyes that twinkled in the glowing of the sun. His teeth flashed out at me as he smirked. His red hair seemed to be set on fire by the sun's glow and it was almost blinding in a way. He moved and sat down beside me, taking me completely by surprise.

"Sorry," he said. "Didn't mean to scare you to death. Or almost to death," he chuckled. I must have looked stupid, looking at him as though he were a ghost. I was just in too much shock to even comprehend who it was that was sitting beside me. Then like a fricken magician he brings his right hand around the front of him and there were sea salt ice creams in his hand. "Got you one. Hope this makes up for the heart attack." Then he grinned and my stomach felt like it was on fire. What. The. Fuck.

"Uh…" I had no room for anything intelligent to be created in my mind. My brain went stupid, I guess. The little bunny that lives in my head must have died or something. It wasn't there to nibble at my brain and get it moving. So as a back up plan, I nodded a thanks and took the ice cream that was offered to me. I took a large bite, hoping that if my mouth was full I wouldn't be able to talk. Sadly it just gave me horrible brain freeze and a salt shock. The frozen treat hurt my teeth as they sank into it and I grimaced.

"Slow down man, it won't disappear." He looked down to his own ice cream that was melting down into his hand. He licked a trail up his hand and onto the ice cream. Why oh why was I so captivated by that tongue so suddenly? My face burned when he looked up to notice me staring, smirking knowingly at me. "Maybe it will disappear." He took a small bite off the top and cringed. "I don't think I'll ever get used to this. It's just so salty!"

And what was I supposed to say to that? What was I supposed to say to this entire situation?

"Did you put the note in my pocket?" I asked shyly. What if I was only assuming things and I was completely wrong. Why would someone like him want anything to do with a kid like me? I wasn't anything special and I didn't have a name in this town. Lately I've looked like hell and I'm currently turning into a freak. Bags and circles under my eyes and freaky appearing tattoos. Ooh, attractive.

I couldn't exactly tell what I was hoping he'd say, but part of me was anticipating that he would say yes. He took another bite of ice cream, not flinching as badly as last time and replied, "Yup."

I waited a minute, wondering if he would say more. Nope, not a thing. Thanks for the elaboration, asshole. "May I ask why you wanted to meet me here?"

"'Cause I wanted to see you."

How vague could you get?

"I don't understand," I said. I avoided my eyes away from him now, suddenly feeling disappointed. It was nice that he wanted to see me, but why? We'd never met before. Hell, I didn't know his name and he suddenly decides one day to grope my ass as an excuse to give me a note claiming that he wants to meet me, someone he doesn't even know?

So not cool. He better not try to rape me. I swear, I'll push him off this tower, yes I will.

I looked up to see that he had abandoned his ice cream and was looking out at the sunset as I had just been. He let out a long sigh before he spoke. "It's been a while since we've seen each other, hasn't it Roxas?"

So it was possible for the Today Freaky Meter to tip past its boundaries. Huh, who knew?

"W-what did you say?" How in the world did he know my name? And what was he talking about. We've never met before! Never!

"I figured that they would get to you. But your memories are starting to come back to you, right?" He sounded hopeful, that much I could tell. He sounded like he lost his best friend and was doing all he could to get them back. The sad tone of his voice made me suddenly want to hug him. That thought alone says something because I don't normally hug strangers.

"You don't remember who I am, do you?" He asked this quietly, his look never falling onto me. My eyes faltered away from him again. I felt so bad all of a sudden. I racked my brain, searching desperately for a name, a memory of his face, something.

But I got nothing.

"No," I answered.

He let out a weak, defeated chuckle. "Of course not." I didn't want him to feel like he had to give up. Maybe…maybe he knew something about what was going on.

"But I'm having dreams," I said, trying to coax something from him. My ice cream was melting now and I lapped up the melting ends quickly. "Strange dreams. Actually, they feel too real to be dreams. I think they're memories or something. I don't know, but they're really strange and I'm not sure what to think of them."

"Can you share what they're like? What you see, or what you hear?" he asked me. I might not know who this person was, but I felt like I could trust him and it just seemed like he might have the answers.

"Well…" I thought back to this morning. The violent after works of the dream I had last night still, even now, felt so incredibly real. Never in my life have I ever reacted to a dream so drastically. I could hear the voices in the dream, my own thoughts and my feelings of desperation to find him. Whoever he was. And the other two people, whoever or whatever they were had sent out signs of danger. "At first the dreams were just a voice. And it sounded familiar but unfamiliar at the same time."

The redhead beside me looked to be in thought.

"And he was reading something. A note or paper, I'm not sure. But the voice…I just can't…"

I froze halfway through my sentence as realization hit me. That voice had been familiar sounding when I was dreaming, but I didn't know who it belonged to. And it wasn't until now that it hit me. I couldn't place the voice because I didn't know the person it belonged to.

I slowly turned my head to look at the stranger, my mouth open slightly with surprise. "You," I whispered, my eyes narrowing in confusion. "It was your voice. You were reading a letter."

He looked just as confused as I did but then he must have figured something out.

Comprehension overtook him and he must have been forming an answer. He muttered, "The connection couldn't have been broken at the time then."

These words meant nothing to me. "Excuse me?"

He shook his head, as though trying to defog his mind. "It was a strong bond," he was saying to himself. His eyes then darted to me. "You can't remember me at all, Roxas? A name, a face, anything?" Again he sounded desperate. I felt like he wanted to scream at me, do anything to make me remember what I obviously couldn't.

"N-no," I stuttered. He cursed under his breath then suddenly both his hands were gripping my arms, his face closing in on mine. I wanted to flinch back instantly. His hands...they weren't normal. It felt like they were on fire, burning right through my skin, even through his leather gloves. His entire body heat became apparent by the now closeness between us. His body heat was much higher than my own, almost like he had a very unnatural fever or something.

"But you are getting your memories back. So it's not hopeless." He chuckled dryly, uttering the word 'hopeless' once more quietly like it were some sort of joke. "Roxas, just promise me one thing," he said then. I stared in mild dismay. "When I ask you to, you'll follow me, okay?" His eyes pleaded as they gazed into mine.

"What?" I asked incredulously. What in the world was he talking about? Was he trying to make me run away from home, run off with him or something? No way, mister. I wasn't going to leave my home to go off with some freak.

"Just promise me." At that moment, his right hand let go of my arm and drifted upwards. His fingers found my necklace, his palm curling around the house key there. His crimson brows knitted and he looked suddenly angry as he glared daggers at my key. I became wary by his face and I pulled back, the key falling from his hand. That trinket around my neck was my reassurance and he looked like he wanted to rip it off and throw it down off the tower.

"I can't promise you anything," I ground out.

Suddenly he brought our faces closer and for a fleeting moment I swore he was going to kiss me. And I was sure he would since he leaned forward, his lips just centimeters from mine. But he stopped himself, falling short and looked away quickly.

"Please, just call me if you ever need me. For anything."

In seconds he was backing away from me, standing up and walking off. He rounded the corner to the door to head down the staircase and I was left alone.

It struck me then that I had too many questions to ask him. I wasn't sure which of us ruined the meeting, but part of me was glad that he left. The other part wanted nothing short of running and finding him. I wanted to go with him, wherever he was going to go.

The ice cream in my hand continued to melt, globs of blue falling down to the ground below. I suddenly wanted to be home, having dinner with mom and thinking about what Hayner and I would do tomorrow. I didn't want to think about weird dreams, the mark on my hip, or the strange redhead.

Something was going on. My answers were going unanswered.

Something was going to happen soon. I could feel it.

A change was underway.

Hope you enjoyed! Guess the quote, though it's easy as hell. Most of the quotes from now on will be completely random and you'll really have to think of who is saying it.

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