Hey y'all, I hope you've been having a good couple weeks. You're reviews have been fantastic! I hope you continue to enjoy the story!

'And I can see you starting to break

I'll keep you alive

If you show me the way'

~Breaking Benjamin,' Give Me a Sign'

Roxas

Roxas leaned back in his recliner and crossed his arms behind his head. Sora had left in a flurry of rushed words and eyes that seemed to be blinking back tears that nobody wanted to deal with. Leaving Roxas at his apartment with explicit instructions to wait until Sora called him. Under normal circumstances he wouldn't have cared all that much. He would have gone about his day and taken the call if he got it and not cared if he didn't. But this was Kairi. This was one of his best friends. She could be dead by the time Sora called him. But that wasn't the worst thing about his predicament. No, the worst thing about his situation was that sitting next to Axel, was Naminé, who Sora had told to stay with Roxas. He wanted to face the red head alone...well, with Demyx along, anyways. Apparently, He had known the red head as well, though Roxas held no memories of the man.

Now here he was, counting the specks on his ceiling while the woman of his dreams sat with her legs crossed politely in between his best friend and an awkwardly silent assistant who hadn't said a word since arriving with Sora and Naminé. Was he supposed to strike up a conversation? Offer her a drink? No, that wouldn't end well… he glanced at her, turn away and then hesitantly looked back. Here he was, trying not to think about alcohol when the girl he'd had a crush on since the beginning of time was sitting here, in his living room. He cleared his throat and said, "Can I get you a snack?" she glanced up at him as if surprised, but quickly shook her head, "No, no thank you. I'm fine." Her voice was just the same. He shifted his weight and asked, "So, how have you been?" She shrugged and smirked, "Can't complain. Just…living out on my own, is all." He felt partially guilty for not trying to find her phone number or address in the past few years, and he winced, "Jeez, sounds like a blast. Are you still on the Islands?" he asked, curious to regain the information he'd lost.

"I was, now I guess I'll be living in Radiant Gardens once I sell my house…" He nodded as she sighed, "I'm kind of nervous." "Why? You've always been great at being responsible and acting like an adult!" Naminé giggled and Roxas felt like he'd won the lottery. She shrugged, "I've been working with children for a year and a half." "Oh really? In like a daycare or something?" She shook her head, "No, assistant teaching." Roxas shuddered. The thought of children made him cringe. In gentle terms, Roxas wasn't exactly a fan of the miniature monsters. The woman chuckled, "Still hating children?" he looked up at her in surprise-she remembered that? Of course, they were best friends. Had been, anyways. "What do you do, Roxas?" Naminé asked, and Roxas caught Axel trying not to laugh. He glared at Axel before answering, "Oh, I work the night rounds at the graveyard downtown…trying to save up some money so I can move to a different place soon." Axel squinted and mouthed the word, 'What?' at him, which he promptly ignored.

Naminé nodded as if that were the most natural thing in the world, "Of course, I remember now, you'd always been a fan of those big houses." Roxas grinned at her, "What can I say, I like me some space." Axel snorted and this time Naminé turned to him and gave him a quizzical look. Axel put up a hand to show he'd meant nothing and she continued, "Well…I certainly don't mind your little apartment here. It's cozy I guess." Cozy? Really, cozy? Out of all the terms Roxas had used to describe his dwelling place, 'cozy' had never been one of them. "Um, thanks." He murmured. The two blondes eyed each other for another minute or so before Axel stretched and remarked, "Boy, I sure am hungry, say, Roxas, how about we show your friend here a good meal?" Roxas absentmindedly glanced over at the red head and said, "Well I would but we have no food. We were going to go shopping before my friends got here, remember?" His voice sounded much more irritated that he'd intended and he hoped Naminé wouldn't notice. "Oh right, of course, my bad." Axel retorted, quirking his eyebrows.

"Guys, I'm not very hungry, but I could go with you to get groceries if you wanted?" the woman suggested, and Axel and Roxas turned to her. Axel shrugged and Roxas sighed, "You don't have to." She shook her head, "No, no, I want to…besides, what else am I going to do? I have a feeling we'll be waiting a few days." She smiled at the end and Roxas smiled back almost involuntarily. "Sure, alright. We'll only get the things we need since I'll be leaving soon…" Axel stood up, "Great! Let's get going." Roxas and Naminé looked up at him, "What's the hurry?" Roxas questioned, slightly annoyed that his friend was trying to push them out the door when Naminé had just gotten there. "I'm hungry, Roxas. That's the hurry." Roxas immediately knew his friend was blatantly lying to him, but Roxas pressed his lips in a firm line and nodded. He'd push this when Naminé wasn't around. "Fine, Naminé, let's get ready." Naminé stood up, coughed awkwardly, and then asked in a hesitant voice, "If you don't mind me asking, are you two…a couple?" Roxas groaned and muttered, "Why do people always ask that?!" as Axel laughed boisterously before finally telling her, "Yeah, sure. He wishes!"

Sora

Sora had never been easily scared. He'd shown up to a college where he'd known absolutely no one. He'd interviewed for a job with one of the most intimidating men he'd ever met-Ansem. He'd presented dozens of ideas to the board of directors at his job. He'd even agreed to do this-a job he'd thought was going to be much less dramatic-without knowing how things would turn out. But his current predicament? He was completely terrified. Petrified to the bone. And things had turned out exactly how he'd imagined things going when he'd thought up the worst possible scenario.

Of course, his heart had broken at the sight of the tubes and monitors hooked up to the love of his life. He'd found it nearly unbearable to watch her eyes open and fill with tears of fear. She looked like a child. Someone who'd been forgotten in a department store or left on the side of the road. That alone was enough to make him want to break down and lose any sense of control he felt at that moment. But the kicker was when she'd finally seen him. He watched her eyes grow wide and her mouth fall slack. And then he saw her fists clench and she shrieked, "Get out!"

Sora knew he shouldn't have so much as even hoped for a better reaction, but as he backed up out of the room, he told himself that this was exactly what he should have expected. Kairi would be the one to take it the hardest, and he knew that he had found her at the worst possible time. Demyx glanced down at him sympathetically once they were out in the hallway. "Jeez…Um, I'm really sorry, boss." He offered, and Sora sighed and shook his head, "Don't apologize, Demyx. I knew this would happen. Listen, why don't you go enjoy yourself out in town for a few hours…I, uh, I need some time alone right now." Demyx nodded and retreated into the elevator down the hall without another word. Sora sighed and crouched against the wall.

What was he going to do now? He couldn't just leave her. Sure she might hate him or want to be as far away from him as possible, but he couldn't bring himself to think that he could just walk away and be doing the right thing. But his friends. They were waiting for him. No doubt Roxas and Naminé tripping over their words trying to get along without giving away their feelings. And there were still the other two to worry about. Riku and Xion, wherever they were. Sora knew he had to find them as soon as possible. Not just for his job, but because he needed to know that the rest of him friends were okay. That they weren't the same off as Kairi or worse.

Sora sighed. He dialed Roxas' number, and waited until the fourth ring, "Hello?" he heard him blonde friend ask gruffly. "Yeah, it's me. How are you guys holding up?" Sora questioned. "Fine, we're just…cooking." Sora heard somebody fake laugh in the background as if that were the last thing they were doing, and then a crash. "God damn it, Axel!" Roxas muttered before asking Sora, "How is she?" Sora groaned. "That good, huh?" Roxas mused, and Sora rolled his eyes, "She screamed at me to get out as soon as she saw me." The brunette muttered dejectedly. There was a silence on the other end before Roxas said, "Hey, man, I'm really sorry. That's gotta be rough…" "I'll try again in the morning." Sora said quickly, and he heard Roxas scoff, "Always the optimist, huh?" Sora chuckle, though he didn't feel much like an optimist at the moment. Just sad. "Something like that."

"Hey, listen, if you need anything just let us know. We're just attempting to make tacos here so we can actually so something useful if you need us to." Sora sighed and asked, "Hey, Roxas? Can you give me a definite answer about whether you'll join me in Radiant Gardens?" There was a pause on the other end. "I can't possibly pack and sell my apartment in a few days…" Roxas said. "That's okay. I just, I need a confirmation…for an update for my bosses." Sora knew he didn't need an update. But he needed to hear something good today. There was another pause, but finally Roxas said quietly, "I'm in." Sora smiled half-heartedly, "Thank you. You won't regret it, I promise!" They hung up not long afterwards. Sora sent an update email to Mickey and Ansem stating that he'd secured two managers, gave their names, phone numbers, and then sat back against the wall.

Sora glanced at the hallway clock. He'd have to get a hotel room soon. He'd have to try and sleep and focus on what he'd say to Kairi in the morning. But first, there was something he had to do. After a quick Google search and learning some information that the brunette would have rather done without, he was dialing a number into his phone, hands shaking. He shouldn't be this nervous. He'd just been screamed at by his dream woman. Nothing worse could happen from someone a lot more level-headed than that. He brought the phone to his ear and listened to his heart beat faster with every ring. On the last one, he heard a click and a familiar voice ask, "Hello?"

"Hi, Riku? This is Sora. I need your help."

Riku

Twilight Town was comfortable enough. Riku had immediately understood why Xion would be here. It was a quaint little place. Though it was apparently growing at an exponential rate, it retained that small-town vibe. The citizens of the town were polite and kept to themselves, in fact, nobody had seemed to question him at all since his conversation with Aqua on the plane. Xion would be able to exist without being seen. Something she knew how to do alarmingly well. Plus, the sunsets were so beautiful. Riku had read that Twilight Town was nationally known for its sunsets, but he didn't fully understand why until he saw one himself. He'd never known that a sunset could make him feel so…melancholy.

This place practically screamed Xion. The only problem was finding his little friend. The place was comfortable, not overwhelmingly big, nor crawling with nosy townsfolk, but there were still quite a lot of people there. There wasn't a Xion listed in the phone book, and he'd spent all day seeing if he'd recognize her on the streets. He never did. He watched the streets below from his Holiday Inn suite and swirled the glass of champagne in his hand. What would he have to do? Put up a poster? 'Have You Seen This Woman?' Riku sighed and watched the streetlights change from green to yellow to red and back again. Everything was just so…small. Nobody down there was aware of a woman, whose life may or may not be in danger. Nobody was aware that he was desperately trying to find her. Except Aqua. Aqua. That was it! He had to find her and ask for her help! Why, maybe the peculiar blue haired girl had already seen Xion!

Riku stepped away from the window when he heard his phone buzzing on his night stand. He glanced down at the screen to see an unknown number flashing at him. He would have pressed the ignore button without a second thought had the area code not been from Destiny Islands. He hesitantly picked up the phone and pressed the answer button. "Hello?" Riku asked. "Hi, Riku? This is Sora. I need your help." Riku nearly dropped the phone. "Sora?" Riku muttered, sitting down on the hotel bed. "Yeah, it's me…look, I know we haven't talked to each other in a while. But I need your help with something." Riku scoffed, "Why should I help you? You left us all to go be some big rich hot shot." He heard Sora sigh on the other end. Riku knew he was hardly one to judge. He'd never bothered to phone home either. "And you left home to go be a prostitute." Sora snapped from the other line and Riku gasped. This kid really did his research, "It's called an escort. I don't parade myself around on corners at night, thank you very much!"

He heard a light chuckle and then another sigh, "I know, I know. Sorry, that was a low blow. Listen, are you alone? Like, at a place where you won't freak somebody out if what I say surprises you?" Riku scowled, "What are you talking about, kid? Did somebody die?" Riku felt a slight twang of guilt over being so dismissive of his friend, but he didn't have time to play catch-up with a buddy while Xion was out there. "Well, they gave it their best shot…" Riku froze. Was it his sister? Cousin? Someone from high school? Xion? He shuddered and said, "You have my attention. Tell me." Sora took a deep breath and said, "Firstly, I've promised my bosses that I'd bring back five new managers for our company's expansion by the end of the month. You're one of them by the way, but I'll get more into that later. So I've found Naminé and Roxas, who are back at Roxas' apartment waiting for me right now. And we had just gotten Roxas to agree when Naminé got a call from her mom on the Islands…" Sora stopped for a moment before continuing, his voice much heavier now, "Kairi is in the hospital. She apparently ran in front of a car."

Riku felt his heart skip a beat. The room seemed to spin around him and he felt like he was suddenly falling through the floor and down to the ground. "W-what?" Riku finally stammered. He heard Sora exhale shakily and immediately felt a wave of sympathy for the guy. "Hey, man, I'm sorry." "It's fine. I just…God, Riku she screamed at me when I came to visit her. I flew to the Islands and she screamed at me to get out…I don't know what to do. I'm sitting in the hospital hallway and I don't know what to do…" Riku ran his hand through his hair, "Look, she was like my sister. I would go down there and talk with her too. But I'm in Twilight Town looking for Xion. I heard some things that made me think she was here and in trouble…Sora I have to find her. I love Kairi like a sister and I want to be there for her, but I need to find Xion."

"I know. In fact, I need you to find her for me. She was the fifth one I wanted as my manager. If you find her, call me and let me talk to her." Sora said softly, and Riku found himself nodding. "Yes. Yes I'll do that. I'll have to see if she's okay first, but eventually I'll call you back." Sora sighed from the other line, "Thank you, Riku. I know we haven't talked in a long time, and I'm really sorry about that. But you're a great friend." Riku chuckled, "Yeah, you are kind of a dick for not talking to any of us. But then again, so am I, I guess." Sora laughed, "Oh, thanks!" He mused, and Riku laughed with him. "We'll catch up some time, got it?" Riku said, "And don't be an asshole and ignore me for another five years!" "Yeah, yeah, yeah, we'll see!" Sora exclaimed. "Alright, I'll find Xion. You, talk to Kairi in the morning…I know that she'll listen…she loves you, you know. Always has. Always will." Riku told his old friend somberly. The mood shifted again and a light sadness fell over the two men. "Right…I'll talk to you later, Riku." "Yeah, and you, too." Riku mumbled, and hung up.

Here he was, one friend in the hospital, one dealing drugs, and the rest miles and miles away. For the first time Riku felt like the only sane one. The only one who could pull things together. Besides Sora, that is. And that was how it always would be.

So kind of a filler, but much needed to move things along. Please review for me, it makes my day so much better! Favorite, follow, etc. and have a great day!

Special Thanks to: 89niners-best-team-ever, Lucenthia, mckail397, SummonerDagger88. Thanks for reviewing, guys!